Alisa Key August 16, 2010 AP English 11 The Scarlet Letter The progression of Hester throughout The Scarlet Letter was dramatic and varied greatly. In the beginning of the book she was feeling ashamed, isolated, and shunned by the townspeople. To her, the “A” stood for more than adultery, it stood for “ashamed.” She was being imprisoned by the judgment of others; the lock was a simple scarlet letter. She was living while being haunted by her past. Even seeing her own daughter, Pearl, would sometimes bring up the emotion of her sin all over again.
She often portrays herself to be overbearing with her disconcerting ramblings over her children, but we know that it is out of love for them. She clings to her past with such desperation: “Possess your soul in patience-you will see! Something I’ve resurrected from that old trunk! Styles haven’t changed so terribly much after all…Now just look at your mother This is the dress in which I led the cotillion….See how I sashayed around the ballroom Laura?” (Williams 1987). Her fading youth only makes her more desperate for attention for herself and her daughter.
This is one of the examples of the misogynistic mindset in the age she was raised, that certainly fueled her writing. Young 2 Though there are many parables to pull from the text, one sticks out among the rest, explaining the range of emotions that Mrs. Mallard felt upon hearing of her husband's alleged death. "There would be no one to live for during those coming years; she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to
This is a reoccurring theme in many of Coopers works, including “The Pioneers” which one could say center on Elizabeth Temple as thinly disguised reworkings of Cooper's sister's untimely death. According to Taylor, “the main difference between his life and his art was that in the latter James was able to manufacture a timely rescue for Elizabeth-the precise thing he could not do (and for which he could not forgive himself) -- for Hannah” (Taylor 326). Many people consider Cooper as “America’s first Author” (Reuben 1). Whilst being very celebrated, Cooper is known to be widely criticized. His unorthodox style has drawn many
I know this because Lysandra still hates Elaine and now directs her famous, hateful poetry at her years later. Elaine proves this by saying, “The words claw out from the page like so many birds of prey. And all of them seem to be moving in my direction.” (73). Lysandra’s conflict with herself (inability to forgive and move forward) is a negative way in dealing with conflicts or treating your friends. I know this because Lysandra is holding a grudge on something that happened a while back that could’ve been a great friend-ship, she’s also famous now so why does it matter?
Relationships in The Handmaid’s Tale and Ariel both share a huge importance. In The Handmaid’s Tale, we see many examples of relationships between Mothers and daughters but do not see the typical “father/ son” relationship. Atwood and Plath both portray parent and child relationships in some ways that are identical, but Plath drifts away from that with the poem “Daddy” which seems to be a very bitter poem about the lack of time she saw her dad Otto Plath. Both Poet and Author do however share the same ideology and belief that giving birth to a baby is somewhat something astronomical however achievable. Both the Handmaids Tale and the poem Nick and The Candlestick show the struggles of having a baby but do however show the everlasting pleasure which they get due to giving birth.
Why did Hester name her child Pearl? “…she names the infant ‘Pearl,’ as being of great price, -- purchased with all she had, -- her mother’s only treasure!” 2. What does the Scarlet Letter mean to Pearl? At this point, the A is a fascination. As a baby, Pearl seems instinctively drawn the A. Symbolically, this suggests a connection between the baby and the A as they are born from the same sin, but some may speculate that the decorative nature of the letter during a time period of particularly bland dress would draw one’s attention.
In paragraph four, Esperanza used a synecdoche to show that even though she inherited her great grandmother name, she did not want to follow the same path as her. Esperanza stated, “I have inherited her name, but I don’t want to inherit her place by the window “ (110). Her great grandmother was trapped in a compulsory marriage and longed for an escape. Esperanza was also teased at school she said, “At school they say my name funny as if the syllables were made out of tin and hurt the roof of your mouth” (110). Meaning the kids at school had a difficult time pronouncing her
Rossetti shows us she resents men and the power they have over women and also the weakness and few liberties that women have in this period. Rossetti chooses a first person narrative in this poem so the narrator can address her questions and laments to Kate. We are taken through an emotional journey with the maiden where we are told what happened to her. This explains her initial anger at Cousin Kate. The maidens Questions in the first stanza express her anger and confusion at the experiences she has had to endure.
Emma Baird Dr. Meredith McCarroll English 232 25 September 2010 The Death of Edna Pontellier: A Rebellious Defeat Even from its first publication, Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening has caused controversy. While today The Awakening is praised for its feminist undertones, the piece was first criticized for its lack of representation of American values. Instead of depicting a main character that embodied the Victorian ideal of a woman fulfilling the role as an “Angel in the House” which was the norm for American women during this particular historical period, Edna was a rebellious wife and an adulteress, whose desires and yearning for independence lead her to make many radical decisions throughout the course of the novel¾ from inwardly