In what ways might her trial be affected if Minnie Wright was facing a court at the close of the 20th century rather than at its start?

Susan Glaspell’s Trifles Essay Assignments
Respond to four of the following prompts in a minimum of 200 words each. In essence, you will need to compose four short responses for this assignment. Be sure to include text-based evidence (quotes) and adhere to your choice of APA or MLA format. Be sure to include the original question number as well. This assignment is worth 100 points. Only the four questions that you have chosen to answer, your responses and the separate Work Cited page need to be uploaded.
Discussion Questions:
1.) How do you explain the play’s title? In what ways does the ironic title of the play shape its meaning?
2.) How does the setting of the play contribute to our understanding of Minnie Wright’s position?
3.) How does the entrance of the characters distinguish between the men and the women?
4.) How can Hale’s description of Minnie Wright as she sits in her rocking chair be interpreted from a female point of view rather than the male one that Hale provides?
5.) Is there any doubt that Minnie Wright killed her husband? In what ways might her trial be affected if Minnie Wright was facing a court at the close of the 20th century rather than at its start?
6.) How should we interpret the behavior of Mr. Henderson, the county attorney? Why is Mrs. Hale so annoyed by him?
7.) In what ways can Mrs. Peters be said to be a foil to Mrs. Hale?
8.) What are the main differences between Minnie Foster and Minnie Wright?
9.) Is Mr. Wright so very different from the other men we witness in this play?
10.) Why do the men miss all the real evidence, and why do the women cover it up?
11.) Why do we never see either of the Wrights directly?
12.) In what ways is Minnie Foster related to the canary?
13.) Explain the symbolism of the house, quilt, birdcage, and bird.
14.) Is Mr. Wright really so wrong? We are told John Wright was not a bad man, “he didn’t drink, and kept his word . . . and paid his debts.” Minnie Wright’s murder of her husband would be condoned by feminist critics . . . as a “defiance of patriarchy.” Was it a “crime” for Minnie to strangle her husband or simple justice?

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