scarlet letter :: essays research papers

The author of this novel, Nathaniel Hawthorne, is mostly known for his unique and descriptive writing style. In The Scarlet Letter, he describes his disapproval of the leading character’s morals clearly. For example, before Hester Prynne emerges from the cold and dark prison, she is scorned by a group of women who believe in a harsher punishment for Hester. Meaning, instead of being made to stand on the scaffold bearing the scarlet letter on her bosom, they suggest that she â€Å"she should be put to death or have it branded into her skin, precisely on her forehead.† Since early times, Puritans have had the reputation for strong discipline, their religious beliefs, and harsh punishment for those defying their beliefs. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is a novel that portrays the Puritans as cold and unfeeling.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Puritan’s feelings were so lacking of compassion that â€Å" they were stern enough to look upon her death†¦without a murmur†¦but had none of the heartlessness of another social state.† This quote depicts that when the public is faced with a death of a sinner, they would absolutely have no reaction what so ever. These worries and concerns are focused on a passage in chapter one in which Hester is being nagged by a harsh group of women. The one woman, perhaps the ugliest of them all, goes too far in advocating the death of Hester due to jealousy   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nathaniel’s tone reveals how he feels towards the Puritan society. He begins early in the novel by describing the Puritans as â€Å"being of the most intolerant brood,† stating the lack of understanding they had toward one another. Finding out about Hester and her beautiful baby Pearl, the town at once without any word from Hester filled their hearts with hatred towards the two. â€Å"Meager, indeed, and cold was the sympathy† that the Puritans offered against Hester in her vulnerable moments aloft the scaffold. Again, Hawthorne’s choice of words indicates his harsh tone towards Puritanism.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nathaniel Hawthorne shows again that the Puritan society as cold and unfeeling in his descriptions of Roger Chillingworth and his reaction to relationships. In his search for revenge, Chillingworth responds to his adultery prone wife by sacrificing his life in order to figure out her secret lover. He used be a scholar but now is disguised as a doctor who put forth his best years, â€Å"to feed the hungry dream of knowledge,† but now he is out for something else, revenge on the one man who made love to his wife.

Book Report Angelas Ashes Essay -- essays research papers

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt A Look at Irish Culture during the Depression Era Frank Mc Court, the author of Angela’s Ashes, was born during the Great Depression. A few years after immigrating to the United States because their families believed they would find their fortune here, his Irish family moved back to Ireland in hopes of a better life. They were met with only more hardships in their native country. His book shows the struggle and small joys of daily life with siblings, school friends, and the adults in his life. It also provides much insight into the way the people in Ireland lived at that time. The author tells the story from the viewpoint of Frank, the oldest child of a father whose background in "the North" (having been involved with the IRA) causes continual suspicion. His mother, Angela, had never known her father and her own mother is very miserly and offers no help to the woman and her children. Through the course of telling about his own life and his family’s hard times, McCourt touches upon the fighting that went on between the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland and the toll this had on the Irish people. He also delved deeply into the issue of poverty among the Irish and the many ways they dealt with the hardship in their lives. Life in the Irish city of Limerick is so hard that starvation is a way of life for most of the residents "Consumption," pneumonia, and typhoid are rampant; children go to school barefoot or in pie...

