The Story of an Hour Reflective

The literary work that most captured my attention was The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin. I have chosen to do a Reader-Response approach to this paper. First off, I enjoyed the intense imagery the writer used in describing the sights and sounds that Louise experienced in her hour of life. From the, “…tops of the trees that were all aquiver with new spring life” and the, “countless sparrows….twittering in the eaves.” (Clugston. 2010) While I was reading this selection, I could see and hear the objects just as they were described and just as it would have been had I been standing in the very room that the character was. Just as imagery is described in the book Reading Assessment and Instruction for All Learners, “you see images in your mind’s eye related to the events you are reading in the story” (Schumm. 2006) ; my imagination was enchanted with the descriptions of everything going on in the selection. Thought the selection was short, I really enjoyed the character development by just their actions and sentences. I could feel the worry from Louise’s sister, Josephine, as she knelt beside the door and looked through the keyhole. It was apparent that Louise and Josephine have a good relationship as Louis held onto Josephine’s waist as they descended down the stairs together. Chopin is able to clearly describe several different tones in the selection. The selection starts as a more somber mood and atmosphere as Louise sinks into her armchair and weeps and sobs. “She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.” (Clugston. 2010) As Louise opens her senses and listens to the outside world, she notices a feeling rising in her body. Though she cannot quite put her finger on what it was, it did not take her long until she felt freedom. “When she abandoned herself a little whispered word

References: Clugston, Wayne. (2010). Journey Into Literature. San Diego, CA. Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/AUENG125.10.2/sections/h2.1 Mikics, David. (2007). New Handbook of Literary Terms. New Haven, CT. Yale University Press. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID=10210186&p00=encyclopedia%20literary%20terms Schumm, J. and Arguelles, M. (2006). Reading Assessment and Instruction for All Learners. New York, New York. Guildford Press. Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/lib/ashford/docDetail.action?docID=10172281&p00=%22literature%20tone%22