...through Hester’s eyes as Pearl looks up at her mother, “It was a look so intelligent, yet inexplicable, so perverse, sometimes so malicious, but generally accompanied by a wild flow of spirits, that Hester could not help questioning, at such moments, whether Pearl was a human child” (86). Pearl is a human child and like most human children, she has tantrums and fits and she gets angry and sad. Only to Hester, is Pearl fearsome and inhuman and it is her guilt that transforms Pearl. Only a guilt-ridden mind could use this one look to transform Pearl into something that is beyond human. Hester is...
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...let others judge and make their own assumptions. However, in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character, Hester Prynne does the exact opposite as she openly shows her acceptance of her sin through the scarlet “A”, and Pearl. Pearl symbolizes Hester’s wrong doing. She is a constant and permanent punishment for Hester’s sin. A quote that shows Pearl’s symbolization is on page 74. “A lovely and immortal flower, out of the rank luxuriance of a guilty passion.” This quote basically is saying that Pearl is like a beautiful, eternal flower, from the foul indulgence of her mother’s guilty passion. The scarlet “A” is also a symbol of Hester’s wrong doing. Hester is forced to wear the “A” on her chest for the rest of her life to stand as a reminder to her, and the rest of the community of her sin, adultery, which is what the “A” stands for. “On the breast of her gown, its fine red cloth, surrounded with elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread” (46) describes what the “A” looks like. By wearing the scarlet letter every day, Hester has full and complete control of her sin. Removing the letter would mean society has power over her. Most people would move away after their sentence, if they were allowed so they could have a fresh start and meet new people and start a new life. However Prynne decided to stay in town and wear the scarlet “A” she made while she was in prison. The letter shows her acceptance and proves to everyone that she doesn’t care...
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...Things are not always what they seem. Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter uses the central idea of duality to exemplify this. A key symbol of duality Hawthorne presents in The Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne's embodiment of her sin: the beautifully embroidered scarlet letter. Forcibly placed upon Hester's bosom, the letter punishes her for committing adultery with the town reverend, Arthur Dimmesdale. The badge also intends to outcast her and her daughter, Pearl, from the Puritan society of Boston. Although the "A" originally acted as Hester's punishment, the interpretation of the scarlet letter varies for Dimmesdale and Pearl to juxtapose Hester's unwavering perspective. Besides Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale has the biggest personal...
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...The Scarlet Letter Death…the common punishment in Puritan America. Puritans were people who lived in a time of fear; fear of sin and a fear of God. Hester Prynne, a Puritan woman of the sixteen hundreds, committed a sin that would leave her with a life of ridicule and guilt. Her life is narrated by a dweller of the eighteenth century, two hundred years after her lifetime. Hester Prynne’s life is told in the novel, The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathanial Hawthorne and is stationed in the Puritan town of Boston during the sixteenth century. Prynne, who was sent to America by her husband, was left alone by him for two years. Soon, she became attracted to another man, committed adultery, and bore a daughter whom she named Pearl. Due to this child, her fellow Puritans became aware of her deadly sin, and Prynne was sentenced to prison for a short time, public ridicule on a scaffold, and a life of recognition wearing the “Scarlet A,” which stood for her sin of adultery. In Nathanial Hawthorne’s novel, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne’s punishments were fair to her crime. For the crime of adultery that Hester Prynne committed, the punishment of staying in prison was fair. Prynne, living in Puritan Boston in the sixteenth century, was seen as someone as deadly as a murderer. During this time, adultery was known as a horrid sin which would send a person to Hell upon death. Therefore, the usual punishment for this crime during this time was death, which Prynne narrowly...
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...AnnaLeis Dibert Mrs. Eron English 2330 April 9, 2014 Each Sin Letter Humans are naturally sinful. With that being said, just because every human being knows he or she is sinful does not mean the entire human race needs to know of our sins; however, in “The Scarlet Letter” the reader learns the importance of his or her sin coming forth in ways they did not expect. The letter represents the ways our sins come forth in the world. Reverend Dimmesdale lives in constant fear of his letter being exposed for the entire world to see. Yet, Hester Prynne tries countless times to hide her letter from the world but cannot because her letter is pinned on the outside for the world to see and judge. In “The Scarlet Letter”, Hawthorne’s choice of characters and their sinful nature is a perfect example of human’s sinful nature and the ways we try to hide. Hawthorne chooses the character of Reverend Dimmesdale to represent the humans who are prideful, and “too perfect to sin”. In the religious community, the reverend is someone the citizens look up to; someone they want to follow and in their footsteps to mirror. After all, a reverend or outspoken religious leader should be someone who mirrors Christ’s image on a consistent basis. With that being said, hypocrisy plays a major role is Dimmesdale’s sins. He realizes he is being watched by the citizens and takes pride in knowing the town is looking to him for religious advice or encouragement; however, Dimmesdale’s sin could never be found...
