We concluded our discussion of the Scarlet Letter by formulating an outline for an essay due in December wherein Olivia will analyze the impact of the 19th Century feminist writer ,Margaret Fuller, on the character of Hester Prynne in the novel. I discussed the importance of the type of literary scholarship this exercise requires in composing longer college papers .Next, I introduced the novella, "Daisy Miller" by Henry James . I reviewed the gilded age in America in the late 19th Century, and emphasized the correlation between social manners and and perceived morality in that era.. As a preview to the novel, I referenced that the question faced by the story's narrator is whether Daisy is an innocent ,oblivious to the impacts of her unacceptable social manners or is she truly a person of poor moral character. The novel opens in Vevey,Switzerland with the main characters visiting the famous Castle of Chillon,which is the subject of Lord Byron's poem. Accordingly, I provided instruction on Romanticism in poetry, rhyme ,meter and rhyme scheme followed by our reading and analyzing the poem. Olivia did a formidable job understanding ,analyzing ,and discussing the plight of the imprisoned narrator , as well as in recognizing theme, rhyme scheme and meter, and iambic tetrameter .As we proceed with the novel, we will discuss the relevance of the prisoner's plight and compare it to Daisy's, thereby explaining the author's purpose in including this scene in the story. For homework, I assigned reading the first chapter of the novel, and defining the vocabulary words listed for chapter one on the vocabulary sheet I distributed . The test on Scarlet Letter will be postponed until Thursday .
We reviewed Olivia's three prior test papers/essays as well as her SAT practice exam homework in order to focus on proper punctuation, consistent verb tense, and run-ons. I explained the proper use of apostrophes, reviewed joining independent clauses with a comma and conjunction , and differentiated the use of conjunctions and of certain connectors such as "however, and consequently" that require a new sentence or semi-colon in order to avoid a run-on sentence. We looked at some of Olivia's written work and addressed corrections per our grammar lesson.Thereafter, we reviewed Olivia's corrections to the SAT practice test and discussed why her initial choices were not the best or correct answer ,again focusing on punctuation and run-ons .I have scheduled our final test on "The Scarlet Letter " for tomorrow. We will then read and study "Daisy Miller "by Henry James. I distributed the book today and provided some introduction.
As Olivia requested assistance in writing her college essays, we began today discussing ideas and strategies for composing a personal statement. We then completed our analysis of the Scarlet Letter. Olivia studied language in the final chapters and formulated a statement of universal theme and then discussed how plot, symbols and imagery supported her statement of theme. She demonstrated a good understanding of the material . We also pieced together ideas about the meaning of the final line of the novel - "On a field, sable, the letter A gules"noting the recurring symbolism of red and black objects in the novel. Last, we discussed the role of Margaret Fuller a 19th Century feminist , on the character of Hester Prynne. The final test of the novel is scheduled for Thursday. For homework,I assigned rewriting one portion of a test response and making corrections to the SAT practice test.
Olivia participated in class discussion today on the final chapters of the novel. We first discussed how Hawthorne revives his criticism of Puritan society in the final chapters and notes how the stringent moral code of the 1850s still owes its origins to the Puritans.We continued to analyze how Hawthorne emphasizes the varying interpretations of events and symbols ,including the death of Dimmesdale. While the novel purports to announce a theme of "Be true" ,we questioned whether truth was at the heart of the novel's message. This led to a discussion of the paradox: fiction, an artifice, being a messenger of truth. Last, we began to round out our discussion of theme by noting that Hawthorne seeks expiation from his forefather's participation in the Salem witch trials,thereby accounting for making Hester Prynne, a woman, the stronger character, and womanhood the possible savior of a reformed society. We noted the strong influence of Margaret Fuller on this aspect of Hester's character,.
As Olivia was late today and had not finished writing her paragraphs from yesterday's test, today she worked on completing that assignment which is due tomorrow along with a practice SAT exercise on punctuation.
Olivia took a test on the novel during the entire session today. As she did not complete the exam, she is finishing the exam for homework as well as doing some supplemental reading on the influence of Margaret Fuller on the novel.
As Olivia had some questions with respect to completing her symbolism paragraphs ,we initially reviewed the novel's focus on differing interpretations of the letter "A" focusing on why to some in the community the letter "A" referred to Abel,the biblical figure. Before delving into the details of the final chapters, we discussed Olivia's opinion of the novel's ending. Olivia astutely noted that given Hester's strong character , the ending wherein many years after Dimmedale's death Hester returns to Boston and again wears the letter is unrealistic as is the dramatic scene where Dimmesdale confesses. We tied these observations to both the unrealistic genre of Romanticism as well as the novel's introduction ,"The Custom House" where Hawthorne describes the ineluctable draw Salem has on him notwithstanding that Salem is the scene of his family's shame due his forefather's participation in the Salem witch trials.For homework, I assigned finishing the vocabulary work on the novel. Also the test on earlier chapters that was to be made up last week, will instead be given tomorrow.
