The Scarlet Letter

By: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Angela Ritter IDT 3600

Objective and AccomplishmentContent Area : English

Grade Level : 8

Summary: The purpose of this instructional PowerPoint is to provide information about Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and to help students formulate ideas about the major characters, how major events affect their behavior, and to recognize the different types of conflict. We will also discuss in this powerpoint how this piece of literature relates to the time period in which it was written.

Learning Objective : The student will be able to identify the major parts of The Scarlet Letter. Including the Characters, whether these characters are supporting or main, antagonist or protagonist. The internal and external conflicts that affect the characters and major events within the story. The students will identify the correlation between the events and conflicts within the story and the time period in which the story was written. The Student's will also form an analysis of the major theme of The Scarlet Letter. The students will be assigned the reading of the Scarlet Letter and will be discussing in class as assigned reading is completed, using this powerpoint presentation. Students will be tested with pop quizzes on the knowledge of assigned readings and expects to answer question to 100% accuracy. As a major test grade Students will be asked to write a final paper selecting from a number of categories with criteria listed above. The students will be graded by a grading rubric that will include 20% for class participation during our in class discussions.

Accomplishment : The students will be able to analyze and identify the major concepts and themes as they relate to one of the most famous works of American Literate, they will be able to discuss and write about their observations.

Content Standards0801.8.4 Analyze works of literature for what is suggested about the

historical period in which they were written. 0801.8.2 Sequence and identify the plot’s events, their causes, and the

influence of each event on future events0801.8.4 Identify and describe character (major/minor,

antagonists/protagonists) features and relationships in literary texts.0801.8.5 Identify and analyze moral dilemmas in works of literature, as

revealed by character motivation and behavior.0801.8.6 Differentiate between internal and external conflict.0801.8.7 Identify the kind(s) of conflict (e.g., person vs. person, person

vs. self, person vs. environment, person vs. technology) present in literary plots.

0801.8.9 Identify and analyze the setting (location and time) and its impact on plot,character, and theme in literary texts.

0801.8.10 Identify how the author reveals character (e.g., what the author tells us, what the characters say about him or her, what the character does, what the character says, what the character thinks).

The Scarlet Letter

By. Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Scarlet letter is a story about guilt, sin, love, tragedy, revenge, honor, pride, forgiveness, and society.

A young mother is forced to wear a scarlet letter as punishment for her crime. She must overcome many

obstacles and redeem herself for her sin and guilt. All the while the other guilty party is unknown, except by

her. So another words it could be any number of the TV shows you watch on

TV today just better written.

Published: 1850

In the beginning of the book, Hawthorne tells you how he came to write the Scarlet Letter. That while working in the custom house he

found some old documents containing events and attached to those documents was the scarlet letter. He then decided to write a fictional account of that scarlet letter.

This is the Scarlet Tombstone said to be the

inspiration for the Burial of Hester and Arthur.

It is located in Kings Chapel Cemetery in Boston Massachusetts. It is one of the most visited Graves in the country.

Author

Characters

Setting

PlotMajor Events Conflicts

Theme

Nathaniel Hawthorne • Born in Salem Massachusetts

• Attended Bowdoin College in Maine

• Started his early career living in The Old Manse (The same house that Ralph Waldo

Emerson and David Henry Thoreau called home at one time)

• Hawthorne was originally born Nathaniel Hathorne, but added the W to hide his relation to John Hathorne, the only Judge of the Salem Witch Trials to stand by his decision.

• Married Sophia Peabody and had two children Una and Julien

• Other notable works include: o The House of Seven Gables o Twice Told Tales o Tanglewood Tales

July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864

Menu

Hester Pyrnne The book's main

Character, She is charged with having an adulterous affair after having a child with an unknown man. Her Punishment is to where the Scarlet Letter on the Breast of her dresses. The story follows her on her journey to find peace with her crime.

Characters

Hester Prynne portrayed by Demi Moore in the 1995 film version of the book

Menu

Reverend Arthur

Dimmesdale The honorable Reverend,

the town looks to him for guidance and leadership. He falls ill, and his sickness is a mystery. You see his health decline throughout the story. He is often portrayed on the surface as the hero taking the side of Hester when she has no one else to turn to for help. However there is much more to the Reverend.

Characters

Gary Oldman as Arthur Dimmesdale in 1995 film remake (This is also the same man who played Sirus Black in Harry Potter)

Menu

Roger Chillingsworth The newcomer to town.

Chillingsworth has many faces. He is the new town doctor and many other things? What other roles does he play in this story?

