There are no Characters in The Scarlet Letter :: essays research papers fc

Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter as an exemplum on pride. His creation of Hester Prynne, the protagonist of The Scarlet Letter, and her selflessness was the moral behind keeping her alive. The characters in The Scarlet Letter are nothing more than symbols representing abstract qualities and are dispensable. Names play an important role in The Scarlet Letter it is Hawthorne’s way of distinguishing not just the characters but their personalities. The latter is the most important when considering Hawthorne’s characters as abstract symbols. Dimmesdale is especially noted for his dark nature of concealing his association with Hester’s scarlet letter. His extreme selfishness and pride blinds him from what the Bible ahs taught him and in this aspect is a one dimensional character as are the Puritans. â€Å"Whom, but the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, half-frozen to death, overwhelmed with shame, and standing where Hester Prynne had stood!† (Hawthorne 139). His extreme fear of someone discovering his secret and losing his high status is just one way Hawthorne manipulates the characters to make the novel more didactic rather than a stream-of-consciousness. â€Å"Hester recalls Hestia, the Greek goddess of the hearth and home, and Esther of the Old Testament, a woman who intercedes for her people and is often considered and image of inner strength coupled with beauty†(Pennell 83). Each character is abstractly represented differently; Pearl as nature, Chillingworth as pure evil, Hester as selflessness and Dimmesdale as pride. Roger Chillingworth's†¦expression had been calm, meditative, scholar-like. Now there was something ugly and evil in his face† (Hawthorne 117). Hawthorne again is manipulating the characters to fit the exemplum. The easiest way to understand that the characters are in fact a symbol is to take into account the amount of themes, symbols and motifs Hawthorne incorporates in his novels. â€Å"The book is a moving series of symbols within a larger symbol from beginning to end†¦It is true that these characters are arbitrary manifestations of specific urges†¦They are not made of flesh and blood so much as they are made of moonlight and abstract qualities† (Gorman 7). The characters are just disposed of when their purpose has been served. When Dimmesdale confesses his sins on the scaffold, the pride element of his character leaves so Hawthorne kills him off. â€Å""The law we broke I--the sin here awfully revealed!--let these alone be in thy thoughts... God knows; and He is merciful! He hath proved his mercy, most of all, in my afflictions†¦Had either of these agonies been wanting, I had been lost for ever! Praised be His name! His will be done! Farewell!"(Hawthorne 233).

