Difficulty Paper #2

“The Scarlet Letter”
Allison Finley
English 1B
May 4, 2011


Page 1
I believe that the central theme of an intense and powerful religious environment is the key to understanding the cultural norms of the Puritan society. The fact that the culture within The Scarlet Letter revolves so strictly around religion and the ties that their society has to the bible and their religious beliefs sets president over every aspect of their life. The Puritan way of life found within The Scarlet Letter is so different from our modern day society that I find the Puritan cultural norms not only interesting and intriguing but frustrating and obnoxious as well. Today, we have freedom of religion. Not only is that freedom of religious choice written into the United States Constitution but it is also one of our cultural norms. While the people of the Puritan society use their religion as judge, jury, and executioner. I am happy to live in a society that embraces religious differences amongst one another.
Compared with the culture that I am accustomed too, the Puritan society was overly harsh and unforgiving. Because of these differences between the Puritan culture and my culture I find it difficult to fully comprehend their norms; it’s as if I can only understand their society so much, but I’m left with many questions unanswered. I can’t help but compare and contrast these differences between their culture with my own. I also think that the author of the novel, Nathanial Hawthorne, presents sub themes throughout the entirety of the novel and I find it interesting that Hawthorne revolves these sub themes around their religion. For example, their decision making, ability of moral acceptance, and rebellion are all influenced heavily by their strict religious beliefs.
I think that the Puritans’ decision making process was heavily influenced by their religion in that their decisions were very public. They had to deal with what is right and what is wrong on not only a private level, but also on a much larger scale; they had to consider their decisions as viewed in the eyes of society as well. To an extent, unlike today, the Puritan people had such a heavy burden to carry while making any decisions; they always had to take into consideration their society and strict religious rules. Today’s culture, on the other hand, is much less strict and judging. The culture I am accustom to is less harsh I am happy to live in a society which is more accepting of differences found among different people, and in a time where those differences are accepted.

Annotated Bibliography

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings". Norton Critical Edition. New York, London: W.W. Norton; Company, 2005. Print.

1. Some themes found within this popular novel deal with what is right and wrong in the eyes of society, what is morally acceptable within a religious civilization, and pushing the boundaries within a strict culture.

" 'I have greatly wronged thee,' murmered Hester.'We have greatly wronged each other,' answered he" (Hawthorne, p 53).

" 'Thou art not my child! Thou art no Pearl of mine!' said the mother... 'Tell me, then, what thou art, and who sent thee hither?' said the child... 'Thy Heavenly Father sent thee!' answered Hester Prynne... 'He did not send me!' cried she, positively. 'I have no Heavenly Father!' " (Hawhorne, p 67). 

Crowd Reaction - Conclusion

After the crowd had time to proccess what exactly had happened that day and reevaluate their initial reactions of shock and confusion, some members of the crowd were unable to come to mental realization of what they had saw. "...spectators of the whole scene, and professed never once to have removed their eyes from the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, denied that there was any mark whatever on his breast..." (Hawthorne page 163). Another important explanation some members of the crowd believed was that "some affirmed that the Reverend Mr. Dimmsdale, on the very day when Hester Prynne first wore her ignominious badge, had begun a course of penance, which he afterwards, in so many futile methods, fallowed out, by inflicting a hideous torture on himself" (Hawthorne page 162).

Research Essay Process Suggestions -

I decided to copy and past this to my posts so that I can have this readily available during my writing process.



Process suggestions:
1. Review your lectures notes and information posted on Instructor Knapp’s blog. In particular, review the Key Terms post, Critical Theories Overview, Combining Sentences, Constructing an Argument, Popular Student Errors, Using Quotations, and The Scarlet Letter.
2. Look back at your own blog posts to get ideas about a possible theme to explore or an approach to this essay. You should also read some of your peers blogs to expand your ideas on the text.
3. Brainstorm ideas for research and writing by doing a cluster, list, or freewrite.
4. Begin your research process by formulating questions about your chosen text. Your research may be more fertile if you direct the search somewhat. Locate Critical Essays in our Norton Critical Edition that connect to your questions.
5. Skim several of the essays included in our anthology, additional writings by the author, or biographical information to help you develop your interpretation.
6. Discuss your questions, ideas, and responses with a classmate, instructor or another person.
7. In your first draft, draw plenty of examples from the text. Include references to your research. Don’t be afraid to argue with the literary critics you’ve read. Let this draft be your chance to enter the literary conversation and don’t “censor” your ideas—it’s better to overwrite on your draft to allow for insights that you gain during the process of writing to emerge. Later you can edit, select, or throw out what doesn’t fit.
8. When revising, return to your introduction to ensure that you have a clear, strong (narrow) thesis. Remember to name the author and text in your introduction. The title of your essay should reflect the theme of the essay (do not use the title of the book as the title of your essay). The body of your essay should include plenty of support for your ideas, including examples and quotes from the book. Use specific references to your research to enhance your interpretation of the text. Generally, the most effective way to use quotes is to use them to support a point you’re making; then follow up the quote with interpretation (Remember the TEA paragraph and the Quote Sandwich). Review MLA format for citations if you need to.
9. Share your rough draft with your peer response group. Ask for specific feedback on the parts of the essay you’re unsure about. You may also contact me for help or submit your rough drafts to the campus Writing Center for help.

