MLK Letter From Birmingham Jail Day 3 Class discussion

MLK Letter From Birmingham Jail Day 3 class discussion

Intro - (5-10 mins)

Small Group (15-20 mins)

Preview connection to Exam question (3-5 mins)

Large Group Discussion (15 mins)

Consult the file on Allusions in MLK Letter from Birmingham Jail and then revisit question # 5 from today's in-class. Explain how MLK's  uses certain authorities and their ideas to build the logos of his argument and simultaneusly establish ethos with the clergymen. Explain the specific uses of at least two allusions (e.g., Tillich and Buber) which help him build the logos of his argument in paragraphs 13-20. 

Visually depict how King  develops the logos of paragraphs 13-20 argument by weaving in and connecting key authorities and their ideas into his argument.  Chart how King takes one auhtority-conected idea and builds on it with another idea, providing connecting links, transitions, and explanations of his own to unify and propel the argument forward. Finally, after completing your visual chart, write a detailed thesis which articulates King's central claim/argument and the strategies he employs to make his claim appealing and persuasive for his primary audience.

Tomorrow: Periods 1 & 3...Room 035
Period 8: DC

Letter From Birmingham Jail, The Individual and Authority…In this course, we have studied a variety of texts that have explored the costs and benefits of being an individual and the wide array of approaches people can take to maintain their values and integrity, their freedom and identity.  At the same time, these texts have captured the social forces that individuals who pursue a ‘self-reliant’ lifestyle have to confront or struggle against—whether it be pressure to conform to political or religious orthodoxy, or to economic, intellectual, and family norms.

Craft an essay in which you analyze the ways that King's Letter from Birmingham Jail speaks to the broad theme of ‘the individual and authority.’  Structure should include one introductory paragraph, two well-developed body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph (if you have the time and something meaningful to say).

Letter From Birmingham Jail Day 1

Letter From Birmingham Jail Pre-reading Considerations

All rhetoric is situational

Rhetoric – the art of persuasion; knowing all of the available means of persuasion; how to feature content

Contextualizing Questions

1. What kind of text are we dealing with?

2. When was it written?

3. Who wrote it?

4. For what audience was it intended?

Primary and secondary audiences

5. For what purpose was it written?

The three appeals (plus one)

Ethos, logos, pathos (and authorities)

Ethos – credibility. The good man speaking well.

Established by actions, reputation and words.

Pathos: appeal to emotions

Logos: Appeal to logic and reasoning.

Where do you see each at work?

Appeal to Authorities: (subset of Allusions)

Prominence of Allusions (how they help; who gets them and who doesn’t)

Sentence level devices –  Three Prominent moves by MLK

Antithesis, parallelism, alliteration

Oldies but goodies -  Metaphor, simile, repetition of words, personification

Structure of text

Classic Structure of a Persuasive Speech

1. paragraphs _______: introduction (exordium)

2. paragraphs _______: narrative or statement of fact (narratio)

3. paragraphs _______: arguments and counter-arguments (confirmatio and refutatio)

4. paragraphs _______: conclusion (peroratio)

Civil Disobedience

What's on tap for today...

Emerson Tweets...
My attempts...
Speak your mind; mind not that others may call you inconsistent.

God lies within; ignore the mob’s noise without.

Too much reverence prevents living in the present.

Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

Finish reading Civil Disobedience

By 11:59 tonight, post one entry consisting of two questions to Canvas. Write two discussion questions:1) one should be evaluative - a question that uses the text as a springboard to explore what you think of one of Thoreau's ideas or it's implications for society or the individual today) and 2) another should be interpretive/inferential in nature (questions that explore/interpret the meaning/intent of specific lines or passages which may be complex, ambiguous, or appear to conflict with other points in the essay).  Furthermore, one of the question should be linked to a passage in in pp 1-9; the other should come from a passage found in pages 10-18. 

On Tuesday, you will respond to two of these questions on Canvas.

On Wednesday, we will discuss the text.

On Thursday you will write an essay in response to the following: 

Civil Disobedience, The Individual and Authority…In this course, we have studied a variety of texts that have explored the costs and benefits of being an individual and the wide array of approaches people can take to maintain their values and integrity, their freedom and identity.  At the same time, these texts have captured the social forces that individuals who pursue a ‘self-reliant’ lifestyle have to confront or struggle against—whether it be pressure to conform to political or religious orthodoxy, or to economic, intellectual, and family norms.

