My idea was to argue if the Scarlet Letter performed to its purpose and to incorporate if shame works to change a person or make them embarrassed enough to not commit the crime again. (I actually had this idea before Lavender proposed it in class. Therefore I thought that I had picked a good topic that can been argued well on both sides.) My stance is that shame did not effect the wearer, Hester Prynn, as much as the other culprit, Reverend Dimmesdale. Some of the quotes that I am going to use are,
pg 45 "Civilized Society [is] a prison."
Thoughts-Does the letter free her from the prison of society by exiling her into a world of shame? Are they, society as a whole, doing a favor for her through their ignorance?
pg. 52 "... as if her heart had been flung into the street for them all to spurn and trample upon."
Thoughts- This tries to explain the embarrassment and shame that she felt, but it never says that she thinks that she is wrong. She believes that what they did was amazing because she felt the love, which was nonexistent with her husband. In the beginning Hawthorne gives her the excuse that she didn't know that her husband was still alive. However, near the end when she has been living along her husband, she strives to go to Europe with Dimmesdale and Pearl in order to get away from their society. After all her hardships with the extravagant Scarlet Letter, she has not learned from her crime. By whole essay will be based on this statement. Any ideas or good quotes that come to mind, feel free to share! Thanks guys.
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I really like this idea. And i do believe that you thought of it before Lavander did hahahaha. anyway, i think this could be a really good essay. i agree with your statements and the quotes you chose to back up your point seem to work. i would use a few more just in case....good job!
ReplyDeleteGood idea. Maybe touch upon how Hester got the embarassment and whatnot over with so get guilt and shame would eventually fade away whereas Dimmesdale kept it all inside for it to fester and become worse.
ReplyDeletethis is a good idea, I like the way that you describe how hester never beleived that what she did was wrong. I like the way that you explain that the punishment has not really changed her although it appears like it has.
ReplyDeleteYeah I just didn't want to write them all down ahaha. And Ivan, I believe that although Hester has the letter on her breast, she keeps a lot of it inside. She doesn't talk to anyone about her problems. But I do like the idea of the guilt because that definitely played a large part for Dimmesdale. Thanks guys
ReplyDeleteChancee,
ReplyDeleteThis seems like a good start. I'm sure you've already marked these passages, but you'll likely want to make use of the line, "The Scarlet Letter had not done its office" (145) and the surrounding passages as well as the line, "Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers [but they had] taught her much amiss" (174).