Friday, October 17, 2014

Matt's Scarlet Letter quote response

"Hester Prynne had been standing on her pedestal,still with a fixed gaze towards the stranger; so fixed a gaze,that, at moments of intense absorption, all other objects in the visible world seemed to vanish, leaving only him and her"(57).  The reason I found this quote interesting was because when Hester was being stared at everything seemed to stop.  her eyes were affixed on one person amongst a huge crowd.  The letter on her shirt and the infant in her arms proved to be assurance of all her wrong doings. This is a very unique situation because Hester felt safe in this situation.  All of the people between her and the man provided a barrier.
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12 comments:

  1. UnknownOctober 19, 2014 at 11:43 AM

    I agree that this is a really important section in the reading. Hester is obviously affected emotionally when she sees this man, but exactly what emotions is she feeling? Horror, shame, surprise, fear, happiness even? Why is she able to feel safe in this situation vs. any other time that she has had to stand up on this pedestal? Is it because she wants to escape from this man's gaze or because she feels safe knowing that the man is there?

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  2. Meghan DaltonOctober 19, 2014 at 3:31 PM

    I agree both with Matt and Madi's statements. I think the questions that Madi has put out like what emotions Hester is feeling when she she's this man and is she fixed on his gaze because she feels safe knowing he's there or if she wants to escape from it. These are key questions to understanding the connection Hester has with this man. Why out of the entire crowd of people is he the one she stares at. Does she know this man or is there just something about him that triggers an emotion inside of her?

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  3. asha appelOctober 20, 2014 at 6:57 AM

    I'd be super careful with this moment, Matt. Yes, she does indeed see only this man in this moment, but he doesn't make her feel safe--quite the opposite.

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  4. Trey DuganOctober 20, 2014 at 3:41 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. opheliaOctober 20, 2014 at 9:29 PM

    I agree with Asha's idea. At that moment, she is afraid and feel even more shameful. For Hester, her baby and husband are the living reminders of her shame. Also, she knows her husband very well, which makes her even more insecure.

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  6. UnknownOctober 21, 2014 at 5:21 AM

    I think that she does not feel safe because all of her mistakes have really caught up to her in this moment. She realized her dead husband was alive, and knows exactly what she did. She is probably trying to figure out how he will react, but i dont think she is comfortable, i think she is more in shock and scared.

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  7. UnknownOctober 21, 2014 at 5:21 AM

    I agree with Matt's idea but i disagree with Meghan's because i do not think that at this point Hester is feeling safe. I don't think that she is feeling safe because she sees her husbands that she thought was dead for 2 years and now she has a baby with another man. I agree with Matt in believing that this is an important line because we now know a little more about the relationship between Hester and her husband.

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  8. UnknownOctober 21, 2014 at 5:23 AM

    i think this is a very key quote. At this moment in time, Hester Pyrnne finally sees her husband for the first time in 3 years. In this moment she is standing on her pedestal in shame with her infant. She had thought that her husband was dead but she know nows that this wasn't true. She blocks everyone out in this moment and focuses only on her husband making it a key quote.

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  9. UnknownOctober 21, 2014 at 5:25 AM

    I agree with Matt's statement that Hester was only focused on that one man because she had a strong emotional connection with her. However she couldn't stop looking at him because she was surprised that he was alive and at he was in the crowd when she was standing on the pedestal. Hester was also not afraid of of the crowd and being humiliated when she saw her husband, but more afraid of him.

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  10. CharlieOctober 21, 2014 at 5:26 AM

    I do not agree with Matt that she felt safe with the stranger. I think that she was so drawn to the familiarity with the person that she couldn't take her eyes off him. Hester knew that he meant something to her so I think she felt more nervous and ashamed that he was watching her on the scaffold.

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  11. UnknownOctober 21, 2014 at 5:35 AM

    I partially agree with Matt as I'm not sure "safe" is the word I would use. I think that Hester is shocked, knowing the man is her husband. She does not yet know how her husband will respond, but it would be an unnatural reaction to feel safe, when you see the person you cheated on for the first time. Especially after thinking he was dead.

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  12. tragnabJune 20, 2017 at 1:45 PM

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