Topics Discussed (through Ch.12)
Themes
Pearl
-"devil child"
- Hawthorne made Hester (Pearl's mother) to be broken by the town in this way
- arised out of nautre (removal from society)
- dressed by Hester to look like the Scarlet Letter (lack of ornamentation in puritan attire was commonplace) in fine fabrics, threads, and ornamentation
- society focuses on the fact that Pearl is born out of sin--influential?
- is, in some respects, a representation of Hester's guilt
- Hester's way of starting a new beginning
Sunshine (Light/Dark-ness)
- mentioned throughout nearly the entire book
- Hester starting "anew"
Romanticism
- influence on nature & dark side of man
- emphasis on individual v. society and thoughts/feelings over logic
* NOTE: The "n" in Nature is capitalized throughout the book: for emphasis, perhapts; acts as character/diety (?)
Individual v. Society
- what is Hawrthorne saying about society in this passage and those prior? (Ch. 13/14)
- Hester resides in a secluded cam
Additional Discussion Notes
- Hawthorne's writing style: "complex", "internal" and "psychological"
- Hawthorne views Hester much like John Proctor in Arthur Miller's The Crucible-- spends great lengths of time talkig about the leading lady/gentleman; goes on to do good thigns for others
- Situational irony: Pearl is Hester's hope and sanity, though Pearl does come from sin
Additionally, I
would just like to mention that a large portion of the information I present
here is based on notes I have taken in my AP English Language and Composition
class (compiled from notes presented by my course teacher, topics discussed in
the classroom, and personal interpretation/reasoning). Additional sources used
will be cited in the footnotes of each posting.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
MLA 7th Edition Formatting & Style Guide
In accordance with the standards outlined by Owl @ Purdue University & the "MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th Ed."
Style formatting is often used in various humanities/disciplines
MLA regulates the following
- document formatting
- in-text citations
- works cited (a list of all sources used in the paper)
Recent changes to MLA
- no more underlying; only italics (for titles of long works like Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter); shorter works would be expressed with quotation marks (i.e. Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening")
- inclusion of publication medium (i.e. print, web, etc.)
- new abbreviations (refer to website for this)
#1 Rule for any formatting style:
ALWAYS FOLLOW INSTRUCTOR'S GUIDELINES
Technical Fomat
- type on white 8.5 x 11" copy paper
- DS everything
- 12 pt. Times New Roman font
- leave only one space after punctuation
- indent first line of paragraphs one half-inch
- set margins to 1" on all sides of paper
REMEMBER
NO title page!
NO single-spacing!
PLACE in upper left-hand corner:
Name
Instructor's Name
Course
Date (numerical date[space]month[space]full year)
i.e. 23 January 2013
CENTER paper title (use standard caps but no underlining, italics, quotations, bolding, etc.)!
CREATE header in upper right-hand corner at half inch from top and one inch from the right of the page (include last name and page number i.e. Smith 4
CITE using in-text citations (most of the time, for you will have typically have more than one source)
i.e. (Warden 245)
On works cited page...
Warden, Kelley. American Industry: The Evolution.
IF BLOCK QUOTING (more than four lines of a quote/quotation); no quote marks; indent all at 1"
i.e. Love begins with a smile. It grows with a kiss, ends with
a tear. When you were born, you were crying and everyone
around you was smiling. Live your life. That way, when you die,
you're the one smiling and everyone around you is crying. (Unknown) [internal citation]
i.e. Love begins with a smile. It grows with a kiss, ends with
a tear. When you were born, you were crying and everyone
around you was smiling. Live your life. That way, when you die,
you're the one smiling and everyone around you is crying. (Unknown) [internal citation]
When citing sources on the works cited page of your essay, remember to always alphabetize entries!
Multiple works by one author? Indicate on second (and so on...) a series of three dashes for their name:
Barwood, "...."
---, "...."
---, "...."
Paraphrase- putting the whole text into your own words
Summarize- uses only the main ideas of the work
*Sources: Owl @ Purdue University & MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th Ed.
Barwood, "...."
---, "...."
---, "...."
Paraphrase- putting the whole text into your own words
Summarize- uses only the main ideas of the work
*Sources: Owl @ Purdue University & MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th Ed.
Additionally, I would just like to mention that a large portion of the information I present here is based on notes I have taken in my AP English Language and Composition class (compiled from notes presented by my course teacher, topics discussed in the classroom, and personal interpretation/reasoning). Additional sources used will be cited in the footnotes of each posting.
