Adultery, while a breach of the marriage contract, is not a legal matter anymore. It is not against the law to be punishable by prison time and social ostracization. But we are very naive if we believe that private decisions and actions/behaviors go unpunished in today's society. We are even more naive if we believe that sins like promiscuity or adultery do not face heavy social penalties despite the fact that they are not within arm's reach of the law.
If Hester Prynne were alive and real today, she may not have spent three months in a physical jail cell, but in many ways, I am sure it would have felt like that. There are no more town center platforms complete with hanging scaffolds and stocks, but social media has raised public humiliation to an all-time new high and extended the critical stares and pointing fingers out and beyond the town walls.
So, while we may not be able to imagine living in a society that can legally have a person shunned and socially banned for scandalous decisions, the effect is ultimately the same: the one charged with the sin and convicted on Facebook, Twitter or Snapchat is still left with a very clear message that he or she is social pariah.
In the following TED Talk, Monica Lewinsky, a woman all too familiar with living in the spotlight of technologically advanced shaming, shares a little bit of her personal story of what it is like to be branded with the scarlet A and explains why she has chosen this time in her life to stand up and do something about it. The biggest message? The price of shame since Hester's time has escalated, and sometimes it is ultimately too high for the victim to pay. Watch the video and then comment on two things: what spoke to you the loudest and what YOU will personally do to change our shame culture today.
We live in interesting times. We feel more sophisticated, yet our own petty and cruel natures still surface in even more deadly ways. We feel more accepting of different beliefs and lifestyles, yet have the ability to smear a man's or woman's reputation irreparably with the click of the mouse. We shake our heads at racism, sexism, and discrimination and then turn to our friends and share malicious gossip about someone else, all the time telling ourselves, "I may make mistakes, but I would NEVER do what she did!" So, that begs the question then: what do we do to change all that?
Make sure your arsenals are full.
Seniors who are on field trip: please respond below with two things...
1. Your discussion points for chapters 19-20
2. Your response to the TED Talk: what spoke to you, what will you do to change the shame culture that is alive and well today.
Ted Talk Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/monica_lewinsky_the_price_of_shame?language=en
From chapter 19, I wanted to look again at the significance of the brook. Just as earlier it represented the sad, melancholy nature of Hawthorne's Dark Romanticism. It is brought up again in this chapter as Pearl goes to meet the Dimmesdale and Hester. She refuses to cross over the brook and leave that behind her. This is significant because it represents not only Hester's inability to move past the dark in her life but also Hawthorne's ability to separate himself from his thoughts of Dark Romanticism.
ReplyDeleteFrom chapter 20, I wanted to bring up the passage where Hawthorne breaks the fourth wall and directly addresses the reader. In this passage, Hawthorne explains why Dimmesdale was glad the boat departed in four days because it would be after he made a big sermon for the New England minister. Hawthorne puts his own opinion on Dimmesdale's character. In this he judges Dimmesdale still valuing others opinions was “so pitiably weak” and that it was evidence of a disease “that had long since begun to eat into the real substance of his character”. I wonder why Hawthorne chose to highlight this aspect of Dimmesdale’s sin over others. Is this reliance on the opinions of society his greatest sin?
From the TED Talk, I thought it was interesting how they described shame and humiliation as something mined and sold online. I think this metaphor perfectly describes what is happening. I don't believe that human nature is evil at its core and want to propagate the humiliation of another. I think humiliation is simply interesting and is what gets the most attention online: therefore people's reputations are ruined for the monetary gain of others.
Adding on to my answer, I would change this culture by not looking at gossip sites and not contributing to this culture. Furthermore, making it culturally unacceptable to bully online so it does not happen in the first place.
DeleteAfter reading Chapters 19-20, I thought it was interesting how Pearl refused to listen to Hester without her “A”. Pearl seems to have grown up to love the “A” regardless of how it made Hester sad and miserable. Could this reaction from Pearl be because the “A” was all she had known since birth, and this reaction was her dislike of change? Could this also be the reason why she doesn’t like Arthur Dimmesdale? When Pearl was younger I remember (on page 119) how she approached Arthur Dimmesdale and grabbed his hand. He then proceeded to kiss her brow. In that moment she didn’t seem to be as disgusted as she was later when Arthur Dimmesdale kissed her brow. I wonder what has changed? Has Pearl figured out who Mr. Dimmesdale is? Or is Pearl afraid that she will have to share Hester, and wants to keep Hester to herself?
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that stood out to me the most was Monica Lewinsky’s point about how humiliation, and how it is a more prominent feeling compared to happiness and anger. I never really thought about it, but I thought that this was very true. To change the shaming culture that we have today, I would like to bring to attention the damage that can be caused by shaming and offer comfort to people who are being shamed. On a more personal level, I want to avoid gossiping and reading gossip posts that sometimes pop up on my feed.
From chapters 19-20, I once again found the references to elfs very interesting. In a sense, I feel like the reference was a metaphor that I didn’t quite understand. If Pearl is “an elfish spirit, who, as the legend of our childhood taught us, it’s forbidden to cross a running stream”. What are they two worlds? I think it’s foreshadowing of the fact that Hester will never be able to leave her red A behind because Pearl could not enter the new world where her mom was not wearing the A and was with Dimmesdale which tells me that Pearl won’t be able to be in the world where Dimmesdale and Hester are together and it is also allegory showing that Hester will never be able to leave her past as an adulteress behind when Pearl is her lifelong reminder.
