Discussion: Character
This week we are focusing on character. Character who the story is about; it might be about a protagonist or the narrarator of the story. Character is important in a story because this is who your reader is going to be identifying with in your story. The reader will want to know something about the character. How you describe the character, how the character sees the world tell us much about your story. You will see this in our reading this week. Pay close attention to how the author presents the world through the character's eyes.
Reading
We are reading Kate Chopin this week. There has been a virtual renaissance of interest in her lately; especially on the internet. There are many resources about her and many of her stories are on the web. If this story intrigues you to read more, I would encourage you to do a search on her at www.google.com.
"The Story of an Hour" is a very concise short story that uses language in some very careful ways to talk about the final revelation. Be prepared to discuss this use of language. Look for words and sentences throughout the story that give us clues to interpreting the nature of what happens in the tale. These effects are not accidental and contribute to the story in very significant ways.
Assignments
- Comment on Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour" using the criteria.
- Post your first writing to the discussion board and give a critique on two other postings.
- Make two entries in your journal.