The Scarlet Letter
A Unit Plan
Scarlet Letter Unit Calendar
Days based on a 90-minute period. If your classes are less than that, adjust accordingly.
Day 1
• Lecture: Puritanism.
o Use Lecture Organizer. Teacher Version (powerpoint) and Student
Version.
• Introduce Notes and Quotes (I use this instead of a study guide, because it helps
them write their essays. They always complain about it, but end up seeing its
usefulness).
• The Study Guide can be used as an assignment to go along with the reading, or
just for the students to use as a guide to make sure they’re understanding what
they’ve read.
Hmwk: Puritanism Quiz
Day 2
• Puritanism Quiz
• If you have access to it, read Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan
Edwards, which is an actual sermon from a Puritan Minister. It allows students to
get into the “mood” of the Puritans, which is the backdrop of the entire novel.
o The speech is a great way to focus on diction (word choice), metaphors,
tone.
o If not using, move to Day 3.
Day 3
• 20th century SL
• Ch. 1 questions
• Begin Scarlet Letter (SL)
Hmwk: Read Ch. 1 of Scarlet Letter (SL) and answer questions/(N&Q); 20th Century SL
due
Day 4
• 20th Century SL due! – share
• Discuss/turn in SL questions
• Begin symbols chart
Homework: Read Ch. 2-4 in SL; N&Q response;
Day 5:
• Discuss: Ch. 2-4 in N&Q groups
• Intro Letter Fits assignment
• Intro Debates - Prequel
Homework: Close read Ch. 5-7 (N&Q); Debate outline due
Day 6:
• Discuss Ch. 5-7 in N&Q groups
• Character Development: Hester, Pearl, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth
• Groups: Work on Debates
Homework: Letter Fits; Read Ch. 8-11 (N&Q)
Day 7:
• Share Letter Fits
• Discuss of Ch. 8-11 in N&Q Groups
• Prep for Debate
Homework: Prep for Debates
Day 8:
• Discuss Ch. 8-11 Debate – Custody of Pearl
Homework: Ch. 12-14 w/ symbols chart; N&Q
Day 9:
• Discuss Ch. 12-14 and symbols in N&Q Groups
• Intr o Resear ch Paper – secondary sources
Homework: Read Ch. 15-18 (N&Q); choose an essay topic
Day 10:
• Discuss Ch. 15-18 in N&Q Groups
• Handouts: secondar y sour ces (liter ar y cr iticism ar ticles)
• Begin discussion on secondary sources and Annotated Bibliography
Homewor k: Read Ch. 19-22 (N&Q); thesis statements due
Day 11:
• Discuss Ch. 19-22 in N&Q Groups
• Gr oups: discuss outlines, thesis statements, quote choices, secondary sources.
Homework: Finish novel (N&Q); bring thesis statements – workshop on board.
Day 12:
• Discuss end of novel – Ch. 23-24
• Workshop thesis statements (on board)
Homework: Work on rough draft of research paper – peer editing next class.
Review/Roundtable next class.
Day 13:
• Roundtable/Socratic Seminar Discussion
• Writing Workshop – Peer Editing of SL Research Paper
Homework: Rewrite rough draft using edits/suggestions; study for Unit Test; 1
paragraph (your weakest) to me while you take your test.
Day 14:
• Unit Test
• Teacher reviews 1 paragraph of research paper and offers comments back by the
end of the period.
Homework: Final version of research paper due next class; N&Q turned in next class.
Day 15:
• SL Research paper turned in
• SL Packet; N&Q turned in
• Begin new unit
Lecture Organizer for Introduction to the Puritans and The Scarlet Letter
Puritans/Puritanism (choose what you believe to be the two most important facts about
Puritans and Puritanism)
•
•
Basic Puritan Beliefs
Supremacy of the Divine Will
•
•
Depravity of Man
•
•
Doctrine of the Elect
•
•
Free Grace
•
•
Predestination
•
•
Theocratic Government
•
•
Puritan Work Ethic
•
•
Reverence for Education
•
•
Sins and the Puritans
•
•
Function of the Devil
•
•
Salem Witch Trials of 1692 (Choose what you believe to be the three most important facts
about the Salem Witch Trials)
•
•
•
The Scarlet Letter Unit
Notes & Quotes – Double Entry Journal Assignment
Over the course of the next four weeks, you will be reading Hawthorne’s classic novel. Since it
was written in 1850, the vocabulary and writing style is quite different from contemporary novels
(i.e. The Catcher in the Rye). You are expected to close-read the novel, keep a double entry
journal, take reading quizzes and a unit test, and write a literary analysis paper with secondary
sources. So, it is important that you do your best reading the book, taking notes, answering
questions, and staying focused. This assignment was designed to help you stay focused and
achieve success in this unit.