ReplyDelete“Humiliated to death.” That is what stood out the most to me. It is really sad to comprehend how horribly and mean humans can be to those that need compassion the most. The effects of being ostracized from a community are so strong and dangerous and yet people are so easy to make judgments and comment when they don’t have the background knowledge to do so. The invasion of privacy is scary and sad and yet we as humans still participate in these actions. I try to make people’s day as much as I can, making sure that they feel appropriated, and stay away from reading fake stories about famous people. I try to empathize with people that I don’t know and understand that everyone has a story and is going through something.
I agree with the fact that people can be very mean to others. It is almost as if people who are suffering the most attract bad energy and are preyed on by others who want to put them down. With the internet as easy as it is so access these days, public humiliation has expanded and anyone can attack a single person based on a mistake they committed or a bad decision they made.
DeleteFrom chapters 19-20 I thought Pearl and Hester's interaction was very interesting. Pearl would not go near Hester without her scarlet letter on and refused to be the one who pick it up. It is Hester's alone to carry as Pearl already carries the shame of being a child of adultery. We discussed in class how Pearl sees herself as connected to the letter and if it is gone she will no longer have a place with Hester. This idea is strengthened in these chapters as Pearl tells Hester that she is finally her mother and embraces her once she puts the letter back on. Pearl does not know what the letter is but she knows it has something to do with her and her place in society.
ReplyDeleteSomething that stood out to me in Monica Lewinsky's Ted Talk was the idea that "shame can not survive empathy". Lewinsky goes into how the smallest act can make all the difference in the world to someone who is struggling. I will work to combat the shame culture of today by remembering to always to be kind to others especially strangers because you never know what they are going through and a simple smile could make all the difference in their life.
The first thing that stood out to me about the TED talk was who was giving it! It took me a moment and some confusion as to how she was famous enough to speak at 30 under 30 and be the subject of over 40 songs until she explained her humiliation came from falling in love with the president of the United States! She's definitely super qualified to speak on public humiliation but I thought she did a great job of adapting it into a more modern scenario with the usage of technology. Obvious the case of Monica and Tyler are tragedies and it's our role to step in to try and stop it but I dont have the slightest clue on how to do so. Any restrictions on the internet could easily be slandered as a violation of the second amendment, but never before has bullying been able to spread so fast! So are we expected so simply adapt and grow thicker skin now that the blade of can cut deeper?
ReplyDeleteThe situation of Monica is comparable to that of Hester and Pearl in chapters 19 & 20. Pearl refuses to kiss Hester when she isn't wearing the scarlet letter in a sense forcing Hester to behave as the former, sadder version of herself. Similarly, Monica received and continues to receive massive amounts of online hate about her mistake, despite the mistake giving her a grander and wiser perspective on life itself. Both women grew from their mistakes and could even be better people post mistake, but their environment still ignored them.
Speaking of environment, Dimsdale seemed to be tempting his own.It seems as though in Ch. 20 he was in trance like state where he actively had to keep himself from outing his secrets. Like we discussed in class, it's too early in the book for a happy ending. As such, I think the actions of Dimmesdale in this chapter may serve as foreshadowing as to how the couples plan to move to England falls through.
In chapters - to - I think the reader truly got a sense of the power of the Scarlet Letter, and how important the symbol. The fact that Pearl was so hesitant and distant due to Hester not wearing it really shows how much it became a part of her. Not only her, but a part of pearl. This is why Pearl is so amazingly wise. As we talked about in class, losing the scarlet letter was almost like losing pearl. Without the scarlet letter, pearl would not exist. But also, the passion of love shared between Hester and Arthur would not exist. The power of lust and desire, but also learning from sin would not exist. There is no life without love.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter, again, was striking in the way that Hester and Pearl interacted. Through these times in the story I feel like the flaws of each character have really been drawn out. In these chapters I also realized for myself, that I certainly do not believe a happy ending at this point is possible. There will still be so much emotions and the need to overcome. Dimmesdale really seems to need a sewing kit on hand just so he doesn't open his mouth. oops...
In regards to the TED Talk, wow. What an interesting and completely qualified point of view. Monica Lweinsky really touched on what we've discussed in class, where shame cannot survive with empathy.Everything we do and say can have the biggest impact on someone and even evoke shame. I know that personally I have a lot of shame culturally as I feel I don't fit in with either side of my bi cultural family, and I can definitely say that simple things have the greatest affects, and shame needs empathy to overcome itself, which I have yet to experience.