Freakonomics position paper Essay

Freakonomics is an â€Å"alternative† look at debunking some of the established wisdom as far as our ideas about life in general and economics in particular go. It is an irreverent and funny book about some of the truths that we take to be self-evident. It is one of the books in the new genre of non-fiction that attempts to question some of the academic theories that all of us take for granted. There are other books like â€Å"Black Swan†, â€Å"Undercover Economist† and â€Å"Tipping Point† that have tried to explain social phenomena in terms of going beyond the academic dogma. The topic for this essay is the â€Å"Perfect parent† hypothesis that deals with some of the myths concerning child rearing and safety that parents use in bringing up their children. The essay looks at the chapter in detail along with the material presented and then attempts to support the claims as well as present some criticism of the same. However, Freakonomics can also fall into the trap that it has laid for established theories. For instance, chapter five that deals with a â€Å"Perfect Parent† hypothesis can easily be debunked by theories that contradict the authors’ claims. Usage of Data and otherwise Freakonomics relies heavily on statistical evidence to debunk many of the â€Å"truths† and offers some data to prove some counter-intuitive truths. As the authors’ state, they want to expose â€Å"the hidden side of everything†. Towards this, the authors’ take on many established certainties and prove that we often tend to overestimate the potential risk in say, flying and under-estimate the risk associated with driving when statistical evidence clearly shows that more people die in road accidents than air accidents. The book is definitely an attempt to look for the â€Å"hidden connections† as can be seen from the linkage of abortion to the low crime. The example of Roe. vs. Wade and the resulting decrease in crime is a good example of this. While it makes sense to blame everything on our inability to measure risk or use quantitative analysis in everyday life, the fact remains that with the abundance of theories being floated on a daily basis, there is no â€Å"one correct† way to lead a life, let alone parenting. While the purpose of this essay is not to debunk â€Å"Freakonomics†, nonetheless we should remain cautious about â€Å"information overload† . This is one tendency that would make us derive some meaning out of the current age. Chapter Five: The Perfect parent hypothesis The chapter deals with the question â€Å"What makes a perfect parent? † It deals with the statistical evidence to prove that: – Though there is correlation between parents who are highly educated, kids not from single homes and their test scores, it is not enough to establish a cause and effect scenario between two sets of factors – The data also proves that black children doing badly at school most probably means that they are from a low income household rather than that they are black. An example of this would be the success of black golfer Tiger Woods. Having an upbringing that was virtually elitist, the success of Tiger Woods proves the above hypothesis. Though the authors’ have not quoted this as an example, they nonetheless state that the data from the ELCS scores is highly encouraging for anyone who wants to have a shot at the â€Å"black white† hypothesis of doing badly/well at school – The other set of data that the authors’ present relates to the child safety seats that sell in millions compared to having a child in a rear seat. This is what they call the â€Å"outrage reduction† for the obsessive parenting. This can be compared to the example of a terrorist attack like 9/11 that can be seen in terms of â€Å"sensational† value as compared to the number of people who die from gun shot wounds. Countering the authors’ claims in Chapter Five The main criticisms against chapter five are: – Overgeneralization – Attempt to dazzle – Usage of anecdote when the authors’ make claims based on data The authors’ contention that â€Å"good parenting† as the experts claim may not hold the key and their frank admission that many of the outcomes of a child’s personality cannot be measured kind of stand out against their other claims. The last point refers to the black kid who had to fend for himself at the age of twelve and the white kid who has all the advantages. The black kid turned out to be Levitt’s co-author while the white kid turned out to be the Unabomber. The point being made here is when the authors’ use so much data, what is the point of using anecdotes. The authors’ repeatedly try to discourage the â€Å"anecdotal evidence† and instead concentrate on statistics to prove their point. So, this is one trap that the authors’ laid for themselves . Also, the temptation to dazzle with â€Å"truths† sometimes is overarching and can be avoided. Conventional wisdom The books’ as well as the chapter five’s thesis is all about how conventional wisdom can often lead us wrong. And it is here that the authors’ score their best. Often, we take the â€Å"truths handed down† to us as the norm and though scholarly studies have tried correcting the myths, the authors’ deserve credit for putting out the evidence in a fashion as understood by everybody. Conclusion Though we have taken one â€Å"truth† as our thesis and provided views on both sides i. e. to support as well as debunk, nonetheless the book is an entertaining read and is a serious attempt to get past the â€Å"scholarly daze† that most of the academic journals and mainstream research provide. At times, the book might seem to be â€Å"like a journalist explaining economics† but the reason for this is that the authors’ are trying to put their point across to laypeople.