1. Close read the novel. What does that mean? Well, I would suggest you read with a pen
in your hand, circling the names of new characters, underlining key sentences, putting
brackets around important passages, putting stars next to really significant sentences, and
writing comments on the top and/or bottom of the page. Close reading, also known as
active reading, is a good technique to help you interact with the reading, rather than
daydreaming and wondering what you just read on that page that you just finished. Some
people like to take notes in their notebook rather than marking their book, perhaps
writing a summary of the chapter and recording their thoughts and feelings in a
paragraph.
2. Keep a Double Entry Journal. This is mandatory, and it will be checked and collected.
You are expected to type 30 quotes and responses (Notes & Quotes); there should be at
least one for each of the 24 chapters, with the six “extra” quotes coming from any of the
24 chapters. Your quotes should relate to the topics for the Research Paper. (I’ve copied
the topics for that paper below so that you may find quotes and perhaps use them later in
your paper). Look for quotes that relate to one of the four general topics below, and in
your response, discuss the significance of the quote in the context of the topic. Your
quote should be 1-5 sentences, and your response should be 5-10 sentences.
Some important questions to consider in your response:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Why did you pick this quote?
How is it important or significant?
What does it mean?
How does it fit with the other parts of the chapter or the book?
What does it teach us?
Why does Hawthorne include it?
Example of Double Entry Journal
Quotes:
Responses/Notes:
#1 – “~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. I chose this quote because…
It’s important because…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.” I think it means…
This quote is significant to the
rest of the novel because…
It teaches the reader that…
Hawthorne included it because…
#2 – “~~~~~~~~~.
~~~~~~.”
My response, my witty response,
my brilliant response, my
insightful
The Scarlet Letter Unit
Research Paper Topic Options
Characterization:
1. “Chillingworth is the most corrupt and corrupting character in the novel.” Prove that he distorts
and destructively uses both the beauty of the natural world and the innate justice of the human
world to do so.
2.
Trace the development of Pearl from Hester’s early concern about her wild character to the final
description of her life as a woman in the world.
3.
Hester has been described “as strong and admirable a character as can be found in all of
literature.” Prove or disprove this statement.
4.
Find sources that take a definitive stand on any single character. Then, either agree or disagree
with these critics. The key, however, is that you must take a side yourself. I suggest that you
choose one of the major characters – Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, or Pearl – and take a
stance on one of their characteristics.
Symbolism:
1. Nathaniel Hawthorne has been referred to as “the father of the symbolic novel.” Using two to four
of the following symbols found in The Scarlet Letter, discuss thoroughly their use and meaning.
You may want to consider their relationship to character, plot, theme, or historical background.
a. the scarlet A and its variations (remember, this is an expanding symbol)
b. the forest
c. the scaffold and the prison
d. colors (gray, black versus red, green, gold)
e. minor characters – Rev. Wilson, Gov. Bellingham, Mistress Hibbins
2. How does the meaning of the “A” change throughout the course of the novel? Consider how and
when it alternates between a negative symbol and being a positive symbol.
Conflict:
Among the conflicts found in the novel are:
• Person vs. Person
• Person vs. Nature
• Person vs. Society
• Person vs. Self
Describe and analyze the conflicts of one of the following characters: Hester, Dimmesdale, or
Chillingworth.
Setting:
The various locations within the novel are significant. In an essay, contrast one of the following
pairs of settings:
1. Dimmesdale’s secret closet versus the scaffold
2. The forest versus the center of town
In an essay, comment on the significant contrasts between each of these settings. While it is
important to note the descriptions of the settings, it is also important to note what events occur in
these settings. In you thesis, comment on what deeper messages concerning truth, honesty,
absolution, propriety, etc. are being suggested by both the contrasting descriptions and events.