Something that I found most interesting after reading chapters 19-20 was Hawthorne’s continued use of light and dark as a motif. Going back to what we had previously discussed in class in terms of the dark symbolizing sin or the concealment of the truth, and the light symbolizing the opposite, I found it interesting how Pearl again was described as being in the light. Specifically, she was described as being “glorified with a ray of sunshine” while she stared at Hester and Dimmesdale “through the dim medium of the forest-gloom” (chap 19). I interpreted this as Pearl’s innocence and overall ‘openness’ as a child confronting the dark and sinful nature of Hester and Dimmesdale's relationship. I also saw more hints of this motif when Hester placed the ‘A’ back onto her bosom, and in doing so “her beauty, the warmth and richness of her womanhood, departed, like a fading sunshine; and a gray shadow seemed to fall across her” (chap 19). In this case, the shadow seems to symbolize Hester's return to reality, as well as her sadness. Although both of these occurrences were interesting in terms of the light vs dark motif, the instance I found most compelling was the one at the end of chapter 20 when it was said that “at last the sunrise threw a golden beam into the study, and laid it right across the minister's bedazzled eyes”. The use of sunlight, in this case, was a bit confusing to me, as I would have expected for Dimmsdale to be further into the shadows after the occurrences of the night before when he had been tempted to do sinful deeds. Because of this, I am a bit confused, yet further intrigued, as to what exactly Hawthrone intended this motif to signify.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of the TEDTalk, I found myself most intrigued by her discussion regarding how desensitized today’s society has become towards public humiliation. Although I hadn’t fully recognized it before, I can fully see now how full of gossip and rumors today’s media is filled with, especially when it comes to celebrities or well-known individuals/influencers. Because of this, whenever I think about fame in today’s world I almost always find myself being scared by it, mainly because of the idea that any small mistake can result in major public humiliation and shame. With this being said, I intend to change the shame culture that exists today by being more careful with what I “feed into” when online. Specifically, I hope to stop myself when I find that I am being fed into any type of public humiliation. In doing so I will hopefully help stop the “dangerous cycle” of “clicks” that could otherwise result in more shame and public humiliation.
One thing that I found significant in chapters 19-20 was the fact that Hester decided to wear the scarlet letter again even though she had previously removed it. I believe that this foreshadows the idea that her public sin is still present, as Pearl was referred to in the previous chapters as the “embodiment” of her sin. Therefore, it suggests that her sin will still remain with her, and she cannot remove it so easily. Also, I found it symbolic how Hester's "beauty, warmth and richness of her womanhood departed, like fading sunshine" when she placed her letter back on. In chapter 18, we had seen how Hester’s beauty was restored when she removed her ‘A’. However, the fact that she once again lost this appearance shows how she is stuck within the norms of the Puritan society, and she is now being hidden under the shadow of the forest once again.
ReplyDeleteI also found it interesting how Dimmesdale appeared to have changed or “transformed” after his meeting with Hester in the forest. He had an “unaccustomed” amount of physical energy and walked at a “rapid pace” when going back into the town. Also, this change can be seen as he noticed how all the buildings and houses appeared “strange” and “unfamiliar”, even though there was no actual external change in the setting. As Hawthorne mentioned in chapter 20, “it was the same town”, but “the same minister returned not from the forest”.
I really enjoyed listening to Monica Lewinsky’s Ted Talk and hearing about her story. Specifically, I found it interesting how she mentioned that “compassionate comments can help abate the negativity”, even if it's just by a single person. It's sometimes scary to think about how much power the internet can have, causing shame to be "amplified, uncontained and permanently accessible". Like the speaker said, I believe that changing this shameful culture will require more awareness of the issue, as empathy is the only way in with shame can be combated, both in person and online.
I found it incredibly interesting how Pearl only recognized her mother when she wore her shame upon her bosom with the scarlet letter and with her hair taken up, versus when she went without these things. I haven't quite figured out what to make of it, but I thought it was definitely something worth mentioning. I also wanted to point out how Pearl measures Mr. Dimmesdale's love for Hester, which is by him taking Hester and Pearl by the hand and showing the town how he feels for them. I think this is really interesting because typically love is an inward feeling and it's very hard to explain to others why you love a person or how you know you do, but Pearl kind of flips this societal norm on its head and says love isn't just the inward acceptance of others, its the outward expressions too. This kind of reminds me of how today its common for young lovers to hide their relationships, especially those in same-sex attractions, but to Pearl and by extension, Hawthorne, love is being able to shout it from the rooftops because love has no shame or boundaries. But anyways, I thought this was a really deep concept for such a young girl to realize, even before her mother did, who is totally in love with Dimmesdale, who for whatever reason is happier now that he's leaving soon but is also suddenly getting all these temptations for weird, random things (like teaching little kids bad words... who does that?!). Honestly I was totally rooting for Hester and Dimmesdale to work out but after seeing more into his intentions and his thoughts at the present moment, I'm not so sure what to believe.
ReplyDeleteUpon looking at the Ted Talk, I read the name Monica Lewinsky and it sounded very familiar but I had no idea why I knew the name. Her story wasn't too clear so I googled her and then it made sense why she said she fell in love with her boss and later referred to him as the president. I never knew this story prior to googling it, but I thought it was interesting how the name sounded familiar when I had no idea the story behind it. I think this proves her point that nothing is kept private anymore with todays technology, because even people's personal pictures are being hacked and spread, and even people's conversations on Snapchat, which are supposed to disappear forever after a few seconds. This definitely stuck out to me the most because no one is safe anymore! We have amazing technology today but it also makes it very hard for anyone to keep anything to themselves, whether it be by choice or not.
