Compare and Contrast Essay:

“Story of an Hour” and “To My Dear and Loving Husband”

Thesis: In the short story, “Story of an Hour” by Mary Chopin and the poem “To my Dear and Loving Husband”, by Anne Bradstreet both authors reveal how each of their female characters feel about their husband and how each feelings are expressed differently

I. Both women are treated differently by their husbands.
A. In the “Story of an Hour”, the central character, Louise Mallard, feels locked in her marriage.
B. In “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, the author Anne feels safe and secure in her marriage.

II. Both women express different feelings about their mates.
A. In “Story of an Hour”, Louise feels that it is not enough that her husband loves her.
B. In “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, Anne values her relationship with her husband more than anything.

III. Both authors use literary concepts to make their writings easier to understand.
A. In “Story of an Hour”, the line free, free, free tells us that Louise feels free after learning of her husband’s death.
B. In “To My Dear and Loving Husband”, the line I prize thy love more than mines of gold tells us that she values their love very much.

A WOMAN’S LOVE FOR A MAN

As every woman is an individual with distinct characteristics so too will her feelings towards her husband are uniquely expressed. There are husbands who try to control their wives so much that the woman cannot freely follow does their own will. Then there are those who are devoted to their wives through thick and thin. In the short story, “Story of an Hour” by Mary Chopin and the poem “To my Dear and Loving Husband”, by Anne Bradstreet both authors reveal how each of their female characters feel about their husband and how each feelings are expressed differently.

Both women are treated differently by their husbands. In Mary Chopin’s “Story of an