KATE CHOPIN

“Desiree’s Baby”

Author: Kate Chopin

Began writing at the suggestion

of her family doctor who was

concerned about her emotional

health after the death of her

mother and husband

Writing captured the local color

of and essence of life in

Louisiana

Her themes of writing

challenged social boundaries

and were often considered

controversial: nature of

marriage, racial prejudice and

women’s desire for equality

(p. 632)

“DESIREE’S BABY”

S

et in Louisiana before the American Civil War

D

esiree is adopted as a baby and marries a man from a

respected family

T

he couple has a baby who appears to not be 100% white

which angers Desiree’s husband

IRONYI

rony- contrast between what is stated and what is meant

V

erbal Irony- use of words to suggest the opposite of their meaning; sarcasm

Ex: You get an F on a reading quiz, and your buddy leans over to say, “Hey, nice work.

You have must have read a lot last night.”

D

ramatic Irony- occurs when readers are aware of something that a character is not

Ex: You know the killer is hiding in the pantry, but the characters in the slasher

movie are not aware of what you know

S

ituational Irony- occurs when the outcome of an action or situation is very different from

what one expects

Ex. Finding out that the helpful child psychiatrist is actually a ghost at the end

of The Sixth Sense! Totally unexpected!

SIMILE

S

imile- comparing two things using like or as

E

x. The passion that awoke in him that day, when he saw her at the

gate, swept along like an avalanche, or like a prairie fire, or like

anything that drives headlong over all obstacles.

W

hat is being compared in this simile?

REGIONALISM

R

egionalism depicts and analyzes the unique

qualities of a geographical area and its people

L

ocal color- captures the attitudes or customs of a

geographical area

PLOT DIAGRAM

ACTIVITY 1(PREREADING)

D

ecide whether each statement is true or false.

1

. Men’s thoughts and decisions are more valid than women’s.

2

. Mothers love their children more than fathers do.

3

. It is okay to judge people by their outward actions.

4

. It is okay to judge people by their physical appearance and/or skin color.

5

. People of biracial or multiracial heritage must choose which race to be a part of.

ACTIVITY 2(WHILE READING)

C

omplete the Thinking Plot Diagram as you read this story

N

ext to each piece of the diagram, copy one simile from

the story

W

hat was the situational irony in this story?

ACTIVITY 3(POST READING)

W

rite a short sequel to this story on your own paper.

What do you think happened after the author’s

ending?