Discuss how the writers have presented differing ideas of Justice in the societies in which their stories are set.
Discuss how the writers have presented differing ideas of Justice in the societies in which their stories are set. "Desiree's Baby", written by Kate Chopin, is about racial prejudice in the late nineteenth century in Creole society. It also examines the gender inequality in Creole society. For instance the man was the head of the family and was not argued with. 'Vendetta' is by Guy de Maupassant. 'Vendetta' is also set in the late nineteenth century. This story examines the Corsican "blood feud". In this case an old lady's son is killed so she takes revenge for his murder. Both of the stories are based around leading female characters. Also both are told by an omniscient narrator. Both societies support their status quo. The French are very religious and in 'Vendetta' Madam Saverini has the full backing of the church. "She was in ecstasy of devotion" In 'Desiree's Baby' nobody will stand up for her or her baby as they are thought to be from black descent and the society was incredibly racist. "Vendetta" is set in Corsica which is an island just off the coast of Italy but belongs to France. We learn at the beginning of the story that Corsica is a nasty, dreary place to be. "...harassed by relentless winds...." We learn very little about Madam Saverini except that she is a widow. A blood feud is something that was perfectly legal in Corsica until the 1950's.
Pre 1900 short stories Desiree's baby' and 'the necklace' are both pre-1900 Short stories with a twist.
Pre 1900 Short Stories 'Desiree's baby' and 'the necklace' are both pre-1900 Short stories with a twist. 'Desire's baby' is a short story with a twist in the tale; Madame Valmonde is visiting her adopted daughter Desiree who was discovered by her husband 18 years before. Nobody knew where the toddler had come from, the couple adopted her. The baby seems to have grown astoningishly. The baby would appear to have some Negro blood and it is now obvious to all. She promptly drowns herself in the river. Armand then finds a letter from his mother to his father. In the letter it says that she thanks god that her son will never discover that she herself has slave roots. Madame Loisel lives in gentle poverty with her civil servant husband, dreaming of a better life. She and her husband go to a ball and so she borrows a magnificent necklace from a wealthy friend, on arriving home that night after the ball she finds that she has misplaced the necklace she borrowed from her wealthy friend and can not be found anywhere. They have to use all their savings to buy a replica of the necklace she lost, after 10 years of agonizing struggling she feels she must tell her friend the truth about the necklace she has been paying off for the last 10 years and only to discover that the precious jewels she worn and lost hat night were merely just imitations. Desiree is described as a fairytale
Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin: Is it a good short story?
Jack Warder Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin: Is it a good short story? It is essential in a successful short story that the scene should be set briefly and effectively, and that character should be quickly demonstrated, since this genre does not have the same time scale as a novel. This short story is narrated in the third person, and written in chronological order, apart from one flash back telling of the death of old Monsieur Abigny's wife. It is set in the plantations of Louisiana .U.S. in the nineteenth century, and is about two families, who are French speaking plantation owners, their children and their grandchild, and the slaves they employ, as was customary in those days. Desiree, the principal character in the story, was found abandoned as a toddler by Monsieur Valmonde and brought up by his wife as their own, Madame Valmonde being childless. Thus we know from the very beginning of the story that nothing is known of Desiree's origins. Kate Chopin, the American nineteenth century writer, has a very distinctive voice, and a clear attitude to events and characters. She depicts Madam Valmonde as a person who perhaps doesn't really want to know the truth, as in the third paragraph she "Abandoned every speculation" about the origin of Desiree, and again when she sees the skin colour of the child, but says nothing.. You get the immediate impression from the writer of
Discuss the presentation of social status in Desiree's Baby and The Necklace.
???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? 'Desiree's Baby' was written by Kate Chopin and it is set in the American southern states in the late 19th century when it was written. Chopin lived in Louisiana which had many rich, white plantation owners. Chopin's stories were controversial because she was white and it was unheard of for people to write about such topics as the one covered in 'Desiree's Baby'. The author of 'The Necklace' was written by Guy de Maupassant and he also lived in the late 19th century but he lived in Paris. Most of his stories were set in France, but to be more specific, most of his stories were set in and around the capital, Paris. Both stories show different aspects of social status and what effect it has on people and their aspirations for higher status. 'Desiree's Baby' is set in Louisiana which is a southern state of America. Where society is portrayed as racist which meant that the rich, white plantation owners thought that the black slaves were inferior. The slaves are all black there are no white slaves; the slaves are treated like animals; to have a black heritage was like carrying a disease. When Armand finds out that his child is black he cannot bear to even think that he is related to a race that is branded with slavery; he says, "the child is not white, it means you are not white", to his wife, he does
The Unexpected by Kate Chopin
The Unexpected by Kate Chopin In this short story that is set in the Victorian ages, Dorothea the traditional Victorian women is married to her husband who works and Dorothea stays at home. Her husband Randall gets sick in the story and has to go to his home and get better. Dorothea cannot bare the separation, however when she next sees him in an ill state she decides this isn't what she wants and flees. She runs away to somewhere she or any other Victorian women has ever been to... freedom. Kate Chopin explores the position of Victorian women very well in this short story and it starts right at the beginning when Randall has to part because of him being ill. The short and snappy descriptive words creative a good impact on how Victorian women were. It creates this impression that would not be normal to any other Victorian women reading this story. We have always thought of the marriage between any other Victorian couple to be plain and simple but the affection and emotion that Kate Chopin writes steers us from this. In the opening paragraphs Chopin creates this impression of mutual attraction between the couple of Dorothea and Randall by saying the "parting was bitter" stating that when they said goodbye it was hard for them. Already straight away we did not expect this and for there to be more the reader is shocked in the opening paragraph. By shocked I mean this because
The Theme of love in "the Storm" - Kate Chopin
English Homework-Kirsty Hughes The Theme of love in "the Storm" - Kate Chopin Kate Chopin's "The Storm," although written much earlier, was not published until 1969. This was for two reasons. The first reason was that it depicted sex in a very frank manner. Second, and more importantly, it portrayed adultery in a positive light. Alcee and Calixta not only committed adultery, but also they got away with it were not punished and everyone in the story was happy. This was a very taboo subject in general at the time and with the adulterous characters escaping punishment, no editor of the time could risk the moral outrage of the public by publishing such a story. The story is about two people that have and affair during a storm. The story involves two families, that of Bobinot, Calixta, and Bibi, and Alcee, Clarisse, and their babies. Calixta is at her house separated from her family due to the storm. Alcee is separated from his family because they are visiting another town. The storm brings Calixta and Alcee together and they have an affair. It s set in a small town in the late 1800s. A storm can mean many things, both good and bad, and it is important to the story both symbolically and directly. The storm acts as a catalyst in the story as it causes the events to unfold as they do. The first real direct effect the storm has in the story is that it is what causes
Consider the way that Chopin presents men in her writing. Is she consistent in her depiction of them?
