The Scarlett Letter Essays - English-language Films, Free Essays

The Scarlett Letter Essays - English-language Films, Free Essays The Scarlett Letter The Effective Use of Symbolism The novel, The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne is an intriguing account of a Puritan community that experiences a breakdown in beliefs. The story deals with a woman, Hester, who commits adultery with a Calvinistic minister resulting in the birth of a child (Martin 110). As compensation for her crime of passion and her refusal to name her lover, Hester is sentenced to wear an embroidered scarlet letter on her bosom. It is this letter, or secret sin, that becomes the emphasis of the novel and assumes many different roles (Martin 111). Hawthorne starts the novel by portraying the literary reality associated with the different aspects of the letter (Martin 110). From the start, Hawthorne seems to say, this is a scarlet letter; because of that, it is capable of further meaning. The letter will have to carry the burden of the tale (Martin 111). Hawthornes use of symbolism is fully developed in the multi-meanings hidden in the scarlet letter through a variety of characters. The scarlet letter represents different ideals to different people and should be given the proper consideration (Martin 114). In the Puritan community, the letter is viewed as a moral obligation to inform others of Hesters sin, one that they feel should be dragged out into the sunshine (Hawthorne 43). They believe the letter symbolizes psychological and religious truth. The Puritans are a people amongst whom religion and law were almost identical, and in whose character both were so thoroughly Foti 2 interfused, that her mildest and severest acts of public discipline were alike made venerable and awful (Hawthorne 40). It is said that meager, indeed, and cold, was the sympathy that a transgressor might look for, from such bystanders at the scaffold (Hawthorne 40). The Puritans are firmly against Hesters actions and feels that she has disgraced them along with herself. They feel that she must take responsibility for her actions. The effect of her punishment however is not what the Puritans had hoped to achieve. Hesters sin has grown from that of passion to one of purpose. Even with Hesters sympathetic attitude, she was not filled with regret and therefore the letter had not done its task (Martin 122). To the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, the scarlet letter contains a whole new meaning. He views the letter as a constant reminder of his sin and cowardice. His guilt continues to grow as a result of his not being able to come forth in front of the community and take responsibility for his actions. His guilt and sin become magnified by his inability to stand beside Hester at the scaffold. Dimmesdale, also is ironically charged with questioning Hester and trying to convince her of the importance of identifying her fellow sinner (Hawthorne 52). He begins to feel more and more grief and it begins to affect his mental and physical state. He soon becomes weak; however, it is believed by the community to be because of his too unreserved self-sacrifice to the labors and duties of the pastoral relation (Hawthorne 80). When Dimmesdale is believed to be near death, the community again believes it is because the world was not worthy to be any longer trodden by his feet (Hawthorne 88). Dimmesdale se ems to be haunted by Satans emissary, in the guise of old Roger Chillingworth. This diabolical Foti 3 agent had the Divine permission, for a season, to burrow into the clergymans intimacy and plot against his soul (Hawthorne 94). Chillingworth proposes to Dimmesdale that a sickness, a sore place, if we may so call it, in your spirit, hath immediately its appropriate manifestation in your bodily frame (Hawthorne 99). However, Dimmesdale denies and refuses to discuss it with him. Dimmesdale becomes weaker and weaker because by the constitution of his nature, he loved the truth, and loathed the lie, as few men ever did. Therefore, above all things else, he loathed his miserable self! (Hawthorne 105). Before Dimmesdales death, he finally confesses to his sin on the scaffold and frees his soul and conscience. Spectators have testified to seeing on the breast of the unhappy minister, a SCARLET LETTERthe very semblance of that worn by Hester Prynneimprinted in the flesh (Hawthorne 182).

