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InstructionsfortheAnalyticalRoughdraft.pdf

This week, you will submit a rough draft of your analytical paper.

Now that you have written a thesis statement and created an outline for your paper, you will use the critical reading skills practiced in this course to defend your interpretation of the literary text you have chosen to analyze. Keep in mind the importance of “close reading” or “reading between the lines.”

Your paper must include the following:

● An introduction that provides relevant background information and ends with your thesis statement

● A minimum of four body paragraphs that defend your thesis statement ● A minimum of three references from reliable sources; one must be a

scholarly, academic article, one that is not directly about the story at all like add an outside story and its like a a lil related maybe like a psychological research, and all must be cited at least once in the paper

● A conclusion that reaffirms your thesis statement and addresses wider implications

● Formatting, citations, and references must all adhere to APA style ● Page length - approximately 3-5 pages, not including title and reference

pages

See the rubric for specific grading criteria.

Points: 75 Due Sunday, 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time)

Rubric

Analytical Paper: Rough Draft

Criteria Ratings Pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome

Content

60 to >53.4 ptsExceeds ExpectationsSubmission shows a concerted effort to present a high-quality draft requiring minimal adjustments to content and mechanics. All requirements are met.

53.4 to >47.4 ptsMeets ExpectationsSubmission shows a good effort to present a high-quality draft. Will require some adjustments to content and mechanics. Most requirements are met.

47.4 to >43.2 ptsApproaches ExpectationsSubmission shows some effort to present a draft. Will require significant adjustments to content and mechanics.

43.2 to >0 ptsDoes Not Meet ExpectationsSubmission shows little effort to present a high-quality draft. Will require extensive adjustments to content and mechanics.

60 pts

This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome

Format/Cr editing Sources

15 to >13.35 ptsExceeds ExpectationsThe writer makes minimal (if any) errors in APA style format, citations, or references.

13.35 to >11.85 ptsMeets ExpectationsThe writer makes some errors in APA style format, citations, or references.

11.85 to >10.8 ptsApproaches ExpectationsThe writer makes numerous errors in APA style format, citations, or references.

10.8 to >0 ptsDoes Not Meet ExpectationsThe writer makes significant errors in APA style format, citations, or references.

15 pts

Total Points: 75

Make sure to review feedback from the last assignment from the analytical outline

Please review my feedback below and also take a look at the rubric to see how your grade breaks down.

Make sure that the order of subtopics in the thesis matches the order of the body paragraphs.

Remember that whenever you quote something word-for-word from a source, the in-text citation needs to include the page number (p.) in addition to the author and year. When there's no page number available, you use the paragraph number (para.)

The quotes are well-selected and analyzed within the body paragraphs, which is key. However, the tone/style sounds very AI in your passage interpretations. Remember that the class policy is 0 AI use. 😉

For the rough draft due this Sunday, make sure to pay careful attention to how I go over the sample paper in the week 6 video lesson. This will help a lot with understanding what a strong analytical paper will look like.

extra instructions;

The intro should have 5 elements which are the name of the author, the story, provide the publication dates for each story, say the type of story and we give a summary.

Make it clear in your topic sentences that you're talking about both stories.

  • Rubric

NEWSamplePaper-LiteraryAnalysis.docx

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When Society Decides a Woman’s Life

Excellent Student

West Coast University

English 240 Written Communications

Processor Melissa Cueto

March 16, 2026

When Society Decides a Woman’s Life

Kate Chopin wrote about the struggles women faced in the nineteenth century society. Her short stories The Story of an Hour (1894) and Desiree’s Baby (1893) both show women dealing with social pressure. In both stories, the main female characters go through emotional struggles because of what society expects from them as woman. In both The Story of an Hour and Desiree’s Baby, Chopin uses foreshadowing and irony to show how society limits women and how that emotional pressure leads to tragic endings.

