Olivia's essay on the Scarlet Letter was an impressive first draft which we reviewed and discussed today . I pointed out ways to improve some organizational aspects,to improve some sentences , and to correct any grammatical errors. We then discussed the rising conflict between Dimmesdale and Chillingworth, and noted how the author subtly condemns Dimmesdale's refusal to publicly confess his role as the father of Pearl . In our class discussion, Olivia reviewed certain textual similarities in the author's description of Hester and Dimmesdale both achieving an almost mystical ability to see the hidden sins in others and to feel empathy and a new found connection to mankind as a result of their shared sin. For homework due Monday I assigned rewriting the essay to address the areas we reviewed in class, and two very short ACT preparation exercises on identifying and correcting sentence run-ons and fragments. There will a test on Thursday.