Ancient Maya Locations, Architecture, Language

Ancient Maya Locations, Architecture, Language The Maya lived in subtropical Mesomerica in parts of the countries that are now Guatemala, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, and the Yucatan peninsula area of Mexico. Major sites of the Maya are located at: PalenqueCopanBonampakTikalChichà ©n ItzYakchilanPiedras NegrasCalakmul. When Were the Ancient Maya? The recognizable culture of the Maya developed between 2500 B.C. and A.D. 250. The peak period of Maya civilization was in the Classic period, which began in A.D. 250. The Maya lasted for about another 700 years before suddenly disappearing as a major force; however, the Maya did not die out then and havent to this day. What We Mean by the Ancient Maya The ancient Maya were united by a shared religious system and language, although there are actually many Mayan languages. While the political system was also shared among the Maya, each chiefdom had its own ruler. Battles between cities and protective alliances were frequent. Sacrifice and Ball Games Human sacrifice is a part of many cultures, including the Maya, and is usually associated with religion in that people are sacrificed to the gods. The Maya creation myth involved a sacrifice made by the gods that had to be re-enacted by humans from time to time. One of the occasions of human sacrifice was the ball game. It is not known how often sacrifice of the loser ended the game, but the game itself was often deadly. The Architecture of the Maya The Maya built pyramids, like the people of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Maya pyramids were usually 9-step pyramids with flat tops on which were perched temples to the gods accessible by stairs. The steps corresponded with the 9 layers of the Underworld. Maya created corbeled arches. Their communities had sweat baths, a ball game area, and a central ceremonial area that may have also served as a market in the cities of the Maya. The Maya at the city of Uxmal used concrete in their buildings. Commoners had homes made of thatch and either adobe or sticks. Some residents had fruit trees. Canals afforded an opportunity for mollusks and fish. The Language of the Maya The Maya spoke various Maya family languages some of which were phonetically transcribed via hieroglyphs. The Maya painted their words on bark paper that has disintegrated but also wrote on more enduring substances [see epigraphy]. Two dialects dominate the inscriptions and are presumed to be the more prestigious forms of the Maya language. One is from the southern area of the Maya and the other from the Yucatan peninsula. With the advent of the Spanish, the prestige language became Spanish.

Lord of the Flies Analysis of Chapter 1 Essay Example

Lord of the Flies Analysis of Chapter 1 Essay Example Lord of the Flies Analysis of Chapter 1 Paper Lord of the Flies Analysis of Chapter 1 Paper Essay Topic: The Beast in the Jungle Lord of the Flies analysis of chapter 1 The opening character is important and effective because it sets the scene for that character, and their situation. You can almost predict what that character will be like in the rest of the book by the few sentences that the author gives you. The opening character is also a vital piece of information, because it will make the reader want to read on. The first character that was introduced was Ralph. We can predict that he will become important in the rest of the book because he is the first on the island, and he removes his clothes, which is the first symbol of rebellion. Ralph is introduced as being the boy with fair hair (pg 7). One of the first things Ralph does is pull up his sock which symbolizes the idea that Ralph is still civilized and acts like he is still in a sophisticated society. Ralphs father was in the army, and made it a point to say that his father was going to rescue them. When Ralph was elected as chief, it was because he was oldest, and was said to have the physique of a boxer ‘he may make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil’ (pg 10). Piggy was more of an adequate chief because he was the main idealist who spotted the conch, and the one who did most of the work. Piggy was also the democrat of the boys, he thought things through, he was equal, rational, and had a mindset of being rescued, and not wanting to be stuck on the island. Ralph is overjoyed that there are no grownups on the island, but Piggy can envision the consequences of the pilots death, and the fact that nobody was a mature adult, and they couldn’t make mature decisions. Piggy was not elected chief because of his look and probably because of his name. ‘he was shorter than the fair boy and very fat’ (pg 7). Next to be introduced is Jack and his choir boys. They are introduced as aliens or beastie that appears later on in the book. ‘something dark was fumbling along†¦.. Then the creature stepped from the mirage’ (pg 19). This sends an eerie feeling to the readers. Later on in the paragraph it talks about them ‘stepped from the mirage on to clear sand, and they saw that the darkness was†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦mostly clothing’ (pg 19). The boys were in ‘two parallel lines’ (pg 19) and dressed in black cloaks that covered them from throat to ankle that was adorned with a long silver cross, and a square black cap with a silver badge. Their leader is a boy named Jack. Jack was ‘tall, thin, and bony’ (pg 20) with red hair that was hidden somewhat by the square black cap, and his face ‘was crumpled and freckled, and ugly without silliness†¦two light blue eyes’ (pg 20). Jack is very power hungry, and arrogantly assumes that he would be the chief of the boys because he was the ‘head boy’ (pg 22) of the choir, and because he could ‘sing C sharp’ (pg 22). Jack is quite upset to find that Ralph was voted to be chief of the boys ‘ the freckles on Jack’s face disappeared under a blush of mortification’ (pg 23). Ralph put the choir boys under Jacks power, and thus began Jack and Ralphs friendship ‘Jack and Ralph smiled at each other with shy liking’ (pg 23). When the boys arrive on the uninhabited island, they find themselves surrounded by beautiful shrubs, trees, and beaches. They soon discover that they are the only humans on the island, and there are no adults on the island. ‘no grownups’ (Pg 8). This shows Ralphs immaturity, and his excitement for freedom. However, when Ralph is voted chief, he knows that he needs to gather himself, and think about what they need to survive, and be rescued. The boys (Jack, Ralph, and Simon) explore the island to find out if the place they are in is in fact an island. They begin to have fun, and enjoy themselves while their sense of wanting to be rescued is dissipating. Ever since the beginning of the book, the boys have seemed to destroy the paradise of an island by the ‘long scar smashed into the jungle’ (pg 7) and they will most likely destroy it again. The island that Golding is trying to envision is not as it seems as he uses destructive imagery like ‘decaying coconuts’ (pg 12), ‘coarse grass’ (pg 12), and ‘typhoon’ (pg 12). Golding uses a lot of symbols to demonstrate themes such as friendship, relationships, and violence throughout chapter one. The island is presented as a Garden of Eden. It has all of the necessary things to survive such as, fresh water, fruit, shade, trees to make shelter, and wood to make fire. The relationships between the boys are complicated during the beginning of the chapter. In the first chapter the boys mostly want to be friends, but the relationship between Piggy and Jack is instant hatred which suggests that later on in the book Jack will probably turn on Piggy first. Jack is presented as a very violent person even when Ralph and Jack first meet ‘frustrated now and turning, or ready to turn, into anger’ (pg 20). When Jack fails at killing the pig, he slams his knife into a tree, and says that ‘next time there will be no mercy’ (pg 31). I think Golding chose to strand the boys on an island because there are no adults. There are no rules, no boundaries to what they were allowed to do, no guidance, no civilization, no society. Golding presents the island ‘roughly boat shaped’ (pg 31). I think he did this to represent the boys going into a state of savagery, and the boys civilization going backwards. I also think he said this to represent the boys decreased chances of being rescued. The boat that they should be rescued in is slowly floating farther and farther away. I believe that the first chapter of any book provides insight to what will happen in the rest of the book. The chapter one title ‘The Sound of the Shell’ foreshadows the fact that the conch is the only adult figure in the book, the fact that the sound of the conch gives everybody a sense of order and uniformity. Some of the themes that appear in chapter one, are often found in our everyday lives and it gives the reader an impression about what will happen in the rest of the book. After finishing chapter one, I am left with the sense of predicting what will happen to the boys, and if they will be rescued.