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
The Scarlet Letter - Hawthorne, Nathaniel (Discussion 1.0)
(Word of the Day) antinomianism - belief that you get to heaven through faith alone
SYMBOLS
Rosebush - Ch. 1
Author begings to introduce/speak directly to the audience here; located around dead weeds; may have many purposes as a symbol; Hester = rosebush (?); rosebush + scarlet letter = shade of red
"Manlike" Elizabeth (references) - Ch. 2
No men in her life; one of the first women to have such great power
Puritan Women (continual) - Ch. 2
Women are the harshed critics of Hester while she is on the stocks; women still are like this in modern society
Town on Edge of... - Ch. 2
Town on the edge of western wilderness (darkness, evil, place of devil)
Black Man - Ch. 2
Reference to the Devil; darkness often refers to Satan
Individual v. Society
Statement made by Hawthorne in his transition
Assignment*
As you read, take a piece of paper and divide the paper into three columns vertically. The first column should be labelled "Quote", the second column "Page Number", and the third "Analysis". It may be in your best interest for you to focus on one spefic motif/symbol. i.e. I'll be focusing on three separate ones: Light/Darkness, Sin, and Purtian Women/Societal Customs. We were told by our course teacher that on our test over the work, there may be quotes we discuss in class for us to tell the significance of. Also, be sure to look for references to romanticism.
Motif: one-word theme; i.e. (Ch. 2) the sunshine radiates when Hester comes out from the prison, as Pearl turns away from the light.
SYMBOLS
Rosebush - Ch. 1
Author begings to introduce/speak directly to the audience here; located around dead weeds; may have many purposes as a symbol; Hester = rosebush (?); rosebush + scarlet letter = shade of red
"Manlike" Elizabeth (references) - Ch. 2
No men in her life; one of the first women to have such great power
Puritan Women (continual) - Ch. 2
Women are the harshed critics of Hester while she is on the stocks; women still are like this in modern society
Town on Edge of... - Ch. 2
Town on the edge of western wilderness (darkness, evil, place of devil)
Black Man - Ch. 2
Reference to the Devil; darkness often refers to Satan
Individual v. Society
Statement made by Hawthorne in his transition
Assignment*
As you read, take a piece of paper and divide the paper into three columns vertically. The first column should be labelled "Quote", the second column "Page Number", and the third "Analysis". It may be in your best interest for you to focus on one spefic motif/symbol. i.e. I'll be focusing on three separate ones: Light/Darkness, Sin, and Purtian Women/Societal Customs. We were told by our course teacher that on our test over the work, there may be quotes we discuss in class for us to tell the significance of. Also, be sure to look for references to romanticism.
Motif: one-word theme; i.e. (Ch. 2) the sunshine radiates when Hester comes out from the prison, as Pearl turns away from the light.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
The Scarlet Letter - Hawthorne, Nathaniel (Introduction)
INFORMATION TO KNOW AHEAD:
Setting the Time
- the Puritans by definition felt that the English Reformation had not gone far enough and that the Church of England was tolerant of practices which they associated w/ the Catholic Church
- formed into and identified w/ various religious groups advocating greater "purity" of worship and doctrine, as well as personal and group piety
- some advocated for separation from all other Christians
Critical Thinking/Understanding
"Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted, for too long a series of generations, in the same worn-out soil. My children have had other birthplaces, and, so far as their fortunes may be within my control, shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth." - Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Custom House"
- people should move about and spread their ideas
- saying we need to allow the children of our next generation to spread their wings; new beginnings; wish not to repeat history; applies to many time periods of history; warning for us to not get stuck in the "old ways/customs" of our ancestors
Nathaniel Hawthorne
- born July 4, 1804
- grandfather was a judge during the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Mass.
- ancestors were some of the first Puritans to settle in New England
Collegues
- influenced greatly by Emerson and Thoreau
- attended college in Brunswick, Maine w/ Franklin Pierce and Henry Waldsworth Longfellow ("Paul Revere's Ride")
- would later write a biography of Pierce
- school he attended had a total of 38 students and 5 faculty members
- wrote stories after college
Writing
- wrote "Custom House" orginially as an independant essay, but later altered it to work with the "Scarlet Letter"
- spent one year (along with other influential writers of the time) at Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community; Brook Farm was a social community aimed for the greater good
- lived in the heart of transcdentalist country (Old Manse in Concord)
- style (of writing) eventually becomes critical of transcendentalism; considered a dark romantic like Poe; dark, gloomy romanticisim
Romanticism vs. Transcendentalism
- Romanticism focused in England; Transcendentalism focused in U.S.