Craft an essay in which you analyze the ways that Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience speaks to the broad theme of ‘the individual and authority.’  Structure should include one introductory paragraph, two well-developed body paragraphs, and a concluding paragraph (if you have the time and something meaningful to say).

Concerning points/grades: While there will not be time for revision work on the Into the Wild paper, the following might boost your grade a little before the semster exam:  Everyone will receive 10 out of 10 points for the Into The Wild quiz. I was going to drop it entirely because performance was all over the board, but decided to do this instead.

Today...

Small groups...

Share your essay thesis and explain why the claim you made is supported by the text. Don't just share quotes - explain why you believe they support your interpretation of Emerson's view.

Is Emerson simply preaching a "You're not the boss of me" or "If it feels good, do it" philosphy?

What, if anything in Self-Reliance, is to prevent his essay from simply inspiring people to embrace a self-centered, selfish, my-way-or the highway approach to living?

Emerson tells us in about a dozen ways that we should be self-reliant, but why? Why should he trust us to trust ourselves? 

What does a self-reliant person have to get in touch with in order to tap into their true power? Where does Emerson tell us?

How does someone get in touch with their deepest understanding? Does Emerson give any any hints? 

This weekend,

·        Do the Emerson’s Tweet’s activity provided as link in the Self-Reliance Close Reading. The last part of the exercise has you creating three tweets of your own based on specific lines from Self-Reliance. Please bring your three tweets in on Monday (handwritten or typed);

·        begin reading Civil Disobedience (pp. 1-18) in Henry David Thoreau: Civil Disobedience and Other Essays. I suggest reading 1-9 this weekend and finishing 10-18 in class on Monday.

3AP Lang & Comp

11/27 Transcendentalism PPT Self-Reliance Vocab Read & annotate Self-Reliance Excerpt All materials generated this week may be used in final exam	11/28 Carefully read the introduction – they’re excellent. Complete Self-Reliance Close-Reading doc on Canvas Prd 1, 3 - NC035 Prd 8 – Lib A	11/29 Late Start Day Discussion of Self-Reliance Close-Reading questions Exam Prep – HW: Read 1) Self-Reliance and Certainty and Doubt & 2)Self-Reliance and the Individual Essay prompts Tomorrow, half of you will be assigned one, half the other	11/30 Exam/Timed Writing Practice Self-Reliance essay …Begin your essay…finish at home if necessary…bring printed copies tomorrow Prd 1 – DC Prd 3- 035 Prd 8 – Lib A	12/1 Discuss Self-Reliance essay responses HW: Review Civil Disobedience vocab and begin reading & annotating Civil Disobedience; finish Civil Disobedience by end of class on Monday 12/4
12/4 Read Civil Disobedience	12/5 Civil Disobedience Close-Reading Prd 1,3 – 035 Prd 8 – Lib Floor	12/6 School Improvement Day 11:30 dismissal	12/7 Civil Disobedience Essay Prd 1, 3 – 035 Prd 8 – Lib Floor	12/8 Discuss Civil Disobedience essays HW: Begin reading and annotating Frederick Douglass 4th of July and review vocab; finish reading Douglass 4th of July in-class on 12/11
12/11 AP Rhetoric Text Finish reading and annotating	12/12 AP Rhetoric Lesson Prds 1, 3 & 8 - Library Floor	12/13 AP Rhetoric Lesson Late Start Day Prds 1, 3 & 8 - Library Floor	12/14 AP Rhet Essay Prds 1, 3 – 035 Prd 8 - DC	12/15 Discuss Rhetoric  essays
12/18 Exam Prep	12/19 Exam Prep	12/20 Final Exams Prds 3 – DC east	12/21 Final Exams Prd 1, 8 – Lib Flr	12/22 Final Exams End of 2nd quarter and 1st semester

Emphasis - It's an argument, so it has to be engaging and their has to be depth of thought, not just quote dropping and hit and run thinking. 

Depth of thinking and voice

Ethos, logos, pathos

Ask lots of questions of the writer whose paper you are reviewing

Use questions in your own essay, too. They can set up points.

On Canvas, check out Wesley Words for Writing for transition words and phrases that might be helpful.

HW: Draft # 2 due Monday, November 20.
Monday we are in the DC.