I think the only time I really saw people being cyber bullied was when it was on celebrities's posts. Maybe this is because others don't see them as real people because they're so super famous and don't think their comments matter, but I've heard a billion celebrities say the mean comments always hit way harder than the nice ones do. I think positivity should really circulate on social media, and this will hopefully bring someone up instead of down. And honestly in a society pulling further and further away from God, the negative comments will only get worse. This is why I think it's super important for me personally to follow the example of Jesus Christ and love others, and sometimes that's a very hard thing to do but at the end of the day, a mean comment won't make you or the recipient feel better so I think it's best to leave those thoughts undeclared. In conclusion, I don't know if there's one big thing that will fix the way we interact with each other online, but I definitely think setting a positive example for others to follow definitely helps. I know sometimes I'll notice something bad about someone's post and I'll check the comments to see if anyone else noticed and 9 times out of 10 the comments aren't negative and pointing out flaws at all so it makes me forget about the negative thoughts I had and helps me to look more at the positive things people are noticing. After all, shame cannot survive with empathy!! Kindness is the way to go!
I really enjoyed chapter 19 and 20 of the Scarlett Letter. I feel as if it served as an important part of Dimmsdale’s character development. Originally, Dimmsdale was overcome with his shame and sin, however, after conversing with Hester, and receiving the empathy required to move forward and make a new life of himself, he becomes a much more joyful and hopeful person. Furthermore, I feel as if the chapter solidified an important symbolic motif that has re-surfaced again and again throughout the entirety of the story: the brook. The forest itself is a point of particular interest in the possible symbolism that it holds, but more so than the forest, I feel as if the brook is the main foundation of the setting and supernatural elements of the story. Originally, I was left perplexed as to what the brook might stand for, however, Mr. Dimmsdale was able to confirm some of the audience suspicions as to it's symbolism when he states "'I have a strange fancy... that this brook is the boundary between two worlds, and that thou canst never meet thy Pearl again.'" I feel as if the two worlds the brook seperate may be that of reality and the fantasy of which Hester and the minister have created for after they have left behind their sin in the town. This may suggest that you cannot run from sin and live in reality (as seen as Hester and Pearl can not reach eachother until Hester puts on the A), but rather your reaction to it is what can change you.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the ted-talk, I felt that it was very eye opening and an essential topic to discuss as social media and public shaming have become all the more common in present society. I really admired the speakers strength in presenting her topic, and how she encouraged us to continue to show empathy to those who are under scrutiny. Rather than standing in the shadows,we must bring light to those who are suffering and show them the empathy that might overcome their shame.
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ReplyDeleteWhile reading chapter 19, I found myself questioning lots of things such as why Hester refuses to have a true mother-daughter relationship with Pearl, why Pearl doesn’t necessarily ‘accept’ Hester without the scarlet letter, and how Hester and Dimmesdale were able to fall ‘back’ in-love with each other or at least forgive each other quickly and easily? In chapter 19, I felt slightly bothered by Pearl’s attitude and behavior with Hester because I felt like she didn’t want Hester to be relieved of her sin. She seemed like she was forcing Hester to be the worst version of herself and not find happiness or beauty in herself again. At this point, I was reminded of when Pearl was referred to as the embodiment of Hester and Dimmesdale’s sins and shame. However, I felt that since Pearl didn’t want to see her mother without the scarlet letter, Pearl was essentially reversing the role of being an embodiment of shame and placing that role upon Hester. Hester will always be reminded of her sin even if she does all the good in the world. Also even if she doesn’t physically have the scarlet letter on her, it has still left an imprint on her world-view and her self-esteem. Going back to our last novel, I felt like this shame was the same with Mariam in A Thousand Splendid Suns. As a child, Mariam was always told that she was a living, breathing embodiment of shame and because of this, Mariam struggled with how she viewed herself and what she believed she deserved in life, just like Hester seems to be doing.
ReplyDeleteChapter 20 was interesting as well because readers were able to see a transformation of Dimmesdale’s character. After meeting with Hester and Pearl, he felt relieved of his sins and joyful that he and Hester would soon leave their cruel community. However, I did kind of feel like he needed to calm down and maintain his “sanity” because he needs to remember his crucial role as a minister and voice for the town. I feel like if he continued to act with such recklessness or rude nature, the people will be able to notice his behavior changes and possibly even discover his secret. Or Chillingworth will do it for them since Dimmesdale is not being discreet about knowing Chillingworth’s true identity or the fact that he no longer trusts him (“no longer a trusted friend but his bitterest enemy”).
As for the Monica Lewinsky Ted Talk, the phrases that stuck out to me the most were that “shame cannot survive empathy”. This was interesting to hear because I feel that for most people with secrets to hide they feel that they will be ridiculed for whatever the secret or sin is but if people empathize with them or show them even the slightest bit of compassion, it can truly make a difference. They will no longer feel as alone or afraid. Also, I really liked how she pointed out that her story, and cyber-bullying as a whole, has a lot to do with the invasion of privacy. I had never taken into consideration that Hester’s public shaming was an invasion of privacy because the whole town was made aware of a private moment shared between her and Dimmesdale. The townspeople had little regard for her feelings or privacy and shamed/embarrassed her for it. However, on a more positive note, I do like that Monica and Hester have both found ways to change their narrative and make the best out of their situations to make a better life for themselves.
