Realism

"The Story of an Hour"

The story gives you great description of the characters. It describes how they are feeling, how they act and the environment that the character is in. "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." This quote describes the character very well and I think it described her as well as a photograph.

In this story she is only trying to get society to respect her as herself not as only her husbands wife. She is only accepted as her husbands wife not as Louise but only as Mrs. Mallard. If someone calls her by her name then no one will know who she is but if she is called Mrs. Mallard then everyone knows who she is. This is showing that men had more importantance in society than women.


"The Battle with Mr. Covey"

The writer tells about the setting in great detail. The setting is on a plantation well where else would you find slaves? but anyway, the story takes place at a plantation many years ago. The writer describes a slave in this quote "I was broken in body, soul, and spirit. My natural elasticity was crushed, my intellect languished, the disposition to read departed, the cheerful spark that lingered about my eye died; the dark night of slavery closed in upon me; and behold a man transformed into a brute! " While reading this I could only imagine what it was like to be a slave.

Well the obvious social problem is racism. This story can show people who werent around during slavery how bad it really was. "I had by this time crawled away under the side of the post and rail- fence by which the yard was enclosed, hoping to find relief by getting out of the sun. He then asked where I was. He was told by one of the hands. He came to the spot, and after looking at me awhile, asked me what was the matter. I told him as well as I could, for I scarce had strength to speak. He then gave me a savage kick in the side, and told me to get up. I tried to do so, but fell back in the attempt. He gave me another kick, and again told me to rise. I again tried, and succeeded in gaining my feet: but, stopping to get the tub with which I was feeding the fan, I again staggered and fell. While down in this situation, Mr. Covey took up the hickory slat with which Hughes had been striking off the half- bushel measure, and with it gave me a heavy blow upon the head, making a large wound, and the blood ran freely; and with this, again told me to get up." This quote shows how the masters treated the slaves and how horrible it must have been to be a slave.

Even though no one really knows what it was like to live as a slave this story gives a good example of how people lived and how they were treated. This was actually one of the main reason why people are the way they are these days. I know it is a hard thing to forget but it happened and nothing can change it now. I dont think people should dwell on the past, not focus on the future but to live in the present.