Study Help Full Glossary

Acadian descendant of the French Canadians who in 1755 left Acadia, a former French colony (1604-1713) on the northeast coast of North America. accouchement childbirth. alacrity eager willingness or readiness, often manifested by quick, lively action. “Allez vous-en! Sapristi!” French phrases meaning “Go away! For God’s sake!” appointments furniture; equipment. […]

Read more Study Help Full Glossary

Critical Essays Wing Imagery

Chopin drew on a long history of bird imagery in women’s writing to establish The Awakening’s opening image: the green-and-yellow parrot. Women writers since the 1700s had used caged birds as symbols to represent the limitations of their own domestic lives. Chopin’s parrot, which symbolizes Edna, not only voices a […]

Read more Critical Essays Wing Imagery

Kate Chopin Biography

Personal Background Kate Chopin was born Catherine O’Flaherty in St. Louis on February 8, 1850. Her mother, Eliza Faris, came from an old French family that lived outside of St. Louis. Her father, Thomas, was a highly successful Irish-born businessman; he died when Kate was five years old. Chopin grew […]

Read more Kate Chopin Biography