Chopin uses foreshadowing in both stories to hint at the emotional pressure these women are dealing with. Kate Chopin hints that Louise is fragile when the narrator says she was “afflicted with a heart trouble” (Chopin, 1894, p. 1). Her heart condition pretty much hints that strong emotions caused by her situation might lead her death later. The narrator also describes Louise as “young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression” (Chopin, 1894, p. 2), which shows she’s been holding in emotions for a long time. When Louise sits by the window, the narrator describes “a comfortable, roomy armchair” (Chopin, 1894, p. 2). This represents the freedom she wants but doesn’t really have. In Desiree’s Baby, Chopin also hints that something bad is coming when the narrator says, “there was something in the air menacing her peace” (Chopin, 1893, p. 2). This hints that something bad is going to happen to her and her family. Critics explain that Chopin often used small symbolic details to show how women were emotionally confined by social expectations (Toth, 1999). Both of these stories silently warn readers that woman’s happiness will not last.

Chopin also uses irony to show how unfair society can be toward these women. Louise realizes she’s finally free when she whispers “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin, 1894, p. 3). Louise feels free for the first time, which shows how trapped she felt in her marriage. At the end, the doctor say she died of “heart disease of joy that kills” (Chopin, 1894, p. 4). This is ironic because she didn’t die from happiness, she died from losing her freedom. “It means… that you are not white” (Chopin, 1893, p.3). Desiree is judged based on race, which reflects society’s prejudice. “For having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother belongs to that race that is cursed with the brand of slavery” (Chopin, 1893, p.5) This is ironic because Armand was blaming Desiree for something that was part of his own background.

Another major connection between both stories show how social pressure on woman can lead to tragic outcomes. Louise begins to imagine her future when she realizes “there would be no one to live for her during those coming years. She would live for herself” (Chopin, 1894, p. 3). Louise realizes she finally has independence. Desiree’s sad ending is shown when the narrator explains that “she disappeared among the reeds and willows. and she did not come back again” (Chopin, 1893, p. 4). Desiree leaving shows how society pushed her out. “There would be no powerful will bending hers” (Chopin, 1894, p. 3). This shows Louise realizes marriage controlled all her choices and her identity, proving how social expectations limiting women’s independence. Louise also repeats the words “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin, 1894, p. 3), showing how deeply she felt trapped in her marriage before. This means g freedom for woman was rare in society at the time. Armand cruelly rejects Desiree when he tells her, “It means that you are not white” (Chopin, 1893, p.3). This moment shows how the society sees Desiree’s worth through race and status rather than her character. Later, Armand completely rejects her when he says “Yes, I want you to go” (Chopin, 1893, p. 4). Armands rejecting proves how powerless Desiree is within marriage and society, leading her disappearance and sad fate. Psychological research explains that feelings of abandonment can deeply affect identity and belonging (Landerholm, 2007). Desiree’s fate reflects how women was often powerless once society rejects them for their inconveniences. In both stories, tragedy happens when social expectations leave them without choices.

A big connection between The Story of an Hour and Desiree’s Baby is how both stories show little freedom woman had to during that time period. During the time, women was expected to focus on marriage and follow social rules rather than make choices for themselves (Toth, 1999). Louise shortly feels her independence when she thinks her husband has died. She starts imagining a future where “there would be no one to live for her during those coming years: she would live for herself” (Chopin, 1894, p. 3). She also realizes her freedom when she whispers “Free! Body and soul free!” (Chopin, 1894, p.). This shows how trapped she felt in her marriage and how rare freedom for woman was a the time. In Desiree’s Baby, Desiree also loses control over her life when her husband rejects her “it means that you are not white” (Chopin, 1893, p.3), which shows how society judged people based on race and status. Later he completely rejects her when he says, “Yes I want you to go” (Chopin, 1893, p. 4). This shows how powerless Desiree is in her marriage and society. Scholars explain that Kate Chopin often wrote about women struggling against the limits society placed on them (Showalter, 1991). Both stories show how women didn’t really have control over their identity or future, which helps explain why both stories end tragically.

In both The Story of an Hour and Desiree’s Baby, Chopin uses irony and foreshadowing to show how society limits women and how that pressure can lead to tragic endings. It shows how women had little freedom in society. It highlights the emotional impact of social expectations, and it proves how unfair treatment can have serious consequences.

