Lavender's AP Lit Class Blog
Monday, October 22, 2012
Scarlet letter- inward vs. outward
For my scarlet letter paper I am going to write about the inward vs. outward characteristics of the characters. They all act one way but on the inside they believe something else. Hester acts like the rest of society by helping the poor and paying her penance, but on the inside she believes that the women should have their own ideas, and that the men must not be so controlling. It is also a very ironic book, when Dimsdale is trying to tell his congregation that he is the father of pearl, it is ironic because he is venerated within their society, no one really gets what he is trying to say. This is on page 241, it says " Mr. Dimsdale was, a true religionist, with the reverential sentiment..." Also it is ironic that living away from society was supposed to make Hester realize what she did wrong, but really it makes her form her own ideas. I will be writing about the inward vs. outward of the characters and how it is all very ironic.
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This sounds like a good start. Maybe also say something about Chillingworth, because to the towns people he seems like a kind helpfull doctor but inwardly he is seeking revenge and trying to cause Dimmesdale harm.
ReplyDeleteI like the concept, and it seems like you have a good idea of what you are going to write. I would say defintitly talk about Hester, Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, but also put try to incorporate the fact that not everyone is hypocritical, that their are some who are just who they are, like Pearl.
ReplyDeleteIf you choose to talk about all the characters, i agree with Sierra and Cirkine, add something about Chillingsworth wanting revenge on the inside but being honored on the outside for taking care of Dimmesdale. You can also use this example to expand on the idea that society is tricked by the outward appearance, in the same way that Dimmesdale is venerated. Also in your conclusion you might want to add something along the lines of how Pearl is the same inside and out. Although many of the characters are different inside vs outside, Pearl is not.
ReplyDeleteTerra,
ReplyDeleteSorry I haven't had a chance to comment on your post earlier, but I think you are very much on the right track. Don't forget about Pearl, though, the one character who isn't a hypocrite in any form (her inner and outer worlds align). Consider how she is the only character who experiences a 'happy' ending.
Terra this is very good. I like the new idea you have here. Good luck on the paper
ReplyDelete