Critical analysis of Song of Solomon Essay

‘Song of Solomon’, Toni Morrison’s third Novel was published in 1977 and it ascertained her as a key American author given that, after its publication, it turned out to be a bestseller and drew honor from critics as well as readers. The narrative has been particularly admired for the exquisiteness of its language as well as its foundation of international themes in the distinctiveness of the experience of the African-American, not to forget its utilization of folklore. (Morrison 34) The narrative is based on an African-American fairy tale concerning slaves who are able to fly back to Africa once they decide. The author fictionalizes this fairy tale through the traits of Solomon who is the great-grandfather of the story’s central character, Milkman Dead. Through Milkman’s discovery of Solomon’s story and his capability to fly, he learns to be proud of his ancestry as well as valuing his connections to community and family unit. The book won the National Book critics Circle Award for fiction in the year 1977 and is currently extensively taught and emerged once more on best-seller lists after Oprah Winfrey chose it so that it could be included in her book club. The book has being loved by readers for a period of more than two decades and it is still deemed one of Toni Morrison’s most excellent books. What touched me most after reading Toni Morrison’s book are the biblical references: (Morrison 51& 52) The author keeps making biblical references from both the Old Testament as well as the New Testament which are quite useful in bringing out the overall themes, characters as well as in building up the plot of the novel. To start with, the author gives her book the title ‘Song of Solomon’ which is a reference taken from the Old Testament’s ‘Song of Solomon’ or rather Song of Songs, or Canticles which is basically on love and relationships and is interpreted in some customs as a figurative demonstration of the relationship of Israel and God as wife and husband where the principal characters of the song are a man and a woman and the rhyme offers progress commencing courtship to consummation. In Morrison’s narrative, Solomon, Milkman dead’s great-grandfather finds out the tale of Solomon and his capability to fly which makes him to be delighted of his heritage and to value links to family and community. (Furman & Morrison 142) Song of Solomon commences with Robert Smith’s flight from the roof of Mercy hospital. Smith emerges on the top of the hospital with two handcrafted arms on his backside and jumps from the top of the hospital to the shock and amazement of many. Because of him making an attempt to fly, Ruth Foster dead is able to give birth inside the hospice instead of on its stepladder given that during this moment in time, Negro women are not permitted to deliver in the hospital because of segregation which makes Macon Dead turn out to be the first Negro infant to be delivered in Mercy Hospital. (Furman & Morrison 198) Morrison makes biblical inferences in naming his characters which helps in bringing out their personalities. Corinthian’s Dead, Milkman and Lena’s father is called Macon Dead and is the proprietor of apartments and houses. Dead thinks owning property enables one to own oneself, as well as others too. Together with Pilate, Macon grew up in Lincoln’s Heaven, a farm in Pennsylvania. At the age of sixteen, he watches his father murdered by whites who desire the family’s land. Macon and Pilate are sheltered by Circle, a maid and midwife who houses them in vacant quarters of the Butler house. They then escape from the Butler place and hide in a cave for the night where they meet a white man whom Macon kills. (Furman & Morrison 231) Macon â€Å"Milkman† dead III’s mother breastfeeds him for far too long until he is so tall and his feet are â€Å"touching the floor† which makes him swiftly gain the reputation for being a â€Å"mummy’s boy† which is a direct contrast to Guitar, his best friend. Milkman has two sisters, â€Å"Magdalene named Lena† and â€Å"First Corinthians†. The daughters of the family unit are given names by placing a pin inside the bible while the males are called after their father. Macon Dead’s name was the outcome of an administrative fault when Milkman’s grandfather had to list following the end of slavery. (Morrison 121) Pilate, Macon Dead Jr. ’s sister, is identified as fostering an Earth Mother type of personality. Given that he was born lacking a navel, she is rather a mystic character and it is mightily implied that she is Divine i. e. she is a female Christ and that her name is ironical. Macon has not had a word to his sister for years and did not feel greatly of her. She, just like Macon, has had to fend for herself starting from an early age, although she has to deal with her history in a different manner. Reba is her one and only daughter. She also has one granddaughter by the name Hagar who is very much in love with Milkman, and is not able to deal with rejection. Milkman’s erstwhile best friend, Guitar, attempts to murder him after he mistakenly believes Milkman of deceiving him out of concealed gold. Toni Morrison’s narrative comes to an end on a touching and uncertain note after Milkman finally discovers to fly after deciding to confront Guitar. (Furman & Morrison 265) In conclusion, it can be said that Toni Morrison makes use of biblical references in his narrative from time to time. This is depicted from the numerous biblical references taken from both the Old Testament and the New Testament which help in building up the overall plot of the narrative, building up the character’s personalities as well as in bringing out the overall themes of the narrative. Eminently, Toni Morrison makes various biblical references through some of the characters names. For instance, Ruth, Dead, First Corinthians, Pilate, Heaven, Guitar, Magdalene named Lena, Lincoln’s Heaven, maid, bible, divine, Christ, mid wife among others. In addition, the author makes use of other biblical references like ‘Mercy’ i. e. Mercy hospital, the ability to fly by bearing wings like the Angels key references. Works Cited Furman, Jan & Morrison, Toni. Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon: a casebook. Oxford University Press US, 2003. ISBN: 0195146352, 9780195146356 276 pages Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. Vintage International, 2004. ISBN: 140003342X, 9781400033423. 337 pages

A Critical Analysis Of “The Story Of An Hour” Essay

A critical analysis of â€Å"The Story of an Hour† Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story Of An Hour†, in my opinion, is a good piece of literature. It is well written, clearly written, entertaining, and it brings a bit of a challenge to the reader. Starting with the title, Chopin described part of the setting. We already know that everything that happens during this little drama, happens within an hour. This title brought curiosity upon me because I did not realize that many things that could affect one’s life could take place in an hour. For example, the recent tragedy in America, within one hour much had happened in the borders of the United States and Chopin’s choice of title brought that to my attention, within an hour much could happen that could completely change someone’s life. The way the story is written is very straightforward. The author tells you exactly what is happening but still leaves enough room for your imagination to fill in the blanks. For example, when Chopin describes Louise’s room with â€Å"the open window, a comfortable, roomy armchair† (page 378), and then goes on to describe what Louise sees outside, she tells us that our protagonist isn’t living a bad life monetarily. Louise has a nice comfortable chair in her bedroom where she has a nice view of a square with trees and people. The way Chopin describes the weather follows the same suit. â€Å"There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds†Ã‚ ¦in the west facing her window† (page 378). The author tells you what to imagine but there is still room for you to add, for example, the sun shining through the clouds and warmly hitting her face, among other things. The language used was also good. It wasn’t the usual complicated Shakespearean English, it was, if you will, a more updated version of it. Because she used Modern English, it was easier to follow and understand, I didn’t have to stop and figure out what a certain word meant. At the same time, it is not to say that the piece was poorly written. In many instants as I read it I noticed the way it flowed so well and how beautiful it sounded. The description Chopin gives of Louise sitting on the chair  describes it best. â€Å"She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.† (Page 378). Simple, yet deep. Throughout the whole story I didn’t really have an urge to stop reading it. Chopin kept me there reading along because I was curious to know more about how Louise felt and if she was going to be ok since it was mentioned that she had heart problems. The story was very entertaining although short. I believe that even if Chopin had dragged on a little more I still would’ve read it right through. Louise showed some strange signs upon receiving the news of her husband’s death. It can even be said that Chopin intended for the audience to think that Louise might have had something to do with her husband Brently’s death. And Richards might have been involved too. As the news were received at the newspaper office, Richards was already there waiting for it and didn’t leave until a second telegram had been sent confirming the death of his friend. The fact that she â€Å"wept at once† (Page 378) also shows some kind of possible involvement, perhaps a fake cry scene was put here just so her sister would see that she was upset about her husband’s death. It is mentioned that she while sitting on her chair she sank â€Å"pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.† (Page 378). That to me sounds a bit like guilt, the use of the work â€Å"haunted† shows that this is a negative feeling. Once Chopin starts to describe Louise, â€Å"She was young, with a fair face, whose lines bespoken repression and even a certain strength.† (Page 378), that could be describing the repression that she felt because of her husband’s attitude towards her. â€Å"It was not a glance of reflection, but rather indicated a suspension of intelligent thought.† (Page 378), this sentence tells me that she hasn’t been logically thinking anymore, it also helps to show that perhaps she did have some kind of involvement on her husband’s death, not being able to cognitively solve her problems with him. She is waiting for a feeling, maybe it is guilt from what she has done and when it says that she would fight this feeling back it is because she doesn’t want to feel guilty. And later on this feeling is called  a monstrous joy. The cries of freedom also help my observations come true, she had a reason to do it, she wanted to be free of her husband’s ways. Once her husband opens the door, she screams and has a heart attack, she was not expecting to see him ever again, she was filled w joy until the moment she saw him alive. Perhaps she is guilty of trying to kill her husband. The confusing challenging part comes when Richards tries to get in the way of Louise’s sight so she is not able to see Brently. I don’t understand it, what does it mean? Did Richards maybe tell Brently to do something else rather than take this train trip but did not tell him that the train â€Å"accident† was to occur? Maybe it is so and he was trying to not allow Louise to see Brently because Richards and Louise had planned it all and he backed out on it. Maybe Louise’s intention was to be with Richards after her husband died. After reading the story several times this is my interpretation. It is a very good story that could have many meanings, this being one of them. Evil, or Louise’s desire to kill her husband, failed once again because of Good, or Richards strong friendship with Brently. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. â€Å"The Story of an Hour† The Norton Introduction to Literature. New York: Norton, 1998. 377-379.

How Important Are AP Scores for College Admissions?

