The Scarlett Letter- Blog 8

I wish I was more surprised by the ending of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. When Pearl would not accept Dimmesdale of kiss him, I could tell that it just wasn't meant to be between them. I was excited to read that Dimmesdale had finally admitted his sins though. He might not have thought that he was going to heaven because of his sins, but at least his soul would finally rest in peace. And Pearl, who always had a sense about people, knew that Arthur Dimmesdale had needed to be free from his sin. "Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken. The wild infant’s sympathies had been developed by the enormous grief she had grown up around," (Hawthorne 197). Maybe all the questions didn't get answered, and maybe all the gaps will not get filled. But this novel about guilt, alienation, and a lot of relationships and secrets has a lot to be said about it. One being that sometimes conformity to the majority is not always the best option. Another and very important point being that keeping secrets often hurt us more than help us, and sometimes we have to be willing to admit mistakes to get past them. 

The Scarlett Letter- Blog 7

Arthur Dimmesdale of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter really changed and developed in as the novel nears its end. This entire time he has been a great minister who gives outstanding sermons and lives a certain way of life. However, he has been holding a secret in for the last 7 years that has him questioning what he really believes to be true. Especially lately, when he has to stop himself from ruining a young girl's innocent faith. This and other encounters show that since his talk with Hester, he has began questioning things even more. Also, Roger Chillingworth can definitely hold the title of the villain of the novel. Dimmesdale might be questioning his faith and morals, but Chillingworth is truly out to cause trouble. He doesn't want Arthur and Hester to be together. Purely out of spite, he buys a ticket on the boat that Hester and Arthur were planning their escape on. "'Don’t you know,' cried the ship’s captain, 'that this doctor here—he calls himself Chillingworth—has decided to try ship’s cooking along with you?'"(Hawthorne). This is my clue that things are not going to work out for the two in love. I have a feeling the last segment of the novel will leave me unsatisfied.

The Scarlett Letter- Blog 6

Symbols are very prevalent in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter. One of the most obvious symbols- the actual scarlett letter itself- takes on a whole new meaning in this section of the novel. Early in the novel, we see it as Hester's reminder of her sin and the shame and guilt she holds on because of it. Now, we see the letter as something that Pearl has associated permanently with her mother. It is a part of Hester now. Then, not only is the symbol a huge part of this section, but Pearl's attitude and character change is interesting as well. First, she is picture as a beautiful, precious little girl. "And she was gentler here than in the grassy-margined streets of the settlement, or in her mother’s cottage." (Hawthorne 158). Then, suddenly, she is unable to recognize her mother without the "A" on her chest. "She accompanied this wild outbreak with piercing shrieks, which the woods reverberated on all sides; so that, alone as she was in her childish and unreasonable wrath". (Hawthorne 162). Pearl has been characterized previously as one who has great wisdom and knowledge for one so young. Is she wrong about Hester now? For now, Hester must remain bonded to the image that has defined her and captured her for the last 7 years. 

The Scarlett Letter- Blog 5

    In this section of The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, some of the novel's well-kept secrets are revealed finally. So the father of Pearl and Hester's partner in crime turned out to be the one and only Arthur Dimmesdale. The minister that the people in this town adore and look up too. The theme of guilt continues because while Hester had shame, she did not hid it, but Dimmesdale keeps all of his guilt festing inside of him. The guilt he carries eats him alive everyday, and when he tells Hester of it, she feels so sorry for him. "Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly on your bosom! Mine burns in secret!" (Hawthorne 148). Dimmesdale cries out to Hester. Trying to give him peace, she is no help. Then, she tells him about her marriage with Chillingworth, which upsets Arthur greatly. Begging for forgiveness, Hester wants him to understand, and eventually he does. Chillingworth is the truly evil one. This revelation will be the event that sets the rest of the novel into place. Hester wants Dimmesdale to face his sin so that he can free himself. As they make plans to run away together with Pearl, will everything work out in their favor? Will Dimmesdale admit his sin?

