ipl-logo

Story Of An Hour Rhetorical Analysis Essay

703 Words3 Pages

“The Story of an Hour” is a short story written by Kate Chopin. It is about a woman named Mrs. Mallard, who had to be informed of her husband’s death very carefully because she had a heart condition. After her sister notified her of the accident her husband was in, she cried and locked herself in her room until she started to accept and appreciate her new-found independence. When Mrs. Mallard came out of the room and walked downstairs with her sister, to her surprise, her husband walked in the front door. Mrs. Mallard had a heart attack from an overwhelming amount of shock and joy. Three very important rhetorical devices that help to emphasize the details of the experiences that occurred throughout Mrs. Mallard’s life are imagery, repetition, …show more content…

Mallard was looking at out of her window. She uses kinesthetic imagery when describing the movement of the trees. She evokes olfactory imagery through her description of “the delicious breath of rain” in the air. Her use of auditory imagery is especially prevalent when she writes, “The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.” The use of imagery is pointed out when Chopin personifies the fear that is “creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air.” Chopin’s vivid use of imagery to make the story appeal to several of the senses represents Mrs. Mallard’s discovery of being “free” which is what she repeats many times throughout the …show more content…

Mallard mourned about her husband’s loss until she realized that she was going to like having her life to herself. Chopin writes how “Mrs. Mallard saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome.” This is situational irony because she believes that she will be able to enjoy the next years of her life on her own, when that very life was ended within minutes. It is also ironic that she was happy about her husband’s death and he was the reason that her life ended. There is also irony in the fact that Mrs. Mallard is said to have “heart trouble” when she must not only have trouble with her heart as a health concern, but also on an emotional

Show More
Related

  • Tim O Brien Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    586 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Tim O'Brien discusses Curt Lemon's death, he effectively highlights the underlying paradoxes of a war story's truths by telling the same story in three accounts that each differ in diction, mood, tone, and sometimes imagery. For example, in the first paragraph, O'Brien utilizes a neutral, objective tone as he briefly lists the events before, during, and after Lemon's death. How so? O'Brien implicates his staunch neutrality in the middle of the first paragraph, where he nonchalantly recants, "He [Curt Lemon] was playing catch with Rat Kiley, laughing, and then he was dead." Here O'Brien seems to be playing with the audience's emotions, as he intentionally uses phrases such as "playing catch" and "laughing" to indicate vibrancy and child-like

    Read More

  • The Help Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    1025 Words  | 5 Pages

    Kathryn Stockett successfully uses rhetorical devices to get the reader to feel and understand the perspectives of the protagonists. Stockett uses pathos, ethos, and logos in her book, since the book about social injustice. The topics in the book range from inequality of the sexes to social classes and racism, Stockett is successful in getting the reader to reflect while reading the book and the themes of the book have a clear presence. We see Stockett use ethos and pathos in the very first chapters when we learn that Hilly doesn't like Minny and Minny doesn't want to say why at first, but the incident with Ms. Holbrook was affecting her chances of getting a job because of the influence Hilly has over this suburban society. In some instances where Stockett uses ethos, pathos is also included in her writing.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Jason Fagone

    438 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Project #1, I chose to make a rhetorical analysis of a chapter from Jason Fagone 's book Ingenious: A True Story Of Invention, Automotive Daring, And The Race To Revive America, "How to spend your entire income building a car to travel 100 miles on a gallon of gas. " The first chapter mainly focuses on two main characters: Kevin and Jen. Mr. Fagone introduces us to them by telling us how they both met, grew up, where they went to school and what for, where they worked, and how they started working together on building the car for X Prize. Now, since my goal for this blog is to see my progress and journey to becoming a better science writer, I started reading the chapter over and over. In the beginning, I thought that "Writing for Science"

    Read More

  • Tale Of Two Cities Rhetorical Analysis Essay

    668 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a young child, Charles Dickens was forced to work in a shoe polish factory. Therefore he has a deep understanding of the struggle that the people of France had to endure. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, takes place in 18th century London and France. In the passage, the Marquis is riding through countryside on horse and carriage as they approach a small village. The Marquis is the lord of this village, but it is filled with poverty.

    Read More

  • Mrs. Mallard Dynamic Character

    1077 Words  | 5 Pages

    The characters in Kate Chopin’s stories are either dynamic an or static because each woman has their own personality. One of the woman’s finds her inner self after the tragic accident of her husband, the other woman just relieves the past but does not have any major change in her character. The last woman her personality came out and had to deal with temptation. Kate Chopin’s “Story of an hour” Mrs. Mallard is a dynamic character due to the fact that a transformation to her character had occurred when she found out about her husband’s death. She received the news from her sister, “great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death” (Chopin).

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    913 Words  | 4 Pages

    Literary Analysis “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to the sudden death of her husband. Chopin describes Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as sad, yet happy that her husband has been killed. Kate Chopin’s “ The Story of an Hour” argues that when a person is controlled and made to live under another person their mental state of mind is affected. The story also argues that when that person is freed from the controlling person their true self can finally be achieved. Kate Chopin portrays these themes by the use of character development; plot control, and irony throughout the story.

