essay prompts for story of an hour

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The Story of an Hour Essay Topics

Published in 1894, the Story of an Hour is one of the shortest stories taught in colleges. The essays on the story of an hour mostly touch on subjects such as irony, imagery use, female liberation plea, women entrapment within the marriage circle, and symbolism. It’s one of the earliest literatures that address the issue of injustices subjected to women. It’s also the first written piece to predict the potential advent of the widely explosive feminism culture in the modern-day era.

You can write essays to inspire people concerning the subject of injustices on women and the widely explosive feminism. You can choose any topic to base your essay on. In choosing a topic for you’re the story of an hour essay, you’ve to decide which formatting, style, language, and style to use. There are many outstanding thesis statements and topics for “The Story of an Hour” that touch on different themes used in this short story by Kate Chopin. Consider your interests and personal preferences when coming up with a thesis topic if you want to write a paper that flows and touches on the core parts such as the plot and themes.

• Discuss How Chopin Uses the Story of an Hour to Explore Female Sexuality
• Analyzing Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
• How Kate Chopin Perceives Feminism in The Story of an Hour
• The Story of an Hour—The Story of Enslaved Women
• Write an Essay on Women Enslavement As Documented in the Story of an Hour
• The Story of Death as Documented in the Story of an Hour
• How Disappointment is Depicted in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
• Compare and Contrast How Style and Irony is Portrayed in The Story of an Hour
• Discuss How Chopin Characterizes Romantic Love in the Story of an Hour
• The Death of Freedom As Portrayed in The Story of an Hour
• The Selfish Character and Wicked Morals of Mrs Mallard in The Story of an Hour
• The Setting and Nature of The Story of an Hour
• The Search of Freedom in The Story of an Hour
• Societal Conflicts as Portrayed in The Story of an Hour
• How Irony is Fully Depicted in Chopin’s Story of an Hour
• The Story of an Hour as an Eye Opener to Feminism in the 1800s
• An Interesting Essay on Marital Oppression In the Story of an Hour
• How does Kate Chopin think of Marriage in The Story of an Hour?
• How Kate Chopin Describes Social Commentary in The Story of an Hour
• The Iconic and Symbolic Techniques of the Story of an Hour
• The Real Character of Mrs Mallard in the Story of an Hour
• The Readers Response to Kate’s Story of an Hour
• How the Theme of Happiness is Portrayed in the Story of an Hour
• The Rights of Women in the 1940s as Demonstrated in The Story of an Hour
• Women Struggling with Marriages in the Story of an Hour

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131 The Story of an Hour Essay Topics

“The Story of an Hour” is an 1894 short story by Kate Chopin. Its protagonist, a frail young woman Louise Mallard, hears the news of her husband’s death. She retreats to her room to mourn him. Yet, the more she thinks about her situation, she realizes she is happy with her newfound freedom. Mrs. Mallard leaves her room, hopeful and content, when the front door suddenly opens. It’s her husband, still alive. The story ends with Louise dying of a heart attack.

When looking for a “The Story of an Hour” essay title , there are many ideas that you can consider. You can conduct a literary analysis, discuss the prominent characters, or explore the central themes. Below, our experts have listed 100+ “The Story of an Hour” essay topics. We have also offered some advice on writing a thesis statement for your paper.

• 🔝 Top 13 Essay Questions
• 📋 General Topics for the Essay
• 👩 Essay Prompts: Characters
• 📖 Literary Analysis Topics
• ✍️ The Story of an Hour: Thesis Statement

🔗 References

🔝 top 13 the story of an hour essay questions.

• How does Chopin use irony in the story?
• Why did Louise Mallard have to die?
• How Does “The Story of an Hour” Reflects Women’s Situation in the 19th Century America?
• Is “The Story of an Hour” a feminist story?
• Is Louise Mallard a selfish character?
• What is the significance of freedom in “The Story of an Hour?”
• Could the story have ended differently?
• What is the role of gender in “The Story of an Hour?”
• What Is the Central Idea of Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour?”
• Is the story a reflection of the suffrage movement?
• How does Chopin use the imagery in “The Story of an Hour?”
• What does Chopin’s short story tell us about 19th-century society?
• What’s the Reason of Louise Mallard’s Death in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin?

📋 General Topics for The Story of an Hour Essay

• The symbolism of the title “The Story of an Hour” by Chopin.
• The struggles of Louise Mallard in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The two opposing phenomena of grief and happiness in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The ideals of the 19th century in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The suffocating power of marriage in the life of Louise Mallard.
• The yearning for independence in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The symbolic malady of Louise Mallard in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Death from joy or sorrow in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The Literary Techniques Used in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour.”
• Comparison of femininity in Little Women and “The Story of an Hour.”
• Women’s oppression in The Handmaid’s Tale and “The Story of an Hour.”
• The position of women in the 19th century in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Women’s voice in Emily Dickinson’s poetry and Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour.”
• The role of nature in the perception of “The Story of an Hour.”
• The motif of crying in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Reaction to death in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Richards and Josephine as important heroes in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The author’s idea in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Relationships in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin .
• Different perspectives of marriage in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Louise Mallard as a representation of women in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Can the story of Mrs. Mallard apply to today’s world?
• The internal conflict in Chopin’s heroine, Louise Mallard.
• The emotional and moral conflicts of Louise Mallard.
• Freedom in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour.”
• Did Louise Mallard deserve to die in Chopin’s story?
• What is the core idea of “The Story of an Hour?”
• Why is the ending of “The Story of an Hour” necessary to understand the idea?
• Should “The Story of an Hour” be considered a feminist work?
• Was Louise Mallard happy in her marriage?
• The victim positions in “The Story of an Hour” and “The Bloody Chamber.”
• The freedom pondering in Chopin’s The Awakening and “The Story of an Hour.”
• Chopin’s feminist techniques in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The essential lesson in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Are there ironic parts in “The Story of an Hour?”
• Is Louise Mallard a dynamic or static heroine?
• Why is heart disease significant in “The Story of an Hour?”
• Where is Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” set?
• What literary devices are used in “The Story of an Hour?”
• What is the symbolism of the window in “The Story of an Hour?”
• Does Louise Mallard win or lose in the end?
• Did Louise Mallard experience the joy that kills?
• What is the relationship between Louise Mallard and her husband?
• What was the main news in “The Story of an Hour?”
• What were the emotions of Louise Mallard?
• What is Chopin’s writing style in “The Story of an Hour?”
• Is Louise Mallard a good or bad person because of her reaction?
• The patriarchy illustration in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Irony in “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin .
• The role of a woman in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Chopin’s portrayal of internal and external female struggle.
• Comparative analysis of Jo March and Louise Mallard.
• Dependence on men in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The strength and the weakness of Louise Mallard.
• Analysis of women’s purpose in society: Jo March and Louise Mallard.
• The opposing characters of Jo March and Louise Mallard.
• “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin as a Commentary on the Unfair Treatment of Women in the 19th-century America.

👩 The Story of an Hour Essay Prompts: Characters

• How does Louise Mallard’s character change throughout “The Story of an Hour?”
• Compare and contrast Louise’s and Brently’s characters in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Impact of Louise’s social status on her emotional response to her husband’s death.
• Comparison of Louise Mallard’s personality to other characters in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Gender’s role in relationships and characters in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The perception of Louise by other characters.
• “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins: Women Characters Comparison.
• Compare and contrast the characters of Louise and Josephine in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The evolution of Louise’s self-perception and relationship with her husband in the story.
• The manifestation of freedom theme in Louise Mallard’s character in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Character reactions to Louise Mallard’s husband’s reported death in “The Story of an Hour.”
• How do “The Story of an Hour” characters express their emotions?
• The evolution of character relationships in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Louise Mallard in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin.
• The reflection of societal expectations and roles in “The Story of an Hour” characters.
• The demonstration of agency by characters in “The Story of an Hour” amid tragedy.
• The character coping with and confronting loss in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The portrayal of freedom and independence theme by characters in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The representation of marital relationships theme by characters in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Revealing identity and self-discovery theme by characters in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The Story of an Hour: Emotions and Psychology of Women .
• The characters’ illustration of the human experience theme in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Analyze the relationship between Louise Mallard and her husband, Brently Mallard.
• Describe the transformation of Louise Mallard’s emotions throughout the story.
• Discuss the theme of freedom in “The Story of an Hour” and its implications.

📖 The Story of an Hour Essay Titles: Literary Analysis

• Does Chopin personify nature in the story?
• How did Chopin connect the condition of the heart and home?
• How does Chopin demonstrate sexism in “The Story of an Hour?”
• Comparison of “The Yellow Wallpaper” and “The Story of an Hour” .
• How does The Story of an Hour develop its narrative?
• Is Chopin’s opinion embedded in Mrs. Mallard’s words?
• Is Louise’s death a euphemism for the flowering of feminism?
• Is there personification in “The Story of an Hour?”
• Phraseology in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The dichotomy in “The Story of an Hour.”
• Setting in “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin .
• The equality of marriage through the prism of Chopin’s language.
• The role of epithets with open syllables in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The role of metaphor in “The Story of an Hour.”
• The role of the word “freedom” in “The Story of an Hour.”
• What archetypes does Chopin use in Louise’s self-development?
• What does Chopin use to connect deaths in the story?
• What does Chopin use to fuel interest in Louise’s death?
• What elements of “The Story of an Hour” point to Chopin’s opinion?
• What genre best characterizes Chopin’s story?
• What indicates Chopin’s dissatisfaction with women’s dependence on men?
• What indicates that “The Story of an Hour” is feminist?
• What is Chopin’s “a very elixir of life?”
• What is the importance of the “hour” in Chopin’s story?
• “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin: Plot Analysis.
• What is the situational irony in Chopin’s story?
• What is the symbolism of Louise’s heart condition?
• What language tools does Chopin use to demonstrate Louise’s growth?
• What stylistic devices does Chopin use to demonstrate Louise’s confrontation?
• What techniques does Chopin use to control the reader’s mood?
• What values does Chopin present in the text?
• The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin: Analysis .
• Which literary devices indicate the connection between Louise and nature?
• Why did Chopin use irony instead the direct narration?
• Why does Chopin use short dialogues in the story?
• Why is “The Story of an Hour” about women?

✍️ How to Write The Story of an Hour Thesis Statement

A strong thesis statement is one of the most critical facets of a successful literary essay. It should provoke your readers to reflect on your topic. Or it can provide a different perspective on a well-thought-out issue.