The Scarlett Letter- Blog 4

Secrets are a fairly big thing in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter, and so are relationships. Chapter 9 deals mainly with Roger Chillingworth the doctor that Hester knew by his prior identity. An identity she has promised to keep a SECRET. That way, he did not have to suffer for Hester's sin by her side. Now, the interesting relationship that develops in this chapter of the novel is that between Chillingworth and Reverend Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale is suffering from an illness that has weakened him greatly, and this is how Chillingworth can work his way in. He wants to study and attempt to treat the sickness, and at first the townspeople are all for it. However, as time passes, the people are suspicious of his background and apparently no "evil face". This is described as, "haunted either by Satan himself, or Satan's emissary, in the guise of old Roger Chillingworth". (Hawthorne 97). Hopefully it will become clear in the coming chapters what the meaning is behind the relationship between the two. Spirituality and science will certainly come head to head- two people with such differing values and personalities are bound to have issues.

Scarlett Letter- Blog 3

    Continuing through Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlett Letter, this section deals with the development of two more seemingly important characters. Pearl and Reverend Dimmesdale play important roles in a few key scenes in this section. One of the key scenes is Hester's fighting to keep Pearl. Screaming and begging the men to let her keep her child, she argues that Pearl was God's blessing to her- giving her both joy and happiness, but also torture and a constant reminder of her sin. "'He gave her in requital of all things else, which he had taken from me,'" (Hawthorne 85) Prynne pleaded. Unfortunately, her desperation would not have convinced the governor otherwise. But luckily, the Reverend steps in and defends Hester and hits home the fact that Pearl is a gift the God gave Hester in spite of her sin. Only then do they allow Hester to keep Pearl. Now, Pearl is significant in the very end of chapter. Though she does nothing herself, Hester knows that she is the reason that Prynne could avoid Satan's temptation when Mistress Hibbins invited her to do witchcraft.

Scarlett Letter Blog 2

One relationship that intrigues me in Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter is that of Hester and Pearl. This is not a typical mother and daughter relationship for many reasons. Primarily, Pearl is literally the only thing Hester has in the world to care for and about. There may not be as much love and affection showed between them as one might expect from a mother and daughter. However, Pearl is described as "a paler loveliness, that there was an absolute circle of radiance," (Hawthorne 68).Also an uncommon occurrence  the first thing the baby reached for and smiled at was not mom's face, but the scarlet letter embroidered on her blouse. This is one thing that truly hurts Hester because her child is the one who does not judge her because she does not know. Understanding the social situation at hand with Hester's crime, the dynamics of the relationship between mother and daughter are bound to shift around a lot. Additionally, the personalities of them too will certainly make for growth on both of their parts. Hester is bitter about her punishment and guilty about her crime, but Pearl has a side to her that Hester describes as almost ghostlike. Now, I am curious to see how that will play out.

The Scarlet Letter Blog 1

     At this point in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlett Letter the novel, I am well into the plot, and have even noticed a few ideas that I thought may serve as themes throughout the novel. The first theme is loneliness  and was the one that was first obvious to me. Hester Prynne was shunned from society after committing adultery, and still faces the challenges that come with this now. Even going out into public, she is never approached and people don't associate themselves with her. Everything she does is only for herself and her infant child, and this contributes to her awareness of the fact that she has no real companionship with anyone. Hawthorne describes Hester as "without a friend on earth who dared to show himself"(Hawthorne 61). Now whether or not Hester has any desire to change this in the future is unknown. The other theme present is a theme of guilt and shame. Not only does she struggle to face her crime, but she wants nothing more than to get rid of the guilt she carries because of it. One of the reasons she chose not to move to a new city is that she thought that the extra hurt that it would cause would be a better chance of being forgiven by God. Also, she can sew very well, and she chooses to use this talent and make clothes for the less fortunate. I will be interested to see how both of these themes are developed as the novel continues.

