Olivia continues to refine her analytical essay writing skills. We today addressed her rewrite of her test essay focusing on eliminating grammatical errors and tying the meaning of cited quotes to her thesis . We also addressed her paragraph work on symbolism in the novel . Last, we discussed parallel structure and misplaced modifiers followed by Olivia completing a number of practice SAT exercises on these two areas. We have rescheduled the test for tomorrow. Also due tomorrow are final essay rewrites addressing my comments .
During our first session, I addressed Olivia's questions on her written analysis on various symbols in the novel. We examined quotes from the novel, and discussed how to conclude her paragraphs by explaining the significance of the quotes as textual support for the interpretation of the symbol. During our second session, we did SAT prep exercises on verb tenses, word usage, subject- pronoun agreement, and subject -verb agreement. I further provided instruction on joining independent clauses with the proper connector or conjunction depending on relationship between the two clauses . Olivia did a number of exercises on this topic as the SAT and ACT typically test the proper use of the connectors " and ,but ,or , ,moreover, however, nevertheless, since, because "etc. She did very well on the exercises some of which were more difficult than the exam itself. For homework, I assigned reading chapters. 20 and 21 of the novel. We will have the test that was scheduled last week on Wednesday of this week.
As Olivia requested some assistance with rewriting her last essay,I addressed Olivia's concerns with respect to what details and further elaborations would fortify her first draft. We also discussed how to respond to essays that incorporated a quote as part of the prompt. Next, I directed Olivia's attention to specific portions of chapters 18 and 19 ,and had her identify figurative language and imagery. Olivia did good job recognizing the role of light imagery and tying the imagery to Hawthorne's themes of truth/deception and reality /illusion. Last, we analyzed the author's treatment of Pearl in terms of her actions and imagery. Olivia again did a good job identifying Pearl's role in the novel as representing purity and truth. As Olivia was out last week, we rescheduled the next test for this Thursday. The homework from last week ie the essay rewrite and the symbolism paragraphs will be due tomorrow.
As we are approaching the close of the novel, Olivia today began articulating the main theme of the novel. We likened Dimmesdale"s hypocrisy and false persona to a person who is in a witness protection program forced to wear a false identity and thereby to abandon his sense of purpose and of his true self. It must take considerable effort and likely takes its physical and emotional toll in the same way as does Dimmesdale's masquerade . Olivia noted the imagery in the titles of the chapters and Hawthorne's use of light imagery in the forest scene. Last, we discussed how Hester's isolation and pain have created both insight into the human condition and a false sense of possibilities. During the last segment of the class, we reviewed Olivia's test paper and my comments on her test essay . We addressed grammatical issues and the importance of directly addressing the posed inquiry. For homework, study for tomorrow's test which includes vocabulary and quotes from the novel .
To assist Olivia in preparing her written work due Thursday on symbolism, I reviewed how and why the Romantic genre lends itself to the creation of characters who embody or represent certain ideas or human traits. I additionally reviewed Olivia's vocabulary work and supplemented the studied words with often used antonyms. We then examined the gender role reversal in the novel wherein the male, Dimmisdale, is as Olivia noted ,"like the damsel in distress" and Hester,the woman, is the embodiment of strength ,defiance, and action. We also examined some of the metaphorical language in Hester's call to action speech. I again pointed out the apparent influence of the 19th Century feminist,Margaret Fuller, in Hawthorne's writing. For homework ,I assigned reading chapters 18 and 19 .
