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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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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Romanticism In American Literature Dark romanticism is a genre that explores the darker‚ sinful side of man. Within this unit‚ there were a few pieces of literature that I found displays this best. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne are both prominent authors in the world of literature‚ even to this day. The first piece that I will be talking about is “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In describing the midnight ride of Paul Revere‚ Longfellow uses a ton of imagery:
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English Protestants voyaged across seas in search of better land to start a new life; they settled in the recently discovered New World. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne depicts the struggle of a young woman‚ Hester Prynne‚ and her sinful reputation as an adulteress. Coming to New England unaccompanied by her estranged husband Roger Chillingworth‚ she felt alone and in need of someone‚ which resulted in great consequences for her lover‚ Minister Dimmesdale and their daughter‚ Pearl. Hester
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Symbolism is one feature in The Scarlet Letter that Nathaniel Hawthorne uses quite a lot; and I find it especially interesting how he is able to cleverly use metaphors to get this symbolism across. Symbolism runs wild throughout the book in the form of Pearl. Pearl is like an extended metaphor in a sense because‚ throughout the romance‚ Hawthorne uses her as a living reminder of the Scarlet Letter and the sin that Hester commits. This strategy adds an interesting element to the book since the reader
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To understand how the character of Hester Prynne was created one has to understand the influence of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s own Puritan family heritage. He was the third great grandson of the unyielding Puritan William Hathorne. This ancestry has a direct influence on the context of The Scarlet Letter and how Nathanial Hawthorne portrayed the characters. In 17th century Boston there is a strict hierarchy held in the village and the rule was strictly Puritanical‚ with harsh laws and severe religious
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Sin is an interesting concept that means different things to different people. Therefore‚ different people handle sin in different ways. Most people associate a sense of guilt with sin and because the concept is so complex people interpret and deal with guilt in different ways also. The two main ways sin and guilt are dealt with is privately and publicly. Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter exemplifies two peoples dealings with the same sin. Hester Prynne is publicly shamed for adultery‚ while Arthur Dimmesdale
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Symbolism in The Scarlet Letter Nathaniel Hawthorne used a lot of symbolism in The Scarlet Letter. Symbolism is the use of objects or people to represent ideas or qualities. Three of the pieces of symbolism the Hawthorne used in this novel was the sunshine and light to represent truth‚ Mistress Hibbins to represent temptation‚ and the brook to represent sorrow. Throughout the novel‚ these symbols reappear over and over‚ which creates emphasis on the characters and the conflict of the storyline.
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Nathaniel Hawthorne’s romance novel The Scarlet Letter unravels the tragic plot of the characters’ secrets being broadcast throughout the town. As Hawthorne uses a dramatic tone‚ he illustrates how Chillingworth and Hester despise each other however‚ they share a secret. After all‚ Hester revealed the truth to the Puritan world which created a dramatic scene. Overall this affected the naive and delicate Dimmesdale and his view of his perfect physician‚ Chillingworth. Chillingworth is a benevolent
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Individual identity‚ society’s expectations‚ and sin are all central themes in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Gothic Romance‚ The Scarlet Letter. Throughout the novel‚ the reader is introduced to a number of significant characters‚ each motivated by their own ambitions‚ and often driven by the effects of fear and guilt. The majority of the characters in The Scarlet Letter are male‚ but there are a few women who are portrayed‚ and they are generally not respected by society. To fully understand this concept
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