These are the key three things to take into account when writing a thesis statement :

• Consider the What and the Why. The first question refers to the claim you will be making about the story. What is it that you want to tell your audience? What aspect of the short story do you wish to explore? The second part, or “the why,” should explain the significance of your topic. Why is it important? Why should your readers care about it?
• Announce your main argument. It is the statement that you will have to prove in your paper. It will also guide your audience through your analysis, explaining what to expect. Remember that your thesis must be specific and relate only to what you will discuss. If you need help formulating it, use our online paraphraser tool .
• Take a strong stance. Your main argument cannot be an observed fact or a subjective opinion. Instead, it should be an assertion. Provide your interpretation of “The Story of an Hour” or some of its aspects. Later, in the body paragraphs, you will defend it.

Thank you for reading our article! We hope you have found an ideal topic for your “The Story of an Hour” essay. If you need to create a quick summary of this text, we have the perfect tool to assist you.

• The Story of an Hour (full text) – Kate Chopin
• Analysis of ‘The Story of an Hour’ by Kate Chopin – Catherine Sustana, ThoughtCo
• Developing a Thesis — Purdue Online Writing Lab
• Literary Criticism: Thesis Examples — University of Texas Arlington
• Thesis Statements for a Literature Assignment — The WAC Clearinghouse

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Teaching Students About Epithet in Literature: Exploring Literary Devices and Creative Expression

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Top 10 The Story of an Hour Essay Questions

• What is “The Joy That Kills”?
• Was Mrs. Mallard a Good wife?
• How Do Mrs. Mallard’s Emotions Change?
• What Really Killed Mrs. Mallard?
• What’s the Role of Sarcasm in The Story of an Hour?
• What Are Tragedy Tropes in The Story of an Hour?
• What Does Marriage Mean for Mrs. Mallard?
• What’s the Symbolism of Mrs. Mallard’s “heart trouble”?
• What’s the Importance of Time in The Story of an Hour?
• What Was Marriage Like in the 19th Century According to Kate Chopin?

The Story of an Hour Essay Topics: Most Interesting Ideas

• Authorial Voice in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour and William Faulkner’s A Rose for Emily
• Women’s Roles in Silko’s Yellow Woman and Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
• The Use of Dual Symbolism in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
• The Arguments of Lawrence Berkove in Fatal Self-Assertion in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
• How Negative Discoveries Can Lead to Positive Outcomes in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and Life of Pi by Ang Lee
• The Modern Society’s Women in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
• Women’s Rights in the 1940’s Illustrated in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
• The Symbolism in the Novels The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin and A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner
• The Themes of Female Independence and Marriage in The Storm and The Story of an Hour, Two Short Stories by Kate Chopin
• Biographical Approach to Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
• Two Contrasting Views of Marriage in the Short Story, The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
• The Marriage of Yesterday and Today in the Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
• The Powerful Influence of Community on the Idea of Identity in the Short Story, The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
• Symbolisms and Irony in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin Essay
• Appearance vs. Reality: Relief or Release in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
• The Emotional Effects in The Story of an Hour, The Lottery and The Yellow Wallpaper
• The Demise and Overwhelming Sense of Freedom of the Husband’s Death in The Story of an Hour, a Short Story by Kate Chopin
• The Risk Kate Chopin Took in Writing the Story of an Hour
• The Stereotyping of Women in the Novels The Storm and the Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
• An Interpretation of the Death of the Husband in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
• The Use of Literary Devices to Illustrate the Oppression of Women in The Story of an Hour, a Short Story by Kate Chopin

Paragraph Topic Ideas for Story of an Hour

• The Importance of Freedom in Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour”
• The Relationship Between Men and Women Presented in the Short Story The Story of an Hour
• The Developing Voice of Feminism in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour, The Awakening, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper
• The Prevalence of Irony in The Story of an Hour and Desiree’s Baby by Kate Chopin
• Gender Roles and the Struggles of Women in The Story of an Hour, a Short Story by Kate Chopin
• The Oppressive Nature of Marriage in The Story of an Hour, a Short Story by Kate Chopin
• The Secret Life of Walter Mitty VS The Story of An Hour
• Women’s Independence In The 19th Century: The Story of An Hour By Kate Chopin
• The Similarities and Differences between the Two Stories The Storm and The Story of an Hour
• The Ugly Truth of Marriage in Kate Chopin’s the Story of an Hour
• The Confinement of Women in The Story of An Hour, The Yellow Wallpaper, A Sorrowful Woman, and Hills Like White Elephants
• The Thematic Struggle Between Man and Woman in the Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
• The Significance of Love in The Mortgaged Heart and The Story of an Hour
• Whether It Was a Joy That Killed Louise: Analysis of Kate Chopin’s the Story of an Hour
• The Use of Symbolism to Foreshadow the Future in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour and Toni Cade Bambara’s The Lesson
• Consequenses of Freedom in The Story of an Hour and A Pair of Silk Stocking by Chopin
• The Differences in Josephine and Mrs. Mallard of Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour
• The Dramatic Irony in The Story of an Hour, a Short Story by Kate Chopin
• The Protagonist Character Louise Mallard in Kate Chopin’s The Story of An Hour
• The Literary Approach to Women’s Rights in the Short Stories The Yellow Wallpaper and The Story of an Hour
• External and Internal Focalisation on in the Story of an Hour
• The Idea of Freedom And Oppression In The Story of An Hour

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The Story of An Hour - Study Guide

Kate Chopin 's The Story of An Hour (1894) is considered one of the finest pieces of Feminist Literature. We hope that our study guide is particularly useful for teachers and students to get the most from the story and appreciate its boldness shaking up the literary community of its time.

Here's the story: The Story of An Hour , Character Analysis & Summary , Genre & Themes , Historical Context , Quotes , Discussion Questions , Useful Links , and Notes/Teacher Comments

Character Analysis & Summary

Plot Summary : Chopin basically summarizes the external events of the story in the first sentence: "Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death."

Genre & Themes

Challenge Social Conventions : Rather than conform to what's expected, honor your own needs. Just because it's the way it's always been, doesn't mean it has to continue at your expense.

Situational Irony : Life's a bitch-- just when you think you're free from obligation, you go and die yourself, which kind of makes liberation a bit pointless. Chopin's story is a great example of the literary device called situational irony .

Historical Context

Feminist literature, both fiction and non-fiction, supports feminist goals for the equal rights of women in their economic, social, civic, and political status relative to men. Such literature dates back to the 15th century (The Tale of Joan of Arc by Christine de Pisan), Mary Wollstonecraft in the 18th century, Virginia Woolf , Elizabeth Cady Stanton , Florence Nightingale , Elizabeth Perkins Gilman , and Louisa May Alcott . Kate Chopin 's best known novel, The Awakening (1899) and Mary E. Wilkins Freeman 's A New England Nun (1891) led the emerging modern feminist literary movement into the 20th century, during which women earned the right to vote, fought for economic, social, political, educational, and reproductive rights with Gloria Steinem and the Women's Liberation Movement. The 21st century has brought a resurgence of interest in Margaret Atwood 's The Handmaid's Tale with a new streaming video series , and the Women's March After President Trump's Inauguration (2017) drew more than a million protesters in cities throughout the country and world.

It's helpful to know the list of grievances and demands a group of activitists (mostly women) published in The Declaration of Sentiments in 1848. Principal author and first women's conference organizer was Elizabeth Cady Stanton , with high-profile support from abolitionist Frederick Douglass . Many more struggles and attempts to change public opinion followed the conference; it took 72 more years for women to secure the right to vote.

A brief History of Feminism

“Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death."

“She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance."

“When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her."

“She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back with her will--as powerless as her two white slender hands would have been."

"'Free, free, free!'' The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes. They stayed keen and bright."

"What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!"

"When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills."

Discussion Questions

9. Elaborate on Chopin's uses of irony: 1) Situational Irony : when she gets her freedom, she dies anyway 2) Verbal irony : What is said explicitly is much different than the text's inferences (thinking rather than saying). Reacting to news of a spouse's death with relief, nevermind "monstrous joy" is an "inappropriate" response, for sure. She keeps these thoughts in her head (whispering her chant), with the door closed.

10. Discuss the concept of repression and Chopin's assertion of her real cause of death: "the joy that kills."

11. Read Chopin's allegory about freedom from a cage, her short-short story, Emancipation: A Life Fable . Compare its theme, tone, symbols, and use of irony to this story.

Essay Prompt : Tell the same story from Josephine's point of view (remember, Louisa keeps her door shut most of the time).

Essay Prompt : Consider reading the one act play by Susan Glaspell , Trifles (1916), about a murder trial which challenges our perceptions of justice and morality. Compare it to Chopin's The Story of An Hour

Essay Prompt : Read Kate Chopin 's biography (feel free to extend your research to other sources). How does her personal story reflect her writing?

Useful Links

Biography and Works by Kate Chopin

American Literature's biographies of featured Women Writers

ELA Common Core Lesson plan ideas for "The Story of An Hour"

Veiled Hints and Irony in Chopin's "The Story of An Hour"

Feminist Approaches to Literature , read more about the genre

Kate Chopin's "The Awakening": Searching for Women & Identity

KateChopin.org's biography and assessment of her work

Is It Actually Ironic? TED-Ed lessons on irony

Notes/Teacher Comments

Visit our Teacher Resources , supporting literacy instruction across all grade levels

American Literature's Study Guides

'The Story of an Hour' Questions for Study and Discussion

Kate Chopin's Famous Short Story

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" The Story of an Hour " is one of the greatest works by Kate Chopin.

Mrs. Mallard has a heart condition, which means that if she's startled she could die. So, when news comes that her husband's been killed in an accident, the people who tell her have to cushion the blow. Mrs. Mallard's sister Josephine sits down with her and dances around the truth until Mrs. Mallard finally understands what happened. The deceased Mr. Mallard's friend, Richards, hangs out with them for moral support.

Richards originally found out because he had been in the newspaper headquarters when a report of the accident that killed Mr. Mallard, which happened on a train, came through. Richards waited for proof from a second source before going to the Mallards' to share the news.

When Mrs. Mallard finds out what happened she acts differently from most women in the same position, who might disbelieve it. She cries passionately before deciding to go to her room to be by herself.

In her room, Mrs. Mallard sits down on a comfy chair and feels completely depleted. She looks out the window and looks out at a world that seems alive and fresh. She can see the sky coming between the rain clouds .

Mrs. Mallard sits still, occasionally crying briefly like a kid might. The narrator describes her as youthful and pretty, but because of this news she looks preoccupied and absent. She seems to be holding out for some kind of unknown news or knowledge, which she can tell is approaching. Mrs. Mallard breathes heavily and tries to resist before succumbing to this unknown thing, which is a feeling of freedom.