References

Chopin, K. (1893). Desiree’s baby. https://www.katechopin.org/pdfs/desirees-baby.pdf

Chopin, K. (1894). The story of an hour. https://my.hrw.com/support/hos/hostpdf/host_text_219.pdf

Landreth, L. (2001). The experience of abandonment and adoption: A psychological motivational perspective. International Forum of Psychoanalysis. https://guides.westcoastuniversity.edu/library

Showalter, E. (1991). Sister’s choice: Tradition and change in American women’s writing. Oxford University Press. https://guides.westcoastuniversity.edu/library

Toth, E. (1999). Unveiling Kate Chopin. University Press of Mississippi.

https://guides.westcoastuniversity.edu/library

AnalyticalOutlineTemplate.docx

Running head: ANALYTICAL PAPER OUTLINE TEMPLATE 1

SHORT PAPER TITLE HERE 3

Analytical Paper Outline Template

Alondra Rivera

English 240

Prof. Cueto

West Coast University

4/3/26

Analytical Paper Outline Template

I. Introduction

A. Background info: Kate Chopin was an American writer of the late 19 th century, who wrote about the subject of the inner world of women and societal restrictions.

B. Background info: “The Story of an Hour” (1894) is based on Louise Mallard, who secretly celebrates the news of her husband's death, but dies when he comes back to life..

C. Background info: “Désirée’s Baby” (1892) follows Désirée, who is rejected by her husband Armand when their baby is born to be of mixed race, but the ending twist of the story shows that Armand is actually of Black descent.

D. Thesis statement: In both “The Story of an Hour” and “Désirée’s Baby,” Kate Chopin uses irony, symbolism, and the theme of freedom versus oppression to expose how marriage and patriarchal power destroy women who cannot conform to society’s expectations.

II. Body Paragraph 1

A. Topic sentence: The theme of freedom and oppression in both stories is to demonstrate that marriage in the world of Chopin depersonalizes women, and their happiness fully relies on the will of their husbands.

1. passage: “There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself” (Chopin, 1894).

a. interpretation: The fact that Louise finds out that she can live independently shows just how much marriage had smothered her free will; it is not until her husband is presumed dead that she can be free.

2. passage: “When he frowned she trembled, but loved him. When he smiled, she asked no greater blessing of God” (Chopin, 1892).

a. interpretation: The emotional world of Desiree is completely controlled by the moods of Armand, and it demonstrates how the marriage of a patriarch imposed on women a false sense of reliance as devotion.

3. passage: N/A

a. interpretation: N/A

4. passage: “Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering” (Chopin, 1894).

a. interpretation: Louise’s repeated whisper of freedom reveals how deeply suppressed she had been within her marriage; the moment her husband is believed dead, her truest self surfaces, demonstrating that oppression had been the defining condition of her married life.

5. passage: “She had not changed the thin white garment nor the slippers which she wore” (Chopin, 1892).

a. interpretation: Désirée’s passive, unprepared departure — still dressed as she was — reflects a woman so conditioned by her husband’s authority that she cannot act independently; her inability to even dress herself for the journey symbolizes how completely marriage had erased her sense of self.

III. Body Paragraph 2

A. Topic/transition sentence: Dramatic irony is also employed by Chopin in both stories to reveal the difference between the social attitudes towards women and the way women live.

1. passage: “When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease—of joy that kills” (Chopin, 1894).

a. interpretation: The erroneous diagnosis of the doctors is bitterly ironic; Louise, in fact, died due to the loss of the freedom that she had just found, yet the society cannot imagine a woman lament at the fact that her husband returned.

2. passage: “[S]he wrote, night and day, I thank the good God… that our dear Armand will never know that his mother… belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery” (Chopin, 1892).

a. interpretation: The ultimate irony of the story is that Armand himself is revealed to have Black roots, and the meaninglessness of the racial pride that drove him to ruin Désirue.