Finish the book...Chapter 18 and the Epilogue...Chapter 18 in paritcular has some really interesting stuff in the last chapter

Read the "draft" writing options ( - I forgot to add a due date but it will be due November 21 on Canvas and turnitin.com (I will grade it on Canvas)

Into The Wild in-class reading (33 minute class)

HW: Read Into The Wild ch 16-17 (157-186) for Monday

NORTH CAMPUS

1st 7:45 - 8:18 33
2nd   8:24 - 8:57 33

3rd 9:03 - 9:36 33

4A 9:42 - 10:07 
4B  10:12 - 10:37 

5A 10:43 - 11:08  
5B   11:13- 11:38 

6th  Class              11:42- 12:17 33
        Seating                12:17 - 12:30 
        Assembley          12:30 - 1:25                                  Return to Class    1:25- 1:47 


7th 1:53: - 2:26 33

8th 2:32 - 3:05 33

Into The Wild: Read Chapters 10-12 (98-126) for tomorrow.

Stay prepared for a reading quiz.

Culminating writing assignment will be handed out tomorrow or Friday.

Into The Wild chapters 6-7

Ten minutes of take-aways...

Double-entry journal like the one we did for chapters 4-5

Find a total of 3 passages (1.5 per chapter...haha) which you feel capture or reveal the three most important take-aways (for you) from Chapters 6-7.

Exchange papers...

Respond to two of their take-aways with a "Yes, and..." or Yes, but..." comment in the margins of their entry. The comment should acknowledge their point (that's the "yes" part) but also build on it or raises a counter-point or counter-interpretation to their point (that's the "and" or "but" part). Then sign your name and hand it back.

HW: 
Read and annotate Into The Wild chapters 8-9

Read and annotate chapter 6 & 7 of Into The Wild...We're overdue for a quiz soon, so make sure you are current with the reading.  

Chapter 4 & 5 essentials

Essentials
Chapter 4 & 5 double-entry journal
If you are/were out on Friday, please complete, in your notebook, a shortened version of the assignment below; therefore, for each chapter, choose one (1) quote from the external sources in the prologue of each chapter and what you feel are the two (2) most essential passages from the body of each chapter. 

Students in class, working with a partner, please complete the following:

- For chapters 4 & 5, pick five passages which you feel are essential to conveying who McCandless is and what motivated or shaped him, from family experiences to literature. Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper, and write the passages and page #'s on the left hand side of the paper; write your explanation for why you feel that quote is essential to understanding McCandless or understanding Krakauer's purposes in the chapter.

- The first of the five passages should come from  one of the outside sources Krakauer uses to introduce each chapter. Those quotes from other sources - sometimes chosen by McCandless sometimes not, seem to set up ideas that will be explored in the chapter. 

Write down a portion of that external source and then explain why you think Krakuaer included that specific qutote.  How does it relate to the chapter? The book as a whole? McCandless?  

- For any of the passage, you might consider what it suggests or reveals about the essential questions that Krakauer is concerned with in this book; or, consider how it nudges the reader  towards considering an idea or experience that helps to explain, McCandless's  behavior. 


- Take the opportunity to understand...don't stop at "He is so opinionated..." or "She is so cold.." or "He is so dramatic"..."She is such a know-it-all..." You can start there, it's natural, but then start to ask why this person is that way. Imagine, perhaps, that you are a counselor or a friend who is truly trying to understand a complex person.


“Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once? ...Why does it (government) not encourage its citizens to be on the alert to point out its faults, and do better than it would have them?” 
― Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays

“A very few, as heroes, patriots, martyrs, reformers in the great sense, and men, serve the State with their consciences also, and so necessarily resist it for the most part; and they are commonly treated by it as enemies.” 
― Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays

“I believe,—“That government is best which governs not at all;” and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have.” 
― Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays


“I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right. It is truly enough said that a corporation has no conscience; but a corporation of conscientious men is a corporation with a conscience.” 
― Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience and Other Essays

In-class discussion ch 1-3

HW: 

nto the Wild- Jon Krakauer

Assignment #2- Chapters 4-5 (25-46)

Vocabulary

On this or a separate sheet of paper, write down the word, part of speech, and definition.

oxymoronic (39)

denuded (41)

Discussion Questions

As you read, answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper. Be thoughtful and thorough in your answers.  You don’t need complete sentences, but complete answers.  Each response is worth 2 points.

1.      How is Krakauer able to corroborate (strengthen or support with other evidence) the events in the Detrital Wash?

2.      Refer back to the first map in the book for the events of the summer of 1990.  Then refer to the map on page 24.

a.      What happened in October 1990?

b.      November 1990?

c.      December 1990?

d.      What stymies McCandless’s passage to the Gulf of California and what “miracle” occurs on December 9, 1990?

e.      What happens on January 1, 1991?