Acknowledging freedom makes her revive, and she doesn't consider whether she should feel bad about it. Mrs. Mallard thinks to herself about how she'll cry when she sees her husband's dead body and how much he loved her. Even so, she's kind of excited about the chance to make her own decisions and not feel accountable to anyone.

Mrs. Mallard feels even more swept up by the idea of freedom than the fact that she had felt love for her husband. She focuses on how liberated she feels. Outside the locked door to the room, her sister Josephine is pleading to her to open up and let her in. Mrs. Mallard tells her to go away and fantasizes about the exciting life ahead. Finally, she goes to her sister and they go downstairs.

Suddenly, the door opens and Mr. Mallard comes in. He's not dead and doesn't even know anyone thought he was. Even though Richards and Josephine try to protect Mrs. Mallard from the sight, they can't. She receives the shock they tried to prevent at the beginning of the story. Later, the medical people who examine her say that she was full of so much happiness that it murdered her.

Study Guide Questions 

• What is important about the title?
• What are the conflicts in "The Story of an Hour"? What types of conflict (physical, moral, intellectual, or emotional) do you see in this story?
• How does Kate Chopin reveal character in "The Story of an Hour"?
• What are some themes in the story? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
• What are some symbols in "The Story of an Hour"? How do they relate to the plot and characters?
• Is Mrs. Millard consistent in her actions? Is she a fully developed character? How? Why?
• Do you find the characters likable? Would you want to meet the characters?
• Does the story end the way you expected? How? Why?
• What is the central/primary purpose of the story? Is the purpose important or meaningful?
• Why is the story usually considered a work of feminist literature?
• How essential is the setting to the story? Could the story have taken place anywhere else?
• What is the role of women in the text? What about single/independent women?
• Would you recommend this story to a friend?
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The Story of an Hour Analysis & Summary – Essay Example

This sample will help you write a The Story of an Hour analysis essay! Here you’ll find a The Story of an Hour summary. Essay also contains a plot and character analysis.

Introduction

The story of an hour introduction, the story of an hour main plot, the story of an hour conclusion, the story of an hour analysis.

The Story of an Hour is a short story written by Kate Chopin in 1894. This famous piece of literature was controversial for its time, as the story mentioned a female protagonist who felt relieved after her husband’s death. The conclusion of The Story of an Hour is ironic, which makes the ending memorable.

The following The Story of an Hour literary analysis essay will summarize the plot and present an extensive character analysis of Mrs. Mallard. It will be helpful for those writing a The Story of an Hour critical analysis.

Kate Chopin (born Catherine O’Flaherty) was an American writer. She is best known for her narratives of delicate and brave women’s inner lives. Her novel “The Awakening” and her short stories, among them The Story of an Hour, are being read in countries all over the world today. She is widely recognized as one of the most important authors in America.

In 1984, Kate Chopin wrote The Story of an Hour. It portrays a woman, Louise Mallard, who lost her husband in an accident. However, she later discovers that the husband survived. Mrs. Mallard goes through many emotions and feelings, reevaluating her life. That ultimately kills her when she meets her presumably dead husband at the door. The following The Story of an Hour essay will focus on the plot and the protagonist’s self-development.

The Story of an Hour Summary

Louise Mallard, the main character, had always had a heart problem. It was not a secret for her friends and relatives, so everyone tried to protect her from worries.

One day her husband, Brently Mallard, was mistaken for having died in a horrible railroad accident. Richard, Mr. Mallard’s friend, was the one who learned about this death while in the office. Josephine, Louise’s sister, broke the news to her.

Josephine was very cautious because of Mrs. Mallard’s health issue. She feared such a tragedy would cause a heart attack. Bit by bit, she strategized how to tell everything to her sister, aher plan went perfectly well. Mrs. Mallard wept only once. She did not receive the story like many women would, with a helpless incapacity to acknowledge its meaning. She only cried in her sister’s arms with a feeling of a sudden, wild abandonment (Woodlief 2).

Immediately Mrs. Mallard found herself wondering how she could survive without her husband. She went to a room and locked herself to contemplate the consequences of his death. She was devastated, and this sadness was only natural. This man had been close to her, even though only for a short time. Her sister Josephine and Mr. Richard also mourned the loss (Taibah 1).

Mrs. Mallard was alone in that room, thinking about the future. As she was contemplating her fate, instead of grief, she began realizing that this was the beginning of a better part of her life. Louise saw independence and plenty of possibilities to do what her heart desired. Now, she had only to think about herself.

Later, Josephine comes to Louise’s room, crying with a joyous smile. They descend the house’s stairs, where Mr. Mallard appears at the door. He was not involved in the accident and did not understand why Josephine was crying. At the shock of seeing her husband again, Mrs. Mallard collapses. The doctors declare that she died because of the problems with her heart.

Health issues of the central character play a significant role in the story. The author managed to bring suspense in the way she described telling the bad news to a person with a heart problem. Josephine, Louise’s sister, tries her best to be careful and attentive, expecting a painful response. However, Mrs. Mallard reacts better than anticipated.

The story focuses mostly on femininity and the institution of marriage. The analysis of The Story of an Hour has to speculate on it to reveal the core message.

The author was able to illustrate that men entirely dominate the institution of marriage. Mr. Mallard, for instance, treated his wife the way she wanted only from time to time. For years, Louise has done many things to please her husband without looking after her well-being. So, having received the disturbing news, she is quite happy. It seemed that she had never cared for her husband at all.

Or did she? Mrs. Mallard’s reaction to the death of a spouse is complicated. She cannot escape the loneliness and grief that came with the loss. But the possibility of happiness prevails. Louise knew that marriage had made her a subject for him against her will. She only felt sorrow for the loss of his life but not for living without him. She felt deep inside that she had been freed from the chains of living for another person.

Mr. Mallard’s apparent death saddened Louise at first. She was devastated about his fate but regained strength quickly. Louise was well aware of the fact that she could not bring her husband back. So, she came to terms with it, which wasn’t difficult. Mrs. Mallard saw beyond the painful moment, anticipating freedom for the rest of her life.

The room and environment around Mrs. Mallard symbolize her desire for freedom. For example, Mrs. Mallard could see the tops of trees through the window. They were all aquiver with the new spring life on the open square before her house. There was a delicious breath of rain in the air. A peddler was weeping his wares in the street below. There were spots of blue sky showing up here and there through the clouds in the west facing her window, which had met and piled up one above the other (Woodlief 1).

An open window could be interpreted as a metaphor. It reflects new possibilities and resources that Mrs. Mallard now had in her sights without anybody stopping her. She referred to it as the late spring of life.

The story reveals how women were secretly marginalized. At the time, society expected them to pursue wealth and safety, which came with a husband. Liberty should be neither their worry nor their goal. When Louise felt freedom after Mr. Mallard’s death, she kept it secret for obvious reasons. But then, her sister arrived.

Mrs. Mallard was shocked by the sight of her husband alive. All of her newfound liberty and dreams came crashing down at that moment. This shattering experience even goes to the extreme of destroying her life. Whereas she was to be happy to see her husband alive, Louise died from a heart attack.

Situational irony is presented in the author’s stylistic use of words: “She had died of heart disease…of the joy that kills.” People around anticipated this tragedy from the news about Mr. Mallard’s death, not miraculous survival.

The author explored the character of Mrs. Mallard throughout this story. The reader can’t be surprised by her sudden death or miss its irony. Louise is a woman with a great desire for independence, which a man has deprived her of through marriage. Mr. Mallard represents the absence of her liberty that restores after his death. When Mrs. Mallard sees her husband at the door once again, she collapses and never wakes up.

Based on this The Story of an Hour literary analysis, we can draw several important conclusions. Mrs. Mallard couldn’t control her emotions when they concerned the most vital matters. The lack of liberty and independence may have caused her heart problems in the first place. And they cost her life in the end.

Her husband, Mr. Mallard, took Louise’s freedom when he married her. However, as it became apparent from the story, he never valued her. When she died, he had finally faced the consequences of always taking her existence for granted.

Therefore, the oppressor faced even worse tragedy than the oppressed. The dramatic irony of Mr. Mallard’s unawareness of his wife’s true feelings towards him is a big part of the story. So, in the end, it was Mr. Mallard’s presence that killed his wife.

• Chopin, Kate. The Story of an hour . The Kate Chopin International Society. Web.
• Woodlief, Ann. The Story of an Hour . 2011, Virginia Commonwealth University. Web.

What is the symbolism in The Story of an Hour?

Through The Story of an Hour, the author presents us with the inner feelings and thoughts of a woman using various symbols. Mrs. Mallard’s heart problem symbolizes her dissatisfaction with the marriage, while the open window illustrates her aspirations towards a better, independent life.

What is the meaning behind The Story of an Hour?

Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour analysis illustrates that the author wanted to tell us how the society of that time was unfair towards women. It also shows the delicate and complicated inner world of a woman.

What does The Story of an Hour critique?

The Story of an Hour criticizes the typical experience of marriage in the 1890s. For women, such marriage was repressive and meant their loss of personal freedoms. Therefore, the story criticizes the society of that time dominated by men.

How do you start a critical analysis of The Story of an Hour?

Start your analysis of The Story of an Hour with a short introduction. Remember to say a few words about its author and her life. Next, talk about the story and let the reader know what it is about.

What are the two main themes in The Story of an Hour?

Firstly, the theme of a female search for self-identity is featured strongly in the story. The second theme is that of repressive marriage. The reader sees it in the way Mrs. Mallard’s reaction toward her husband’s death shifts.

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Read Our 25 Great Ideas on ‘The Story of an Hour’ Essay Topics

Every literary composition has its own meaning. It is difficult to analyze what exactly an author wants to say through their stories. For this purpose, modern students research many classic works such as ‘The Story of an Hour’ by Kate Chopin.

Usually, students think that short stories are easy to analyze, but this can be a false impression. To help with researching ‘The Story of an Hour’ questions and answers, we suggest you pay special attention to the title selection. We present 25 great ideas on ‘The Story of an Hour’ essay topics, which you can use for your own literary research.