Criminology- Moffitt's Life Course Persistent and Elliott's Integrated Essay

Criminology- Moffitt's Life Course Persistent and Elliott's Integrated Strain- Control Paradigm - Essay Example Teenagers mostly develop antisocial behavior based on the hormonal changes that their bodies are undergoing. However, a different class of antisocial people exists whose antisocial behavior can be rather persistent and stable. Most of the individuals with antisocial behavior tend to use it as an item of self-defense against their fears, for example, their inability to control their environment (Net Industries, 2015). A lot of research studies has been conducted to investigate the probable causes of this rare maladjustment in the society. Researchers tenet this condition to stress, child abuse, hyperactivity disorder and family problems including divorce or the death of a parent. The environment where an individual is raised up in also contributes to the type of behavior they will have. The salient feature of people having antisocial behavior is that they will appear to have no positive feelings for others but only remorse. They also tend to lack expression of their feelings except for anger and hostility and even these are seen through their violent and aggressive acts (Net Industries, 2015). Moffitts Adolescent-Limited or Life-Course Persistent theory suggests that there are two types of distinct developmental pathways to delinquency. In his theory, he argues that antisocial behavior may be adolescent limited or life-course persistent. Based on the theory of life-course persistent antisocial behavior, there is a cumulative interaction between the criminogenic environment and neuropsychological problems. This theory asserts that this group exhibits antisocial behavior beyond their adolescent stage. On the other hand, the adolescence-limited antisocial behavior is a contemporary antisocial behavior that prompts adolescents to engage in antisocial behavior but in ways that can be adjusted and are normal. For example, adolescents may violate school rules or engage in antisocial

John Locke vs. Jean-Jacques Rousseau Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