Characters

Robert Duvall as Roger Chillingsworth

Pearl Characters

Pearl with Arthur and Hester, Actors as Ashton Community Theatre

The daughter of Hester Prynne from her Adulterous Affair. She is spirited and according to the townspeople uncivilised and possibly the daughter of Hester and the Devil. She is the victim of her mother's crime and the towns prudeness. Hester always dresses her to the utmost perfection in the most elaborate gowns.

Why does Hester keep Dimmesdale's secret??? How does this affect her, Pearl, Roger and Dimmesdale?

Take out a Sheet of Paper and give me a brief answer to turn in.

Character Discussion

• Who is/are the Protagonist in this story?

• Who is/are the Antagonist?

• How does the setting affect these characters?

• How do the relationships between the characters affect

them?

• How do the major events affect the characters decisions.

• How does Nathaniel Hawthorne write these characters, how

does he want us to see them. (Remember he wrote this book

in the mid 1800 and set it is the mid 1600s)

Setting : Puritan Boston, Massachusetts from 1642

to 1649

Get with you partner you have 5 min to discuss them and then as a pair have an answer to each question to share with the class.

1.How does the setting affect the events of the story?

2.What would happen if this happened in today's word?

Hester Pryne is led from the town prison with her baby in her arms, She is placed at the town center where the gallows are located to stand in front of the townspeople for her crime of adultery. She is asked who the man is that has committed this crime with her, but she refuses to tell. An onlooker in the crowd that has just arrived, a man that goes by Roger Chillingworth, see Hester and ask what she is guilty of. Learning that it is Adultery, he decides to say nothing, for in fact he is really Hester's lost husband. Upon speaking to Hester, he vows to find the man that has done this to him and sets his sights on Revenge. All the while posing as a doctor and taking care of the towns highly respected Reverend Dimmesdale who has fallen ill. The reverend is actually the father of Hester's illegitimate child Pearl, but fears to say anything because he feels that he or both him and Hester will be put to death. After some time the Reverend can no longer sustain the guilt and confesses his crime on the same center that Hester stood with their child escaping the vengeance of Chillingworth and freeing himself of the burden of guilt.

The Scarlet Letter Plot

• Hesters Husbands shows up in the midst of her punishment but decides to hide his identity.

• Chillingsworth is placed in charge of Dimmesdales well-being and care

• Dimmesdale goes to the center of town after wandering one night and Hester and Pearl see him there where he holds pearls hand

Major Events

• Chillingswoth discovers Dimmesdale after he goes into a passionate fit.

• Hester takes the A off in the woods and decides to leave with Arthur and Pearl , but Pearl does not know her mother without the Scarlet A

• Dimmesdale Confesses his sins in front of the town and takes Pearl and Hester's hands

• Chillingsworth leaves his fortune to Pearl

Conflicts External Internal

• Time Period - Societal

Expectations

• Townspeople

• Job

• Gender roles

• other main Characters

(who?)

• Guilt (who?)

• Shame (who?)

• Revenge

• Fear

• Love

Theme Assignment Time: You are to write a 3 page (typed, 12 point font, Times

new Roman,double spaced) paper. You may choose from one of the topics below:

1. What is the Theme of this Novel? There is no one correct answer to this (there are wrong answers). The theme of the Scarlet letter is widely debated, your job is to decide on your own what you think the theme is and then back it up with quotes and ideas from the reading.

2. Pick one of the four main characters and tell me how their internal and external conflicts affected their character and outcome. Again this is how you see the story and what knowledge you gained about the characters. You are to back up your findings with evidence from the story. If you believe this is what it is, make me want to believe it as well.

3. The effects of an A ... What affect did the scarlet letter have on Hester and other Characters. Did it make her a better person, a worse person. How did affect Pearl, the townspeople, Roger or Arthur. Like the above this is open to your interpretation, just make sure I believe you as well by backing it up.

Grading Rubric 20% Class Participation from slide presentation discussions. Did you

participate, Did you understand the reading, if you did not did you ask questions. Where you paying attention. Did you do the assigned reading in a timely fashion

20% Correct use of Grammar and Punctuation, NO spelling errors, No run on Sentences , Correct use of Capitalization, Is the title of your book in italics?

10% Word choice, Use of a variety of descriptive words, did you paint a vivid picture,

20% Paper Structure. Do you have a Title, Main Paragraph, Does your paper have a body and a closing paragraph. YOu paper should flow in a sequence and not jump from subject to subject.

30% Support, was your main idea or conclusion supported by facts that you included in your paper, were those fact relevant to the topic you chose.

Credits

www.barnesandnoble.com

www.screened.com

www.garyoldman.live.journal.com

www.kootnation.com

www.net.archbold.k12.oh.us

www.thecemetarytraveler.com

www.state.tn.us/education/ci/english/doc/ENG_Grade_8.pdf