3.      Who cares for McCandless in Slabs?  What are they like?  What sort of care do they offer Chris?  What is Slabs?

4.      Krakauer spins McCandless as being infatuated with Jack London.  Who is Jack London and what does Krakauer say about McCandless’s infatuation with him?

A taste of Transcendetalism...

Read the two poems by  Emerson and Ol' Uncle Walt.

Group # 1: What images do you notice?
What themes, central ideas do they suggest were important to Emerson and Whitman, respectively? 
Do you see any overlap with Romantic ideals? 
Given what you know about Chris McCandless so far, do you see any overlap between Chris's ideas and those of Whitman and Emerson? 

Is solitude or commmunity more important for happiness?

Are they mutually exclusive? 

How does one find a balance between quiet and solitude and conversation and community? 

Do you feel you have a balance between the two in your life?

Group #2...Discuss your responses to the questions you worked on last night.

Looking forward to tomorrow's work (in-class reading and questions):

Into the Wild- Jon Krakauer

Assignment #2- Chapters 4-5 (25-46)

Vocabulary

On a separate sheet of paper, write down the word, part of speech, and definition.

oxymoronic (39)

denuded (41)

Discussion Questions

As you read, answer these questions on a separate sheet of paper. Be thoughtful and thorough in your answers.  You don’t need complete sentences, but complete answers.  Each response is worth 2 points.

1.      How is Krakauer able to corroborate (strengthen or support with other evidence) the events in the Detrital Wash?

2.      Refer back to the first map in the book for the events of the summer of 1990.  Then refer to the map on page 24.

a.      What happened in October 1990?

b.      November 1990?

c.      December 1990?

d.      What stymies McCandless’s passage to the Gulf of California and what “miracle” occurs on December 9, 1990?

e.      What happens on January 1, 1991?

3.      Who cares for McCandless in Slabs?  What are they like?  What sort of care do they offer Chris?  What is Slabs?

4.      Krakauer spins McCandless as being infatuated with Jack London.  Who is Jack London and what does Krakauer say about McCandless’s infatuation with him?

Small groups...

Discuss "Happy" - Each person should share two or three take-aways from the film.
Why did it stand out for you?
What relevance, if any, does/might this idea have for your life or your community?

Homework: Read Into The Wild, chapters 1-3, and answer the questions.  Pay attention to the notes below the questions, too.


Into The Wild

Vocabulary Unit # 1

Vocabulary has a profound effect on your reading comprehension, something that will become very apparent this year as you take ACT’s, SAT’s and AP exams. Krakauer’s prose style in Into the Wild is modern and accessible, but he throws in a fancy word from time to time. This is a great book for expanding your vocabulary; take advantage of the opportunity. Also, we’ll have a few vocab quizzes, so stay on top of your words.

On a separate sheet of paper, write down the word, part of speech, the definition, and the sentence from the book or a sentence from another source which contains context clues. Underline the word. You may handwrite the work in the space below or type it.

transcendent (intro)    sonorous (4)                plebian (18)                unencumbered (22)

asceticism (intro)       meandered (5)            nomadic (19)              

unsullied (4)               cursory (13)                altruistic (19)

Watch "Happy"

Homework: 
Tomorrow - Bring Into The Wild
Also...
Into The Wild

Vocabulary Unit # 1

Vocabulary has a profound effect on your reading comprehension, something that will become very apparent this year as you take ACT’s, SAT’s and AP exams. Krakauer’s prose style in Into the Wild is modern and accessible, but he throws in a fancy word from time to time. This is a great book for expanding your vocabulary; take advantage of the opportunity. Also, we’ll have a few vocab quizzes, so stay on top of your words.

On a separate sheet of paper, write down the word, part of speech, the definition, and the sentence from the book or a sentence from another source which contains context clues. Underline the word. You may handwrite the work in the space below or type it.

transcendent (intro)    sonorous (4)                plebian (18)                unencumbered (22)

asceticism (intro)       meandered (5)            nomadic (19)              

unsullied (4)               cursory (13)                altruistic (19)

1st quarter reflection   

Happy

We just finished reading a book which, intentionally or not, which focused on  unhappiness at both personal and societal levels and examined some of its root causes.  

Today, I would like us to watch some of the documentary "Happy", which examines the field of positive psychology and th pursuit of happiness.