Note: Your Literary Analysis Essay will have secondary sources; that means that you will
be incorporating literary criticism from “academic/literary” sources. For this, your first
Research Paper of the year, you will be given copies of the articles from which to find
quotes to weave into your paper.
Study Guide: The Scarlet Letter
Ch. 6 – 24
Directions: I will not be collecting the following questions. They are for you to use to
help you work your way through the rest of the novel. Use them to improve your Notes
& Quotes. Use them to study for the exam.
Chapter 6
• How is Pearl a symbol of her mother’s warring spirit?
Chapter 7
• Give two examples of how Pearl is the scarlet letter personified.
• The letter and Pearl are reflected on the breastplate in the governor’s hall. How does
this reflection affect Hester?
• What additional personality characteristic is revealed about Pearl?
Chapter 8
• When Governor Bellingham recommends taking Pearl from Hester, what argument
does she use for continuing to have Pearl in her care?
• What persuasion does Hester use in appealing to Arthur Dimmesdale?
• Chillingworth says, “You speak, my friend, with a strange earnestness.” What does
that statement reaveal and/or foreshadow about Dimmesday and Chillingworth?
• Chillingworth, still obsessed with discovering Pearl’s father, speculated on analyzing
Pearl’s nature as a hint to her father’s identity. What is Mr. Wilson’s reaction to that
speculation?
• Both of the following statements are made about Pearl, one spoken by Mr. Wilson and
the second as a commentary by Hawthorne: “The little baggage hath witchcraft in her…”
“Even thus early had the child saved her from Satan’s snare.” Explain the paradox in
those two statements.
Chapter 9
• Locate at least two perceptions about Chillingworth that are ironic. Explain irony.
• Explain the meaning and significance of the following statement by Chillingworth:
“Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the disease of the physical frame are tinged
with the perculiarities of these.”
• Referring to Chillingworth’s history and appearance, give two reasons that contribute
to the prejudice that some people hold against him.
Chapter 10
• Chillingworth is described as “a miner searching for gold.” Interpret this description.
• What is the effect of this investigation on Dimmesdale?
• What does Dimmesdale say about confessing “miserable secrets”? What are the
reasons that Dimmesdale give, on the other hand, for a person concealing a secret?
• Chillingworth pursues his “investigation”further, and one afternoon, he thrusts aside
Dimmesdale’s robe, exposing Dimmesdale’s chest. Quote Chillingworth’s reaction.
Chapter 11
• Describe the contrast between Chilingworth’s demeanor and his inner feelings. Also,
what is the effect Chillingworth has on Dimmesdale?
• Explain the irony regarding Dimmesdale’s success and/or failure as a minister.
• When Dimmesdale actually does admit his sinfulness to his congregation, how do his
hearers react?
• What does Dimmesdale envision Hester doing?
• What conclusion can be drawn about Dimmesdale from his various actions reported
above?
Chapter 12
• Describe the atmosphere at the scaffold.
• As Dimmesdale stands on the scaffold, what does he imagine? Why has he placed
himself on the scaffold.
• Hester and Pearl join Dimmesdale. What is Hawthrone suggesting?
• The narrator presents several possible explanation for the light in the sky. Which one
does the narrator seem to favor?
• Roger Chillingworth stands at the foot of the scaffold. How does he explain his
presence?
Chapter 13
• Another aspect of Hester’s character is presented here – as almost a Sister of Mercy.
What are some of her deeds which support this idea?
• On the other hand, what qualities of Hester seem to be diminishing among these years
of wearing the scarlet letter? What causes these changes?
Chapter 14-15
• Why does Hester plan to meet with Chillingworth?
• How much time has elapsed since Chapter 12? How does Chillingworth seem to
Hester at this point? Give two examples. Chillingworth admits he has changed. What
does he say?
• Hester asks permission to reveal Chillingworth when he admits he has changed. What
does he say?
• Pearl questions the letter and the minister’s hand over his heart. Hester responds that
pearl is being silly. Is Hester uncaring? Heartless? Evasive? Stupid? State and defend
your opinion.
Chapter 16
• Explain the symbolic significance of the following items: a) the footpath; b) the
sunshine; c) the Black Man; and d) the brook.
• Pearl perceptively questions Dimmesdale’s appearance. What does she ask?
• When Dimmesdale is with the townspeople, he appears and behaves one way. When
he is alone in the forest, he appears and behaves a different way. Explain the difference.
