Uncle Tom's Cabin Pt. 1

The issue of slaverly fronts itself nearly immediately in this novel. The fact that Mrs Shelby is attempting to justify slavery even though she is a christian sits uneasy with most modern day Christians. My personal Views walking into this novel is that there is no way that a Christian could own a slave, its against the teachings of the bible in many ways. As far as plot goes, I felt it interesting that Eliza took her son Harry and ran away since Harry was to be sold as a slave. I felt that Eliza took a great risk in protecting her son from Mr. Haley. As I read on I hope that her risk will pay off.

E.A. Poe's The Raven

I have not ever found much personal value in the reading/ analyzing of poetry personally, but always find it interesting when its done as a group and I have people pointing out facts to me that I am blind to notice. The Raven is filled with excellent internal and external rhyme, making the piece both pleasing to hear and to read. The previous characteristics enable this story to be memerable and noteworthy. The underlying theme of Love and Loss can be applicable to many people, if not all people. It was hard for me to gather much insight into the poem as it was read, but the creative perception proved quite evident and interesting.

The Scarlet Letter Ending

As most endings do the end of the scarlet letter wrapped up the unresolved conflict that kept the reader reading on. The sin of adultury has completely saturated the minds of Hester, Dimmsdale and Chillingworth nearly to the point of insanity. The third and final scene dealing with the scaffold is where all the conflicts come to a conclusion. Pearl now has a father to the public, as Dimmsdale confesses, and Chillingworth looses his chance at revenge. The theme of sin followed every character to their grave except Hester, after Hester moves away the scarlet letter's original meaning becomes saturated and confused. Sin can end you, if you let it, as evidence to Dimmsdale, and on the contrary it can be conquired as in Hesters case.

The Scarlet letter Middle

Throughout the middle of The Scarlet Letter the themes are presented quite evidently. The overwelming theme of sin comes out especially after the first scene where Hester is required to publically present herself to shame because of her adultury. The novel depics her and the changed that her Sin has had on the lives of herself, Pearl, Dimmsdale, and Chillingworth. Her sin put her in to a state of true lonliness with only Pearl at her side.  Throughout this time in her life Hester recieves a large amount of unforgiveness from the people familiar with the meaning of the scarlet letter A. This lack of forgiveness was possibly due to the fact that the towns people seemd to use Hester as a scapegoat, people felt free to mock her for her public problems, but denied their own sins as equal.

The Scarlet Letter: Beginning

The first few chapters are used to intoduce Hester and other key characters to the reader. Also some of the themes are presented in this beginning portion. The overall theme of Sin is introduced through the scarlet letter "A." representing adultury. The theme of Sin is relating to the puritan culture, holding the belief of "Origional Sin" and also believing that sin needs to be brought out into the public in order that any type of healing were to occur. The first initial scene with hester and the scaffolding is representing her certain lonliness in her Sin, whereas in the future scaffold scenes the situation is changed.

The Custom House

I found The Custom House to be quite an interesting introduction to start out such a novel. The author uses this section of the book to introduce the narrator, having similar qualities to Hawthorn himself. And also linking the Narrator and Hester Prynn in that they are both surrounded by people whom they feel seperate from. Another aspect of this intoductory piece is that Hawthorn emphesizes through the narrator that he has a desire to contribute to American culture.

Walden

Of any writings ever presented to me in all my years of literary analysis, Henry David Thoreau's Walden has proven most influential to me in my life. The passage that has stuck with me eversince I first parts of Walden in highschool was:

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary."

Throughout my I have been striving to learn and understand what a deliberately lived life looks like. My first defination embraces the fact that living deliberately means that we are to live life going somewhere and not just being somewhere. Meaning to live with purpose and intent, knowing where you are, and understanding where you want to be, not knowing the steps its going to take to arrive there but undergoing the task anyway, thus embracing a life thats worth being lived. It's my goal to live a life, and not come to recognise when I die that I had not lived, but to know that I have indeed, lived.