Dover Beach- Blog 4

Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold uses the descriptions of three large bodies of water to eventually give a lesson to the world to hold on to what we do have in this world- each other. Nothing else is as it seems, as we see in the images of the bodies of water. The English Channel is my personal favorite of the stanzas because of its contrast of the calm setting in sight but destructive and loud sound. The " Glimmering and vast, out in tranquil bay" (Line 5) is the opposite of the "grating roar" (line 9) of the sea. Then the second stanza describing the Aegean Sea as the "turbid ebb and flow of human misery" (line 17-18) is a way for the speaker to prove that he is not the only one who notices the misery of the sea. Sophocles, too, noticed this about the Aegean Sea. Lastly, the Sea of Faith- a figurative sea- used to be full and bright, but now there is so much less of it in the world because it is being drained. The misery still does not go away. The images of misery in all of these bodies of water were building up to the fourth stanza where the speaker maintains that they need to hold on to each other. Surrounded by a world of destructions, they have to rely on each other for a constant.

Sorting Laundry- Blog 3

"Sorting Laundry" by Elisavietta Ritchie is like an insight into the mind of a woman. She uses creative poetic style by making the poem organized like a pile of laundry and imagery and diction that gives us details of her relationship with her partner. She begins with images of larger pieces of laundry like "king-sized sheets like tablecloths" (Lines 4-5) and moves all the way "a broken necklace of good gold" that was found in a pocket. Each one reminding her of her love. The shift in the poem occurs at line 41 when she is folding a shirt belonging to a man from a previous relationship. The shift of sweet memories to serious fear is what really defines this poem. Simply being reminded of an old heartbreak gives her immediate fear of what might happen if the relationship she is in now fails. Women overthink, worry too much, and never want to be lonely. Just the thought of it is enough to have the speaker nervous about what might happen if she "were to fold only her own clothes" (Line 44-45).

I taste a liquor never brewed- Blog 2

Drunkenness on nature and life become prevalent in Emily Dickinson's "I taste a liquor never brewed". The speaker's "alcohol" is summer and nature and it is apparently intoxicating to her- "inebriate of Air" (Line 5). One of the more symbolic scenes is "When butterflies- renounce their 'drams'- I shall but drink the more!" (Lines 11-12). When others are finally having their fill, she continues to soak up the joy and happiness. Nature and the happiness of the out doors is something she can never get enough of. Also, this poem gives an unexpected attitude toward the "drunk speaker". Drunkenness is looked down on in our society for the most part. Being publicly intoxicated is even a crime; however, the speaker in this poem is respected and revered for his behavior. Both the "Seraphs" and "Saints" are running to praise the speaker for being drunk on nature. This is definitely a different take on the subject, and I think the purpose is to portray that there are things in our world that are beautiful and we should take the time to appreciate more.

Convergence of the Twain- Blog 1

A reference to the Titanic- a ship that sunk in 1912- "Convergence of the Twain" by Thomas Hardy really hits hit on the negative effects of both human vanity and riches. Using descriptive imagery like "the sea-worm crawls - grotesque, slimed, dumb, indifferent," (Line 9) and "Jewels in joy designed to ravish the sensuous mind" (Line 10-11), Hardy expresses that the Titanic horror occured because of human vanity and an obsession with material riches. People and their "Pride of Life" (Line 3) set into motion a "plan". That is referenced in the first stanza and later explained in the sixth and seventh stanzas. There is an "Immanent Will" or a higher power that was preparing for this tragedy to occur to try and show that this lifestyle and the things that people are caring for are not right. Then, the poem goes on to describe how the iceburg and the ship had the same path all along, so that on that fateful night, tragedy would strike, and we the people would be punished for the way we were living our lives. The higher power says "Now!" (Line 32) and just like that the ship sinks after hitting the iceburg. Then all of those riches, jewels, and the "mirrors meant to glass the opulent" (Line 7-8) that were supposed to show off wealth and class ended up at the bottom of the ocean where no one could see them. The poem in itself was written to be both a point made and a lesson learned. Material goods and human vanity are not what life is about, but if we treat life as such, we need to be warned of what might happen if we do.