Chapter 17
• The scene opens in a gloomy and unearthly atmosphere. List some of the clues that
might suggest this atmosphere.
• Explain the reference to laughter in Dimmesdale’s statement: “I have laughed, in
bitterness and agony of heart, at the contrast between what I seem and what I am! And
Satan laughs at it!”
• What are Hester’s feelings towards Dimmesdale at this point?
• How does Dimmesdale react to the news that Chillingworth was her husband?
Chapter 18
• Why is the minister more hemmed in by rules than Hester?
• What, therefore, does Dimmesdale decide to do?
• Provide at lest two interpretations of this chapter title, “ A Flood of Sunshine.”
• Give an example of how nature seems to be in sympathy with Pearl.
Chapter 19
• This chapter contains many examples of paradox. Give at least three.
• How do the personified trees and brook re-establish a mood of gloom?
Chapter 20-21
• What is the “escape” plan?
• The following statement refers to Dimmesdale: “No man for any considerable period
can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting
bewildered as to which may be the truth.” Explain this statement.
• Dimmesdale’s perspective on life is changing radically; he fantasizes about his
outrageous behavior with church members. Who are the people he actually encounters?
How do these people and Dimmesdale’s fantasizing help you to understand his past and
present character?
• Why is Dimmesdale’s encounter with mistress Hibbins important?
• Explain the dramatic irony in the conversation between Chillingworth and
Dimmesdale.
• Hawthorne writes, “Children have always a sympathy in the agitations of those
connected with them.” How does Pearl illustrate this statement?
• Pearl makes a statement about Dimmesdale that touches on the irony in his
relationship with them. What does she say?
• Why does Chillingworth’s smile “convey secret and fearful meaning”?
Chapter 22
• What effect does Dimmesdale’s distracted behavior have on Hester?
• How does this scene come full circle from the scenes of the first two chapters?
• The scarlet letter that Hester wears is a focus for considerable public attention. Why is
this focus ironic?
Chapter 23
• Dimmesdale’s listeners consider his sermon as inspirational. What is their evaluation
of his charactger? Explain the irony in their assessment.
• “Such was the exalted position which the minister occupied. Meanwhile Hester Prynne
was standing beside the scaffold on the pillory, with the scarlet letter still burning on her
breast!” Explain the irony and tone of this quotation.
• Dimmesdale’s redeeming action is the climax of the novel. Explain what happens.
• Dimmesdale describes his impending death as “triumphant ignominy.” Explain this
paradox.
Chapter 24
• Briefly explin what happens to these people after Dimmesdale’s death: a) Roger
Chillingworth; b) Hester, and c) Pearl.
• Quoting directly from this chapter, state the theme.
• Explain the symbolism of the tombstone.
Scarlet Letter Unit
The Scarlet Letter Quick Write Topics
Directions: Choose 5 of the topics below and answer them in the Quick Write
section of your SL packet. Since these questions deal with the end of the novel,
please do not look at them until you’ve completed the reading.
1. Should Hester and Dimmesdale run away? Argue one way or the other.
2. Imagine that Chillingworth did not die but instead was brought to trial for the
murder of Arthur Dimmesdale. Should he be found guilty or innocent? Why?
3. Who ultimately triumphs: Hester or the society that punishes her? Why?
4. What do you think are the three most significant meanings of the “A”? Why?
5. Why does Chillingworth leave his money to Pearl? Suggest at least two possibilities
and argue for the one that you believe to be the most viable.
6. What would have been an effective alternative punishment for Hester? Elaborate.
7. If Hester and Pearl had not been a constant reminder to Dimmesdale of what had
happened, do you think he would have ever admitted his sin? Cite specific qualities
of his character to support your answer.
8. Is Hester the most admirable citizen in Boston? Why or why not?
9. Several times in the novel, Hawthorne addresses the wildness in Hester’s nature. Is
Hester wild? Discuss this aspect of her character, providing specific examples.
10. It is your job to sentence Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. What sentence
would you bring for each of them and why?
Symbols Chart
Directions:
Use the following chart in your study of symbols in The Scarlet Letter. (You may need to use
extra binder paper if you run out of room on this sheet.)
