Post by kiwi cheesecake on Nov 6, 2016 17:05:58 GMT -5
Rough drafts are due tomorrow, and I'm only at an outline.
outline-
Intro-
Nature- light/dark contexts. Explain each person sees in different way, not necessarily right way to see. One could see place of mystery, another peacefulness, another sin. In The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbol of the forest to represent the constant changes in one’s perception of the world, showing that what is believed to be purely one-sided is often more complex than originally thought.
FOREST AS SIN/SATAN-
The first impression many receive of the forest is its pervading darkness and tendency to bring about sin in even the most pious of people. Show townspeople afraid of forest. Satan’s playground, etc. Quote about Black Man and book, Hibbins quote. Says Black Man in forest, waiting for Hester to come. Hester refuses, due to Pearl. Explain Pearl generally shows truth. Truth keeps one from forest? Explain forest is place of sin. H+D’s sin here, Natives here(briefly explain why this is sin), etc. Quote where D emerges from forest and is compelled to sin repeatedly. When you come back from the forest, you come back changed. You are the opposite of what you were- pious--->sinful, truthful--->lying, light--->dark. You lose the light pieces of yourself every time you enter the forest. Relate back to original idea of Satan, temptation, etc. Quick bow on top, and transition.
FOREST AS LIGHT/TRUTH-
If one lingers in the forest, they can begin to notice the ever-present flickers of light between dark trees, and the calmness and introspection that is stimulated by the solitude of the woods. Explanation of light=exposure/truth. Inner truth, true self, etc. Explain P conceived in forest. P, again, mostly truth. Quote p.192, says there is light in the gloom. Here D and H are true to their inner nature. Show how it is more personal truth showing than public. But perhaps more true that way? No society to judge/watch, so no way to influence based on those listening. True to yourself, in the forest. Explain how relates to DR ideal- societal masks. Here it can be shed- like the letter. Quote when H throws off letter in forest. Symbolic of throwing off the ties to society, and instead being who really are, the individual. In forest, free to be self, free of restraints- be that a good or bad thing. Sometimes inner self is better, sometimes sinful(relate back H+D). Could go either way. Quick wrap-up of ideas, then transition towards secrecy.
FOREST AS MYSTERY/SECRECY-
Still, many choose to not enter the forest at all, whether they are too afraid to enter, or simply afraid of who- or what- they’ll meet there. Explain townspeople scared of forest, no one enters. Quote about the rarely used, darkly hemmed footpath. Explain specific diction choices- almost no one ventures out into the forest. Shrouded in darkness- darkness=mystery, concealment. Night is time of solitude, day of exposure. Most don’t venture into darkness because afraid of what’ll be found, but in doing so prevent themselves from ever learning what is there. Quick wrap up, perhaps drawing some things from other BPs in here. Quick transition to the ‘true’ meaning.
FOREST AS AMBIGUITY-
Perhaps the best representation of the forest is ambiguous- not bright or dark, not evil or good, but rather somewhere in between, situated in a moral grey area, straddling the border between mystery and enlightenment. Brief recap of previous points. Show each is a valid meaning. Tell that this is Hawthorne's meaning. Nothing is black/white, all have shades of grey. Refer back to quote on 192- LIGHT in GLOOM. Two separate ideas generally divided, but here commingled. P.200, forest sheds its gloom and dreariness to become P’s playground. It constantly changes meanings, based on who/what observes. Explain H+D see it as both dark and light, for sin was there but also love. Explain P sees it in bright beams of sunlight, because she was conceived there- it is her home. Explain how town sees it as mysterious and sinful, because they have never been there themselves to see. Shrouded in darkness, they don’t know what to think. Restate thesis point- constantly changing view of the world. Views differ and evolve, but can’t say that one is inaccurate. Tie all together. Transition.
Conc-
Nathaniel Hawthorne uses the symbolism of the forest in The Scarlet Letter to represent the ever-shifting perception of one’s world, demonstrating that often things are more complex than their first impressions. Brief recap of body paragraphs and ‘what we learned’. Connect to how no right or wrong answer- can’t judge viewpoints b/c you don’t see it that way. Make some big philosophical connection here, I guess? End with a call to action- maybe don’t diss ideas just because you don’t believe them.