Mowada Ahmed 233081

“The Story of an Hour” was written by Kate Chopin in 1894. It is about a woman in a

restrictive marriage getting a fleeting moment of freedom once she finds out about her husband’s

death only for it to be taken away at once by news of his survival. “A Country Cottage”, written

in 1885 by Anton Checkov, talks about a newlywed couple living in complete bliss, unaware of

life’s troubles just to have that illusion broken. Lastly, My Father and the Fig Tree is a poem by

Naomi Shihab Nye that conveys the legacy of Palestine, where the persona’s father is

continuously trying to reinforce his Palestinian traditions in the persona as to not lose or forget

his true homeland and heritage that is Palestine. The significance in the case of “The Story of an

Hour” signifies how all the events of the story happen in just one hour, with “A Country

Cottage” represents the protagonist’s country life without the city life interrupting it, and My

Father and The Fig Tree signifies the persona’s father to return to his homeland.

Firstly, the significance in “The Story of an Hour’s” title is the irony of the protagonist

Mrs. Mallard getting a small taste of freedom only for it to be taken away from her in the span of

an hour. The hour begins with Mrs. Mallard getting news of her husband’s death which takes

Mrs. Mallard through a whirlwind of emotions lasting the full hour which would range from guilt

to a new found sense of freedom that was not in the marriage before. The news of her husband’s

death actually makes her hope to live for longer when she was just wanting it to end. Mrs.

Mallard’s epiphany happens around the mid-way point of the hour, which makes her daydream

about how her life would be now that she is finally free of her marriage. Subsequently, the irony

comes in at the end of the hour that gave Mrs. Mallard the power to finally standup for herself

only to render it useless with the husband’s arrival home and the loss of Mrs. Mallard’s life. The

irony continues further when her cause of death was declared joy from seeing her husband safe

and away from the accident.

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Secondly, “A Country Cottage’s” title resembles the peaceful and undisturbed country

life versus the rowdy city life. The story paints a beautiful and serene picture of the countryside

at the beginning where the protagonists are enjoying the tranquil atmosphere together. The

couple Sasha and Varya are thinking excitedly about their small cottage with just enough room

and food for only the both of them. That peace and quiet soon gets disturbed by Sasha’s relatives

coming from the train station that was painted as a monster that has come to haunt their peaceful

dreams. These relatives represent the city with the unruliness and chaos that they bring with

them. Furthermore, they are being depicted as overbearing and uncivilized; they come from the

city. Their unexpected arrival almost instantly ruins the mood and atmosphere by turning the

couple against each other and transforming their happy plans about going home and enjoying

their small meals to fearful thoughts about the damage that is about to be done to their cottage.

Thirdly, the title “My Father and the Fig Tree” is a sign of hope for the persona’s father

about maybe one day going back to his home country, Palestine. The persona’s father never

forgot his roots by always teaching the persona about it even if indirectly and always looks for a

fig tree anywhere he goes. Moreover, the father never let go of his origins by including it in

anywhere it would fit from putting it in children’s tales to favoring the fig tree over anything

else. The persona’s father never planted his own fig tree despite the mother’s insistence as to not

implant permanent roots anywhere else than his true home. Finally, when they last moved, the

father found a fig tree which gave him a sense of belonging in a place that he had not felt for a

long time after leaving Palestine.

Lastly, all three titles signify the message that the authors want to send to the readers.

Regarding Kate Chopin, she emphasized how oppressing marriage is for women in “The Story of

an Hour” by using irony to portray how one’s freedom can come and go in the matter of an hour.

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In “A Country Cottage” Anton Chekhov displays the drastic difference between the calm and

quite country life, and the dull and disorderly city life. Naomi Shihab Nye uses the persona’s

father as an example to show the cruel effects of the Palestinian conflict on the people of

Palestine in her poem “My Father and the Fig Tree.”