For chapters 19-20, there was a section that I found incredibly interesting. After Dimmesdale and Hester have planned their escape to a better life, Dimmesdale has to first figure out how to resign from his position. The book begins to explore his thought process as he begins his journey home from the forest by saying "he was incited to do some strange, wild, wicked thing or other, with a sense that it would be at once involuntary and intentional." This quote alludes to a portion of the Bible that is not as well known as some other verses. In Romans, Paul begins discussing the idea of the internal struggle between choosing sin and human nature versus choosing to follow holiness and God (the whole section is Romans 7:15-20). I feel that most people have the desire to do good things; however, our human nature prevents us from having this ability all the time. I love that this allusion was used in the description of Dimmesdale's thoughts, as it relates to the reader and gives a greater understanding of who the character is and why he has chosen to do some of the things he has.
ReplyDeleteFor the TED talk, I find it incredibly disappointing that people can receive so much criticism and pure hatred for a one time mistake. Monica Lewinsky's story broke my heart in several ways; she was obviously at fault for being the side woman in Bill Clinton's relationship, but she also struggled with her emotions towards him. It is difficult to comprehend feelings like that when your lover is the face of a nation. I believe we all sin and will continue to sin as that is ingrained in who we are and who we have been made to be. However, we must be careful to be graceful with one another because we all make mistakes and choices that we shouldn't sometimes. Redemption is one of the most beautiful things I know, and I think we could see that more by sharing a little more grace.
Chapter 19 and 20 definitely made me wary of what's going to happen with their plan. I feel like there's some subtle foreshadowing that something's going to happen and they won't be able to go back to England. I also thought Dimmesdale's urges were very strange, but it made me think of the different ways people accept their mistakes. He still won't admit publicly that he is Hester's accomplice and even Pearl gets mad at him that he won't walk out of the forest together with them. I'm not the biggest fan of Pearl as a character but I could completely agree with her when she washed off Dimmesdale's kiss on her forehead. Sure, he's a good character and I'm sure he means well, but I feel like he fails to realize that he might bring more peace if he were to just fess up. I understand his reasoning that if he can't confess after 7 years he'll take it to his grave, but it still bothers me that he just won't say that he did it. The town has already accepted Hester's sin, I wonder what would happen if he confessed now. I feel like the public wouldn't shame him, but they would definitely not have the chance to see Dimmesdale as a good person anymore like they did with Hester. Because Dimmesdale deceived them all, he wouldn't get a chance to show he's a good person because he's been lying for 7 years.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I noticed was that Roger Chillingworth seemed to be wary about Dimmesdale knowing who he was. Chillingworth has suspicions that Dimmesdale knows who he really is and that was really confusing to me. I feel like he would want Dimmesdale to know who he really is to make him feel more guilty since he puts on this act as being obsessed with the pastor's health and trying to help him, but he seems almost fearful of it. His motives are heavily based on revenge and while he did love Hester, it feels like he's mad at her and honestly wants her to suffer. If his identity got out, wouldn't that be good for him since Hester might actually be executed? Or maybe she wouldn't considering the town seems content with her sin at this point. Maybe he's scared because Dimmesdale would call him out for his wrath and since the pastor is well-liked, they would listen to him more and shun Chillingworth and then he would be cast out of society.
For the Ted Talk, I had never heard of Monica Lewinsky before, but after I heard her speech, I couldn't help but sympathize with her. Having strict parents, I've never had any type of social media. Sometimes I wish I could have it just to be like my friends, but hearing stories like these sometimes make me glad I don't. With the media booming with all sorts of outlets, it seems like everything these days it just drama with other people. It's always scandals and accusations, some of which aren't even true but people still take sides. A lot of the time some people just say things only because they don't like the person they're talking about and it ruins reputations, such as Lewinsky's. Although it became a big deal, situations like those should remain a private matter. People forget that public figures are still people. They have feelings and they're not always perfect. In a way, I could compare it to Dimmesdale who is this renowned pastor, loved by many, yet he committed sin. Hester, who was not renowned but committed the same sin, was the one that was shunned because Dimmesdale didn't confess. It was on a slightly smaller scale (since they didn't have social media in the 1600s) but considering the community was all they had, it was definitely a big deal. I believe that private matters like those should remain as that: private. It should only concern the people it affects so it may be resolved in a more civil and less painful manner (for Dimmesdale quite literally). It's the public humiliation which seems to escalate the situation and exaggerate it more than it is which leads to the shame and guilt that they all feel.
(Jaquelyn Sanchez)
ReplyDeleteI feel like Hawthorne is hinting at what we talked about in class - when Hester threw her letter away, that she was also throwing away her, since Pearl is so attached to it's meaning. I also guessed in the last chapter that Hester throwing away the letter not into the stream, but on the verge of it, symbolized that she couldn't fully leave her sin behind her and let the brook carry it away like it did with other woes, no matter how hard she tried, mainly because her sin manifests in her daughter. I was proven right when Hester was forced to pick up her letter, don her sorrowful appearance, and remember her sin once again just to get Pearl's affections again. I think that their plan to run away will be somewhat thwarted by Pearl, because she does not like Dimmesdale at all now, and I think that hatred will cause something to go wrong. I see Dimmesdale's actions in Chapter 20 akin to someone who won the lottery and is cursing off their co-workers and quitting their job because they're off to live a better life. Since he's sure that his sin will be behind him once he leaves, he's committing all of these rude acts, not knowing that the plan will most likely backfire, and these actions will come back to haunt him twice as much as they did when he finished committing them.