The Importance Of Justice In Platos Crito - 883 Words

The tragic play written by Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, reflects the development of justice that is first revealed in Plato’s Crito. In Crito, it is evident that justice was carried out in a different manner than in The Consolation of Philosophy as well as each individual’s experience. Boethius was a man who cherished material goods and lacked connection with whom to pray to, God, and defined justice through his own opinion. Socrates possessed the immaterial good of dedication to act in a morally correct manner and reach justice through abiding by the laws pushed against him. Throughout the reading of Crito, justice plays a key part. According to the old in the Apology, Socrates is charged as being guilty of engaging in the†¦show more content†¦Furthermore, Socrates would make note that he was able to embrace his punishment and suffering which propelled him to achieve nobility and dignity, unlike Boethius did. Overall, Socrates would argue that the convictions against him were unjust as he was only acting out for the good of the people. Socrates and Boethius would find very little room to agree on the similarities of their experiences. However, they would both agree that the charges pushed against them were extremely wrongful and unjust as they were both only trying to help the people around them and create society into a morally right community. They show the similarity of the unfortunate fact that bad things happen to good people. They both acted in ways that God would have wanted, however they were punished for this behavior. Additionally, they would both agree that they did the right thing in the end by accepting these charges placed against them, although, it did take longer for Boethius to do this. In Boethius, justice has a prevalent difference in the way it is carried out compared to justice within Crito. Boethius is accused of having desired the safety of the senate as he made it an initiative to obtain just laws and fair taxation in addition to the attempt to resist and uproot corruption within the political arena. Boethius would make the point that his charges were more ludicrous than Socrates’s to a certain extent, meaning that Boethius was onlyShow MoreRelatedSocrates s Philosophy On The Western Civilization1440 Words   |  6 PagesCivilization. Socrates’ philosophy could be found in Plato’s works. For example, The Republic written in a form of discussion is an influential book that contributes to several debates. Even if some argue about the validity and accuracy of Plato’s works regarding Socrates’ philosophy, those works allow us to conclude that Socrates was devoted and dedicated to truth. Socrates was concerned with the immutable universal concept of truth, goodness, and justice and thus, wanted to transmit and instore thoseRead MoreEssay on Socrates Fight for Justice1101 Words   |  5 PagesIn Plato’s works Apology and Crito there is an attempt by Socrates to defend himself in court and defend his choice to receive the death penalty when found guilty. Although he makes very valid and strong arguments throughout one can only wonder why such a wise person would choose death over life. The following essay will analyze three quotes from Apology and Crito, find the correlation between them, and reveal any flaws that may exsist inside these arguments made by Socrates. In Plato’s ApologyRead MoreSocrates Sense Of Virtue Essay1250 Words   |  5 Pages Socrates’ sense of virtue, as established in Plato’s Apology of Socrates, Crito, and Symposium collectively, revolves around the pursuit of wisdom, knowledge, and justice, all in an effort to benefit the soul rather than the physical body. Given that this oftentimes contradicts standard values of honor and beauty, Socrates is targeted by many of those around him who oppose his ideas and ways of thinking, especially since the youth begin to criticize the elders’ concern for the trappings of honorRead MoreUnderstanding Philosophy and Its Benefits1194 Words   |  5 PagesUnderstanding Philosophy and its Benefits By: Anonymous Understanding Philosophy and its Benefits 1 Many of Plato’s dialogues such as the Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Phaedo are based upon the same reoccurring theme, the defense of the study of philosophy. Plato’s dialogues notable for their depth in a relatively narrow framework, attempt to argue the benefits of philosophical reasoning through essence, knowledge and truth. To understand the benefits of philosophy one must pose the questionRead MoreWhat Is the Purpose of the ‘Speech of the Laws’, in Plato’s Crito? How Is It Related to Crito’s Political Opinions and Preferences as Expressed in This Dialogue?2389 Words   |  10 Pageslaws’, in Plato’s Crito? How is it related to Crito’s political opinions and preferences as expressed in this dialogue? The ‘speech of the laws’ as witnessed in Plato’s Crito is of utmost importance to one of Plato’s shorter dialogues and serves multiple purposes, some of which will be engaged with here. The speech will be looked in terms of its methodological purpose and will question what functions this serves. Philosophically speaking the Crito remains a dialogue concerning justice and the ‘speechRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Socrates And Dr. Martin Luther King933 Words   |  4 Pagesone contemplate escape? Would one sit alone with their thoughts and fixate on what has led to such a lonely end? Would one compose a letter to those who detained them? Perhaps these are the same thoughts that inspired the words of Socrates, in Plato’s Crito or the emotional words that were spewed on paper by Dr. Martin Luther King while detained in Birmingham Jail. The philosophy of Socrates and Dr. Martin Luther King are grounded in peace. Both philosophers are faced with conflic t from the laws putRead MoreBiography of Socrates, An Annotated Bibliography1581 Words   |  6 Pagesprovide an art of justice that would bring an end to strife by eliminating cities, families, and the love of one’s own on which they depend. He further tries to explain the meaning of Socratic life and the wisdom with the help of Plato. The use of language and vocabulary is a little difficult for the normal audience to understand. However, the information in the journal is very appealing and informative. Nichols, Mary P. â€Å"Philosophy and Empire: On Socrates and Alcibiades in Plato’s â€Å"Symposium†.† PolityRead MoreEssay on Plato’s Crito: The Last Days of Socrates 1134 Words   |  5 Pagesvisited before dawn by a close old friend Crito. Crito has made arrangements to help Socrates escape from prison. Socrates is grateful to his old friend for his willing to help aide him in the escape. However, Socrates is quite willing to await his execution. Crito tries to change Socrates mind about escaping by presenting him with several arguments. The first is that if Socrates choices to stay, his death will reflect poorly on Crito. The people will think that Crito did nothing to save his friend. IfRead MorePlato s Laws And Xenophon s Hiero1365 Words   |  6 PagesPractically in all his discourses, Plato wrote about the works of Socrates that acted as the main persona in his confabs. In Plato’s laws and Xenophon’s Hiero, a further wise man other than Socrates acted as the leader of the discourse. While having protagonist confabs in Plato’s and Xenophon’s works, Socrates tries to interrogate understanding of the further man on the aspect of morality. Socrates presented himself as a less knowledgeable person in the domain of moral issues to confuse the otherRead MoreSocrates Views On Plato s Dialogue856 Words   |  4 PagesIn Plato’s dialogue â€Å"Crito,† Socrates is awaiting his execution in prison when his friend Crito comes to convince him to escape. Socrates argues against Crito with his belief being that escaping from prison would by an unjust act. It is Socrates’ belief that you should never commit an injustice act for any reason, and that it is in your best interest to act justly. In the arguments presented in â€Å"Crito,† we see Socrates’ belief as underlying factor and recurring theme. Crito goes to see Socrates and