Response Paper #2: "The Birthmark" 1. Our society tends to be obsessed with the idea of physical perfection. How does our society manifest that obsession? How is the "Birthmark" an early version of our modern obsession with physical perfection? Our society has many ways of manifesting its obsession with physical perfection. In our society people go to extreme lengths to achieve perfection. The "Birthmark"‚ written more than a century ago‚ is an early
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Symbolism in "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne American lit. November 2012 In the Story‚ The Birthmark‚ has a lot to say on human nature‚ but its most important maintenance is that to be human is necessarily to be flawed. To strive for perfection is to deny one’s own mortality‚ to deny what makes us human‚ and to achieve such perfection is impossible. The story seems to argue that part of us are earthbound‚ but part of us will always seek to be spiritual. In the story‚ The birthmark refers to the
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Morin 2 The story “The Birthmark” by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the foolishness of striving for perfection. The author uses several elements of fiction to express this theme. He starts by giving a brief summary about who the main characters are. Aylmer is a very smart man who has a love of science. He’s into the spiritual world but it tends to be disturbing. He believes that he is able to perform miracles. Aylmer has invented potions that are capable of instantly killing a person or killing them in
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in your own skin it will shine in your personality and attract the right people. It shows us the cruel things we do to ourselves just to fit into society. If we don’t look as the society pleases then kids get bullied just like Georgiana in The Birthmark. She is one of the most beautiful women
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knowledgeable Aylmer is‚ and the narrator even suggests that he may have the power to alter nature. " We know not whether Aylmer possesses this degree of faith in man ’s ultimate control over nature (Birthmark‚ 1262 )."As Aylmer tries to use science to alter nature‚ or in this case‚ the birthmark on his wife ’s cheek‚ his plan backfires and his wife dies. The death of Georgiana shows that knowledge is dangerous if used in the wrong way. The influence of the evolution of culture has caused men
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is why Nature ultimately has the final say in what can and cannot existence. In “The Birthmark”‚ Hawthorne suggests that nothing and no one is perfect nor has the ability to obtain said perfection. An obsession to surpass Earthly Nature can and will result in the destruction of what was once loved. Human beings have a natural desire to be perfect‚ but in reality perfection is unattainable. Throughout “The Birthmark”‚ Georgiana is constantly confronted with the fact that she bares the “visible mark
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In examining the struggle of science vs. nature‚ we must first analyze each story by itself‚ and recognize its relationship. First‚ in looking at “The Birthmark”‚ we can see that science and nature/love are intertwined through the correctional habits that Aylmer possesses‚ the way that the birthmark could actually be seen through as more personal light‚ where Hawthorne is commenting on the way that society wants to advance‚ as well as the way that society as well as he perceives the process of menstruation
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The Masque of the Red Death and Young Goodman Brown are both good stories that paint vivid images. Throughout these stories‚ both Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne evoke a sense of fear and death. Edgar Allan Poe tells us a story of a prince who believed he could save himself and his nobles by keeping them inside of his castle. However‚ Nathaniel Hawthorne tells us a story of a man who takes a "journey" with his conscience. Both authors use characterization‚ symbolism‚ imagery and allusions
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than dealing and admitting how you feeling you‚ instead‚ project it out onto others. Towards the end of the short story‚ Brown has a vision‚ or some may argue a dream‚ about his wife and peers basically worshiping the devil in a local forest. Young Goodman Brown received that illusion‚ or dream if you will‚ because of his own psychological projection problem. Young Goodman Brown doesn’t live up to his name‚ he felt ashamed to have been associating with the devil in the woods‚ and he was looking for
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Goodman Brown was so deeply shaken by just the thought that the good Christians he attended church with on Sunday‚ could really be consorting with the devil. Goodman Brown was in a state of disbelief when his traveling companion told him that his father and grandfather‚ whom Goodman Brown had described as “honest men and good Christians” were also acquaintances of his. “My father never went into the woods on such an errand‚ nor his father before him” he had been sure of. However‚ the breaking point
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