‘The Story of an Hour’ Essay Topics

• Choose the most important phrases which you think reveal the point of the story. Briefly describe your choice.
• Analyze characters and their roles in the short story by Kate Chopin ‘The Story of an Hour.’
• What is the main conflict in ‘The Story of an Hour’?
• Language and communication between characters in ‘The Story of an Hour.’
• How does the author reveal the idea of freedom in ‘The Story of an Hour’?
• The main ‘The Story of an Hour’ analysis question reveals the central idea of the story.
• What do scholars and literary critics say about ‘The Story of an Hour’?
• How would Mrs. Mallard react to her husband’s death if Richards and Josephine hadn’t been so delicate in how they explained that Mr. Mallard had died?
• Why do couriers of sad news often end up being blamed for the news itself?
• Would Louise be happy to see her husband alive? Why did she die when she saw him alive?
• How did Kate Chopin deliver the problems of past times in her short story ‘The Story of an Hour’? How likely is it that most marriages of that time were unhappy?
• Would Mr. Mallard regret Mrs. Mallard’s death?
• What was the difference in Louise, Josephine, and Richards’s perception of the message about Mr. Mallard’s death?
• How can different versions of ‘The Story of an Hour’ change the meaning of the story? Analyze the printed and online versions.
• ‘The Story of an Hour’ analysis question of feminism.
• Did Louise Mallard understand what love is? Did the death of her husband help her to understand it?
• What did the message about Mr. Mallard’s death change in Louise Mallard? Did she find the news about her husband’s death without fear or favor?
• What did Richards’s quick motion at the end of the story mean? Did Mrs. Mallard and Richards have a secret relationship?
• What did Louise mean when she said, “Free! Body and soul free!” Did she say this about her dead husband or herself?
• Why did Mr. Mallard never speak during the story?
• Can Louise’s dream about freedom come true in ‘The Story of an Hour’? What kind of freedom is possible for women in the 19th century?
• How is the freedom of all characters limited in ‘The Story of an Hour’?
• What does the sign of Louise’s lock in her room mean?
• Why did the author place all characters in one location in ‘The Story of an Hour’?
• Why did Kate Chopin say that Louise died from joy? What did she really mean?

Even by reading these topics, you can answer a lot of ‘The Story of an Hour’ essay questions. Choose the one you find most interesting and start researching your favorite literature. Otherwise you can buy essays from our writers to save your time and calm your nerves.

The Story of an Hour

Kate chopin, everything you need for every book you read..

Women in 19th-Century Society

In the late 19th century, much of American society held to the deep-seated belief that women were inferior to and should remain dependent upon husbands and other male figures. On the whole, women were expected to accommodate their husbands by cooking, cleaning, and generally maintaining the household. Any employment available to them offered wages significantly less than what men earned, and women were expected to conduct their lives according to their husbands’ wishes. Most women…

Freedom and Independence

In “The Story of an Hour,” freedom and independence—not love, not friends, not family, not honor or glory or anything else—are held up as what make a life worth living. Though Louise is at first genuinely upset by the news of Brently ’s death—and though she makes it clear that she will greatly mourn the loss of her husband—over the course of the hour in which she believes him to be dead, she comes to…

Love and Marriage

You might reasonably guess, if you were told that a woman became deliriously excited soon after her husband’s sudden death, that the marriage was not a very good one. However, “The Story of an Hour” makes it clear that Louise and Brently ’s marriage was perfectly loving or, at the very least, normal. After all, Louise ’s initial reaction to her husband’s death is completely authentic and powerful: she goes alone to her room not…

The Story of an Hour

21 pages • 42 minutes read

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Discussion Questions

Written at the turn of the 20th century, how does “The Story of an Hour” portray technology such as the railroad and telegraph? Does Chopin suggest any relationship between modernization or industrialization and social reality for women?

Does “The Story of an Hour” follow conventional Aristotelian tragic plot constructions? Identify the possible inciting incident, peripeteia (reversal of fortune), climax, and anagnorisis (discovery) among the emotional events of the story.

How does the story’s extremely short length and narrative timeframe emphasize its themes? Why did Chopin choose to tell “The Story of an Hour” rather than “The Story of a Day”?

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Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour Essay

Story analysis, main themes, personal opinion.

Feminism is a prevalent phenomenon nowadays that affects numerous life spheres. In addition to that, it is a central concept of various literary works. As a rule, many famous feminist stories, novels, and plays were written in the mid-late 20 th century when there happened the most crucial changes to women’s rights. However, there are some exceptions, and Chopin’s The Story of an Hour that was created in 1894 is among them. Even though it is a short story with not many characters, it manages to discuss essential topics in a way to make readers think through them critically.

The story tells about Mrs. Mallard, who has some heart issues. Because of this, everyone tries to be as careful as possible not to disturb the woman. Once her husband is said to be dead, Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister, comes to inform her of this tragic news. Even though Josephine tries to find as gentle words as possible, Mrs. Mallard is still shocked and frustrated. A newly-minted widow locks herself in her room to stay alone with her grief (Chopin, 2014). Inside, her first thoughts are that it is impossible to live further without her husband. They loved each other, and the loss is considered an end of everything for the woman. However, it takes a while for the grief to be replaced by freedom. One should note that it does not mean that Mrs. Mallard did not love her husband; the point is that Mr. Mallard’s death makes her free and open to the future. These thoughts in mind, the woman leaves her room and meets her alive husband. This event happens to be immensely shocking for Mrs. Mallard, and she dies.

Even though the given story is based on a simple plot, and it has not many characters, this piece of literature is worth noticing. Chopin managed to discuss crucial topics and show that everything can change in life in a matter of an hour. This thought is said to be a central one for the story, and it is represented in the title. Furthermore, the author refers to other issues that are revealed with the help of several characters.

The Story of an Hour conveys many vital topics that are understandable even for modern readers. The theme of mortality is said to be the most evident one discussed in this literary work. The author demonstrates that everyone is mortal and that the death of close people can occur unexpectedly. One can be surprised, but communication has a similar implication in this story. The case is that wrongly chosen words can be dangerous or even kill someone. That is why Josephine does her best to find those communicative means that would be less harmful to Mrs. Mallard. From this perspective, the author tells that words can sometimes damage more seriously than physical actions. Besides, Chopin attracts readers’ attention to curative properties of time. Once shocked by her husband’s death, it takes only an hour for Mrs. Mallard to change her mood dramatically. Thus, the topics above make this literary work exciting for numerous people.

In addition to that, it is impossible to ignore the fact that The Story of an Hour reflects feminist beliefs. On the one hand, Paudel (2019) argues that this piece of writing demonstrates “women’s anxieties and struggles for self-identity within the arena of strict social and traditional structures” (p. 97). Her husband overshadowed Mrs. Mallard, and his death makes her free. At once, this freedom scares her, but the fear is soon replaced by happiness. On the other hand, the author presented the thought that the women’s role was underscored in society, often by women themselves. That is why Chopin wanted to show that women could live without men, which was one of the first signals of feminism (Latif Azmi & Hui, 2017). Thus, Mrs. Mallard’s example was believed to show that the world was not fair to women. They could be full-fledged members of society, even outside men’s shadows.

As has been stated, Mrs. Mallard is the main protagonist of the story. She is the usual woman who lives an ordinary life. Her heart condition stands for the role of all women in society. According to the author, this character demonstrates that women were very delicate and could not withstand any difficulties. Another of her peculiarities is represented by the feelings she had to Mr. Mallard. She loved him, but it was love that disappeared in an hour. Thus, this situation demonstrates one of the main negative features of the man-dominated world in which women are forced to live with men because it is necessary, rather than because they love them.

As for the other characters, Josephine and Mr. Mallard, it is impossible to tell much about them. Josephine appears to be a skillful negotiator because she manages to find some words that would not kill her sister. Besides, the woman takes care of her grieving sister, and it can be a message for all women that they should be concerned about one another. As for Mr. Mallard, he is a reason for the actions to revolve, but he appears in person only at the end of the story. The readers are not told what his profession is or where he was. It seems that he is even more depersonalized than the others. The author might describe this character in this way to show that men who were considered the center of the world were not more important than women.

As far as my personal opinion is concerned, this literary work evokes controversial thoughts. On the one hand, it defies the imagination that a mentally sane woman can be happy when her husband dies. On the other hand, the central message becomes apparent when the story is analyzed through the lens of feminism. That is why it is impossible to tell unequivocally what impressions this piece of literature causes. This thought is supported by Appleman (2015), who states that The Story of an Hour has “a set of somewhat more elaborate” elements (p. 132). Thus, there are no doubts that numerous readers will be excited by Chopin’s writing.

The Story of an Hour by Chopin is a short literary work that manages to refer to many essential topics, though. The author discussed such themes as love, feminism, the role of communication, and mortality. One should note that not many characters were used in this story. The information above allows supposing that the literary work tends to evoke controversial feelings and emotions among its target audience. Thus, there is no doubt that this piece of writing is worth reading.

Appleman, D. (2015). Critical encounters in secondary English: Teaching literary theory to adolescents (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Chopin, K. (2014). The story of an hour: Short story. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Latif Azmi, M. N., & Hui, L. S. (2017). The elements of Islamic feminism in non-Islamic comparative literature: A case of Chopin and Megha’s short stories. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 7 (12), 1095-1099.

Paudel, K. (2019). Existential angst in Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour, NCC Journal, 4 (1), 97-99.

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IvyPanda. (2020, July 8). Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour. https://ivypanda.com/essays/kate-chopins-the-story-of-an-hour/

"Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour." IvyPanda , 8 July 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/kate-chopins-the-story-of-an-hour/.

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1. IvyPanda . "Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour." July 8, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/kate-chopins-the-story-of-an-hour/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour." July 8, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/kate-chopins-the-story-of-an-hour/.

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• Latin America

Gabriel García Márquez's last novel is published against his wishes

Carrie Kahn

Gabriel García Márquez greets journalists and neighbors on his birthday outside his house in Mexico City on March 6, 2014. Edgard Garrido/Reuters hide caption

Gabriel García Márquez greets journalists and neighbors on his birthday outside his house in Mexico City on March 6, 2014.

Before his death almost 10 years ago, Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez had nearly completed his final book. Struggling with the ravages of dementia, he told his sons to rip it up and never publish it.

But they decided to go against his wishes and on Wednesday, on what would have been García Márquez's 97 birthday, they are releasing the novel in Spanish. (The English version will be out on March 12.)

Rodrigo García says his father told him and his younger brother, Gonzalo García, that the novel, titled En Agosto Nos Vemos in Spanish, or Until August in English, just did not work and that it made no sense.

An unpublished novel by Gabriel García Márquez is set for release next year

"We concluded that the book, though unfinished, made a lot of sense and was very moving," said Rodrigo García from his home in Mexico City. The screenwriter says he and his brother hadn't thought about publishing it; they recently reread it and really liked it.

"When he said it doesn't make sense he didn't realize it didn't make sense to him anymore," García said.

García Márquez spent much of the last decade of his life with debilitating dementia — an ironic cruelty for a master of chronicling memories, said his eldest son.

Book cover for Until August Penguin Random House hide caption

Book cover for Until August

"Often he would sit down to read one of his own books and couldn't make a sense of it and it wasn't until he reached the last page and saw his picture on the back cover that he realized that this is one of my books and he'd start to read it again," García said.