I was surprised that even in the earliest days of the Internet's rise, gossip of Lewinsky spread so fast onto the Internet and how that led to major traditional media covering her. The research that Lewinsky brought up that determined that humiliation was a more intense emotion than anger and happiness is definitely true in real life, where suicidal thoughts in people who become cyber bullied or harassed online have become more common with the rise of social media, and in the Scarlet Letter, where Dimmesdale's humiliation drives him to harm himself in the name of hoping to be forgiven of his sin. I know that we cannot 100% get rid of shame culture or the urge to gossip, but I feel like we need to go through a reflection of what we're about to say before we say it. How will this affect the life of the person we are talking about? Was the act committed by this person purely ill-intentioned or was it made out of naivety? If we made a mistake that wasn't purely ill-intentioned,and we were shamed about it, how would we feel? If we reflected on how we acted and what we said about people and their mistakes, I think most of us would realize what we're doing is wrong and stop, reducing shame culture.
What stood out to me from the Ted Talk is her quote "I was patient zero for losing a personal reputation on a global scale almost instantaneously," because when this scandal came to light was right when the internet was budding, so it spread very quickly. This shows how the internet can be used for good and also for evil such as the cyber-bullying and harassment that she faced.
ReplyDeleteMy topics for discussion about the reading are:
1. Pearl's temper tantrum, usually children don't notice that small of a change
2. Pearl's connection to nature and her constant comparison to and elf or a fairy. Dimmesdale even says that a fairy cannot cross a running stream.
3. Dimmesdale's weird mood after their chat in the forest. What changed him? What brought the vitality back to his spirit?
In chapters 19-20, I was very intrigued by the significance of the brook that Pearl clung to so much. At first, I was a little annoyed by its repetitiveness but it shows the literal reflection of sadness that the characters are facing. I thought it was interesting that in chapter 16 Hawthorne says that Pearl resembled the brook and we can see that she is quite connected to in chapter 19 when she feels more comfortable near the brook than going to her mother and Dimmesdale. We can see that it is a literal threshold that she refuses to cross when she is jealous of him. It also acts as a literal reflection of amplification of Pearl's anger or sadness, as it all tended to push Hester to give in. As for chapter 20, I was extremely surprised by Dimmesdale's massive temptation to sin. I thought that it brought such a contrast after the peacefulness and solemnity of the previous chapter. I think that this shows a possible message from Hawthorne. I think that it may further prove the point of the "natural man" and our weakness. Although we want to be repentant and good, we all tend to fall into this cyclical nature of falling in and out of sin. In other words, it is inevitable.
ReplyDeleteAs for the TED talk, what stood out the most to me was when Monica said, "I was seen by many, but actually known by few" and she also referenced being dimensional. I feel like a lot of times we are so caught up in ourselves that we forget to look at others with just as much depth as we know we have. We should be thinking before speaking and we should try to understand a person and their situation (their story) before drawing drastic and harsh conclusions. A person's actions need context. As she mentions we all have freedom of speech, but with that comes great responsibility. As for what I can do, I can try to be a little more patient, a little more understanding. Show compassion and stand up for those who are hurt and misunderstood.
The part of Monica Lewinsky's ted talk that stood out to me most was that she, a vulnerable 22 year old at the time, seemed to have received just as much public shaming if not more as the president of the United States when both were equally guilty. I believe this provides good evidence for her claim that women and minorities are especially susceptible to public humiliation. I don't use social media, but I will make an effort not to gossip in conversation to help prevent shame culture offline.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to chapters 19 and 20, I found Pearl's reaction to the A being thrown away interesting. We discussed a little bit in class how this may have been because she knew she was connected somehow to the letter, and that seeing her mother remove it insulted her by suggesting her mother was removing HER too. One thing I noticed though, was that almost immediately before this, Pearl is described as being accepted by nature. I think this could suggest that nature itself does not want Hester to just throw away her A, and instead to keep it and let it gain a new meaning. I believe Hawthorne is suggesting that denying sins after they've been forgiven is wrong, possibly because it prevents growth.
I also found it interesting that Dimmesdale's house was "on the edge of the burial ground" as this could be symbolic of him previously burying his shame, and possibly continuing to do so.
Chapter 19: Since Hester threw the letter away Pearl felt as if she had been discarded. Since Pearl is the embodiment of Dimmesdale and Hester's sin, Hawthorne might be hinting that not all has been reconciled at this moment. Dimmesdale and Hester are not yet able to completely throw away their sin and start anew for Dimmesdale must take ownership of their sin and nurture it, care for it, and let themselves grow from it alongside little Pearl. Pearl is hyper aware of affairs of the heart, and in Hester asking if she will love Dimmesdale she asks if he will walk hand in hand, the three of the them back into town. At seven years old Pearl knows intuitively what must be done, the thing that these grown adults have had trouble doing for seven years.
