Discussion Questions On Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter'
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What do you think Pearl meant when she said she was plucked from the rose bush just outside the prison door?
In the author’s eyes, was putting Chillingworth and Dimmesdale a good or bad choice? What bring you to that conclusion?
Why do you think Hawthorne shows that Puritans are sinners when they are normally perceived with an appearance of righteousness?
How could Dimmesdale go against puritan beliefs to recognize a sinner just because he is now able to empathize with them?
Do the actions of Dimmesdale deciding to keep his sin a secret over punishment, repentance, and internal truth mean he is a bad person or just like everyone
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In chapter one of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, many rhetorical devices are used. Hawthorne uses this language to create mystery and wonder throughout the book. His writing is precise; obviously to cause readers to feel a certain way. Nathaniel's use of imagery, mood, and symbolism is what makes The Scarlet Letter so interesting to those who read it.
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Cpl Robinson Squad 3 April 12, 2017 Class 6-17 INTRODUCTION ATTENTION GAINER: CREDIBILITY STATEMENT: RELEVANCY STATEMENT: The battle of Belleau Wood is like a sacred place of pilgrimage. It is a major stepping stone for the marine corps. Belleau Wood has in my opinion summarized the resolve of Marines in combat. PREVIEW MAIN IDEA:
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In the book The scarlet letter , Nathaniel Hawthorne questions the reader by questioning whether it is okay to punish sinners since we all have committed sins. Scarlet letter takes place in massachustes in new england in the time of colonization of the new world.at the time massachustes is very religious and the church has alot of power over the people, they control almost evry aspect of their life and punish thoose who commit sins. Dimmesdale is the head of the church in salem massachusetts and he is defined by how people admired him and how people liked him, this traits affect the theme and other characters in the story because it makes dimmesdale look pure and sin free making people make wrong assumption and decisions when it come to dimmesdale. At the beginning of the book Dimmesdale is liked by his community and is well respected.
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This interaction between infant Pearl and Dimmesdale is significant because Pearl is described as a child who only shows affection towards her family (Hester). As Pearl ages, many Puritans conspire to separate her from her mother. Upon hearing this, Hester visits the governor’s hall to try and persuade him to allow Pearl to remain with her. Hester is ultimately allowed to keep Pearl, not because of her words, but because of the words spoken by Dimmesdale, who convinces Governor Bellingham and Reverend John Wilson. Afterwards, Pearl “stole softly towards him, and, taking his hand in the grasp of both her own, laid her cheek against it” (79).
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The hypocrisy of 1600s Puritan society was often disguised behind a facade of moral righteousness. Puritans claimed to use public shaming as a way to better the morals of society and lead people to repent; however, it was highly hypocritical as the Puritans found pure entertainment in the downfall of others and completely neglected sinners rather than educating them. Puritan society thrived off of gossip and rumors, which goes against many biblical morals. Nathaniel Hawthorne, a 19th century transcendentalist, tells the story of how 1600s colonial Puritan society reacts to a woman who commits the sin of adultery in the 1850 The Scarlet Letter. In an excerpt from Chapter 13, the transcendentalist ideals of Nathaniel Hawthorne are reflected through
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Character Foils In The Scarlet Letter Those who contrast each other make for engrossing storytelling. Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrates this truth often in his romantic narrative, “The Scarlet Letter”.
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As Prynne is surrounded by Puritans, the author utilizes her situation to exhibit their hypocrisy and prohibited individualism. This is evident toward the novel’s conclusion, as he ends it with Pearl living in the New World with new aspirations for a better
Hawthorne uses several similes to express the magnitude of Dimmesdale’s deception of the Puritan churchgoers, comparing Dimmesdale’s face to one that has “the light of heaven beaming from it”. In this comparison, Hawthorne asserts that the churchgoers not only respect Dimmesdale, but they idolize him, making his pain and guilt worse by reminding him of his deception. He also compares Dimmesdale’s words to those of the Holy Spirit, who descends from heaven during the Christian Pentecost, which is ironically a sort of “grace” for sinners such as Dimmesdale. Additionally, Hawthorne uses strong diction with a connotation of guilt and shame, such as “misery”,”delusion”,”ruined”, and “polluted” to accurately describe how Dimmesdale’s sin and resulting moral hypocrisy has been weighing him down. Hawthorne then uses a rhetorical question in which he juxtaposes Dimmesdale’s “ruined” and “polluted” soul and the “redeemed” and “purified” ones of his audience to imply that due to the hypocrisy brought on by his sin, Dimmesdale doesn’t think that he has the right to be a minister or to be a holy figure to the Puritans.
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The exploration of societal pressures. Life can be separated into two equal parts totally independent from one another. The inner self, being the innermost thoughts and feelings of the individual, and the outer self, how the individual decides to conduct itself around the others in society. Often times one of these parts takes control of the other, suppressing its partner. The suppression is often not of equal frequency because of the obligation humans feel to be liked and to fit in causes the outermost self to be given the most thought and worry.
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In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn, children play a variety of roles. They are presented as more perceptive and honest than adults because children learn from society and the people around them. The people around them play important roles in the child's development because they influence how that child thinks. Children are the perfect representation of the corruption and goodness in society. A quote from WEB Dubois says, "Children learn from what you are than what you teach," This is evident in The Scarlet Letter.
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The world is a very judgmental place. Imagine a world where we all had to wear a sign stating our worst faults. It is hard enough to go through a day without being judged or feeling alone and nobody even knows our worst faults. The world would be a very interesting and harsh place to live if everybody knew our sins. It is hard to know if there would be more or less judgement coming from other people because of the signs we would have to wear.
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In today's society, it's rare to see someone putting other people’s requirements before their own. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, “ The Scarlet Letter, ” embodies the statement that what we value can be determined by what we imitate. Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale show what their values are by making offerings for the benefit of others. Hester Prynne sacrifices her life as she knew it for the life of her child while Arthur Dimmesdale sacrifices his identity to be in the life of his lover and child. Using several rhetorical strategies, Hawthorn reveals what the character’s offerings are and to connect their conduct to candid their reasons and values.
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Literary Devices in The Scarlet Letter Literary devices are often used to capture a reader’s attention in a text. Nathaniel Hawthorne used many different types of literary devices in his book The Scarlet Letter. He uses symbolism to give hidden meaning to elements in the story, conflict to make the story interesting, and allusion to make references to historical events (ex. biblical references). While reading The Scarlet Letter, the literary devices did not jump out at me, but now as I reflect upon them they help me understand the book well. Literary devices can make a passage have a whole different meaning.
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Amanda Vicente The Scarlet Letter Reading Response AP English Language Period J 16 August 2016 Journal Entry 1: Chapters 1-2 In The Scarlet Letter, the author sets a mood from the beginning of the book. The setting is old and beat up in front of an aged wooden prison with judgmental Puritans ready to tear a women apart. The Puritans are hypocrites and the author portrays that in the story.
In the “Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays hypocrisy of the Puritan society, where the protagonist Hester Prynne face many consequences of her actions and the how she tries to redeem herself to the society. During the seventeenth puritans believe that it is their mission to punish the ones who do not follow God’s word and it is their job to stop those from sinning. Therefore, the hypercritical puritan society punishes Hester harshly for committing adultery, but in Hester’s mind, she believes that what she did was not a sin but acts of love for her man. Eventually, she redeems herself by turning her crime into an advantage to help those in need, yet the Puritan society still view her as a “naughty bagger.” (Hawthorne 78)
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