In Until August , a middle-aged woman, Ana Magdalena Bach, pays annual visits to an unnamed island to lay flowers on her mother's grave. It's an exploration of love, fidelity, sexuality and aging.

The book's editor, Cristóbal Pera, said it was a departure from the magic realism genre García Márquez mastered. It was to be the second in a series of short novels the author planned to write exploring love in the time of the elderly.

The Two-Way

Book news: gabriel garcia marquez's collection gets a texas welcome.

"In this one there are some hints that he was also exploring and — maybe, I don't know, maybe I'm wrong — the romance novel. Of course it's not a trashy romance novel, it is an amazing work of art," Pera said.

Pera had worked with García Márquez on his memoirs and the two had become friends. On one visit to the family home in Mexico City, where the Colombian-born author lived for years, Pera read three of the chapters aloud. On another visit, García Márquez surprised him with the final scene.

"And he laughed and said, 'Yes, I have an ending' and he read it to me very proud and it is exactly the same ending that readers are going to find," he added.

Gabriel García Márquez's son Gonzalo García Barcha speaks during a news conference for the book launch of En Agosto Nos Vemos on Tuesday in Madrid. Isabel Infantes/Getty Images hide caption

Gabriel García Márquez's son Gonzalo García Barcha speaks during a news conference for the book launch of En Agosto Nos Vemos on Tuesday in Madrid.

Pera was given access to five drafts of the book that are part of the large collection of García Márquez's work housed at the University of Texas at Austin . He also worked with a separate draft that the writer's longtime secretary had saved.

"He had many notes on the margins, but the novel was complete. All the characters, everything. ... I didn't of course, and I would never dare to add anything of my own," Pera says with a laugh.

And Pera agrees with García Márquez's sons' decision to publish the work posthumously. He says that Until August , with its strong woman protagonist, adds to the writer's cannon.

Remembering The Short Fiction Of Gabriel Garcia Marquez

In García's previous book, Memories of My Melancholy Whores , ostensibly the first in the elderly series, a 90-year-old man pines for a 14-year old virgin. Even in the early 2000s, way before the #MeToo era, the book drew criticism.

Fellow Nobel laureate Salman Rushdie, who befriended García Márquez later in life, says the author's works need no new additions.

Listen to audio of UNTIL AUGUST - excerpt read by Catalina Sandino Moreno. courtesy Penguin Random House Audio

"I really worry that something has been authorized which should not be authorized," he told an audience at a book event last year in Spain . Rushdie made it clear he doesn't want any of his own unpublished manuscripts released. He's concerned that Until August could damage García Márquez's reputation. "It may not do him justice," Rushdie said.

Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez strolls in Rome's piazza Navona with his wife Mercedes and sons Gonzalo and Rodrigo on Sept. 6, 1969. Vittoriano Rastelli/Getty Images hide caption

Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez strolls in Rome's piazza Navona with his wife Mercedes and sons Gonzalo and Rodrigo on Sept. 6, 1969.

Rodrigo García appreciates such allegiance to his father but says Rushdie still has the intellectual power to judge which of his books should be published.

"Our father lost that, he did not have that, so we decided for him," he said.

In the end he says both of his parents often told him and his brother that after they were dead the siblings could do "whatever the hell they wanted to."

"We are speaking for our father because he gave us permission to speak for him. Is there some betrayal? Yes, of course. This is not the last wish of an aging writer," García said.

But García says he is willing to let the readers judge. And as he and his brother wrote in the preface to Until August , if the audience is delighted then hopefully their father will forgive them.

• Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Could the days of ‘springing forward’ be numbered? A neurologist and sleep expert explains the downside to that borrowed hour of daylight

Professor of Neurology and Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University

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Beth Ann Malow is the Sleep Research Society representative to the Coalition for Permanent Standard TIme.

Vanderbilt University provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation US.

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As people in the U.S. prepare to set their clocks ahead one hour on Sunday, March 10, 2024, I find myself bracing for the annual ritual of media stories about the disruptions to daily routines caused by switching from standard time to daylight saving time.

About one-third of Americans say they don’t look forward to these twice-yearly time changes. And nearly two-thirds would like to eliminate them completely , compared with 17% who aren’t sure and 21% who would like to keep moving their clocks back and forth .

But the effects go beyond simple inconvenience. Researchers are discovering that “springing ahead” each March is connected with serious negative health effects, including an uptick in heart attacks and teen sleep deprivation . In contrast, the fall transition back to standard time is not associated with these health effects, as my co-authors and I explained in a 2020 commentary .

I’ve studied the pros and cons of these twice-annual rituals for more than five years as a professor of neurology and pediatrics and the director of Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s sleep division. It’s become clear to me and many of my colleagues that the transition to daylight saving time each spring affects health immediately after the clock change and also for the nearly eight months that Americans remain on daylight saving time .

Why our bodies are thrown off by DST

Americans are split on whether they prefer permanent daylight saving time or permanent standard time . But a growing number of states are supporting permanent standard time.

However, the two time shifts – jolting as they may be – are not equal. Standard time most closely approximates natural light, with the sun directly overhead at or near noon. In contrast, during daylight saving time from March until November, the clock change causes natural light to be present one hour later in the morning and one hour later in the evening according to clock time.

Morning light is essential for helping to set the body’s natural rhythms: It wakes us up and improves alertness . Morning light also boosts mood – light boxes simulating natural light are prescribed for morning use to treat seasonal affective disorder .

Although the exact reasons why light activates us and benefits our mood are not yet known, this may be due to light’s effects on increasing levels of cortisol , a hormone that modulates the stress response , or the effect of light on the amygdala , a part of the brain involved in emotions.

Adolescents also may be chronically sleep-deprived due to school , sports and social activities. For instance, many children start school around 8 a.m. or earlier, which means that during daylight saving time they get up and travel to school in pitch darkness.

The body of evidence makes a good case for adopting permanent standard time nationwide, as I testified at a March 2022 Congressional hearing and argued in a recent position statement for the Sleep Research Society. The American Medical Association recently called for permanent standard time . And in late 2022, Mexico adopted permanent standard time , citing benefits to health, productivity and energy savings .

The biggest advantage of daylight saving time is that it provides an extra hour of light in the late afternoon or evening, depending on time of year, for sports, shopping or eating outside. However, exposure to light later into the evening for almost eight months during daylight saving time comes at a price. This extended evening light delays the brain’s release of melatonin, the hormone that promotes drowsiness, which in turn interferes with sleep and causes us to sleep less overall .

Because puberty also causes melatonin to be released later at night , meaning that teenagers have a delay in the natural signal that helps them fall asleep, adolescents are particularly susceptible to sleep problems from the extended evening light. This shift in melatonin during puberty lasts into our 20s.

The ‘western edge’ effect

Geography can also make a difference in how daylight saving time affects people. One study showed that people living on the western edge of a time zone, who get light later in the morning and later in the evening, got less sleep than their counterparts on the eastern edge of a time zone.

This study found that western-edge residents had higher rates of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and breast cancer , as well as lower per capita income and higher health care costs. Other research has found that rates of certain other cancers are higher on the western edge of a time zone.

Scientists believe that these health problems may result from a combination of chronic sleep deprivation and “circadian misalignment .” Circadian misalignment refers to a mismatch in timing between our biological rhythms and the outside world. In other words, the timing of daily work, school or sleep routines is based on the clock, rather than on the sun’s rise and set.

A brief history of daylight saving time

Congress instituted year-round daylight saving time during World War I and World War II, and once again during the energy crisis of the early 1970s. But the popularity of year-round daylight saving time fell from 79% to 42% after it went into effect in January 1974, largely due to safety concerns about children going to school in the dark .

The idea at that time was that having extra light later into the afternoon would save energy by decreasing the need for electric lighting. This idea has since been proved largely inaccurate , as heating needs may increase in the morning in the winter, while air conditioning needs can also increase in the late afternoon in the summer.

After World War II, designating the start and end dates for daylight saving time fell to state governments. Because this created many railroad scheduling and safety problems, however, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act in 1966 . This law set the nationwide dates of daylight saving time from the last Sunday in April until the last Sunday in October. In 2007, Congress amended the act to expand the period in which daylight saving time is in effect from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November – dates that remain in effect today.

But the Uniform Time Act does allow states and territories to opt out of daylight saving time. Arizona and Hawaii are on permanent standard time, along with Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and American Samoa.

A shifting landscape

As of March 2024, 17 states have passed laws to adopt year-round daylight saving time. But federal law requires that they need to wait for Congress, and in some cases also neighboring states, to act. More than two dozen states introduced legislation related to the clock change in 2023 , but no laws were passed.

Meanwhile, proposed legislation and resolutions for permanent standard time have increased from 15% in 2021 to 37% in 2024.

In March 2022, the U.S. Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act in a bid to make daylight saving time permanent . But the House did not move forward with this legislation. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio reintroduced the bill on March 1, 2023, but this bill has not progressed .

The spike in activity among states seeking to break from these twice-yearly changes reflects how more people are recognizing the downsides of this practice. Now, it’s in the hands of legislators to decide whether to end the time shift altogether and to either choose a full year of having clocks more aligned with the sun or to artificially extend the day for more than half the year, for better or for worse.

This is an updated version of an article originally published on March 10, 2022 .

• Circadian rhythms
• Sleep problems
• Daylight saving time
• Time change
• Spring forward, fall back
• Permanent Daylight Saving Time
• Permanent Standard Time
• Daylight Saving Time health risks

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — The Story of An Hour — Story of an Hour: A Character Analysis

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Student Opinion

310 Prompts for Argumentative Writing

Questions on everything from mental health and sports to video games and dating. Which ones inspire you to take a stand?

By Natalie Proulx

Does social media harm young people’s mental health? Do video games deserve the bad rap they often get? Should parents track their children? Who is the greatest athlete of all time?

Every school day, we publish new questions for students based on the news of the day, including prompts, like these, that inspire persuasive writing.

Below, we’ve rounded up over 300 of those argumentative prompts, organized by topic, all in one place. They cover everything from parenting and schools to music and social media. Each one, drawn from our Student Opinion column , links to a free New York Times article as well as additional subquestions that can help you think more deeply about it.

You can use these prompts however you like, whether to inspire an entry for our new Open Letter Contest , to hone your persuasive writing skills or simply to share your opinions on the issues of today. So scroll through the list below and see which ones inspire you to take a stand.

If you enjoy these questions, know that you can find all of our argumentative writing prompts, as they publish, here . Students 13 and up from anywhere in the world are invited to comment.