ReplyDeleteChapter 20: Dimmesdale is a NEW MAN. I'm excited to see how he grows and what he is able to overcome with his new, and quite comical may I add, revelations.
We must have empathy with others. I know I've talk to you about this before but we need to have more empathy for others and try to understand their point of view, their mistakes. Our system is set up for companys to make money off of negativity, shame, and hurt. We can counteract these in our actions through compassion by changing the way that we interact with others. Conversation between people of all types is key, especially the people we do not understand, so that we can have a deeper understanding for the range of human experience and emotion.
*(Actually Atticus Voss)*
ReplyDeleteSeveral things Monica Lewinsky said reminded me of the story of Jesus and the woman found in adultery. When the Pharisees brought a woman to Christ, asking him if they should stone her, He basically said, "If you've never messed at one point or another then go ahead and send some stones her way." Christ never condemned her, and it made me think how Ms. Lewinsky said that digital stones were thrown at her, implying that she sees people as having no right to condemn her. I believe she is right. She messed up. But reading the Scarlet Letter specifically reminded me that everyone does. It's hard to tell someone that they've done something wrong when you're not completely innocent yourself.
While I don't have much to say concerning the Scarlet Letter (because to be honest I am rather behind in the reading and am still taking notes on things earlier) I would like to discuss the shifting nature of Dark Romanticism and Transcendentalism. What an interesting contrast is created between the two! Hester's thoughts, as well as Dimmesdale's, are often more human than I expected them to be. Don't we all have doubts like they do, that maybe mercy can be applied, but then again, maybe not?
Faith Dillon:
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 19 and 20 there were many parts that very interesting. In chapter 19 we see Hester calling to Pearl to cross the river to come to her. Pearl will not go because she sees her mother without the "A" on her chest. Pearl literally will not stop crying and screaming until Hester puts it back. This shows how Pearl views her mother with an "A" but not to shame her mother but she sees it has a part of who makes her mother her mother. I think Pearl sees the A as a connection to her mother and her and by Hester taking it off Pearl feels like that connection is missing. Chapter 20 was all about Dimmesdale's journey back to his house. As he goes through the journey encounters some people from the church and he is tempted to shout and say things that he thinks will cause a negative change their hearts. It was cool to see in this chapter a healthy and optimistic Dimmesdale who had found his passion and fire again. Also I still don't understand Chillingworth. He literally suspects that Dimmesdale knows his identity but still decides to stay quiet so I don't understand how Chillingworth wants to finish his revenge plan because he just keeps sitting back and waiting for something.
After watching the video I never realized how bad Monica Lewinsky situation was. Since the situation wasn’t during my time all I have heard about her is that she is one who slept with the president. I never really learned about the backstory about her or about how the whole world came after her. It was so crazy to see how many people were so quick to judge and ridicule. It was really awful to see a young woman be bullied and threaten over a mistake. The mistake was a big and serious one but most of the people who attacked Lewinsky definitely had also made lots mistakes in their life therefore there was no need for all of the harsh and negative words and judgements.
In chapter 19 and 20 there were many parts that very interesting. In chapter 19 we see Hester calling to Pearl to cross the river to come to her. Pearl will not go because she sees her mother without the "A" on her chest. Pearl literally will not stop crying and screaming until Hester puts it back. This shows how Pearl views her mother with an "A" but not to shame her mother but she sees it has a part of who makes her mother her mother. I think Pearl sees the A as a connection to her mother and her and by Hester taking it off Pearl feels like that connection is missing. Chapter 20 was all about Dimmesdale's journey back to his house. As he goes through the journey encounters some people from the church and he is tempted to shout and say things that he thinks will cause a negative change their hearts. It was cool to see in this chapter a healthy and optimistic Dimmesdale who had found his passion and fire again. Also, I still don't understand Chillingworth. He literally suspects that Dimmesdale knows his identity but still decides to stay quiet so I don't understand how Chillingworth wants to finish his revenge plan because he just keeps sitting back and waiting for something.
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video I never realized how bad Monica Lewinsky’s situation was. Since the situation wasn’t during my time all I have heard about her is that she is one who slept with the president. I never really learned about the backstory about her or about how the whole world came after her. It was so crazy to see how many people were so quick to judge and ridicule. It was really awful to see a young woman be bullied and threaten over a mistake. The mistake was a big and serious one but most of the people who attacked Lewinsky definitely had also made lots of mistakes in their life, therefore, there was no need for all of the harsh and negative words and judgments.
Watching the video made me realize the importance of accepting someones mistakes in order for them to move on and continue growing. With Monica Lewinsky, the shaming towards her was amplified because of the introduction of the internet, as anyone could shame her in any way anonymously. While this is not a new problem as Hester's story dates back hundreds of years, it is much more prevalent and just as impactful in today's society which is why I believe we need to start minimizing the criticism we give to people into the most constructive for their improvement. I am definitely guilty of insults but I am actively trying to call people things like "goober" and "goofball" because I do not want people to feel bad for minor mistakes.