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...Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter includes many profound and important symbols. This device of symbolism is portrayed well in the novel, especially through the scarlet letter "A". The "A" is the best example because of the changes in the meaning throughout the novel. In the beginning of the novel, the scarlet letter "A" is viewed as a symbol of sin. The middle of the novel is a transition period, where the scarlet letter "A" is viewed differently. In the commencement of the novel, the letter is taken as a label of punishment and sin. Hester Prynne bears the label of the letter upon her chest. She stands as a label of an outcast in front of society. She is wearing this symbol to burden her with punishment throughout her life. She stands on a plank where her punishment is given, "'Thus she will be a living sermon against sin, until the ignominious letter be engraved upon her tombstone'"(59). Society places its blames upon this woman. It is because of this one letter that Hester's life is changed. The letter's meaning in Puritan society banishes her from her normal life. The Puritans view this letter as a symbol of the devil. The letter also put Hester through torture: "Of an impulse and passionate nature. She had fortified herself to encounter the stings and venomous stabs of public contumely wreaking itself in every variety of insult but there was a quality so much more terrible in the...
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...Alyissa Li Brown Mrs. Dick American Literature October 19, 2012 The Many Shades of Red The color red: it is beautiful, rich, and full of meaning. It represents many different things in today’s world such as love, danger, and revenge. Similarly, in the novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the color red is especially prominent. Color is important in this novel because every color has symbolic meaning behind it. This device of symbolism is used well in the novel, especially through the color red. It is the most important color because it is used the most, in the title of the book, and the color of the ‘A’. The color red symbolizes passion, shame and ultimately love. In The Scarlet Letter, it begins with a detailed description of a rose bush which symbolizes Hester and her passion. Roses are obviously red so immediately, red is going to be a very important color. In the following quote, it describes the rose bush and how it represents Hester: “This rose bush by a strange chance, has been kept alive in history; but whether it had merely survived out of the stern old wilderness, so long after the fall of the gigantic pines and oaks that originally overshadowed it, - or whether, as there is fair authority for believing, it had sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted Ann Hutchinson, as she entered the prison-door, - we shall not take upon us to determine” (50). This is the first encounter with red. It is the description of a wild red rosebush growing outside...
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...On Wednesday, October 21st, I went to go see The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, at Stillwell Theater. I am going to write how The Scarlet Letter and Ruined compare to the quote, “Traveling to some one’s world is a way of identifying with them…because by traveling to their “world” we can understand what it is to them and what it is to be ourselves in their eyes”, by Maria Lugones. These two works have many characteristics that are similar to one another; however, the two stories also have many different characteristics as well. The Scarlet Letter had many powerful moments that made me think about the characters’ world. One moment that particularly stood out was when Reverend Dimmesdale was reflecting on the fact that he lied to all of the people in the village. He was the one who committed adultery with Hester Prynne. Dimmesdale was very torn over the fact that he had been corrupted. From this guilt he whipped himself profusely, this moment was extremely powerful. It gave me a great insight on really how bad he felt for hiding his secret. Ruined, written by Lynn Nottage, was a story also filled with many memorable moments that construed an unforgettable “world”....
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...Novelist, Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his novel, The Scarlet Letter, is one of the most analyzed and most elaborate literary works in American Literature for several reasons. Hawthorne’s purpose for chapters 9-12 was to emphasize the good, Dimmesdale, and the evil, Chillingworth, and how their relationship will later affect Hester and Pearl. As Hawthorne uses several rhetorical devices to demonstrate Dimmesdale and Chillingworth relationship, juxtaposition and contrast was incorporated several times. An example of juxtaposition was the relationship between public and private confession. Public confession is repeatedly juxtaposed with private confession because many characters struggle with which one is the correct way to repent one’s sins. On page...
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...The story The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a story of sin, redemption, and courage. An article written by Bruce Ingham Granger titled, “Arthur Dimmesdale as Tragic Hero”, refers to one of the characters, Arthur Dimmesdale, as a tragic hero. In this article, it talks about how because of Dimmesdale’s “courage” he is very much a tragic hero, even more so than Hester for many reasons. Two points that I agree with from this article are that Dimmesdale is more of a tragic hero than Hester, and that he’s tragically great because of his confession, although one point that I disagree with is at what point Dimmesdale begins his dark journey. The first reason that I agree with in this article is the claim that Dimmesdale is more of a tragic hero than Hester. In the article Granger writes, “Whereas Dimmesdale’s full revelation on the scaffold is tragic, Hester’s dynamic but lawless behavior in the forest is at best heroically pathetic.” (202). Overall, Hester’s behavior throughout the book is very heroic, which Granger doesn’t show all that...