3. passage: “And yet she had loved him—sometimes. Often she had not” (Chopin, 1894).

a. interpretation: The irony here is that Louise’s private confession contradicts the public image of a devoted wife; society assumed her grief at the news of her husband’s death, never imagining that the marriage itself had been a source of suffering and indifference for her.

4. passage: “He thought Almighty God had dealt cruelly and unjustly with him; and felt, somehow, that he was paying Him back in kind when he stabbed thus into his wife’s soul” (Chopin, 1892).

a. interpretation: The irony is that Armand frames his cruelty toward Désirée as a grievance against God, never questioning his own racial origins; Chopin exposes how patriarchal entitlement blinds men to their own contradictions while women bear the full cost of male pride.

IV. Body Paragraph 3

A. Topic/transition sentence: The symbolism of setting is another example of how Chopin reflects the inner worlds of her characters and predetermines their destinies.

1. passage: “She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life” (Chopin, 1894).

a. interpretation: The image of spring outside Louise is symbolized by the window, which reflects her awakening self, and is in contrast to the household area that has been her home.

2. passage: “Big, solemn oaks grew close to it, and their thick-leaved, far-reaching branches shadowed it like a pall” (Chopin, 1892).

a. interpretation: The funereal aboveground of L’Abri predicts the obliteration of Désirée, and indicates that Armand is a home of death and not love.

3. passage: “There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window” (Chopin, 1894).

a. interpretation: The patches of blue breaking through the clouds mirror Louise’s emerging sense of freedom; just as the sky is partially obscured, her liberation is incomplete and fragile, foreshadowing the tragic reversal when her husband returns and her brief glimpse of freedom is extinguished.

4. passage: “The roof came down steep and black like a cowl, reaching out beyond the wide galleries that encircled the yellow stuccoed house” (Chopin, 1892).

a. interpretation: The cowl-like roof of L’Abri, evoking a monk’s hood or a shroud, symbolizes the oppressive atmosphere of the Aubigny estate; the setting visually encases the home in darkness, mirroring how Armand’s authority envelops and ultimately destroys Désirée.

V. Body Paragraph 4

A. Topic/transition sentence: Lastly, marriage as a social institution is a topic that is criticized in both stories since men have complete authority over the identity and value of women.

1. passage: “There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow-creature” (Chopin, 1894).

a. interpretation: Louise calls the power of the husband a crime, which explicitly incriminates legal and cultural standards of marriage that taught men to be in control of their wives.

2. passage: “What did it matter about a name when he could give her one of the oldest and proudest in Louisiana?” (Chopin, 1892).

a. interpretation: The name of Armand is the sole origin of the identity of Desirue who demonstrates that in this world women simply did not have social life without men that marry them.

3. passage: “She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long” (Chopin, 1894).

a. interpretation: The reversal in Louise’s attitude toward life in the span of one hour reveals how completely marriage had stripped her of the will to live; only when freed from her husband’s authority does life itself become worth desiring, exposing the institution as a force that denied women their basic right to self-determination.

4. passage: “Moreover he no longer loved her, because of the unconscious injury she had brought upon his home and his name” (Chopin, 1892).

a. interpretation: Armand’s withdrawal of love is framed entirely around the damage to his own name and legacy, not around any failing of Désirée’s; Chopin reveals that in a patriarchal marriage, a woman’s worth is contingent on her usefulness to her husband’s social standing rather than on her humanity.

VI. Conclusion

A. Restatement of thesis: Irony, symbolism, and the theme of freedom and oppression help Chopin to unveil in both stories that the marriage system as a patriarchal institution systematically deprives women of their freedom, with deadly effects.

B. So what? Address the wider implications of your interpretation:

1. The stories are also pertinent in the modern world as they remind us that social institutions may conceal oppression under the guise of language of love and tradition.

2. Chopin asks readers to see past the outward appearances and see the hurt that civilized society wishes to turn a blind eye to.

3. Her work argues that the real freedom means breaking down the systems (legal, cultural, personal) according to which women can be evaluated on the basis of their relations with men.