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37 pages 1 hour read

An Obstacle

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1884

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Discussion Starters

1. Why might Gilman have chosen to work with rhyming six-line stanzas? What is the effect of this on the poem’s meaning? What is the effect on readers?

2. In what ways is the speaker Taking Inspiration From Nature as she Overcomes Prejudice?

3. What do you make of the poem’s ending? Is it too simplistic to suggest prejudice can be overcome by pretending it doesn’t exist, or is Gilman’s message something else?

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