Argumentative Prompt Topics

Technology and social media, college, work and money, health and relationships, gender and race, arts and entertainment, parenting and childhood, government and politics, animals, science and time.

Social Media

1. Does Social Media Harm Young People’s Mental Health? 2. How Much Should Speech Be Moderated on Social Media? 3. Should the United States Ban TikTok? 4. How Young Is Too Young to Use Social Media? 5. Should Kids Be Social Media Influencers? 6. What Should Be Done to Protect Children Online? 7. Should There Be Separate Social Media Apps for Children? 8. Are You a Fan of ‘School Accounts’ on Social Media? 9. Will Social Media Help or Hurt Your College and Career Goals? 10. Is It Ever OK to Use Strangers as Content for Social Media?

Phones and Devices

11. Should More Teenagers Ditch Their Smartphones? 12. Should the Adults in Your Life Be Worried by How Much You Use Your Phone? 13. Should Phones Ever Be a Part of Family or Holiday Gatherings? 14. What Are Your Texting Dos and Don’ts? 15. Does Grammar Still Matter in the Age of Twitter? 16. Is Your Phone Love Hurting Your Relationships? 17. Should Texting While Driving Be Treated Like Drunken Driving? 18. How Young Is Too Young for an Apple Watch?

The Internet

19. Do Memes Make the Internet a Better Place? 20. How Excited Are You About the Metaverse? 21. Should Websites Force Users to Prove How Old They Are? 22. What Is the Best Way to Stop Abusive Language Online? 23. How Do You Feel About Cancel Culture? 24. Does Online Public Shaming Prevent Us From Being Able to Grow and Change? 25. Do You Think Online Conspiracy Theories Can Be Dangerous? 26. Does Technology Make Us More Alone?

School Discipline and Attendance

27. Should Schools Ban Cellphones? 28. How Should Schools Hold Students Accountable for Hurting Others? 29. What Are Your Thoughts on Uniforms and Strict Dress Codes? 30. Should Schools Test Their Students for Nicotine and Drug Use? 31. How Can Schools Engage Students Who Are at Risk of Dropping Out? 32. Should Students Be Allowed to Miss School for Mental Health Reasons? 33. Should Your School Day Start Later? 34. Should There Still Be Snow Days? 35. Do Kids Need Recess? 36. Should Students Be Punished for Not Having Lunch Money?

School Quality and Effectiveness

37. How Do You Think American Education Could Be Improved? 38. Do Schools Need to Do More to Hold Students Accountable? 39. Are Straight A’s Always a Good Thing? 40. Should Students Have the Same Teachers Year After Year? 41. Do Teachers Assign Too Much Homework? 42. Should We Get Rid of Homework? 43. Should We Eliminate Gifted and Talented Programs? 44. Is It Time to Get Rid of Timed Tests? 45. What Role Should Textbooks Play in Education? 46. How Should Senior Year in High School Be Spent? 47. Does Your School Need More Money? 48. Do School Employees Deserve More Respect — and Pay? 49. Should Public Preschool Be a Right for All Children?

Teaching and Learning

50. Do You Think We Need to Change the Way Math Is Taught? 51. Should Financial Literacy Be a Required Course in School? 52. Should Schools Teach Students Kitchen and Household Skills? 53. Do We Need Better Music Education? 54. What Are the Most Important Things Students Should Learn in School? 55. What Is the Purpose of Teaching U.S. History? 56. Do Schools Need to Do More to Support Visual Thinkers? 57. Is School a Place for Self-Expression? 58. Should Media Literacy Be a Required Course in School? 59. Can Empathy Be Taught? Should Schools Try to Help Us Feel One Another’s Pain? 60. Should Schools Teach You How to Be Happy? 61. Should All Schools Teach Cursive? 62. Should Kids Still Learn to Tell Time? 63. How Important Is Knowing a Foreign Language

Technology in School

64. How Should Schools Respond to ChatGPT? 65. Does Learning to Be a Good Writer Still Matter in the Age of A.I.? 66. Is Online Learning Effective? 67. Should Students Be Monitored When Taking Online Tests? 68. Should Schools Be Able to Discipline Students for What They Say on Social Media? 69. Can Social Media Be a Tool for Learning and Growth in Schools? 70. Should Facial Recognition Technology Be Used in Schools? 71. Is Live-Streaming Classrooms a Good Idea? 72. Should Teachers and Professors Ban Student Use of Laptops in Class? 73. Are the Web Filters at Your School Too Restrictive?

Education Politics

74. Do You Feel Your School and Teachers Welcome Both Conservative and Liberal Points of View? 75. Should Students Learn About Climate Change in School? 76. Should Teachers Provide Trigger Warnings for ‘Traumatic Content’? 77. Should Teachers Be Allowed to Wear Political Symbols? 78. What Do You Think About Efforts to Ban Books From School Libraries? 79. What Is Your Reaction to the Growing Fight Over What Young People Can Read? 80. What Do You Think About the Controversy Surrounding the New A.P. Course on African American Studies? 81. Should Schools or Employers Be Allowed to Tell People How They Should Wear Their Hair? 82. Does Prayer Have Any Place in Public Schools? 83. Should Schools Be Allowed to Censor Student Newspapers?

College Admissions

84. Should Colleges Consider Standardized Tests in Admissions? 85. Should Students Let ChatGPT Help Them Write Their College Essays? 86. What Is Your Reaction to the End of Race-Based Affirmative Action in College Admissions? 87. Are Early-Decision Programs Unfair? Should Colleges Do Away With Them? 88. Is the College Admissions Process Fair? 89. How Much Do You Think It Matters Where You Go to College? 90. Should Everyone Go to College? 91. Should College Be Free? 92. Is Student Debt Worth It? 93. Should High Schools Post Their Annual College Lists?

Campus Life

94. What Should Free Speech Look Like on Campus? 95. Should Greek Life on College Campuses Come to an End? 96. Should Universities Work to Curtail Student Drinking? 97. How Should the Problem of Sexual Assault on Campuses Be Addressed? 98. Are Lavish Amenities on College Campuses Useful or Frivolous? 99. Should ‘Despised Dissenters’ Be Allowed to Speak on College Campuses? 100. Should Emotional Support Animals Be Allowed on College Campuses?

Jobs and Careers

101. Is High School a Good Time to Train for a Career? 102. Is There Such a Thing as a ‘Useless’ College Major? 103. Should All High School Students Have Part-Time Jobs? 104. Should National Service Be Required for All Young Americans? 105. Is It OK to Use Family Connections to Get a Job?

Money and Business

106. Do You Think the American Dream Is Real? 107. Should All Young People Learn How to Invest in the Stock Market? 108. Should We All Go Cashless? 109. When Should You Tip? 110. Should We End the Practice of Tipping? 111. Are You a Crypto Optimist or Skeptic? 112. Do Celebrities and Influencers Make You Want to Buy What They’re Selling? 113. Is $1 Billion Too Much Money for Any One Person to Have? 114. Are C.E.O.s Paid Too Much? 115. Is It Immoral to Increase the Price of Goods During a Crisis? 116. What Should Stores Do With Unsold Goods? 117. Is There a ‘Right Way’ to Be a Tourist? 118. Who Should We Honor on Our Money?

Mental Health

119. Is Teen Mental Health in a State of Crisis? 120. ‘Love-Bombing.’ ‘Gaslighting.’ ‘Victim.’ Is ‘Trauma Talk’ Overused? 121. Does Achieving Success Always Include Being Happy? 122. Is Struggle Essential to Happiness? 123. Should Schools Teach Mindfulness? 124. How Can We Bring an End to the ‘Epidemic of Loneliness’? 125. Does Every Country Need a ‘Loneliness Minister’? 126. What Ideas Do You Have to Bring Your Community Closer Together? 127. Are Emotional-Support Animals a Scam? 128. Is It OK to Laugh During Dark Times?

Dating and Relationships

129. Who Should Pay for Dates? 130. Do Marriage Proposals Still Have a Place in Today’s Society? 131. Should Your Significant Other Be Your Best Friend? 132. How Do You Think Technology Affects Dating?

Physical Health

133. Should Governments Do More to Discourage People From Smoking and Vaping? 134. How Should Adults Talk to Kids About Drugs? 135. Can Laziness Be a Good Thing? 136. Should There Be Requirements for Teens Who Want to Ride E-Bikes? 137. What Advice Should Parents and Counselors Give Teenagers About Sexting? 138. Should All Children Be Vaccinated? 139. Do We Worry Too Much About Germs?

140. Is It Becoming More Acceptable for Men and Boys to Cry? 141. Is It Harder for Men and Boys to Make and Keep Friends? 142. Should Award Shows Eliminate Gendered Categories? 143. Should There Be More Gender Options on Identification Documents? 144. Justice Ginsburg Fought for Gender Equality. How Close Are We to Achieving That Goal? 145. What Should #MeToo Mean for Teenage Boys? 146. What Is Hard About Being a Boy? 147. Should There Be More Boy Dolls? 148. Is Single-Sex Education Still Useful? 149. Are Beauty Pageants Still Relevant? 150. Should Period Products Be Free? 151. What Are Your Thoughts on Last Names? 152. What Rules Should Apply to Transgender Athletes When They Compete? 153. What Is Your Reaction to the Recent Wave of Legislation That Seeks to Regulate the Lives of Transgender Youths? 154. What Do You Wish Lawmakers Knew About How Anti-L.G.B.T.Q. Legislation Affects Teenagers?

Identity, Race and Ethnicity

155. How Should Schools Respond to Racist Jokes? 156. How Should Parents Teach Their Children About Race and Racism? 157. What Is Your Reaction to Efforts to Limit Teaching on Race in Schools? 158. How Should Racial Slurs in Literature Be Handled in the Classroom? 159. Should Confederate Statues Be Removed or Remain in Place? 160. Should We Rename Schools Named for Historical Figures With Ties to Racism, Sexism or Slavery? 161. How Should We Remember the Problematic Actions of the Nation’s Founders? 162. Does the United States Owe Reparations to the Descendants of Enslaved People? 163. What Can History Teach Us About Resilience? 164. Should All Americans Receive Anti-Bias Education? 165. Is Fear of ‘The Other’ Poisoning Public Life? 166. What Stereotypical Characters Make You Cringe? 167. When Talking About Identity, How Much Do Words Matter? 168. How Useful Is It to Be Multilingual?

TV and Movies

169. Is True Crime As a Form of Entertainment Ethical? 170. Should Old TV Shows Be Brought Back? 171. Does Reality TV Deserve Its Bad Rap? 172. How Closely Should Actors’ Identities Reflect the Roles They Play? 173. In the Age of Digital Streaming, Are Movie Theaters Still Relevant? 174. Do We Need More Female Superheroes? 175. Is Hollywood Becoming More Diverse? 176. When Does Lying in Comedy Cross a Line? 177. How Do You Feel About ‘Nepotism Babies’?

Music and Video Games

178. Will A.I. Replace Pop Stars? 179. If Two Songs Sound Alike, Is It Stealing? 180. Should Musicians Be Allowed to Copy or Borrow From Other Artists? 181. How Do You Feel About Censored Music? 182. What Are the Greatest Songs of All Time? 183. Do Video Games Deserve the Bad Rap They Often Get? 184. Should There Be Limits on How Much Time Young People Spend Playing Video Games? 185. Should More Parents Play Video Games With Their Kids?

186. Are A.I.-Generated Pictures Art? 187. What Work of Art Should Your Friends Fall in Love With? 188. If Artwork Offends People, Should It Be Removed? 189. Should Museums Return Looted Artifacts to Their Countries of Origin? 190. Should Art Come With Trigger Warnings? 191. Is the Digital Era Improving or Ruining the Experience of Art? 192. Are Museums Still Important in the Digital Age? 193. Can You Separate Art From the Artist? 194. Are There Subjects That Should Be Off-Limits to Artists, or to Certain Artists in Particular? 195. Should Graffiti Be Protected?

Books and Literature

196. Is Listening to a Book Just as Good as Reading It? 197. Should Classic Children’s Books Be Updated for Today’s Young Readers? 198. Should White Writers Translate a Black Author’s Work? 199. Is There Any Benefit to Reading Books You Hate? 200. Should Libraries Get Rid of Late Fees?

201. What’s the Best — and Worst — Part of Being a Sports Fan? 202. Who Is the GOAT? 203. Do Women’s Sports Deserve More Attention? 204. What Should Be Done About the Gender Pay Gap in Sports? 205. Should Girls and Boys Sports Teams Compete in the Same League? 206. Should More Sports Be Coed? 207. College Athletes Can Now Be Paid. But Not All of Them Are Seeing Money. Is That Fair? 208. Should High School-Age Basketball Players Be Able to Get Paid? 209. Are Some Youth Sports Too Intense? 210. Are Youth Sports Too Competitive? 211. Is It Bad Sportsmanship to Run Up the Score in Youth Sports? 212. Is It Ethical to Be a Football Fan? 213. Does the N.F.L. Have a Race Problem? 214. What New Rules Would Improve Your Favorite Sport? 215. What Sports Deserve More Hype? 216. How Should We Punish Sports Cheaters? 217. Should Technology in Sports Be Limited? 218. Does Better Sports Equipment Unfairly Improve Athletic Ability? 219. Is It Offensive for Sports Teams and Their Fans to Use Native American Names, Imagery and Gestures? 220. Is It Selfish to Pursue Risky Sports Like Extreme Mountain Climbing? 221. Should Cheerleading Be an Olympic Sport?

Related Writing Prompt

222. Should Parents Ever Be Held Responsible for the Harmful Actions of Their Children? 223. Where Is the Line Between Helping a Child Become More Resilient and Pushing Them Too Hard? 224. Should Parents Give Children More Responsibility at Younger Ages? 225. Should Parents Tell Children the Truth About Santa? 226. Should Parents Weigh in on Their Kids’ Dating Lives? 227. Should Parents Track Their Children? 228. How Should Parents Support a Student Who Has Fallen Behind in School? 229. Do Parents Ever Cross a Line by Helping Too Much With Schoolwork? 230. What’s the Best Way to Discipline Children? 231. What Are Your Thoughts on ‘Snowplow Parents’? 232. Should Stay-at-Home Parents Be Paid? 233. Should Parents Bribe Their Children?

Childhood and Growing Up

234. Is It Harder to Grow Up in the 21st Century Than It Was in the Past? 235. Is Childhood Today Over-Supervised? 236. When Do You Become an Adult? 237. Who Should Decide Whether a Teenager Can Get a Tattoo or Piercing? 238. Do We Give Children Too Many Trophies? 239. What Can Older Generations Learn From Gen Z? 240. What Is the Worst Toy Ever?

Legislation and Policy

241. Should the Death Penalty Be Abolished? 242. Should Marijuana Be Legal? 243. Should the United States Decriminalize the Possession of Drugs? 244. What Is Your Reaction to the State of Abortion Rights? 245. Should the Government Cancel Student Debt? 246. Should Public Transit Be Free? 247. Should There Be More Public Restrooms? 248. Should the U.S. Be Doing More to Prevent Child Poverty? 249. Should the Government Provide a Guaranteed Income for Families With Children? 250. Should Law Enforcement Be Able to Use DNA Data From Genealogy Websites for Criminal Investigations?

Gun Violence

251. Are You Concerned About Violence in America? 252. How Should Americans Deal With the Problem of Gun Violence? 253. What Should Lawmakers Do About Guns and Gun Violence? 254. Should the U.S. Ban Military-Style Semiautomatic Weapons? 255. Should Teachers Be Armed With Guns?

Voting and Elections

256. How Much Faith Do You Have in the U.S. Political System? 257. Is the Electoral College a Problem? Does It Need to Be Fixed? 258. Does Everyone Have a Responsibility to Vote? 259. Should We All Be Able to Vote by Mail? 260. Should There Be a Minimum Voting Age? 261. Should the Voting Age Be Lowered to 16? 262. Should Ex-Felons Have the Right to Vote? 263. Are Presidential Debates Helpful to Voters? Or Should They Be Scrapped?

Freedoms and Rights

264. How Important Is Freedom of the Press? 265. Why Does the Right to Protest Matter? 266. Does the U.S. Constitution Need an Equal Rights Amendment? 267. Do You Care Who Sits on the Supreme Court? Should We Care? 268. Should You Have a Right to Be Rude? 269. Should Prisons Offer Incarcerated People Education Opportunities?

Civic Participation

270. Are You Optimistic About the State of the World? 271. If You Could Take On One Problem Facing Our World, What Would It Be? 272. If You Were Mayor, What Problems Facing Your Community Would You Tackle? 273. Do You Think Teenagers Can Make a Difference in the World? 274. Do You Think It Is Important for Teenagers to Participate in Political Activism? 275. Is Your Generation Doing Its Part to Strengthen Our Democracy? 276. How Is Your Generation Changing Politics? 277. Why Is It Important for People With Different Political Beliefs to Talk to Each Other? 278. Are We Being Bad Citizens If We Don’t Keep Up With the News? 279. Why Do Bystanders Sometimes Fail to Help When They See Someone in Danger? 280. When Is It OK to Be a Snitch? 281. Should Reporters Ever Help the People They Are Covering? 282. Should Celebrities Weigh In on Politics? 283. Should Athletes Speak Out On Social and Political Issues? 284. Should Corporations Take Political Stands? 285. What Do You Think the Role of the First Lady — or First Spouse — Should Be Today?

286. Is Animal Testing Ever Justified? 287. What Is Our Responsibility to Lab Animals? 288. What Are Your Thoughts About Hunting Animals? 289. Should We Be Concerned With Where We Get Our Pets? 290. What Do You Think of Pet Weddings? 291. Is It Wrong to Focus on Animal Welfare When Humans Are Suffering? 292. Should We Bring Back Animals From Extinction? 293. Are Zoos Immoral? 294. Do Bugs Deserve More Respect?

Environment and Science

295. What Role Should Young People Play in the Fight Against Climate Change? 296. Should We Be More Optimistic About Efforts to Combat Climate Change? 297. How Far Is Too Far in the Fight Against Climate Change? 298. Should Plastic Bags Be Banned Everywhere? 299. Is It Ethical to Create Genetically Edited Humans? 300. Should We Still Be Sending Astronauts to Space? 301. Do You Think Pluto Should Be a Planet? 302. Should We Treat Robots Like People?

Time and Seasons

303. What Is the Best Month of the Year? What Is the Worst? 304. Would Life Be Better Without Time Zones? 305. Do You Think It Is Time to Get Rid of Daylight Saving Time? 306. When Do Holiday Decorations Go From Festive to Excessive? 307. Should We Rethink Thanksgiving? 308. When Does a Halloween Costume Cross the Line? 309. Should School Be a Place to Celebrate Halloween? 310. Should the Week Be Four Days Instead of Five?

Students 13 and older in the United States and Britain, and 16 and older elsewhere, are invited to comment. All comments are moderated by the Learning Network staff, but please keep in mind that once your comment is accepted, it will be made public and may appear in print.

Find more Student Opinion questions here. Teachers, check out this guide to learn how you can incorporate these prompts into your classroom.

Natalie Proulx joined The Learning Network as a staff editor in 2017 after working as an English language arts teacher and curriculum writer. More about Natalie Proulx

What to know about the start of daylight saving time

If you aren’t a night owl and set your alarm for the usual time Sunday morning, you might wake up feeling drained and confused — like you’ve lost an hour of sleep.

But don’t be alarmed. It’s just the start of daylight-saving time. At 2 a.m. March 10, clocks across most of the United States and Canada will leap ahead an hour to 3 a.m.

It’s the biannual temporal event that annoys some and is welcomed by others. The change allows for more daylight in the evenings from mid-March to early November.

Here’s what you need to know about daylight saving time:

When do I need to turn the clock ahead?

Some clocks — like the ones on your computers, phones and tablets — will adjust automatically. But, for older devices or those not connected to the internet, you’ll want to move them forward manually before you go to bed Saturday night. Otherwise, you might be late to any engagements you have Sunday morning.

Daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March each year. Clocks across most of Europe will spring ahead on March 31. The next time you’ll need to set your clocks back is on the first Sunday in November, as daylight saving time ends.

Which U.S. states do not ‘spring ahead’?

While the Uniform Time Act of 1966 promoted a uniform system of time across the country, it did allow states to choose whether they wanted to participate.

Hawaii and most of Arizona — except the Navajo Nation — remain on standard time throughout the year, meaning they don’t change their clocks like the rest of country. It means that for much of the year, the time difference between New York and Phoenix is three hours — but from November to March, Phoenix residents are just two hours behind.

Other U.S. territories including American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands also remain on standard time year-round.

How will sunrise and sunset times change in different cities?

In most of the United States, daylight saving time will push sunrise forward to 7 a.m. or later, about as late as we saw in January. However, unlike two months ago, we now have nearly 12 hours of daylight as we approach the spring equinox. In exchange for darker mornings, we’ll see even more evening light: Once we “spring forward,” the sun won’t set until 7 p.m. or later in many parts of the country.

When did daylight saving time start?