- respect for the sublime elements of nature; references to nature
- feelings favored over thoughts and reason
- movement largely a response to industrialization (science)
- focused on the strong emotions that nature provokes (horror, terror, awe...)
- supernatural focus; enlightenment
Romanticism & Art
- life was colorful, cupricious, and contradictory
- "awful" in literature of the time was equivalent to "awesome" in today's time
- stressed emphasis on the immagination
- exposes individuals failing in their attempts to correct situations
- emphasizes the dark side of man
- view is contradictory to that of transcendentalism
- related to gothic fiction (Note: Mary Shelley's 1818 publication of "Frankenstein" is recognized to have offically started the gothic genre)
Scarlet Letter: Brief Insight
- asks and tries to answer: "Is it better to conform or isolate oneself from society?"
- regarded as one of the finest novels in American history
- Hawthorne's "magnum opus" (his greatest work as a writer)
- a psychological novel
Additionally, I would just like to mention that a large portion of the information I present here is based on notes I have taken in my AP English Language and Composition class (compiled from notes presented by my course teacher, topics discussed in the classroom, and personal interpretation/reasoning). Additional sources used will be cited in the footnotes of each posting.
Setting the Time
- the Puritans by definition felt that the English Reformation had not gone far enough and that the Church of England was tolerant of practices which they associated w/ the Catholic Church
- formed into and identified w/ various religious groups advocating greater "purity" of worship and doctrine, as well as personal and group piety
- some advocated for separation from all other Christians
Critical Thinking/Understanding
"Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted, for too long a series of generations, in the same worn-out soil. My children have had other birthplaces, and, so far as their fortunes may be within my control, shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth." - Nathaniel Hawthorne, "Custom House"
- people should move about and spread their ideas
- saying we need to allow the children of our next generation to spread their wings; new beginnings; wish not to repeat history; applies to many time periods of history; warning for us to not get stuck in the "old ways/customs" of our ancestors
Nathaniel Hawthorne
- born July 4, 1804
- grandfather was a judge during the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Mass.
- ancestors were some of the first Puritans to settle in New England
Collegues
- influenced greatly by Emerson and Thoreau
- attended college in Brunswick, Maine w/ Franklin Pierce and Henry Waldsworth Longfellow ("Paul Revere's Ride")
- would later write a biography of Pierce
- school he attended had a total of 38 students and 5 faculty members
- wrote stories after college
Writing
- wrote "Custom House" orginially as an independant essay, but later altered it to work with the "Scarlet Letter"
- spent one year (along with other influential writers of the time) at Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community; Brook Farm was a social community aimed for the greater good
- lived in the heart of transcdentalist country (Old Manse in Concord)
- style (of writing) eventually becomes critical of transcendentalism; considered a dark romantic like Poe; dark, gloomy romanticisim
Romanticism vs. Transcendentalism
- Romanticism focused in England; Transcendentalism focused in U.S.
- respect for the sublime elements of nature; references to nature
- feelings favored over thoughts and reason
- movement largely a response to industrialization (science)
- focused on the strong emotions that nature provokes (horror, terror, awe...)
- supernatural focus; enlightenment
Romanticism & Art
- life was colorful, cupricious, and contradictory
- "awful" in literature of the time was equivalent to "awesome" in today's time
- stressed emphasis on the immagination
- exposes individuals failing in their attempts to correct situations
- emphasizes the dark side of man
- view is contradictory to that of transcendentalism
- related to gothic fiction (Note: Mary Shelley's 1818 publication of "Frankenstein" is recognized to have offically started the gothic genre)
Scarlet Letter: Brief Insight
- asks and tries to answer: "Is it better to conform or isolate oneself from society?"
- regarded as one of the finest novels in American history
- Hawthorne's "magnum opus" (his greatest work as a writer)
- a psychological novel
Additionally, I would just like to mention that a large portion of the information I present here is based on notes I have taken in my AP English Language and Composition class (compiled from notes presented by my course teacher, topics discussed in the classroom, and personal interpretation/reasoning). Additional sources used will be cited in the footnotes of each posting.
