UTC-Sinclair

I believe that Sinclair's character could also be considered submissive because he did not do much to change slavery. Yes, he wanted things to change and he did not have the means to actually do something substantial about it so he did as best he could. Sinclair was actually half way decent to the slaves he owned and did not treat them like savage animals. He did not believe that slavery was right and did what he could.

I think Sinclair's character can relate to a lot of people and situations today. When some people witness bullying for instance, they do not do anything about it or just turn the other cheek and pretend that it did not happen. Those people may not believe in bullying but they did nothing to help the person being bullied or try to stop the situation. This happens with a lot of things today and I think that it would be great if people could stand up for what is right and actually take action against a wrong.

Uncle Tom's Cabin-Submissive

In class we had a discussion about Uncle Tom, the character and when someone is called Uncle Tom, and whether or not  the character was too submissive. I think that Uncle Tom was doing as best as he could and he was actually being treated fairly, so why would he try to change things when his situation is way better than it could have actually been. Had he been at any other plantation in the South, he probably would have been whipped, beaten, and treated very poorly for even the littlest mistakes. I think people today should not say that Uncle Tom was too submissive because they have no idea what it was like to personally be a slave and what they would have done had they been in an Uncle Tom situation or one that had more dire of outcomes.

The Scarlet Letter-A

It is intriguing how the meaning of Hester Prynne's 'A' had changed through her time of wearing it. Instead of taking it off or somewhat concealing it, she continues to wear it. She continued to punish herself for her transgressions, which is very brave and commendable of her and shows, I feel, that she is a good person at heart and had a weak moment that inevitably produced a child that cannot exactly be hidden from the townspeople. I find it interesting that people were changing their view of the A and their perceptions of her. Hester was so caring of the sick and needy, and also being a great mender and sewer that people started to think that maybe the A meant able because she was so kind and creative. This shows that after time people do forget things that happen in the past and they also do not find them as big of a deal as they once had; the transgressions lose their incredulity and the fact of how 'bad' it had once been.

The Scarlet Letter- Pearl

I found it interesting that Pearl did not accept Dimmesdale until he publicly accepted her. She was so young and intelligent enough to realize that the person who was her father did not own up to being just that, her father. I feel that her doing this was almost very grown up for her age and it kind of showed Dimmesdale that she may be young but she is not stupid and wants respect and acknowledgement that she does exist. Maybe she even wanted acknowledgement that she was not a mistake?
I also find it sad that she did not get to know Dimmesdale very well before his demise. He was so close and I feel that even though he did not have anything to do with her because he was a coward and afraid for himself and what people would think of his preachings, he still cared about her in some way and he probably felt bad for not being a better father or maybe in his mind, not being "able" to be a better father.

The Scarlet Letter-Roger Chillingworth

Roger Chillingworth is very vengeful character. I find it interesting that he basically invested his life to finding out who sinned with Hester Prynne. He lost his own actual identity to the fake person he created in order to investigate. It is shocking how much he put into finding out who was the sinner; he made it his life goal. I find that his thinking and his actions are very despicable and low. Chillingworth was not heard from for two years; if someone went missing today, there would be an entire investigation of the disappearance and after two years have gone by the person would probably be considered dead.
I almost feel like what did he expect to find when he came for Hester, her knitting in a chair still waiting for him to show up on her doorstep? It is a little far-fetched for her to stick around for him, at some point she was going to have to move on with her life anyway. I think it is a waste to have stopped her life for that long in wait of him, even though she may have gone about the moving on part a little wrong.

The Scarlet Letter: The Punishment

I read the Scarlet Letter in high school and now that I am reading it again I am reminded of how much I had enjoyed it. I find it so interesting that Hester was allowed to make her own letter, I feel that since the clergy had decided on her punishment that they would also deliver in making some sort of hideous letter that was to go onto her clothing. Its almost worse that she made her own punishment because it was so well done and in such a vivid view for all to see that it stood out even more had someone else made it.
I find that in a way Hester was very brave to endure her punishment all on her own and to keep the man's name secret; she was protecting him and his position in the town. It would have been very hard and shameful to have to stand in front of that many people day after day with the scarlet 'A' on her chest and knowing the terrible things people were thinking of her; it would be hard every day of her life to wear it and walk through town and know she is being judged every time someone were to lay their eyes upon her.

Ralph Waldo Emerson-Nature

Emerson's thinking is different from ours today because he thinks that people should think for themselves and figure out our problems on our own. Today, people look to books to learn things or the internet probably even more since something can be searched for on Google and hundreds of different answers can show up. Not many people today like to think for themselves; it is like it is too hard to try to find their own solutions. People just do what others tell them or whatever they can find in their own research.
On page 499, Emerson wrote, "the beauty of the world may be viewed, namely, as it becomes an object of the intellect." This stood out to me because I have never really thought of the beauty of the world as intellect or having a "relation to thought."