Chapter
Page
Description
Significance
Chapter
Page
Description
Significance
The Scarlet Letter, 20th Century Style
Directions: Read the following article and then do the following:
1. Come up with a suitable title for this article.
2. In a sentence or two, sum up the main idea of this article. Write your final draft of these sentences in the
space provided.
3. Underline or highlight at least three references in this article that support what you have delineated as the
theme.
4. Write a letter to the editor of the Los Angeles Times explaining why you either agree or disagree with Judge
Poe’s methods (separate piece of paper, typed, MLA format).
Title: ________________________________________________________________________________
By Kate Shatzkin
The Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles, Calif.; Apr 26, 1998
Theme: ______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
A drunken driver is ordered to carry in his wallet pictures of the people he killed. A wife-beater must apologize to his
victim from the courthouse steps, with cameras rolling. A shoplifter is forced to pace outside the market from which
she pilfered, wearing a huge sign that brands her a convicted thief.
It is justice by sandwich board, tearful apology and posted placard, the modern versions of the stocks and scarlet
letters of colonial times. A small but attention-getting group of judges across the United States, fed up with a
revolving cast of drug buyers, drunk drivers, johns and shoplifters who never seem to get the message, has been
sentencing criminals to shame. They hope public humiliation succeeds where jail habitually fails.
"I think this type of sentencing is important," says Ted Poe, a Harris County, Texas, district judge who has become
nationally known for what he calls "public punishments."
"The people I see have too good a self-esteem," he says. "I want them to feel guilty about what they've done. I don't
want 'em to leave the courthouse having warm fuzzies inside."
Daniel Alvin of Riceboro, Ga., didn't. He was convicted of theft for running a bogus fund-raising scheme in 1996.
Rather than spend six months in jail, Alvin chose a judge's alternative, which required him to walk through a square
next to the Liberty County courthouse wearing a sandwich board that declared: "I AM A CONVICTED THIEF."
It was a choice he may now regret. Alvin was so frustrated by the attention his sentence drew that he recently hung
up on a reporter who called to ask about it. "You don't know how many reporters have harassed me over this," Alvin
said when called a second time. "It's over. I just put it behind me."
Poe says that of the 59 shaming sentences he's given out in the past three years, he knows of only two offenders who
have been arrested again.
Poe's interest in humiliating criminals started when he sentenced a man who had beaten his wife. "It was obvious she
was embarrassed by his conduct and he was not embarrassed by his conduct," says the judge. He forced the man both
to serve jail time and to apologize to his wife in public.
"After he did that," says Poe, "he was humiliated, and he didn't like it at all."
After Poe ordered a shoplifter to advertise his crime outside the store from which he'd stolen, the judge got calls from
the store manager saying theft had gone down. Mothers brought their children to see the pacing criminal as an
example. And the offender himself, who has since moved to another state, wrote to the judge to say the shaming, in
the long run, was the best thing that ever happened to him.
"In the right cases, it does work," Poe says.
In Texas, where judges have no sentencing guidelines, Poe's sentences have not been challenged. The Illinois
Supreme Court, however, overturned a judge's requirement that a farmer convicted of battery post a sign on his
property that said: "Warning! A violent felon lives here. Enter at your own risk!"
The court found that the sign was "unreasonable" and "may be counterproductive to defendant's rehabilitative
potential." Courts in Tennessee and New York have made similar rulings. The feelings of the judges who like to
shame offenders contrast markedly with those of some academicians, who find shaming irrelevant at best and
repugnant at worst.
R. Dean Wright, a Drake University sociology professor who has studied public perceptions of crime and
punishment, says shaming tends to work only for the diminishing number of criminals who still care what their
community thinks of them--older, middle-class shoplifters, for example.
Among young people in some urban communities, he says, the opposite is true: "One gains a lot of status for having
been in prison.
"I just can't see it making any real difference," he says. "What you'd have to do is find those things that mean
something to the kid, to see the world through their eyes."
Still, Wright admits to scanning the lists of suspects arrested for drunken driving that are published weekly in his local
newspaper.
Yale Law School professor James Q. Whitman says there's a different problem with shaming--not what it does to the
offender, but what it may inspire in the rest of us.
Historically, shaming punishments have included violence to the criminal--flogging, branding and dunking, Whitman
wrote in a recent essay for the Yale Law Journal. While today's sanctions are much milder, without any express
violence, they can provoke violent attitudes, the professor says.
