English

Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby”:
1. Based on what you know about plantation life in the antebellum South, explain whether you think Chopin’s portrayal of L’Abri is accurate.
2. Do you think if Désirée had chosen to return to her family home with her child, they would have been able to have any kind of normal, happy life? Why or why not?

Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper”:
1. What is the role of the “colonial mansion” in the story? How does the narrator relate to her environment?
2. Describe the narrator’s relationship to her husband, John. What, exactly, is wrong with it? Do you think the ending is a just one for her?