Difficulty Paper #1

For my very first difficulty paper, I'd like to speak about the first thing that I am having difficulty with between both our novel, The Scarlet Letter, and with our most recent short story, Young Goodman Brown. With both pieces of literature, I am finding it increasingly difficult to read the style of English they both use. That style of language, which to me is almost like old English, that to me resembles both the bible and works by Shakespeare, is very hard for me to understand. Because we don't speak in the same way that these works of literature were written in, it's not like our common language we use to communicate therefor it's not easy to know right off the bat what some words and phrases mean. So instead of just zooming right through the book and comprehending it the first time I read it, I have to reread sometimes even multiple times before I use contextual clues to fully understand what it is that the author is trying to say. I also have a dictionary right by my side to help me better understand some words that I've honestly never heard before. So between rereading passages, using clues in the text, and having a dictionary by my side, I have began to adopt ways of overcoming not understanding the language of the text.

Typical American Teen - Final Draft

Allison Finley March 26, 2011
English 1B
Professor Knapp

Finley 1

Typical American Teen

Within the novel The Flowers, by Dagoberto Gilb, we find a rather typical American teenager named Sonny Bravo. This typical American teenager is our narrator, and the main character of the story. Throughout The Flowers, the way in which Sonny tells us his story makes him extremely relatable to the audience. Gilb shares Sonny’s story with us on a day-to-day basis by including what he is currently going through at that moment in the novel, while comparing that with memories that he’d made in the past. Which, I believe that style of writing that the author uses of present situations combined with past stories keeps him on a more relatable level because we go through life not only living in the present but thinking of our past as well. This type of first person point of view story telling allows us to fallow Sonny’s every move, and really divulge into his character; in which through his stories and encounters we are able to learn so much about him. Throughout this novel I have learned so much about Sonny Bravo including his risky behavior, his local hangout spot, and his adult influences; now using reader response threory, I will discuss key elements that prove Sonny to be a typical American teenager. However, my personal memory of being an American teenager varies quite drastically from Sonny’s habits and experiences. While Sonny would partake in some risky and strange behavior of watching

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people through their windows and venturing into their homes in order to avoid reality and learn more about the family who lived there; I never broke and entered or watched people from afar. I actually had to interact with people in order to learn more about them and in order to get to know them, I actually had to make he effort. Which has never been something I’ve found difficult to do, even in my teenage years during both junior high and high school. Also, I can’t necessarily say that throughout my teenage years, I had a some strange quirk or specific habit that would allow me that pleasure of being able to escape reality as often as he does in the novel. Sonny had the convenience of watching in order to learn and I had to interact and converse with people in order to do so. I feel as if, even though that was strange behavior, he had it easy to learn about people. However, since I’ve always been a social person who can talk to just about any one and by doing so, I feel as if that is the best way to know people.
Sonny’s voyeurism tendencies acted as an escape from his home life by being another place he can go, mentally as well as physically, to escape whatever it was he had to deal with at home. Which I completely understand the concept of wanting to escape, however in contrast with how he would escape, whenever my home life was too much to handle, I would simply go over to a friend’s house and hang out there for a couple hours, or even a couple days. Both Sonny and I would get away from our homes to avoid our parental figures. But while Sonny would basically break and enter to force his way into a home, I was invited and welcomed into a friend’s home. While Sonny didn’t like having to deal with his step-father, I wanted to get away from having to deal with my step-