"I would call it a variety of lynch justice. As people used to say in the 19th century, it brutalizes the public," he says.
"I think it's not right in a modern civilized state that you encourage people to act that way. We must in the long run
ask ourselves why these things were so prominent in the world of Mao and the Nazis."
Indeed, laws requiring sex offenders to notify authorities of their whereabouts--and allowing police departments to
distribute fliers warning a neighborhood of a resident who had committed such crimes--have been passed in a number
of states and at times have sparked violence.
In Washington, one of the first states to enact such a law, a sex offender's home was set ablaze a few hours after a
community meeting protesting his release from prison. In another neighborhood, eggs were thrown at the home of a
grandmother of the ex-convict, and relatives received death threats.
Poe, the "shaming" judge, says his sentences have created no such problems, and opines that those who worry about
the long-term effects of shaming don't have much experience with the flood of offenders streaming through America's
courtrooms.
"I think those comments are spoken by someone who doesn't deal in the criminal justice area," Poe says.
Name: ___________________________________________________ Date: _________
The Scarlet Letter
Chapter 1: The Prison Door
Directions: Using complete sentences, answer the following questions.
1. What impression comes to mind when you think of a prison door?
2. What feeling does paragraph 1 give you with its description of the men and women?
3. What images are used to describe the prison door?
4. Why would Hawthorne want to start The Scarlet Letter with this paragraph?
5. Hawthorne writes that new towns need two public places: a cemetery and a prison. Why?
6. How has the prison door changed in appearance since the town was founded? What type of
message does this send?
7. The author includes a real flower, a wild rosebush, in his description. What is the effect of this
image?
8. What does the rose symbolize?
9. Ann Hutchinson was a religious leader in seventeenth-century America who attacked popular
religion practices and preached for a simpler and purer religion without ministers or buildings. She
was tried and banished in 1637. What is implied by suggesting that a rose might have sprung up
under her footsteps?
10. What is the tone of this opening chapter?
The Scarlet Letter Unit
Which letter fits you?
Just as the town decides the letter that best suits Hester, you’re
going to decide which letter best describes you – your personality,
your likes/dislikes, your passions, your ambitions, your strengths
and weaknesses.
1.
Decide what letter best describes you. Are there any? I’m
sure you can think of at least a few.
2.
Once you have figured out what letter best represents you,
you will make it.
a. make the letter
b. cut it out
c. decorate it accordingly
d. you may place any type of artwork on your letter:
• You can cut things out of magazines
• place song lyrics
• dangle things from it
• make it 3-D, etc.
3.
Once you have decorated your letter, write a paragraph
describing your letter.
a. Why did you choose the letter you did?
b. Why did you choose to make it the size it is?
c. Why did you decorate it the way you did – what do all
those pictures, etc. mean to you and the letter?
4.
The last part of this assignment is to share your letter with the
class.
Be creative and show us more about you – through your letter!
Prequel to the Custody Debate: The Scarlet Letter
Who should have custody of Pearl Prynne? Should Hester retain custody or should Pearl be
given over to the custody of the town of Boston? We will debate this matter during the next
class period, but first you need to write about it. You have been randomly assigned a side to
argue; you will find that on the bottom of this page.
Once you know what side you will be arguing, reread Chapters 6-8 with this in mind. As you
read, mark those sections that you find useful to your cause. Then, when you have completed
your rereading, type up a one-page argument (MLA format, double-spaced), quoting from the
novel at least three times along the way.
Begin your page with the words, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury ... ” and imagine that you
are writing your final summation to a jury of you case. Write in a voice as if you were the
lawyer making that summation.
This is worth 25 points.
You will be arguing for Hester to retain custody of Pearl.
Prequel to the Custody Debate: The Scarlet Letter
Who should have custody of Pearl Prynne? Should Hester retain custody or should Pearl be
given over to the custody of the town of Boston? We will debate this matter during the next
class period, but first you need to write about it. You have been randomly assigned a side to
argue; you will find that on the bottom of this page.
Once you know what side you will be arguing, reread Chapters 6-8 with this in mind. As you
read, mark those sections that you find useful to your cause. Then, when you have completed
your rereading, type up a one-page argument (MLA format, double-spaced), quoting from the
novel at least three times along the way.