Benjamin Franklin satirically toyed with the idea of Parisians changing their sleep patterns to save money on candles and lamp oil in 1784. His frugal suggestion: Rise with the sun. But Franklin didn’t invent or create daylight saving time.

It wasn’t until more than a hundred years later, in 1895, that daylight saving time was officially proposed by New Zealand entomologist George Hudson, who suggested a two-hour fall back in October and a two-hour spring forward in March. It is thought that Hudson wanted extra sunlight for his work collecting insects.

Daylight saving time was implemented in the United States and around the world as a wartime measure initially to save money and energy. David Prerau, author of “Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Time,” suggests countries on both sides of the war adopted daylight saving time to maximize daylight during typical waking hours, and thus reduce use of candles, oil and electricity.

After the war, some places didn’t want to give up daylight saving time, and as a result there were different times in different towns. People were unsure what time it was. Jurisdictions chose whether to keep the change and when to adjust the clocks, creating a patchwork system for about two decades.

To solve the wrinkles in time, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 was created: It set dates and times for the twice yearly ritual. The act remains the law of the land today.

Will we ever stop changing our clocks?

Despite ongoing debates about the necessity of daylight saving time, including arguments about its impact on health and safety, it doesn’t look like daylight saving is going anywhere anytime soon.

In March 2022, the Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would have kept daylight saving time year-round and eliminated standard time from November to March. The plan did not win House approval, and there has been no major movement on the legislation since.

But that doesn’t mean states aren’t still grappling with ways to stop changing their clocks. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures , 19 states have enacted legislation or passed resolutions to permanently observe daylight saving time — but states can only officially enact legislation once Congress approves federal legislation to stop the nation’s twice-per-year time changes,

States across the U.S. aren’t the only ones wanting to scrap daylight saving time.

Politicians across Canada have also taken steps to end the semiannual changing of clocks. The Ontario government unanimously passed legislation to stay on standard time permanently in 2020. But trade complications with New York and Quebec have stalled further movement, according to Time and Date. Alberta held a referendum in 2021 to see where voters stood on daylight saving time. More than half of residents voted to keep changing their clocks twice a year. Ninety-three percent of respondents in British Columbia indicated support for year-round daylight-saving time. The government introduced legislation in 2019 but is waiting for Washington, Oregon, and California to make similar moves in order to remain in time alignment.

What should I do besides changing my clocks?

Since you have to make the effort to change your clocks twice a year, emergency managers recommend adding steps to your routine — at both the start and end of daylight saving time — that can keep you prepared all year.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency encourages testing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors, and replacing their batteries if not the devices themselves. FEMA says it’s also a good time to review household emergency plans and ready your home for potential power outages or extreme cold.

Good Housekeeping suggests some spring cleaning-type steps: flipping mattresses, cleaning refrigerator coils, replacing air filters.

To adjust to the beginning of daylight saving time itself, sleep experts encourage preparing for potential sleep disruptions. Some suggest using relaxation techniques to improve sleep in the days ahead of the clock shift, and to prioritize daylight exposure to help set your body’s internal clock.

Scott Dance, Michael S. Rosenwald and Justin Grieser contributed to this report.

Judge denies one of Trump’s motions to dismiss documents case

Judge Aileen Cannon had earlier expressed skepticism regarding the motions.

A U.S. district judge denied former President Donald Trump's motion to dismiss his federal classified documents case based on unconstitutional vagueness, one of the two motions -- the other being his protection under the Presidential Records Act -- that his lawyers used to argue dismissing the case.

Judge Aileen Cannon had earlier expressed skepticism regarding the motions to dismiss the indictment throughout the hearing, suggesting that dismissing it based on the Presidential Records Act would be "difficult to see."

Trump was in the Florida courtroom Thursday, where his attorneys argued for the dismissal of his classified documents case .

Special counsel Jack Smith, who brought the charges against Trump, was also in attendance.

Cannon began the hearing without making any mention of the case's trial date and instead directed the defense lawyers to begin arguing their motion to dismiss based on unconstitutional vagueness.

"These charges must be struck and dismissed," defense lawyer Emil Bove argued.

Bove suggested that Trump is a victim of a double standard compared to other presidents who allegedly retained sensitive information, directly mentioning the conduct of Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Joe Biden.

Cannon responded to the defense's argument with skepticism -- at one point suggesting the defense motion was "premature" -- and peppered Bove with questions about definitions and hypotheticals of Trump's conduct.

"When does it become unauthorized?" Cannon asked.

"President Trump designated the records as personal when he took them out of the White House," Bove said.

"What is your definition of unauthorized?" Cannon later asked.

"Judge -- I don't have one, and that is why the statute is unconstitutionally vague applied to President Trump," Bove said.

Discussing unconstitutional vagueness, Cannon also said she was skeptical of dismissing Trump's classified documents case on that motion, describing the request as "quite an extraordinary step."

"It's warranted here," Bove said.

At one point, Cannon asked special counsel prosecutor Jay Bratt if any "high ranking official" including a president or vice president has been charged with mishandling classified documents.

"There was never a situation remotely similar to this one," Bratt said.

Cannon also asked Bratt if he was familiar with cases where individuals who "no longer had clearances" were prosecuted.

"I have had a Q clearance for 15 years, I can view classified documents in a SCIF, I can't take, I can't take them home and leave them in my basement," Bratt said.

In his argument, Bratt argued the documents in question "were not created by Trump" and instead are documents that were provided to the former president in classified briefings.

Moving on to the Presidential Records Act, Cannon suggested that dismissing the indictment based on that motion would be "difficult to see."

Defense attorney Todd Blanche argued that Trump had the authority to designate his records as personal – rather than presidential -- before he removed documents from the White House. According to Blanche, Trump's actions aligned with longstanding approach taken by past presidents.

"Presidents since George Washington have taken materials from the White House," Blanche said, arguing that the National Archives lacks the authority to question Trump's determination about presidential and personal records.

"The only time that the government has taken a different position ... is President Trump. Period," Blanche said.

However, Cannon pushed back -- suggesting on two separate occasions that the argument would not merit dismissal -- and said that Blanche's argument would be better suited at trial, rather than in a motion to dismiss.

"I am not seeing how any of that leads to a dismissal of the indictment," Cannon said.

Cannon concluded the hearing Thursday saying she would take the motions under advisement.

"I will be ruling on them promptly," she said.

Cannon had scheduled the hearing in Fort Pierce, Florida, to consider two of Trump's motions to dismiss the case based on what Trump's attorneys claim is Smith's unconstitutionally vague use of the Espionage Act and his application of the Presidential Records Act.

MORE: Special counsel pushes back on Trump's 'frivolous' efforts to dismiss his classified documents case

In response, Smith had argued that the former president's motions to dismiss the case are yet another example of Trump believing he is above the law.

"Trump's claims rest on three fundamental errors, all of which reflect his view that, as a former President, the Nation's laws and principles of accountability that govern every other citizen do not apply to him," prosecutors wrote in a filing responding to Trump's motion to dismiss based on the Presidential Record Act.

In addition to Trump, his co-defendants in the case, aide Walt Nauta and Mar-a-Lago property manager Carlos De Oliveira, were expected to attend the hearing.

The full-day hearing comes one day after a Georgia judge dismissed six counts of the sprawling election interference case against Trump and 18 co-defendants, including three counts against the former president himself.

The ruling leaves Trump still facing 10 counts in Georgia, where he and the other defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges last August. Four of Trump's co-defendants subsequently took plea deals in exchange for agreeing to testify against other defendants in that case.

The Presidential Records Act

In Thursday's hearing, much of the debate has centered around to a law that originated from another moment in history when a president faced the prospect of criminal charges.

Enacted in the years following the Watergate scandal -- when lawmakers feared President Richard Nixon might destroy records upon leaving office -- the 1978 Presidential Records Act governs the ownership and preservation of presidential records.

Trump's lawyers have argued that the law conferred on Trump the power to designate the documents at issue as personal, making his retention of the documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate lawful.

"President Trump was still the President of the United States when, for example, many of the documents at issue were packed (presumably by the GSA), transported, and delivered to Mar-A-Lago," a filing from Trump's attorneys said.

Defense lawyers have also argued that the law does not permit criminal charges and that Trump had the final say over the handling of presidential records, rather than officials at the National Archives, where presidential records are stored once the president has left office.

"DOJ and NARA have adopted this position with respect to government officials whose last name is not Trump," the filing said regarding the Justice Department and the National Archives and Records Administration.

Smith, in his filing, has responded to this argument by writing that the records at the center of the case are undoubtedly presidential records -- not Trump's personal records -- and that the former president is trying to argue that the law does not apply to him.

"Even if the raft of highly classified documents that Trump took from the White House to Mar-a-Lago were somehow categorized as 'personal' under the PRA, that would not render his retention of those documents 'authorized,'" Smith wrote.

The Espionage Act

Defense lawyers have also argued that the part of the Espionage Act related to the retention of defense materials is unconstitutionally vague when applied to former President Trump.

Characterizing the section of the law at issue as "the most confusing and complex of all the federal espionage statutes," defense lawyers wrote that charging Trump with the law violates "the due process principles and separation-of-powers concerns that animate the vagueness doctrine."

Citing parts of special counsel Robert Hur's report into President Biden's retention of classified documents, for which Biden was not charged, they argued that penalizing Trump for retaining documents amounts to selective and vindictive prosecution.

"There is far too much indeterminacy around the meaning of 'unauthorized possession' with respect to President Trump and the types of documents at issue," the filing said.

Prosecutors responded by arguing the statute is perfectly clear -- and that Trump ought to have known that, given his previous position as commander-in-chief. Trump's attempts to delay and obstruct the investigation are also telltale signs that he was violating the law, prosecutors said.

"The statute's prohibitions are clear," the filing said. "And as a former President, Trump could not have failed to understand the paramount importance of protecting the Nation's national-security and military secrets, including the obligations not to take unauthorized possession of, or willfully retain, national defense information."

An uncertain trial date

The trial itself is currently scheduled to start in mid-May, but earlier this month Judge Cannon held a hearing to hear arguments over moving the trial to a new, later date. Smith's team proposed July 8 as a new date, while Trump's lawyers argued that the trial should take place after the 2024 presidential election.

Cannon did not issue any rulings or make any formal scheduling changes regarding the trial's start date, which is still scheduled for May 20.

"A lot of work needs to be done in the pretrial phase of this case," the judge said.

It is unclear if Cannon will address the trial date at Thursday's hearing, as Trump's legal calendar continues to fill up. The former president is scheduled to go on trial in New York on March 25 on charges of falsifying business records in connection with a hush payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. He has denied all wrongdoing.

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