Desires Baby by Kate Chopin 1894 Pretend this
“Desirée’s Baby” by Kate Chopin (1894)
Pretend this could really happen this afternoon: • You find a toddler wandering around San Gabriel Park. You make contact with city officials, and they tell you it is now your responsibility to take care of this child. You can’t dump the child somewhere else, you can’t give the child over to your parents. It is YOUR responsibility. (I know it doesn’t make sense, but it’s hypothetical. ) • Journal Response: (50 words, don’t swear) – How would you react? – What in your life will change?
Will you take care of me? Will you protect me?
Now, pretend this happens ten years from that day: • Your found child gets sick, and the doctors inform you that they need a medical history (including genetic information) on your child to help in the diagnosis. Think 2011; what can you do? (Respond in your journal, 50 words. )
In the story you will hear about a girl named Desiree who is lost as a child and then found by a man named Monsieur Valmonde. Desirée Lost Desirée Found
When Desiree gets older, she falls in love with and marries Armand. Desirée Pregnant They have a child. Desirée and Armand Married
Look Back at the Foreshadowing in the Story • Write down at least three quotes from the story that are examples of foreshadowing. • What did each foreshadowing mean as the story unfolded?
Questions After Reading the Story • How was Désirée a perfect scapegoat for Armand’s racist reaction? • Do you understand why Désirée took the course of action she did at the end of the story? Explain your answer. • Would Armand's treatment of his wife be condoned by society today? Give reasons for your answer. • Continue the story, describing what became of Armand, Désirée and their baby.
Marriage and Family • How do you respond to this story in relationship to issues of marriage and family? (Respond in your journal, 50 words. )
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