To His Coy Mistress- Tone

Shifting tones is the key to understanding and appreciating Shakespeare's My mistress' eyes. Most girls enjoy being complimented and compared to things that our world has deemed as beautiful. Well, Shakespeare throws a twist at the norm, and decides to describe everything that the woman he loves is not. Even better, he is saying that no part of her is comparable to any beautiful object. Well, this could easily be taken as insulting, but a shift in tone at line 13 marks that everything he previously mentioned is all for a greater purpose. "And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare," (Shakespeare 885, Line 13-14). Everything he previously mentioned was all for a greater purpose. He is able to convey that their love is rare and amazing, and he adores her because of these "imperfections". He would not be being honest if he compared her to "coral", "snow", or "roses". He just loves her for what she is, which is perfectly herself- someone he is clearly crazy about.

Barbie Doll- Cause and Effect

A girl- perfectly healthy- is told that her body doesn't fit the image of society's perfect body; she slowly lets her bodily imperfections define who she is; she believes the only way to be happy with herself is to change. So she does. Sound familiar? Marge Peircy's poem Barbie Doll portrays a character who is described as "healthy, tested intelligent, possessed a strong arm and back..." (Piercy 835). However, healthy is not what society today advertises. Perfection is the goal. People were unable to look beyond the body of a girl to see a personality and a heart that yearned for love and acceptance. Because she let society's standards define her, she died. The title of Barbie Doll makes a statement. That image of a perfect person is not even living; a doll is inanimate. People are not; people have imperfections, they enjoy eating, some strive for intelligence, some strive for strength, and everyone is unique. To try and look like an inanimate object is ridiculous, and has negative outcomes, as we see by the innocent girl's death.

Lastly, the ending really struck me as ironic. Why is it that it is when she is dead that people see her as beautiful? Her death should not be a happy ending, and that is the satire of the entire poem.

A Jury of Her Peers- Theme of Sexism?

If sexism could be a theme for a short story, then Susan Glaspell's A Jury of Her Peers would definitely exemplify that. Gender roles play a huge part in the plot- and eventually the irony- of the story. The women are seen by the men as just silly girls who couldn't possibly know a thing about solving a crime. They are just brought along to be bystanders. They even make fun of the girls when they believe that their conversation about quilts was just trivial when really it was one of the clues that lead the women to solve the mystery. "'They wonder whether she was going to quilt it or just not it!"(Glaspell 417). However, they do not do much to prove the men wrong. The mostly keep to themselves and are quiet especially around the men- they know their place. However, they are more intelligent than the men give them credit for. Putting together clues and understanding some of the feelings that Mrs. Wright must have had, they come to figure out the motive of the murder- which was the whole point of the story. Even though they have outsmarted the men, they keep their secret to themselves- protecting their friend that they know was depressed and unhappy.

Hunters in the Snow- Surprising Plot Elements

In Tobias Wolff's short story, Hunters in the Snow, there is a big contrast between the characters at the beginning and end of the story. Beginning the story, there are three friends- Tub, Frank, and Kenny- who are going on a hunting trip. It is easily perceived by the readers that Tub is bullied by his friends. Many of their belittling comments hurt Tub, and he builds up anger inside because of it. When Kenny makes fun of tub and his failure of a diet, Frank goes along with it saying, "'Tub, you haven't seen your own balls in ten years'". Upset with the way he is being treated, Tub's anger only augments until he shoots Kenny. All jokes are off at this point, and this is where the plot change takes place. Tub goes from being bullied and submissive, to standing up for himself. Tub becomes the character who calls the shots- the one Frank follows around. And Kenny become the vulnerable one who has no voice of his own. The plot shift was not something I expected from this story, but it did make for an interesting plot and showed how the friendship was not as close as readers might have suspected at first.

