hiIndividual Oral Planning Sheet

Developing a plan for an individual oral:

Global Issue:
Society expects women to maintain a certain appearance of being put together and having a
perfect family life.

Works Chosen:

Work in Translation: A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen

Second Work: The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Notes for the Oral. (Maximum of TEN bullet points.) Key strategies used in the passage to
develop the author’s point about the global issue:
● Motif of the doll’s house shows facade, Nora is expected to keep up facade. “I have
been your doll wife…”
● In order to maintain appearances women did not share opinions - Nora goes along with
her father and husband “If I disagreed with him…”
● Nora has been treated like a doll, and passed around, she feels as though her purpose is
to entertain and serve the men in her life
● Comparisons between Nora and her children shows how this issue is not isolated but
applies to multiple generations, the family is all expected to keep up appearances for
the sake of societal norms
● Before this passage in the awakening, the author talks about Mr Pontellier admiring his
possesions- Mr Pontellier puts pressure on his wife to conform to societal expectations
and appearances that he is so obsessed with
● “I hope you left some suitable excuse” In his opinion, her simply wanting to go out is
not a suitable excuse because she is expected to obey what society wants her to do and
not think for herself
● “People don’t do such things…” He wants Mrs Pontellier to follow along with what
the rest of society is doing and never break to norm
● Mr Pontellier is characterized as a person who cares very much about his standing in
society, he puts pressure on Edna to care the same way that he does
● “This had been the programme…” Shows how even with this routine, Mrs Pontellier
never strays from the norm, so when she does it is a shock to her husband, who expects
her to be submissive, docile
● Nora and Edna both have these expectations placed upon them to please their husbands
and conform to what society wants from them, which is to be submissive and not
thinking for themselves