John Locke vs. Jean-Jacques Rousseau - Essay Example The differences of these two great political thinkers stems on how they assessed the evolution of society. Locke’s perspective begins with man’s natural state of being free but this freedom does not mean imposing itself over another (Chapter V). Eventually, people form society and to best protect them and their property, they have to submit to a government that will enforce a certain standard of behavior that will benefit everybody. For Locke government is good for everybody. Rousseau differed from Locke as he likened the natural state of man to that of a beast and differs only with his perfectibility or capacity to improve himself. Rousseau theory of man’s formation of society is unhealthy because it induces the people to have a new need that will make them compare to others eventually leading to a dominance of certain people over another. To avoid conflict, the prevailing class proposed to have some sort of body politic. Those who are powerless accept this beli eving that this will provide them freedom and safety when in fact will only make inequality more permanent by the establishment of laws. In a way, Rousseau can be said to be a precursor of Karl Marx’s socialist idea of class conflict that is precipitated by inequality in society. Locke on the other hand is the precursor of the modern idea of democracy because his theory of government in his Second Treatise of the Government   that puts forth the sovereignty of the people who chose to establish it to serve them is the same concept that we have now about democracy. His other ideas about government that it derives its sovereignty from the people that government by itself has no sovereignty and the people has the right to abolish it if it no longer serves its purpose and replace it with one that serves its purpose is the same idea that we have about democracy. Just like Rousseau, Locke also anticipated that the acquisition of property will lead into conflict. They only differ i n perspective as Locke thought that the establishment of body politic would best protect them by enforcing laws for certain standard of behavior while Rousseau thought that it will make inequality more permanent. If their treatises will be translated into platform of government, Locke would likely be more appropriate to America’s neo-liberal political orientation that man is basically free and only agreed to establish a strong government for everybody’s good. This is consistent with American’s value system and being such, it is very likely that Locke will win if he will run against Rousseau in America. With regard to policy direction, Locke is likely to oppose Obama’s Health Care Program as it infringes on the property of other who have to subsidize those who cannot afford it. Locke’s puts a primacy on private property and the idea of subsidizing others might not sit well with him. Locke would also likely to strengthen business by introducing laws that would protect it and its property. Rousseau treatise on the other hand would be incompatible with America’s value system but he would make an interesting case. As he is oppose to inequality, Rousseau will likely introduce government programs that will bridge his perceive inequality in American

Queer Theory Questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Queer Theory Questions - Assignment Example According to Cathy J. Cohen (438), the advent of queer theory in the early 1990s found its most direct confrontation with the real-life politics of gay, bisexual, lesbian, and transgendered activists. Queer activism became perceived as a more confrontational political formation aimed at addressing the invisibility of gay and lesbian members in civil rights political organizations. Queer activism aimed at first recognizing and encouraging the movement and fluidity of people’s sexual lives. Queer activism also aimed at challenging the various practices and power circles that rendered the gay and lesbian community members invisible. What queer activism achieved further in correcting earlier conceptions about the gay and lesbian communities was their readiness to emphasize and exaggerate their own anti-normative characteristics and non-stable behavior (Cohen 438). Queer activism got perceived as a multisite and sustained resistance against the dominant constructions of gender and race. Cohen also admits that queer activism, however, failed in its present form to challenge the systems of oppression and domination. Particularly, queer activism failed to address the normalizing processes that were engrossed in heteronormativity. Heteronormativity had been the main focus of the advent of queer activism. She suggests that queer activism has failed to analyze heterosexuality as it got founded on a simple dichotomy that existed between those who got deemed queer and those deemed as heterosexual (Cohen 440). She suggests that some queer activists have begun to prioritize sexuality as the principal avenue through which they follow their politics. Her disappointment is further engraved in these individuals who continue to pursue their politics by emphasizing on a single characteristic of their identity rather than focus on the multiple diversities that determine our life chances (Cohen 440).  Ã‚  

Health and iPhone research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Health and iPhone research - Essay Example One of the ways in which good health care organization can be managed is through app that are available for various Smartphone technologies. The mobile devices create a convenient resource from which to keep the information about daily care with an individual at all times. The iPhone, in particular, is a device that has a wide variety of apps that can be used for health related purposes. As well, the device is designed to be user friendly, both to those using the product and those using the design possibilities for apps. In looking at a way to effectively use the device for a health care related app, the iPhone provides an easily accessed resource from which to facilitate a good design. This report looks at the feasibility of creating an app for the iPhone in which organization and information is readily available for those who must make lifestyle changes in regard to their chronic illness, either from having diabetes or high blood pressure. A literature review will look at the diseases in question and their needs, followed by an overview of the Smartphone technology. The iPhone will be examined for its history and the ways in which it has the most positive potential for such an app. Finally, the report will be an overview of a potential project looking at how the potential for such an app would have use. The aim of this report is to develop a plan for creating an iPhone application in which those who are suffering from diabetes or high blood pressure can utilize the information in an interactive environment in order to better facilitate the management of their care. The main users of such technology will be those who have diseases related to diabetes and high blood pressure, their daily monitoring possible through a system that can keep them in touch with outside resources that will aid in their care. The following literature review will look at the multiple