Begin your page with the words, “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury ... ” and imagine that you
are writing your final summation to a jury of you case. Write in a voice as if you were the
lawyer making that summation.
This is worth 25 points.
You will be arguing for Boston to have custody of Pearl.
The Scarlet Letter Unit
Custody Debate: The Scarlet Letter
Who should have custody of Pearl Prynne? Should Hester or should she be given over
to the custody of the city of Boston? Debate the matter, using the following format:
Affirmative : In favor of the city gaining custody
Negative:
Against the city gaining custody
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Custody = Boston
1st affirmative speaker
2nd affirmative speaker
Affirmative rebuttal
Questions for the negative
Final affirmative appeal
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Custody = Hester
1st negative speaker
2nd negative speaker
Negative rebuttal
Questions for the affirmative
Final negative appeal
Evaluation: After the debate the judges will evaluate the debate.
Timing
2-4 minutes
2-4 minutes
1-2 minutes
2-4 minutes
1 minute
Judges’ roles: The judges will determine which side has presented a better argument. The
work for the judges will come after the debate, when each judge will write up a 1-2 page
response explaining their ruling. Each judge will respond to the ruling in general, but will then
focus on one area. (For example, deliver, argument, organization, etc).
Specific Procedure of the Debate
• Introduction by the moderator
• The first speakers state the positions of their teams. Then they provide evidence supporting
that position.
• The second speakers rebuild their cases and present more evidence (different from what has
already been presented) supporting their cases. Time should be reserved to restate and summarize
the case.
• During rebuttal, focus on specific arguments made by the opposition and refute these
arguments. No new information may be presented. Base your rebuttals on notes taken during the
opposition’s initials appeals. Rebut points one by one. Be specific: “Johnny said that Hester is
Pearl’s family unit; however the truth is …” Anticipate your opponents; key arguments prior to
the debate, find flaws in those arguments, and then, when the arguments are made, undercut them
in rebuttal.
• During questioning, each team submits 10 questions to the moderator in the order they want
them to be asked. The moderator has the option of asking follow-up questions.
• Final appeals are the team’s last chance to briefly restate their cases and end with a strong
appeal to the audience. Go for our hearts as well as our minds. Leave us with a moving final
image, a powerful last statement, an utterly persuasive rhetorical question. Remember, the rhythm
of the language can add to the emotion of your final appeal.
Some Advice for the Debate
• Do not pass around materials for us to look at while you speak.
• Do not begin your speech by saying “OK” or by looking at the teacher or moderator and
asking if he or she is ready. Wait until you can see that everyone is ready, compose yourself,
command our attention, and begin.
• Guide us through your speech with transitions, i.e., “first of all,” “my second argument is,” “in
addition to ________ and ________, a third reason it …”
• Make sure any visual aids you use are large enough for the audience to see and read.
• Use notecards or memorize your speech.
• Do not look only at the teacher.
Practice often and practice aloud.
This is the only way you will be able to deliver your speech effectively.
The Scarlet Letter Unit
Research Paper: The Scarlet Letter
This paper will require you to incorporate literary criticism into your analysis of an aspect of The Scarlet
Letter. “Criticism” is not solely negative. In fact, critics—usually professors and academic types—
publish their reactions to and interpretations of works to provide insight and help us better understand the
works. It is important that you become aware of this body of criticism, as more of your papers will require
this type of research, both next year and in college.
Step One: Choosing a Topic
Select a topic from the list on the reverse that interests you. Do this FIRST, prior to finishing the novel
so that you can note ideas as you go. Once you sign up for a topic, you will NOT be able to change
the topic, so choose wisely!
Step Two: Receive Research and Read Literary Criticism
Along with each of the topics, you will find details concerning the research materials that you will use.
It is expected that you will read this article and incorporate it into your paper. You may choose to
incorporate additional literary criticism into your essay by using materials from the library/internet.
Step Three: Outline due on: _______________________
You must complete a TYPED bullet outline for your paper. The outline (and thus the essay) must. . .
 Open with a sophisticated introductory paragraph, moving from general to specific, culminating
in a thesis statement. This should be written out in its entirety on the outline.
 Consist of a minimum of four body paragraphs, although more are encouraged. Topic
sentences should be written out for each paragraph. The rest of the paragraph should be done in
bullet format with the references to quotes incorporated into the outline.
