Elizabeth Callahan
11/29/07
QUOTATION
“There is little domestic
scenery of the well-known
apartment; the chairs, with
each its separate
individuality; the centre-
table, sustaining a work-
basket, a volume or two,
and an extinguished lamp;
the sofa; the book-case;
the picture on the wall; - all
these details, so
completely seen, are so
spiritualized by the unusual
light, that they seem to
lose their actual substance,
and become things of
intellect.” (pg. 29)
“Why should he toil and
moil, and be at so much
trouble to pick himself up
out of the mud, when, in a
little while hence, the
strong arm of his Uncle will
raise and support him?
Why should he work for his
living here, or go to dig
gold in California, when he
is so soon to be made
happy, at monthly
intervals, with a little pile of
glittering coin out of his
Uncle’s pocket?” (pg. 32-
33)
PARAPHRASE
Although the apartment is
well-known, it is not very
homelike. The furniture
inside it consists of different
chairs, a table, an unlit lamp,
a sofa, a bookcase, and a
single picture hanging on the
wall.
The lighting allows each
piece of furniture to be set
apart and become just a part
of the mind.
The officer has no reason to
rid himself of his problems
because his Uncle will just
come along to support him.
He should not work or dig
gold because his Uncle will
soon come and give him
money to make him happy
anyways.
RHETORICAL
STRATEGY
• Asyndeton:
₀ “..an extinguished
lamp; the sofa; the book-
case; the picture on the
wall; - all these details, so
completely seen..”
• Rhetorical Questions
₀ “Why should...arm of
his Uncle will raise and
support him? Why should
he work…pile of glittering
coin out of his Uncle’s
pocket?”
EFFECT
The author uses asyndeton
by leaving out a
conjunction between “the
bookcase” and “the picture
on the wall.” This gives the
reader a visual image of
each separate piece of
furniture in the dull
apartment.
By asking rhetorical
questions, the author
involves the reader in the
situation. The questions
force the reader to think
about the character and
what will happen as a
result of the situation.
 AP Eng. 3A
Reading Response Journal #2 – The Scarlet Letter
“But, as for me, I come to
the inquest with other
senses than they possess. I
shall seek this man, as I
have sought truth in books;
as I have sought gold in
alchemy. There is a
sympathy that will make
me conscious of him. I shall
see him tremble. I shall feel
myself shudder, suddenly
and unawares” (pg.63)
“Here, on this wild outskirt
of the earth, I shall pitch
my tent; for, elsewhere a
wanderer, and isolated
from human interests, I find
here a woman, a man, a
child, amongst whom and
myself there exist the
closest ligaments. No
matter whether of love or
hate; no matter whether of
right or wrong! Thou and
thine, Hester Prynne,
belong to me. My home is
where thou art, and where
he is. But betray me not!”
(pg.64)
“Thus the young and pure
Roger Chillingworth visits
Hester and tells her that the
father of Hester’s baby must
be found, although he still
feels sympathy for the man.
Chillingworth tells Hester
that even if he has to isolate
himself from other humans,
there is still a unifying bond
between them whether it is
wrong or right. He then
makes her promise not to
reveal his identity.
Because Hester committed
• Repetition In the dialogue between
Chillingworth and Hester,
₀ “I shall seek…I shall he repeatedly uses the
see…I shall feel…” phrase “I shall.” This makes
what he must do obvious-to
₀”…as I have sought find the man although he
truth…as I have sought will feel himself shudder
gold…” when he sees the man
tremble.
• Parallelism Hawthorne uses parallelism
between the two sentences
₀ “No matter whether in Chillingworth’s dialogue.
of love or hate; By doing this, he is relating
no matter whether of the two sentences to each
right or wrong!” other. This shows that
Hester must keep his
identity no matter what, if
it is right or wrong or if
they hate or love each
other.
• Anaphora The anaphora in this
would be taught to look at
her, with the scarlet letter
flaming on her breast,-at
her, the child of honorable
parents,-at her, the mother
of a babe, that would
hereafter be a woman,-at
her, who had once been
innocent,-as the figure, the
body, the reality of sin. And
over her grave, the infamy
that she must carry thither
would be her only
monument. (pg. 67)
“Hester sought not to
acquire anything beyond
subsistence, of the plainest
and most ascetic
description, for herself, and
a simple abundance for her
child. Her own dress was of
the coarsest materials and
the most somber hue; with
only that one ornament,
-the scarlet letter- which it
was her doom to wear.”
