How dramatic irony and other literary devices are used in Susan Glaspell’s play Trifles to communicate her thoughts about the tension between a woman and her male community.
Introduction
Alignment
For this discussion, you will focus on how dramatic irony and other literary devices are used in Susan Glaspell’s play Trifles to communicate her thoughts about the tension between a woman and her male community.
Upon successful completion of this assignment you will be able to:
- Identify examples of dramatic irony and other literary devices.
- Explain how dramatic irony and other literary devices may be used to communicate truths about the struggle of individuals v. society
Resources
- Textbook: Pearson Custom Introduction to Literature
- File: Literary Glossary (3.3)
Instructions
Read the Biographical Headnote on Susan Glaspell (pp. 188-190)https://www.britannica.com/biography/Susan-Glaspell
Read Susan Glaspell’s Trifles (pp. 192-204) in The Pearson Custom Library of American Literature.https://www.enotes.com/topics/trifles
Navigate to the threaded discussion and respond to the following:
- What attitudes to the Sheriff and County Attorney express toward the women in this play? Include at least one direct quote from the story in your answer.
- How do Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters react to the way they are treated by the men?
- What do you learn about the married life of the Wrights as you read the play? Support your answer with specific reference to the text.
- Why do you think Glaspell never has either of the Wrights appear on stage?
- What can the reader infer from the wildly stitched block in Minnie’s quilt?
- Which character(s) seem(s) to understand the significance of the wild stitches in the quilt, and which do not? Why is this ironic?
- Why do you think Mrs. Hale rips out the crazy stitches?
- What do think the canary with the wrung neck symbolizes? Explain your answer.
- Glaspell also wrote a short story version of this play called “A Jury of Her Peers.” Who seems to be the “jury” in this play? What verdict does this “jury” come to? Explain your answer.
- Do you think the verdict the “jury” comes to is fair and just? Explain your answer.