ReplyDeleteAs for the chapters, I thought the removal of the A was a very interesting topic that seemed to change a lot of the mood of the story. While she had little reason to be, Pearl was very offended when Hester took off the letter. I think her physical attachment to the letter reflects a lot on her physical attachment to Hester and the sin that connects them. I believe pearl feels so attached to it because it connects them and to throw it away almost feels like child negligence.
Chapter 19:
ReplyDeleteDuring our discussion the other day, Mrs. Caraway (I believe) brought up Pearl's attachment to the Scarlett Letter. This chapter reiterated that point as seen by Pearl's tantrum after she noticed Hester wasn't wearing the A. She associates herself with this A, even though she may not fully understand what it means, she knows the A has something to do with her so when Hester discarded of it, she felt as if Hester was discarding her in a way. Also, I think it is important to note that when Dimsdale kissed Pearl's forehead she wiped it off. In a way, this signifies that something is still off about Dimsdale and he is still not completely forgiven (I'm not sure this is the word I'm looking for). In Pearl's eyes, who we know has some otherworldly wisdom, Dimsdale is still not trusted and hence, he isn't trusted yet, maybe, he has not completely accepted the repercussions and ownership of his sin, something Hawthorne puts a lot of importance in (as seen by the growth of Hester).
Chapter 20:
This chapter just reassured my beliefs in Chapter 19. Dimsdale's odd actions and evil thoughts towards the people of the town show that there is something not quite right about him. Also, I worry about the idea of Dimsdale and the girls running away together. Dimsdale became gravely ill with the burdens and guilt from his single act of adultery. What is going to happen to him if he commits his life to run away, wouldn't he just be committing another sin, more accurately a life of sin?
Video:
At first, I didn't know who was speaking. I knew I recognized the name but wasn't sure why. After the first 5 min of her presentation, I figured it out and I felt oddly starstruck. By being on the other side of cyberbullying (not a victim nor a bully, just a watcher), sometimes it feels like the issues, attackers, and victims are not real, but rather made-up characters in an intriguing story. So when I saw Monica Lewinsky, and I heard her voice, her thoughts, and her perspective it felt all too weird. I think this says a lot about the culture of humiliation we have in that now that we have the internet, it is so easy to feel alone because the people who are there, watching everything go down, are not really there. They're behind a screen, judging in silence. I'm not sure what I can do to help. Trying to stand up for everyone who has ever been cyberbullied is an impossible task, so maybe, I will try to stand up for just one person with the hopes that they will be inspired to stand up for someone else and so on.
From chapter 19, I was most intrigued by the way Pearl would not come to her mother unless she put the scarlet letter back on her chest. Her mother was not actually unrecognizable to her, she just could not accept her mother without her letter. Knowing that this kind of behavior is not unusual from Pearl, this act does not seem as bad, but I still wonder why Pearl would do that.
ReplyDeleteFrom chapter 20, I felt that Dimmesdale was being hypocritical in a way. Not just from him hiding his sin but in the way that he ignored the woman he encountered. He ignored her because he did not want to risk corrupting her by saying something in the new state of mind that he was in after his encounter with Hester in the forest. But by not giving her more advice he lets her be a part of the system that he now thinks that he has to reject. He doesn’t believe that the Puritan way is right and he lets the woman continue with that way of life because he is scared to corrupt her with his new views, but by doing this she will be corrupted anyways by the Puritan church.
From the TED Talk, the thing that stuck out the most to me was the idea that “shame cannot survive empathy”. I think about this more than I should and I feel that it is a very valid statement. The notion that shame cannot survive empathy also works in other shows and aspects of life that I have noticed. In the show Elite a kid Polo kills a fellow classmate and the people that know about it hate him for it while his girlfriend shows him empathy. As bad as it sounds, this helps Polo to overcome most of his guilt, despite what his other classmates think about him. Although the story does not end well for him, it definitely shows how shame cannot survive and thrive with empathy. The only way I think I can help to change the shame culture that exists is to show more empathy to people when they tell me shameful things. This will not be easy for me however as I am a judgemental person a lot of the time.
Pearl has never seen her mother without the letter, she quite literally did not recognize her, she didn't want anything to do with her. She threw a tantrum as Pearl does plently due to the lack of punishment Hester gives her. This shows a deeper meaning though that Pearl may never grow out of this idea of not being a part of the Scarlett Letter. Which will always remind Hester of her sin, and refrain from her moving on from the reminder of the crime she commited.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter 20 what really threw me off was how much Dimmsdale was in his head, I mean...it was almost evil how much he wanted to harm. He was so confused with how he felt because of him chosing between his life and his secret family. He was even simply having a diffucult time writing his resignation letter. I feel this is why it is called "the minister in a maze" because Dimmsdale feels trapped between his two worlds and does not know which to pick. If he chooses his family he goes against the puritan ways, which has been his entire life, his religion. If he goes with his religion he leaves his family that he is just as fault for making as hester is, he betrays them.
with the TEDtalk, one of the things that we have discussed in class before is that shame grows with negative conotations. And the idea it cant survive if there is positive empathy around the situation. This is a very good statement to keep in mind especially when you are feeling shame, you should revolve yourself around positive things.