We can use this documentary to reflect on Hawthorne's ideas and our own lives and as a springboard to the study of Transcendentalism and Into The Wild,  a philosophical movement and a text, respectively, which explore what it means to live life fully and meaningfully.

Day 1: stopped at 15:25 (Flow)

Day 2: stopped at 32:00 (middle of Japan scene)

Scarlet Letter Post-essay work

Post Scarlet Letter Essay lessons

October 23, 2017

Wesley 3AP

Directions: Read the example essay, one paragraph at a time, noting both strengths and areas for improvement. Be honest but respectful.

Oh, more directions: Read each paragraph quietly, write comments individually, discuss as a group.  Alternate which person in your group begins the discussion.  Perhaps share two observations each. Please do not say, “I pretty much said the same thing as…” or any version of that.

Elements to consider for each paragraph:

ideas: the maturity and depth of the ideas/insights;

style: the quality of the diction, syntax, and overall organization, unity and flow of the paragraph; 

evidence: How effectively do they incorporate textual evidence into their argument?

For the opening and closing paragraphs, address the questions above and the following:

opening: How well does it grab the reader's attention, orient the reader to the argument, articulate the main argument?

closing: Does it conclude the paper in a way that builds (adds something to) the body of the essay? Does it keep the reader engaged until the end?

HW: Bring Into The Wild

Gwendolyn Brooks‟s 1960 poem “The Ballad of Rudolph Reed” demonstrates how the poet uses the conventional poetic form of the ballad to treat the unconventional poetic subject of racial intolerance.

The fate of the main characters in Antigone illustrates the danger of excessive pride. 

The imagery in Dylan Thomas‟s poem “Fern Hill” reveals the ambiguity of humans‟ relationship with nature.

• Remember that focused revisions proposals (a.k.a., “rationale statement”) are due today; please hand it in to me now, and I will return it to you before the end of class..
• Form groups of 4
• In small groups, share key quotes and take-aways from the Zinsser “One Writing Well” excerpt reading.  Which statements and ideas resonated with you and why?

Wordsmithing Warm-ups
Please take out any handouts you have related to writing clear prose. Keep Zinsser close to (for moral support).
Try to simplify, clean-up, or clarify each of the following:

1.) Due to the thoughts of the town it is suggested that Chillingworth lives with the minister in order to heal him from his illness.


2.) Reverend Dimmesdale is a public holy man being the minister of the town.


3.) These characters each go through their own hardships, but it is paramount to determine whether they were punished for something that is truly a “sin, or solely something that is looked down upon by society.



4.) Hawthorne through the use of the characters Hester Prynne, Reverend Dimmesdale and Rodger Chillingworth portrays that society is but a biased view.


5.) Dimmesdale, on the other hand, has a very dissimilar experience to that of Hester.  


6.) In a society so strictly influenced by Puritan beliefs, Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale fall prey to the cruel and harsh nature of the society they live in.

7.) The mention of Hawthorne’s piece illustrates that while the text is nearly two centuries old, it still embodies a significant part of American culture and imparts much about how the liberalization of religion is sometimes necessary for society to move forward, but must be done so within limits.




Essay Evaluation Practice
Read the following essay and edit the paper to improve clarity and conciseness. Also make notes in the margin regarding content/development of the main idea: strengths, weaknesses, places for improvement, etc. Work through it one paragraph at a time (read aloud followed by discussion and editing). Once you have finished reading and editing it, carefully assess it using the rubric provided.  Underline specific words in the rubric that best describe your evaluation of the essay.