(pg. 70)
“These men deceive
themselves…they fear to
take up the shame that
rightfully belongs to them.
Their love for man, their
the crime of adultery, she
must always live with it. By
wearing the scarlet “A”
everyone will think of her as
the woman who used to be
innocent and everyone will
see her as an example of sin
even after she is dead.
Hester did not seek for
anything other than to
support the life of herself
and her child. Her dress was
not nice and its only
decoration was the scarlet
“A.”
Chillingworth is saying that
men such as the father of
Hester’s baby do not take
responsibility for what
belongs to them. He also
sentence is very significant.
₀ “…-at her, the By repeating the phrase
child…-at her, the “-at her...” Hawthorne is
mother, -at her, who had describing the person that
once been innocent…” Hester was before she
committed the sin of
• Asyndeton adultery.
₀ “…-as the figure, the
body, the reality of sin.”
• Parenthesis By placing dashes around
“the scarlet letter,” the
₀ “…-the scarlet letter- author is emphasizing how
…” despised a person is to be
wearing the letter on her
• Pathos dress. The author is also
trying to make the reader
₀ “coarsest materials,” feel sorry for Hester
“her doom to wear” (pathos) by describing her
dress as being made of the
“coarsest materials” and
referring to the scarlet
letter as being her “doom
to wear.”
• Allusion Hawthorne uses allusion by
making references to God.
₀ Reference to God Allusion is a brief reference
to a person, event, or
place, real or fictitious.
zeal for God’s service…But,
if they seek to glorify God,
let them not lift
heavenward their unclean
hands!” (pg. 114)
“The Reverend Mr.
Dimmesdale had achieved
a brilliant popularity in his
sacred office. He won it,
indeed, in great part, by his
sorrows. His intellectual
gifts, his moral perceptions,
his power of experiencing
and communicating
emotion, were kept in a
state of preternatural
activity by the prick and
anguish of his daily life.”
(pg.122)
“Hester saw-or seemed to
see- that there lay a
responsibility upon her, in
reference to the clergyman,
which she owed to no
other, nor to the whole
world besides. The links
that united her to the rest
of human kind-links of
flowers, or silk, or gold, or
whatever the material-had
been broken. Here was the
iron link of mutual crime,
which neither he nor she
says that these men need to
lift their hands to heaven
and ask for forgiveness.
Dimmesdale won his office
with his sorrows and his
morals and intellect were
kept in a supernatural state
because of his everyday life.
Hester realizes that it is her
responsibility to help
Dimmesdale. Her
connections to any other
people are now broken but
she still has the iron link
from her crime which cannot
be broken.
• Periodic Sentence
₀ “His intellectual gifts,
his moral perceptions, his
power of experiencing
and communicating
emotion, were kept in a
state of preternatural
activity by the prick and
anguish of his daily life.”
• Polysyndeton
₀ “links of flowers, or
silk, or gold, or whatever
the material”
Because God is a person,
real or fictitious depending
on what you believe,
Hawthorne is using allusion
in the dialogue.
The author builds up the
sentence with
characteristics of
Dimmesdale until the end,
where the main clause is
located.
Polysyndeton is used in this
situation to make a point.
By connecting the words
with “or,” the author is
relating the words to each
other. Nothing can restore
Hester’s links to the rest of
human-kind, not even
flowers or silk or gold.
could break.” (pg. 139)
“Since that day, no man is
so near to him as you. You
tread behind his every
footstep. You are beside
him, sleeping and waking.
You search his thoughts.
You burrow and rankle in
his heart! Your clutch is on
his life, and you cause him
to die daily a living death;
and still he knows you not.”
(pg. 149)
She is telling Chillingworth
that since they last talked
seven years ago, that he is
the closest person to the
priest. He is always with the
priest, not physically, but the
man still does not know him.
• Anaphora Hester uses anaphora to
show Chillingworth that he
₀ “You tread…You are… is always with the priest
You search…You burrow… even though he does not
Your clutch…” know it. By repeatedly
using “You,” she is making
her point clear to
Chillingworth.