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...only shame is brought towards Armstrong. When the case of Lance Armstrong was released to the public there was a lot of guilt being pushed towards lance for what he has done. Not only did Lance Armstrong win the Tour De France he has overcome the battle of testicular cancer. Lance knew that overcoming cancer was tough, so he decided to make a company called livestrong, and what this company does is it raises money for research to find a cure for cancer. They have raised about 470 million dollars for cancer research. Since the drug scandal people have stopped purchasing Livestrong merchandise, which has lead to the decline in money that is being put towards cancer research,but also now nobody is purchasing Livestrong products, so they have to put a stop to the production of all Livestrong merchandise.(“Hero”) Armstrong has become a major impact bringing more people to a sport that is mainly popular in other nations but does not have a very big name for it in the United States, But now Lance lost close to all of his popularity and fame because of the drug scandal, most people do not look up to him now. Some people would say that he has a psychological problem and others would say he is still one of the best athletes there is. (“Day-to-Day”) According to a CNN article they think that Lance Armstrong will disappear soon and nobody will her about him. This Quote was said about Lance in the article. “We will laugh. Then we will shrug. Then — nothingness .Lance Armstrong will be invisible...
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...Shakespeare knew how to entertain and involve an audience with fast-paced plots, creative imagery, and multi-faceted characters. Macbeth is an action-packed, psychological thriller that has not lost its impact in nearly four hundred years. The politically ambitious character of Macbeth is as timely today as he was to Shakespeare's audience. Mary McCarthy says in her essay about Macbeth, "It is a troubling thought that Macbeth, of all Shakespeare's characters, should seem the most 'modern,' the only one you could transpose into contemporary battle dress or a sport shirt and slacks." (Signet Classic Macbeth) Audiences today quickly become interested in the plot of a blindly ambitious general with a strong-willed wife who must try to cope with the guilt engendered by their murder of an innocent king in order to further their power. The elements of superstition, ghosts, and witchcraft, though more readily a part of everyday life for the Renaissance audience, remain intriguing to modern teenagers. The action-packed plot, elements of the occult, modern characterizations, and themes of import to today's world make Macbeth an excellent choice for teaching to high school students. This study guide offers ideas for presenting Macbeth to a high school class. The activities have been divided into sections: 1. 2. 3. 4. a brief literary overview, including a synopsis and commentary on the play; suggestions...
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...Frankenstein Notes ------------------------------------------------- Some Interesting Points * There is a chilling logic in the creature's arguments. Why should he not respond in kind to the way that he has been treated by both his maker, who should have cared for him and looked after him, and by mankind as a whole? If the creature is inhuman, it is only because he is imitating the inhumanity of the human species. Therefore, I think that the novel presents Victor as being more inhuman. * Victor is alien in his society in the way that he removes himself from others, for example when he goes about creating the daemon/creation. Victor is very secretive and seems to like it that way... he doesn't really try to understand people like the creation does. The creation tries again and again to belong in the community, its his greatest desire. With Victor, on the other hand, there seems to be a gulf between him and the rest of society. * Justine’s trial testifies to the inhumanity of man. What is important to note is the way this links in to a vital theme of the novel, which is the presentation of the creature himself. He starts off innocent and wanting a relationship with his maker. It is the way that he is shunned by his maker and by humanity and treated cruelly that forces him into cruelty, but this cruelty is only paralleled by the monstrous nature of humanity as displayed in incidents such as the trial of Justine. We cannot expect the creature to be good when...
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...PREFACE This major project examines the indispensable desiderata of Transcendentalism in comparison to the Dark Romantics background and how these technicalities prepare this work of art as an influential synthesis of human imagination incorporated with mystic facts. Transcendentalism and Dark Romanticism were two literary movements that occurred in America during roughly the same time period (1840—1860). Although the two had surface similarities, such as their reverence for Nature, their founding beliefs were quite different, enough to make one seem almost the antithesis of each other. Moreover one’s genesis is ventured out from other; i.e. Dark Romanticism from the roots of Transcendentalism or precisely the lacunae are best determined for raising up the term called Dark Romanticism. Contents S. No. Page no. Chapter 1.........................................................................................................4-14 Chapter 2.........................................................................................................15-23. Chapter 3..........................................................................................................24-27 Resolution.........................................................................................................28-29 Work Cited................................................................
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...Elizabeth Cady Stanton Biography: Where did Elizabeth Cady Stanton grow up? Elizabeth Cady was born in Johnstown, New York on November 12, 1815. She had 10 brothers and sisters, however, many of them died during childhood. Only Elizabeth and four of her sisters lived well into adulthood. Her last brother, Eleazar, died when he was 20 years old leaving her mother depressed and her father wishing that Elizabeth was a boy. Elizabeth (sitting) with Susan B. Anthony Not Fair for Women Growing up Elizabeth was exposed to the law through her father Daniel. He was a lawyer who also served as a judge and a U.S. Congressman. She learned that the law was not the same for men and women. She learned that only men could vote and that women had few rights under the law. She didn't think this was fair. She thought she was as good as any boy and should be given the same opportunities. Going to School When Elizabeth reached school age she wanted to go to school to learn. Not many women went to school in those days, but her father agreed to send her to school. At school Elizabeth was an excellent student. She won awards and proved that she could do as well or better than most of the boys. After high school, Elizabeth wanted to go to college. She quickly learned that girls were not allowed into the major universities. She ended up going to a college for girls where she was able to continue her studies. Abolitionist and Human Rights Elizabeth began to believe...
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