The Chrysanthemums

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Throughout “The Chrysanthemums,” the narrator hints that Elisa Allen, the protagonist, is dissatisfied.

• Why is Elisa dissatisfied? (topic sentence)
• Describe 2-3 situations that illustrate Elisa’s Dissatisfaction and explain why each situation frustrates her. One example must support the theme of Sexual Fulfillment in relation to Elisa. Support your response with textual evidence.
• In your concluding sentence or sentences, explain Elisa’s discontent in the context of women’s roles in the 1930s at large.

2. In the 1930s, women were expected to take on certain roles or behaviors deemed appropriate for their gender by society at large.

• In what ways does Elisa challenge these gendered stereotypes? (topic sentence)
• Describe two to three situations in which Elisa defies traditional roles or behaviors assigned to women.