Mr. Wesley
English 3AP-10
10 October 2014
Passion and Sin in The Scarlet Letter 
In a society so strictly influenced by Puritan beliefs, Hester Prynne and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale fall prey to the cruel and harsh nature of the society they live in. As a punishment for their sins, Dimmesdale and Hester are forced into a life of isolation, but upon being so far removed from civilization, they begin to view their sins with a different frame of mind. Nathaniel Hawthorne, having written The Scarlet Letter during a time period influenced by Romantic ideology, explores the complexity of their sin of adultery from both a Puritan and a Romantic perspective. Hawthorne’s use of juxtaposition to contrast Puritan values with Romantic ideals in society creates a cultural environment in The Scarlet Letter highlighting the intersection of passion and sin, showing how passion can drive an individual to sin and conveying how sometimes sin can lead one down a path that will bestow a newfound sense of humility upon him or her. 
Predominantly, Hawthorne uses juxtaposition of Puritan and Romantic values to portray an intersection of passion and sin. The harsh and God-fearing society Hester lives in publically shames and humiliates her for her sin of adultery, badging her with a scarlet letter, “a halo of misfortune and ignominy” (Hawthorne 37). Conversely, as the story develops and Romantic ideals become more prominent in the text, the conception of the scarlet letter evolves “to stand for Angel” (Hawthorne 109). Hester is regarded with higher respect amidst her cohorts as she becomes somewhat of a martyr for her cause, having endured the repercussions of her sin including public contempt and obligatory isolation, at which point Puritan ideals and Romantic ideals begin to overlap. As the ramifications of Hester’s sin play out, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is at a crossroads due to the guilt he feels for having participated in such a sinful act, although he believes it was “a sin of passion, not of principle” (Hawthorne 137). Dimmesdale’s justification for his action reveals the influence of Romantic values, including emotion and intuition among many. With a more Romantic world-view, adultery was not seen as so much of a crime as it had been in Puritan society, but rather a symbol of the passion Hester and Dimmesdale felt towards one another, and the emotional exchange between the two. Hawthorne utilizes the juxtaposition of both ideologies to underscore the impact one has on the other, and identify the point at which they meet.
Furthermore, Hawthorne emphasizes Puritanism and Romanticism to create a cultural environment that illustrates the contrast between the two ideologies and illustrate how they coincide with each other in the Puritan society. The public display of Hester’s humiliation establishes the “cruel weight and harshness of reality” (Hawthorne 70) in her town, as opposed to the freedom and isolation of the forest, where Hester and Dimmesdale can be free of judgment for their sin. Hawthorne uses the cultural environment to create a distinction between how Hester’s sin of adultery is received by the standards of Puritanism versus how it is seen from a Romantic world view, and amidst this distinction lies the intersection between passion and sin, at which point an act of an extreme exertion of passion in the eyes of the Romantics becomes a sin in the eyes of the Puritans. Dimmesdale, having seen how the town had ostracized Hester, feels an overwhelming sense of guilt and remorse for his actions, due to “the infectious poison of [that] sin” (Hawthorne 152) that plagues him. Additionally, he is a public figure, and a religious one at that, thus there is a lot at stake for him if he is recognized as an adulterer in a town where he is regarded with such high respect. After spending some time isolated from society in the woods alongside Hester, Dimmesdale begins to develop a more Romantic perspective on his sin, calling it a “triumphant ignominy” (Hawthorne 176) before he dies a sinner, highlighting the extent to which the passion that he felt before he committed adultery and after ultimately overshadowed the belief that what he had done was truly sinful. At this point Dimmesdale has also become a martyr for his cause, capturing the passion he feels for his actions.
Moreover, with his death, Reverend Dimmesdale portrays how sin can lead an individual down a path that will bring him or her to a newfound sense of humility. Dimmesdale has long been troubled by his sin, but comes to realize he “[he] might have been supposed safer within the line of virtue, than if he had never sinned at all” (Hawthorne 137). Dimmesdale evidently considers himself a survivor of the turmoil he endured as a repercussion of his actions, which empowers him to come to accept what he has done, and come back into society “another man...a wiser one” (Hawthorne 153). The tumultuous path Dimmesdale’s sin leads him on shows how his sin has changed him into a new person with new strength and a newfound view of the world, bringing about a new sense of humility and humanity in him. Because of his religious identity, the public holds Dimmesdale to high expectations; his sin reveals the imperfection of human nature that even he, a devoutly holy man, is susceptible to. With his last dying breath, Dimmesdale proclaims his death is one of “triumphant ignominy” (Hawthorne 176), revealing how, although he had sinned, he still felt a sense of triumph for all that he endured as a result. Reverend Dimmesdale’s transformation depicts how sin is a means of growth, and for that reason, it can change an individual for the better. 

Overall, despite the harsh and rigid nature of Puritan society, Hawthorne is able to create a cultural environment that foils the concept of sin through the eyes of a Puritan and a Romantic. Through his use of juxtaposition, Hawthorne contrasts the values of Puritanism and Romanticism, creating a cultural environment to reveal the intersection between passion and sin, demonstrating how the two influence one another, depicting how an individual can learn from his or her sin and emerge a stronger, wiser person having been humbled by the obstacles faced as a result. Through the internal and external conflicts Reverend Dimmesdale and Hester Prynne are faced with throughout the novel, Hawthorne portrays certain elements of each ideology to assess the nature and value of their sins before finally, they are able to accept their sin, and move forward from it.