Consider the way that Chopin presents men in her writing. Is she consistent in her depiction of them? (Choosing three characters, one from 'The Awakening' and two others from the short stories.) Chopin depiction of men through her novels is evidently not consistent. In order to support this one must look in detail at three male constructs that Chopin creates: Léonce from the 'Awakening' and Bobinot and Alcee from 'At the Cadian Ball.' Kate Chopin develops the male characters in her novel, 'The Awakening,' she portrays men in a very objectionable light. For the most part, her men are possessive, cowardly and self-serving. She seems a little unfair and biased in her portrayal of men, yet this view is necessary for Chopin to get her point across. She utilises the characters of Mr. Pontellier, Robert, Alcee and a few other men to demonstrate her observations of the middle class man in the society of her day. However, if one were to analyse Chopin's other novellas this is not necessarily the case. Firstly, Mr. Pontellier represents Kate Chopin's supposition that in society men objectify women. A wife is a man's property, he "looks at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of property which has suffered some damage" and his possession, "he greatly valued his possessions, chiefly because they were his". Here Chopin is merely presenting Léonce's attitude, she is not
"Desiree's baby" written by Kate Chopin.
"Desiree's baby" written by Kate Chopin was also set in the Nineteenth century but in France. This was when the slave trade was very much prominent and many people owned plantations. The story is about a young baby girl that is abandoned outside the Valmonde home. The girl is named Desiree and she grew up to be "beautiful and gentle, affectionate and sincere - the idol of Valmonde." Desiree later fell in love with a young man called Armand Aubigny who instantly fell in love with her. They married and had a child and Armand being the son of Monsieur Aubigny who owned many plantations and slaves was very rich and gave Desiree whatever she desired. Everything was fine until Armand became suspicious of his son's skin colour. It became clear that the child was mixed race and Armand pointed the finger at Desiree because he thought it was her who had some sort of connection with black people with her family. Desiree killed herself and the child thinking she was the cause but later on Armand found out that his mother was in fact black. Chopin also creates an atmosphere of mystery and intrigue pointing to an inevitable tragedy. Armand Desiree's husband is a very strong and powerful man and is a stricter man than his father. "Young Aubigny's rule was a strict one, too and under it his negroes had forgotten how to be gay," when he wants something he will get it just as he fell in love
Compare and contrast the way male characters have been portrayed by Chopin and Gaskell in their stories.
Compare and contrast the way male characters have been portrayed by Chopin and Gaskell in their stories It is intriguing that both Gaskell and Chopin seem to have similar views on men, which is shown in their stories. I have concentrated on Désirée's Baby by Kate Chopin and The Half Brothers by Elizabeth Gaskell. The men in these stories are portrayed as imperious and demanding and generally are shown as the "villains" in a negative light. The main male character in Désirée's Baby is Armand who is first shown in a positive light and is described as being "passionately in love" with Désirée. This is a very typical characteristic of Chopin and Gaskell's stories. At the beginning the men are described in this way and often the reader will find that they are drawn to the male characters much more than the women. This love is cleverly disguised, as there are several references to Armand's impulsive nature. Even at the beginning of the story Armand's sudden love for Désirée is described as "as if struck by a pistol shot." This metaphor shows that his impulsive reactions have a certain hidden danger, which could be quite cruel and harsh. Armand's possible cruelty is expressed subtly again in a description of L'Abri, the family home. "Negroes had forgotten to be gay," as if Armand's rule was so strict and terrifying that there was no room for happiness and freedom of
Diary entry from Desiree's baby.
Dear Diary, Today was the most dramatic and stressful day of my entire life. My life has completely collapsed in less than a day. It was me, my beloved wife Desiree and our adorable child. It seemed as if nothing could every brake the strong bond between the three of us. That's when I was wrong. When I wrongly accused Desiree of being of black origin I told her to " just go". When I saw all Desiree's and the baby's stuff burning I thought it was all over- a new start for all of us. But then when I was clearing up my draws I found a letter that I haven't seen before. Anxiously I read the letter to discover that I made the biggest mistake of my life. The blood in my veins froze, my heart turned stone cold and I couldn't breath. I was petrified. I couldn't believe my eyes. I threw out my Desiree and our lovable child, just to find out that it was ME who had the black ethnicity, not Desiree. When the baby was born my life completely changed, I changed. No longer o was the mean, demanding Armand. I was kind and loving not only to my family, but the slaves didn't feel like slaves anymore. I treated them nicely and with care. I wanted to share my happiness with the whole world. I would never think that such a little thing like a baby could change such a stubborn man like me. I think that when I said those two mean words, which had the most powerful meaning in my life. "