Othello Part 2 Blog 4- The End

The resolutions for main characters Othello, Cassio, and Iago are all quite different as we reach the bitter end of Shakespeare's Othello, the Moor of Venice. There are many dead characters heading into the last remaining pages of the play. Desdemona was murdered by Othello out of jealousy, Roderigo wounded by Cassio and finished off by Iago, Cassio was injured by Iago, and Emilia killed by her husband after she said too much. While all of these murders were taking place, it is Emilia who realizes Iago's horrible wrongdoings and explains everything to Othello before Iago stabs her. Now, the resolutions for the characters left vary greatly. Othello, heartbroken after realizing he had killed his innocent wife, ended up committing suicide out of despair. Iago- with his true, lying nature revealed- is going to be kept a prisoner and tortured in whatever ways will keep him alive. Lastly, Cassio who was found to be framed for what had stripped him of being a lieutenant, was given the position as governor of Cyprus. Death is a tragedy, and tragedies must end in death. Although many of the significant characters were killed, the ending does end on somewhat of a positive note. Iago is found guilty of his deception and Cassio rewarded for his unwavering loyalty.

Othello Part 2 Blog 3- Deceit Once More

Iago from Shakespeare's Othello, the Moor of Venice has proved a most deceitful evil mastermind in this play. From the beginning with his using Roderigo and tricking both Othello and Cassio to doing what he wants, he has used deception to get his way. Now towards the end we see his duplicity once more. While Othello believes that Iago is set out to kill Cassio, Iago has really convinced Roderigo to do his dirty work. Iago is trying to save his reputation as an honest man, so he makes it look like Roderigo is guilty for the attack on Cassio. Then, during the dispute, Iago sees that Cassio might make it out unharmed. He takes matters into his own hands, and sneaking behind Cassio- cuts his leg. Cassio screams, "I am maimed for ever. Help, ho! Murder! Murder!"(Shakespeare V.ii.27). Cassio is severly wounded and Roderigo dead. And although it seems that Iago will again get away his trickery once again, Emilia will soon come to the rescue

Othello Part 2, Blog 2- Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is one of the main literary techniques used in Shakespeare's Othello, The Moor of Venice. Many symbols, events, and lines can point readers in the right direction to predict the future of these characters. With the sighting of the handkerchief once again, we know trouble is on its way. Othello, now sure of Desdemona's affair, wants to kill her. Iago even suggests strangling her. Death is an absolute certainty in this tragedy. When Desdemona is crying to Emilia about her encounter with Othello, she does not understand why he believes that she has been unfaithful. Then her line, "If I do die before thee, prithee shroud me in one of those same sheets," (Shakespeare IV. iii. 23-24) foreshadows her imminent death. She tells Emilia that she loves Othello so much that if she dies, she wants to be buried in her wedding sheets. Not only does this clearly let the audience know that Desdemona will not make it out, but that Emilia will.

Othello Part 2 Blog 1- Minor Characters

In Shakespeare's Othello, The Moor of Venice, Bianca is a minor character with a significant role. As Cassio's mistress, she brings the symbolic handkerchief back into the picture. Angry at Cassio for giving him what she believes to be the handkerchief of another woman he slept with, she comes in storming as the perfect time. "This is some minx's token , and I must take out the work? There, give it to your hobbyhorse." (Shakespeare, IV.i.144-146). Ironically, although Cassio is not actually sleeping with anyone else, this line by Bianca is enough to make Othello believe so. This might just be the proof that Iago needed to make Othello sure of his wife's "infidelity". Another minor character, Emilia is significant in that she is Desdemona's advocate in the midst of all the lies. Telling Othello that Desdemona is the most faithful and loyal women and would never cheat. Unfortunately, Othello refuses to believe this, and so Emilia just continues to be Desdemona's support and friend. As the turning point is coming, we will soon see how all of the characters have played a part in the tragedy to come.