Scribd
Upload
54 views

A Doll's House: Background Information

The document summarizes key details and discussion points from different learning stations for A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. Station 1 provides background information on the plot. Station 2 reviews contemporary critiques of the play. Station 3 discusses defining identity and ranks factors of identity. Station 4 presents a moral dilemma. Station 5 lists essential questions. And Station 6 analyzes the opening scene.

Uploaded by

api-636350014
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
54 views

A Doll's House: Background Information

The document summarizes key details and discussion points from different learning stations for A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. Station 1 provides background information on the plot. Station 2 reviews contemporary critiques of the play. Station 3 discusses defining identity and ranks factors of identity. Station 4 presents a moral dilemma. Station 5 lists essential questions. And Station 6 analyzes the opening scene.

Uploaded by

api-636350014
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

A Doll’s House

Learning Stations

Station 1: Background Information

Probable passage: I think that this will be about a husband and a wife, whose reputation is severely
affected by their morality. The only thing they do to get around is blackmail. Another thing they are
reputable for is forgery, even though one of them works at the bank. The couple’s mailbox is quite
full, almost overflowing, and one day they receive a piece of mail and it needs to be delivered to
their door, so a brave soul takes their mail to the door. The couple was not fond of this gentleman at
all, and they saw him at a masquerade they went to later. At the masquerade, a tarantella plays,
which is a lively, fierce sort of dance. It takes the wife back to her past. The other gentleman they
see was taken back to a nightmare he had about a dollhouse. Inside that dollhouse was a black
cross, and that might have been the stem of it all.

Station 2: Contemporary Reviews

1. They were showing excitement with applause up until the last scene.
2. Their marriage is described as the ideal marriage, and it is generally filled with happiness
and joy.
3. The secret is that Nora forged her father’s signature on a debt certificate..
4. She is sweet, caring, ignorant or clueless at times, and has an overall child-like manner.
5. Ibsen depicts the idea of marriage to be sort of like a false hope. It never turns out how it is
expected to, and can change people entirely.
6. They considered dissolving their marriage because they began to see each other
differently.
7. The reviewer believes that the end of their marriage would be unfair to the children and be
overall negative. He wants the end of the play to be shorter.
8. A doll-home is considered a tragedy, and comments on the role of women in marriage.
9. In the second review, the husband was portrayed as a regular guy, while in the other one,
he was not shown in quite a good way.

Station 3: Defining Identity

Step 1: Rank and explain


● Behavior- every other part of your identity contributes to the way you behave, this is your most
identifying factor
● Beliefs/morality- your beliefs help to create the foundation of what they think about, and
how they act on it
● Religion- this can influence your beliefs and morality
● Social class- this contributes to how you live, and can influence relationships with those
around you
● Education level- this can contribute to your behavior, and your beliefs and morality
● Race or ethnicity- contributes to other factors, such as beliefs and morality, and these are
influenced on the way you were raised and what you were surrounded by
● Country of origin- affects how you grow up and view the world
● Gender- this aspect of identity is mainly affected by others. Society influences the way
people see themselves
● Sexual orientation- this is how you will begin to interact with others
● Occupation- this sometimes cannot be chosen by people, so it could be something you like,
or something you don’t like

Step 2: Group definition of identity

Wasn’t here for the group activity

Station 4: Heinz Dilemma

Individual Reaction:

Group Discussion:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Consequences:

Station 5: Essential Questions


1. I think that responsibilities to others don’t impede on my rights as an individual because I
chose to go out of my way to take care of those people. As long as those responsibilities are
not harmful, then it does not impede on my rights.
2. I think that our society can agree that fathers need to work and provide for the family, and
be the head of the household. They are torn on the duties of a mother though. Some think
mothers also need to provide, but some think mothers should stay home and take care of
their house and family.
3. I think that they can, yes. As long as they are providing a house, food, warmth, and clothing
(and other necessities), they can contradict the standards that society has set forth.
4. I think that society’s expectations make it hard for a parent to grow as an individual. This is
because when they have a child, it is theirs to keep alive for 18 years. That’s a pretty good
chunk of life.
5. I think there are some that are outdated, but raising your child to be a decent human being
is something that will never change.
6. I think that love does indeed require sacrifice. It requires you to sacrifice your time, money,
etc. No two people are exactly the same, so one person may be in college, and the other
may be working a blue collar job. You may not see each other frequently just because of the
difference between those. That is a sacrifice.

Station 6: Opening Scene

1. Helmer’s house is created so that it is ideal for your basic family.


2. It is winter time, getting ready for Christmas. The husband makes good money, and the
family has a maid.
3. The pet names Torvald has for Nora include squirrel and lark, and this is because he sees
her as inferior, and fragile.
4. She seems to be tolerant of the names, this is probably because this is something she was
surrounded by.
5. Nora doesn’t think she should come into possession of Torvald’s debts when he dies, she
thinks they should just disappear.
6. Helmer is not a big fan of borrowing. His beliefs are that you need to work for your own
money before you spend it. He also does not approve of being in debt to someone.
7. Helmer is very protective of the money he has worked hard to gain, and would rather save
than spend. He thinks that Nora’s money habits are unwise.
8. THe allowance Helmer gives to Norah helps him to keep track of her. He talks in a manner
that makes her seem like she should be quite grateful for everything she has.
9. Their relationship seems to not be full of love like one should be. Their dialogue in the
opening scene is quite static and bland.
10. I think that because Nora is independent, and has a mind of her own, their relationship will
keep barrelling towards chaos. Helmer will become more angry, and more controlling as a
result.

You might also like

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy