Chapter+13+Essay

// The Scarlet Letter // Essay – 100 points Length: 2 - 3 pages, Double Spaced, Typed In Chapter 13, Hawthorne writes, “The scarlet letter had not done its office.” Your task is to consider the original intention of the scarlet letter and decide to what degree it has succeeded or failed in its original intent. In order to do this you must look back on your notes and consider some of the following: (Think about the points that were made during our discussion:    Is it punitive (a punishment)?    Is it intended to redeem Hester?    Is it intended as a lesson to others?) In our discussion some suggested the brand has succeeded in some ways while it has failed in others. You should also consider an examination of Hester’s transformation. (You may want to refer back to your class notes from chapter 2 and 5 in order to remind yourself of specifics about Hester earlier in the novel.) Notice the contrast between Hester’s public image versus her private self. You must turn in your outline with your essay. Please staple the outline to the back of your essay. See the Rubric on the back of this sheet. I will use this to grade your essays.
 * What is the original intention of the letter? **
 * What is the influence the letter has upon Hester’s character? **
 * In your essay you must: **
 * Be sure that your thesis argues whether or not the scarlet letter has been successful and HOW. You are drawing a conclusion about Hester that you must defend.
 * Be brief with your introduction. A sentence or two leading up to your thesis will suffice.
 * Have at least two fully developed body paragraphs. Be sure to include textual support and comment on the significance of the quotes you introduce. Pay attention to the mini-lesson on quote weaving! You must attempt to do this in your essay!
 * Avoid long quotes. Only quote key phrases and paraphrase the rest. Be sure to explain what is revealed.
 * Be brief with your conclusion. Excellent conclusions try to draw some larger conclusion about an author’s view of society. You may consider what Hawthorne is saying about the nature of punishment. You may wrestle with what this idea looks like today, from your point of view. (Remember we talked a bit about the nature of prison and other modern day examples of punishment.)