Question

Which sentences contribute to a sense of hope in this excerpt from "The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin? She wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister's arms. When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her. There stood, facing the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair. Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul. She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window. She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.

Answer 1

You’ve heard people mention that when they woke up in a good mood from a good night’s sleep, they noticed the sun was shining, the sky was blue, the birds were singing, and things were looking good with regard to a sense of optimism, right?  These are all symbolic of hope—sun shining/blue skies/birds singing.  If we look at this excerpt, the same sense of hope can be seen in the lines:

 

“The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window.”

Answer 2

Answer:

The phrases contribute to a sense of hope in this passage is:  “The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window.”

Explanation:

This passage contributes to a sense of hope because it shows elements that evidence this feeling, such as the singing of the sparrows and blue sky patches described in the passage.  Listening to birdsong and looking at the blue of the sky are elements that exude hope not only in literature, but even in our daily lives.