As college admissions become increasingly competitive, any possible edge can seem like it might be the difference between a coveted acceptance or a dreaded rejection. Grades, standardized test scores, extracurriculars, and more may all seem to be the highest of stakes. When it comes to AP classes, you might wonder if this is the factor that might tip the college admissions game in your favor. In this post, we’ll outline just how important your AP classes are in college admissions, and the answer may surprise you. Do admissions committees even look at your scores? How much do they actually matter? To learn more, keep reading. Typically, AP scores don’t go on your college application. Because they don’t count towards your GPA or become a part of your transcript, there isn’t actually any place on the application where they are required. There is, however, a place on most college applications where you have the option to report these scores yourself. This process is called self-reporting. In this section, you can self-report any scores from standardized testing, including AP scores. To learn more about this section of your college application, see our post Do I Have to Self-Report My Test Scores? . Since this section of your application is optional, you do not have to report AP scores. In fact, if you choose to do so, you can also choose specifically which scores you submit. If you want to report AP scores, you should definitely report tests on which you received a five. While a single score of five on an AP exam isn’t necessarily impressive, a string of fives might help to set you apart from other candidates. A score of four is less impressive, but it still shows a relatively strong understanding of the material. Fours are usually neither favorable nor unfavorable when you report them on an application. At less selective schools, a variety of fours and fives will set you apart. Scores of three or lower aren’t usually enough to give you any edge in admissions and might even have an negative impact on your application. These are best left off when you self-report your scores. Ultimately, you should be prepared for the admissions committee to review everything on your college application, including self-reported scores. While they may not be as important as other required portions of the application, they may sometimes serve to set you apart when admissions committees need to choose between two or more applicants. The weight given to your AP scores will vary depending on a number of different factors. In general though, you should not consider AP scores as a make it or break it factor in your admissions process. That being said, at very selective schools, admissions committees always receive applicants from far more qualified students than they have places for in the incoming class. Due to this high level of competition, successful applicants will need to distinguish themselves in highly recognizable ways. A series of perfect AP scores can be one example of your academic prowess. If you are applying to a general studies program, you can show your ability to achieve across multiple subject areas by scoring well on a variety of AP exams. Likewise, if you’re applying to a specialized program or under a specific major, you can demonstrate your level of knowledge in that field by submitting the corresponding AP scores. On the other hand, if you choose to report scores that are unimpressive, they could just as easily count against you in a competitive admissions process. Given the choice between two similar candidates, an admissions committee is probably more likely to select those who submit high scores or no scores at all, rather than students who submit dismal ones. Our Early Advising Program helps students in 9th and 10th grade discover their passions and build strong academic and extracurricular profiles to succeed in high school. AP test scores are not generally a highly weighted component of your college application, but if you choose to submit them, they will generally be reviewed by the admissions committee. The amount of weight they are given will vary by school, and in general the more competitive the admissions process is, the more these smaller factors might play a role in distinguishing between similar candidates. Just because AP scores are not necessarily a primary factor on college applications does not mean that AP classes are unimportant. In fact, at many selective colleges, you need to take the most challenging courses available at your high school in order to be considered a serious applicant. In many cases this means taking AP classes if they are available at your school. While your score on the AP exam might not be reported, your grade in these classes definitely is, and your GPA is generally a primary factor on your college application. Remember, AP classes are designed to be college level work, so your performance in them is indicative of your ability to perform at the college level. Furthermore, if you score well on your AP exams, you may be able to earn college credit or place out of lower level prerequisites when you start college. These policies vary from school to school but in general you can them available on the school website. Specific regulations can be found here . To learn more about AP classes and course selection in general, see these posts: If you want to ensure that you’re on track for college admissions success or would like some help with class selection, consider the benefits of the Near Peer Mentorship Program , which provides access to practical advice on topics from college admissions to career aspirations, all from successful college students.

The Regions of Europe Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Regions of Europe - Research Paper Example The diversified nature of the Vojvodina can be well grasped with the presence of well over 26 ethnic groups within the region that has left the region with no other option but to give a total of six languages the status of the official language. If Vojvodina is an autonomous province within Serbia then Kosovo moves even a step further. Kosovo is an all together disputed territory after the break up of Yugoslavia. It claims itself as Republic of Kosovo yet has managed only partial recognition till date. Serbia claims it a region under UN control and does not confer the republican status to Kosovo. Both these places of Serbia (leaving the ambiguity of past and present aside), namely Vojvodina and Kosovo attracts attention owing to their unique existence. The present paper will highlight both these places in terms of their location, geography, history demography, major cities and economy; starting with Vojvodina. Vojvodina Location: Vojvodina is placed at the northern part of Serbia. To be precise it is in the famous Pannonian Plain of Central Europe. The total area of the region is 21,506 kilometers that accounts for one fourth of the total Serbian territory. Vojvodina has common boundaries with Hungary (North), Romania (East), Croatia (West) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (South West). (Bogunovic) Map of Vojvodina (ADAGIO) Geography: Before explaining the topography of the region, it is important to highlight the reasons behind such topography. As mentioned earlier that the region is a part of the Pannonin plain, hence it shares mostly a flat landscape with fertile soil well suited for cultivation. Again Danube, Sava and Tisza the three main rivers that run through the region have divided it into three geographical regions, namely Backa, Banat and Syrmia. Though it has been mentioned earlier that the region demonstrates a predominantly flat landscape but owing to the presence of Fruska Gora Mountain in Syrmia region and Vrsacke Planine Mountain at South East Banat, topography of both the regions differs from that of Vojvodina in general. (Bogunovic) One of the distinctive features of the place is the presence of a wet land amidst the region. Gornje Podunavlje which was designated as a wetland around four years back in 2007 has an area of 224.8 square kilometres and is the largest in Serbia. A much smaller wet land with 9.76 square kilometres of area Slano Kopovo also is in Vojvodina. (Serbia) Vojvodina’s climate is shaped by the air from northern and western Europe that results in a continental climate all over the place. The annual average temperature is 11.0 degree centre grade. In January it is lowest at -0.7 degree centre grade and in July it is highest at 21.3 degree centre grade. Annual precipitation is 602.0 mm with a relative humidity of 75%. Evaporation at the mentioned place is 738 mm on an average. It is worth mentioning that the above cited climate related statistics is an average of 50 years (1949-1999) over 12 places. (ADA GIO) History: The area shares a rich history and from ancient times it has been handed over from one monarchy to the other. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was last of the monarchs who were in charge of Vojvodina. After the collapse of the Empire at the end of First World War the region became a part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Later (1929-1941) it became known as