    Read More

  • Louise Mallard In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    1200 Words  | 5 Pages

    In “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, after hearing the news of her husband’s death, Mrs. Mallard’s emotions did not portray sadness or despair instead she was relieved and rejoiced. Even though Mrs. Mallard admits that her husband was kind and loving, she feels joy after hearing the news of her husband’s death that she will no longer be known as Mrs. Mallard. Although it was acknowledged in the story that Louise Mallard loved Bentley Mallard, we can tell by the statement “had never looked save with love upon her,” (Chopin, 1894), the favor was not returned. The main theme we see in this story is the oppression of marriage. Death of her husband shows that Mrs. Mallard finally has freedom.

    Read More

  • Story Of An Hour Character Analysis Essay

    940 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” demonstrates the personal growth of the dynamic protagonist Louise Mallard, after hearing news of her husband’s death. The third-person narrator telling the story uses deep insight into Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts and emotions as she sorts through her feelings after her sister informs her of her husband’s death. During a Character analysis of Louise Mallard, a reader will understand that the delicate Mrs. Mallard transforms her grief into excitement over her newly discovered freedom that leads to her death. As Mrs. Mallard sorts through her grief she realizes the importance of this freedom and the strength that she will be able to do it alone.

    Read More

  • Story Of An Hour Irony Analysis

    866 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” readers are dropped into a deep conflict. A man must tell a woman that her husband is dead. In the beginning there is a subtle hint at the ironic twist ending, but the story goes on cooly in spite of it. Readers start to feel connected to Mrs. Mallard and begins to pity her situation, all because of irony. The effect of irony in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” enhances the protagonist’s situation, it introduces the effect of the foreshadowing, and indirectly characterizes the protagonist.

    Read More

  • The Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis

    828 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hour of Freedom “The Story of an Hour” is a short story written by Kate Chopin. It details a wife named Mrs. Louise Mallard, who struggles with a heart condition. After learning of her husband, Brentley Mallard’s death in a railroad accident, Mrs. Mallard deals with grief in many stages. Chopin incorporates many literary devices throughout “The Story of an Hour,” but imagery is the most evident.

    Read More

  • Self-Identity And Freedom In The Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin

    770 Words  | 4 Pages

    Self-Identity and Freedom The story of an hour by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to her husband’s death. In this short story, Chopin portrays the complexity of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as she is saddened yet joyful of her loss. Kate Chopin’s story argues that an individual discovers their self-identity only after being freed from confinement.

    Read More

  • Literary Criticism In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    1124 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the story, Chopin begins with the issue of female identity. The story, just like several other stories, begins with Mrs. Mallard being at home; two assumptions can be made, one she is married, and two, she is probably waiting for her husband to return home. What is particular about it, is how Chopin only mentions her name after she knows about her husband’s death and when is realizes that she is free. By doing this, the author criticizes the fact that women adopted her husband’s name in marriage as a signal of men’s property. This fact could mean that for a woman to recover her identity or freedom is by becoming a

    Read More

  • Compare The Story Of An Hour And Aunt Jennifer's Tigers

    740 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Unbreakable Hold “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” by Adrienne Rich has several similarities as well as a few differences. Throughout history, women have been expected to submit to their husbands in many ways. They were to do this without any objections. A woman, during the 19th century, secretly dreamed of becoming free of this unnecessary authority. These two stories have one main subject in common: a want for freedom from a husband’s hold in marriage.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Louise Mallard In The Story Of An Hour

    909 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the beginning of the story, she heard the news of her husband’s death in train accident from her sister Josephine and her husband’s friend, Richard. She was shocked by the news and showed sad feelings in the story. However, when I was reading through the story, I could infer that Mallard had a terrible marriage life with her husband because the story later said that Mallard was happy because she had freedom. In the beginning of the story, she was shocked and sad but later on, she was happy because of in dependence. These evidences prove that she is a dynamic character.

    Read More

  • Story Of An Hour Critical Analysis

    1346 Words  | 6 Pages

    We think that the form of the “Imaginary” mentioned in Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory of Mrs. Mallards family and friends “imagining” that the devastated new of Mr. Mallard’s death would cause her a heart attack, however later on in the story it was mentioned that she was in fact relieved to know she was a free woman of her marriage. Consequently, the reality of Mrs. Mallard’s thoughts, perceptions and feelings were not the same as others may have assumed or imagined to be. Based on stereotypical standards of society this was misunderstood because a wife should feel an enormous pain for the death of her husband. As the story continues, when Josephine whose Mrs. Mallard’s sister told her about the death of Mr. Mallard, instead of reacting in shock as “many women would’ve (Chopin, The Story of an Hour)” done so, Mrs. Mallard “wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms.

    Read More

More about Story Of An Hour Rhetorical Analysis Essay

Open Document