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mother. Even though Sonny and my ways of escaping reality were quite different in how we would get away, the reasons why are so similar in that we both were faced with situations and parental figures we didn’t want to deal with at that time.
Also, at the beginning of the novel, Sonny would not only watch from the outside, but break and enter into different houses just to get a feel for what it would be like to live in other types of home atmospheres. On the first two pages alone, the first thing I learned about Sonny is that he would go inside strangers’ homes. “… I would go to a house… I’d crawl through an open window… I sprawled out on their couches or lay down on their beds. Go, How would it be if I lived here?” (pg. 1-2) While Sonny does this forcefully through breaking and entering, I would spend time at friend’s houses that have different family morals. Some would be of different religions; some would be a single parent home, while others would have both sets of parents with many siblings and I’d stay with them for a few days at a time and try my best to imagine what it would be like to live there. But the fact of the matter is, no matter how we would do it; we both liked to get away from our situations and try to imagine ourselves in different ones.
Another avenue of escape for Sonny is the bowling alley; it is another place where he can go to lose himself and forget about what is happening at his apartment, it is away for him to stop thinking about his mom and Cloyd, and it’s a local hang out spot where he can spend his time away from his home life. Just like many other typical teenagers everywhere, myself included, there is always a local hangout spot, where teens go to hang

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out with one another. I too had a place where my friends and I would go to spend hours just hanging out together. A local hang out spot for teens is less of an escape from reality in that specific moment, but is more like something to get excited over and think about and look forward to. I’d look forward to Fridays to hang out with my friends and loved knowing that every one was going to be there. Every Friday evening we’d all head down to the Tennant Station here in Morgan Hill.
It all started when I was in 7^th grade, I would bum a ride off someone old enough to drive us there, we’d all meet up there and hang out together for hours on end; or at least until our moms would come to pick us up. The funny part about it is that we would rarely ever do what we had come there to do. Within that Tennant Station is a movie theater, bowling alley, bocce ball court, and a Safeway. But being in junior high limited us with how much disposable income we had, we hardly ever saw a movie at that movie theater, we never step foot inside that bowling alley and we literally never bowled, with the bocce ball court you had to be 21 even in order to enter and we were only half that age, that left the spot where we spent most of our time, the Safeway. No one really knows why Safeway became our popular hang out destination for Friday nights, maybe it was because there was a Starbucks, a deli, and anything you could ever want to munch on; whatever the reason, that Safeway was our hang out spot where we would meet up and spend hours at every weekend. So throughout my younger teen years, maybe age 12-16, I would love hanging out with everyone at Safeway, but like anything it eventually got old and we started going into San Jose to hang out at the mall.

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Every person, at one time or another in their lifetime will have the opportunity to look up to someone for some sort of guidance. Whether it be educational guidance or religious guidance, parental guidance or advice, and I am no exclusion. I have been faced with admiring someone for advice and support, the role that adults assume into a teenager’s life will help to shape who they will be one day. Sonny and I are no exclusion to this. Sonny has been faced with many different men from who his mother brings home to meet him. While Sonny is often smart enough to know whether or not the relationships between his mother and the men will last or not, when Cloyd becomes a more permanent figure in his life, Sonny will certainly be influenced by him. Cloyd is certainly a father figure to Sonny whether he is aware of it or not. Growing up, I didn’t have many male or father figure influences in my life because I was raised by single mother while sporadically visiting my own father. So when my mother was busy working, which she often was, I would actually look to friend’s mothers to for guidance. One mother in particular was always so accepting and so kind to me, she would offer me her best advice, she would help me with my homework and often feed me dinner. I would actually consider myself lucky to have had this lady in my life throughout some very impressionable years in my life in order to guide me in making the right decisions and having helped me in so many ways to become the woman that I am today.
Your typical American teenager is an easily influenced young adult faced with many difficult situations in which they need to figure out what is right and what is wrong. A typical teen has a local hangout spot and their own way of escaping reality from time to

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time. I certainly consider despite our subtle differences both Sonny and I to have been typical American teenagers.

Imitation

make sure it's in nuetral; turn the key to on; this is how you turn the gas on; turn the choke to half; kick it over; feather the throttle to give it some gas to keep it idling; turn the choke off; keep the gas on; pull in the clutch; kick it down into first gear; let the clutch out slow and give it gas; this is how you ride your dirtbike;

turn the ignition on; make sure its in nuetral; let the e-brake out; push in the clutch; put it into first gear; let out the clutch slow; give it gas; go; shift; this is how you drive your manual car;

this is how you tie a hook onto your line; attach your wieght; this is how you put your worm onto your hook; this is how to cast; this is how you plug for bass;

crack the eggs; put them into a bowl; this is how you mix them to make sure the yolks break; butter the pan; poor in the eggs; let them cook almost thoroughly; this is how you smoothly mix them around in the pan; keep them whole for as long as you can; this is how you scramble my eggs;