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God - Edwards, Johnathan
INFORMATION TO KNOW AHEAD:
Johnathan Edwards
- born into a Purtian Evangelical household on Oct. 5, 1703
- attended Yale University
- most rememed for his powerful potrayal of God's infinate hatred of sin
- education consisted of: the classics, theology, and anciet languages
- associated with the First Great Awakening (circa 1743-1750); thousands came to christ daily; biblical revelation favored over human reason
- In the fifteen years of the Great Awakening, Edwards managed to convert thousands to Puritanism
- Congregation eventually rebelled against his conservative views
Extracted Data*
This section of information came from my notes during an in-class discussion on the sermon. Their format came from a 'Data Sheet' we were given to complete as individual analysis of the work. Thus, the content is a mixture of my personal thoughts on the sermon and those of my teacher and peers. For more information, please read the footnote (indicated by an asterisk *) at the bottom of the post.
Speaker: Johnathan Edwards (1743-1750)
Occasion/Purpose: Thousands coming to christ daily through religious sermons
Audience: Audience consisted of Puritans; people left their home courty for religious freedom
Tone (author's attitude towards subject): frightening, humbling, passionate, revealing, intrusive
Ethos (Credibilty): In order for Edwards to be able to drive such fear into the audience, he would need ethos. There is a definite credibilty in the cause for which he is preaching; however, there is never a point in the sermon in which he attempts to list his own credentials.
Pathos (Emotional): The appeal to fear (overall) is great; it has been said that Edwards preached the sermon very calmly and with somewhat less passion than what the reader may take from what he says.
Logos (Logical): His ideas are logical to him, but the time was characterized by a lack in logical reasoning. The argument could be made that it was logical to them (the Puritans). Edwards values emphasis on thoughts and feelings.
Literary Element Examples:
Tons of imagery and figurative language are used throughout the sermon. It paints a picture in one's mind of what happens to those who do not act according to written word of the Bible. These a few brief examples I found of the literary elements that make up this essay.
Parallel Structure: "...he will have no compassion upon you, he will not forbear the executions of his wrath, or in the least lighten his hand... he will have no regard to your welfare, nor be at all careful lest you should suffer..." (par. 9)
"...you may have reformed your life in many things, and may have had religious affections, and may keep up a form of religion in your families and closets and in the house of God." (par. 5)
"...nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment..." (par. 8)
Repition: He refers to the "pleasure of God", "hand of God", "spirit of God", etc. repeatedly over the course of the sermon; refers twice to a spider's web and entanglement therein
Loaded Words: Though the sermon appears to be nothing but loaded words (carrying heavy connotation), think of how some of the following words added to the over-all tone of Edward's sermon... omnipotent (p. 4), constitution (p. 3), sovereign (p. 3), vengance (repeat), salvation (repeat), torment (repeat), suffering (repeat)
Metaphors: "The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God" (p. 5)
Similes: "Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as led..." (p. 3); "The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present..." (p. 4)
Syntax (sentence structure): "God stands ready to pity you; this is a day of mercy; you may cry now tih some encouragement of obtaining mercy." (p. 10) Edwards uses semicolons a lot, most likely because it avoids run-ons and continues one's thoughts; he also continually uses complex and rambling sentences
Diction (word choice): One specific example particularly stuck-out to me, and it was "infinite gloom", which, as we discussed in class, could almost be considered a loaded phrase
Antithesis (i.e. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" from Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities"): "...all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life..." (p. 5)
Imagery: "...lake of burning brimstone..." (p. 1); "Consider the fearful danger you are in... the great furnace of wrath, a wide of bottomless pit, full of fire of wrath..." (p. 8)
Other interesting stylistic choices:
Polysyndeton (reoccuring use of conjunctions in a statement): "The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God..." (p. 5). The opposite of polysyndeton is asyndeton, which is not using conjunctions. Such stylistic choices are used for emphasis.
Finally, my teacher had additionally advised that:
"After completing the data sheet, write one paragraph that performs a close reading of the author's stylistic choices and how they affect the purpose of the work."
If you too are studying this sermon, I would recommend jotting down a few sentences of literary analysis on how Edwards acheives his purpose through his writing.
*Based on an excerpt from Edwards' original sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" featured on pages 98-101 in the Prentince Hall Literature: The American Experience Tennessee English Language textbook c.2000.
Additionally, I would just like to mention that a large portion of the information I present here is based on notes I have taken in my AP English Language and Composition class (compiled from notes presented by my course teacher, topics discussed in the classroom, and personal interpretation/reasoning). Thus, in order for me to have permission to post information like this for your viewing, I must credit my course teacher and peers. Additional sources used will be cited in the footnotes of each posting.
