1. Warm Up Wild nights! Wild nights! Were I with thee, Wild nights should be Our luxury! Futile the winds To a heart in port, Done with the compass, Done with the chart. Rowing in Eden! Ah! the sea! Might I but moor To-night in thee! 1.Figurative language? 2.What is Dickinson talking about in this poem? 3.How might this poem contradict the concept of a “Victorian Woman”?

2. Poetry Analysis "Wild nights! Wild nights!" is a poem of unrestrained sexual passion and rapture. Dickinson is undoubtedly using "luxury" in a meaning she found in her 1844 dictionary, one which is no longer used: lust, voluptuousness in the gratification of appetite. The "heart in port" is the lover's embrace. Yielding themselves to sexual passion, they have no need for compass or chart, which are used to get to a specific destination and are instruments of control and reason. The sea is a common image for passion; think of the romantic movies you've seen with the waves crashing "Rowing" and "moor in thee" are, in this reading, sexual intercourse. So how does the poem counter the notion of a “Victorian woman” Wild nights! Wild nights! Were I with thee, Wild nights should be Our luxury! Futile the winds To a heart in port, Done with the compass, Done with the chart. Rowing in Eden! Ah! the sea! Might I but moor To-night in thee!

3. Kate Chopin “Désirée’s Baby”

4. What is something that you feel so obviously and inherently defines who you are? Physical trait, interest/hobby, personality trait What do you think would happen if that were changed or taken away from you? Meet Wayne Joseph- this happens to him Radiolab Story (Start at 18 minutes) Modern Connection

5. What do you think about Joseph’s story? Why are traits like race, physical features, etc. so formative in a person’s identity? How do you see this relating to Chopin’s works? Post-discussion

6. “Creole” has many different meanings but all relate to one’s heritage or descent. In Chopin’s stories, the term is referencing those of French and Spanish descent living in New Orleans As New Orleans grew, this group began to mix with African-Americans, expanding the groups that creole refers to. Think: Jumbalaya, gumbo, Mardi Gras Creole Culture

8. Background on “Désirée’s Baby” Written in Nov. 1892, published in Vogue in 1893. One of a few stories Chopin writes that is set before the Civil War. Was Chopin’s most popular work until The Awakening was returned to prominence in the 1960s.

9. L’Abri: Name of plantation (Not what is in the picture…) Armand Aubigny: owner of L’Abri Désirée: orphan, wife of Armand Madame Valmont: Woman who raised Désirée Zandrine: servant at L’Abri La Blanche: slave Characters of “Désirée’s Baby”

10. Pause when you get to a box. Answer the question(s) as you get to them! WRITE ON YOUR OWN PAPER! After you finish reading, work on the post-reading questions. While Reading…

11. Did you notice any similarities to Pudd’nhead Wilson? You should have. And it’s time to write about it! Hello timed writing practice... Closure