What goals has liberalism pursued and why have they proved so Essay

What goals has liberalism pursued and why have they proved so controversial - Essay Example The ideally competitive market in economic theory, where economic representatives are fully informed and ideally rational, is a fiction. It is not in existence, nor is it even compared to, in the real economic practice.Yet this fiction influences greatly upon modern political theory. The tempting power of the ideal market grounds on its capacity to create elegant and disarmingly easy solutions to difficult problems. We can come to see, for example, how the uncoordinated activity of economic representatives can cause socially desired states of affairs (Moore 1993, 97). In much the same manner, the ideal market gets into normative political philosophy partially because it can be showed as illuminating essential values. Defenders of the market maintain we can get to know much about individual liberty, the encouragement of mutual advantage, and efficiency in the distribution of goods by studying it (Guathier 1986, 119). However, this cardinal limitation of the market for many theorists s hows its supposed insensitivity to the demands of egalitarian justice (Ashley 2003, 112). This is partly because modern market societies demonstrate a great deal of social and economic inequality. However, egalitarians have also been inclined to suppose that there is an integral flaw in the ideal of a free market society (Berkowitz 1999, 140). In traditional left-wing critiques, the market has been showed as the opponent of equality on various grounds: it results exploitation; it causes alienation; it is an enemy of genuine freedom; and it is corrosive to the bonds of community (Kautz 1995, 32). It is necessary to notice then that the leading contemporary advocates of egalitarianism, for example Ronald Dworkin (1991), violently defend the use of the ideal market as a theoretical method for the articulation of egalitarian distributive justice and liberal political morality. On the same grounds Judith Shklar's "barebones liberalism" (Whiteside 1999, 501) actually fails to justify either values she proclaimed or liberal ideals of equality. In the end of her career, Shklar made her liberalism specific and took it in an egalitarian direction. She did so by launching skeptical issues at the certainties usually used to rationalize inequalities. While defending equality she ended up making empirical and ethical affirmations that her skepticism had expelled, providing strong proof for the conclusion that skepticism alone is insufficient for creating an egalitarian politics (Tomasi 2000, 46). In this direction of her thought, Shklar defined what Isaiah Berlin calls a "plurality of values." Like Berlin's, her way of thinking affirms "the permanent possibility of inescapable conflict between values" (Berlin 1990, 80) Although Shklar in some way agreed with the liberalism of Hobbes and Locke, she doubts the premises of their arguments (Dagger 1997, 98). The problem is that real consent - as opposed to the consent imagined in tales of the social contract - is elusive (Plaw 2002, 267). The fact of the matter, Shklar (1986) suggests, is that liberalism rests on moral intuitions that are plural, vague and controversial. All along liberal universalism was an illusion. "To a large extent," she concludes, "it was European ethnocentrism and indifference to historical variety and change that made discourse relevant to all' seem plausible in the first place" (Shklar 1967, 278). The difficulties befalling her "barebones liberalism" are the same as those that debilitate the "agonistic liberalism" of theorists like Joseph Raz and Isaiah Berlin (Gottfried 1999, 211). Like Shklar, these theorists propose a defense of liberty grounded in a "radical choice between incommensurables," to use John Gray's phrase (cited in Hardin 1999, 162). This is a choice that can only be settled in political competition - rather than in a putatively rational consensus. But Gray argues convincingly that accepting value pluralism does not entail privileging a liberal political