Johnathan Edwards
- born into a Purtian Evangelical household on Oct. 5, 1703
- attended Yale University
- most rememed for his powerful potrayal of God's infinate hatred of sin
- education consisted of: the classics, theology, and anciet languages
- associated with the First Great Awakening (circa 1743-1750); thousands came to christ daily; biblical revelation favored over human reason
- In the fifteen years of the Great Awakening, Edwards managed to convert thousands to Puritanism
- Congregation eventually rebelled against his conservative views
Extracted Data*
This section of information came from my notes during an in-class discussion on the sermon. Their format came from a 'Data Sheet' we were given to complete as individual analysis of the work. Thus, the content is a mixture of my personal thoughts on the sermon and those of my teacher and peers. For more information, please read the footnote (indicated by an asterisk *) at the bottom of the post.
Speaker: Johnathan Edwards (1743-1750)
Occasion/Purpose: Thousands coming to christ daily through religious sermons
Audience: Audience consisted of Puritans; people left their home courty for religious freedom
Tone (author's attitude towards subject): frightening, humbling, passionate, revealing, intrusive
Ethos (Credibilty): In order for Edwards to be able to drive such fear into the audience, he would need ethos. There is a definite credibilty in the cause for which he is preaching; however, there is never a point in the sermon in which he attempts to list his own credentials.
Pathos (Emotional): The appeal to fear (overall) is great; it has been said that Edwards preached the sermon very calmly and with somewhat less passion than what the reader may take from what he says.
Logos (Logical): His ideas are logical to him, but the time was characterized by a lack in logical reasoning. The argument could be made that it was logical to them (the Puritans). Edwards values emphasis on thoughts and feelings.
Literary Element Examples:
Tons of imagery and figurative language are used throughout the sermon. It paints a picture in one's mind of what happens to those who do not act according to written word of the Bible. These a few brief examples I found of the literary elements that make up this essay.
Parallel Structure: "...he will have no compassion upon you, he will not forbear the executions of his wrath, or in the least lighten his hand... he will have no regard to your welfare, nor be at all careful lest you should suffer..." (par. 9)
"...you may have reformed your life in many things, and may have had religious affections, and may keep up a form of religion in your families and closets and in the house of God." (par. 5)
"...nothing to keep off the flames of wrath, nothing of your own, nothing that you ever have done, nothing that you can do, to induce God to spare you one moment..." (par. 8)
Repition: He refers to the "pleasure of God", "hand of God", "spirit of God", etc. repeatedly over the course of the sermon; refers twice to a spider's web and entanglement therein
Loaded Words: Though the sermon appears to be nothing but loaded words (carrying heavy connotation), think of how some of the following words added to the over-all tone of Edward's sermon... omnipotent (p. 4), constitution (p. 3), sovereign (p. 3), vengance (repeat), salvation (repeat), torment (repeat), suffering (repeat)
Metaphors: "The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God" (p. 5)
Similes: "Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as led..." (p. 3); "The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present..." (p. 4)
Syntax (sentence structure): "God stands ready to pity you; this is a day of mercy; you may cry now tih some encouragement of obtaining mercy." (p. 10) Edwards uses semicolons a lot, most likely because it avoids run-ons and continues one's thoughts; he also continually uses complex and rambling sentences
Diction (word choice): One specific example particularly stuck-out to me, and it was "infinite gloom", which, as we discussed in class, could almost be considered a loaded phrase
Antithesis (i.e. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" from Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities"): "...all you that were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexperienced light and life..." (p. 5)
Imagery: "...lake of burning brimstone..." (p. 1); "Consider the fearful danger you are in... the great furnace of wrath, a wide of bottomless pit, full of fire of wrath..." (p. 8)
Other interesting stylistic choices:
Polysyndeton (reoccuring use of conjunctions in a statement): "The bow of God's wrath is bent, and the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere pleasure of God, and that of an angry God..." (p. 5). The opposite of polysyndeton is asyndeton, which is not using conjunctions. Such stylistic choices are used for emphasis.
Finally, my teacher had additionally advised that:
"After completing the data sheet, write one paragraph that performs a close reading of the author's stylistic choices and how they affect the purpose of the work."
If you too are studying this sermon, I would recommend jotting down a few sentences of literary analysis on how Edwards acheives his purpose through his writing.
*Based on an excerpt from Edwards' original sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" featured on pages 98-101 in the Prentince Hall Literature: The American Experience Tennessee English Language textbook c.2000.
Additionally, I would just like to mention that a large portion of the information I present here is based on notes I have taken in my AP English Language and Composition class (compiled from notes presented by my course teacher, topics discussed in the classroom, and personal interpretation/reasoning). Thus, in order for me to have permission to post information like this for your viewing, I must credit my course teacher and peers. Additional sources used will be cited in the footnotes of each posting.
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