 Conclude effectively, going from specific to general and reconnecting to the introduction.
Within your essay you must cite from the novel and your outside source(s) to support your arguments
and ideas. You will need to use quotations throughout the essay. You should have a minimum of
eight quotations evenly distributed throughout your essay (minimum of two per source).
Step Four: Rough Draft for Peer Editing due on: _________________
The rough draft should be typed and prepared for peer editing. If you want me to read your rough
draft (limited to a one body paragraph)t, you must bring a CLEAN copy for me on this date.
Step Five: Final Copy due on: ___________________
After we peer edit your rough draft in class, you will submit your final copy for a grade. The final
draft should be approximately five pages, with another page that will include your annotated
bibliography.
This research paper will be worth 200 points!
The Scarlet Letter Unit
Research Paper Topic Options: The Scarlet Letter
1. Characterization
Choose one of the following prompts to address in a critical essay:
A. “Chillingworth is the most corrupt and corrupting character in the novel.” Prove that he
distorts and destructively uses both the beauty of the natural world and the innate justice of the
human world to do so.
B. Trace the development of Pearl from Hester’s early concern about her wild character to the
final description of her life as a woman in the world.
C. Hester has been described “as strong and as admirable a character as can be found in all of
literature.” Prove or disprove this statement.
D. Find sources that take a definitive stand on any single character. Then, either agree or disagree
with these critics. The key, however, is that you must take a side yourself. I suggest that you
choose one the major characters—Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, or Pearl—and take a
stance on one of their characters.
2. Symbolism
Choose one of the following prompts to address in a critical essay:
A. Nathaniel Hawthorne has been referred to as “the father of the symbolic novel.” Using two to
four of the following symbols found in The Scarlet Letter, discuss thoroughly their use and
meaning. You may want to consider their relationship to character, plot, theme, or historical
background.
1. the scarlet A and its variations (remember, this is an expanding symbol)
2. the forest
3. the scaffold and the prison
4. colors (gray, black) (red, green, gold)
5. minor characters: Reverend Wilson, Governor Bellingham, Mistress Hibbins
B. How does the meaning of the “A” change throughout the course of the novel? Consider how
and when it alternates between being a negative symbol and being a positive symbol.
3. Conflict
Among the conflicts found in the novel are person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs.
society, and person vs. self. Describe and analyze the conflicts of one of the following characters:
Hester, Dimmesdale, or Chillingworth.
4. Setting
The various locations within the novel are significant. In an essay, contrast one of the following
pairs of settings:
A. Dimmesdale’s secret closet versus the scaffold
B. The forest versus the center of town
In an essay, comment on the significant contrasts between each of these settings. While it is
important to note the descriptions of the settings, it is also important to note what events occur in
these settings. In your thesis, comment on what deeper messages concerning truth, honesty,
absolution, propriety, etc. is being suggested by both the contrasting descriptions and events.
Rubric: Scarlet Letter Research Paper
Name: _________________________________ Topic: _________________________
Content (170 points)
• Introduction
_____
Moves from general to specific with a hook
_____
Includes title of book and author
_____
Thesis statement is clearly and strongly stated & is the last sentence of introduction
•
Body Paragraphs
_____
Topic sentences adequately support thesis
_____
Includes firm support from primary and secondary sources
_____
Analysis is thoughtful, in-depth, and insightful
_____
Transitions smoothly from one thought to the next
_____
Ends with a concluding sentence that wraps up the ideas of the paragraph and makes a smooth
transition to the next one
•
Quotations
_____
Includes minimum of eight quotes:
_____ at least two from primary source (The Scarlet Letter)
_____ at least one from secondary source
_____ Other
•
Conclusion
_____
Moves from the specific to the general
_____
Restates thesis statement in new/creative manner
_____
Universal statement reconnects to hook (bookends)
CONTENT GRADE: __________________
Grammar/MLA Format (30 points)
•
•
•
One point off for every grammatical/mechanics/spelling error
One point off for every error in MLA format
One point off from every error in the Bibliography
______
______
______
GRAMMAR/MLA GRADE: ____________________
Additional comments:
Final Grade:
/200
Writing an Annotated Bibliography
What is an annotated bibliography?
It's a list of sources or citations with a brief note (annotation) about each item listed.
• A citation gives the precise information needed to locate the material.
Example: a citation for a magazine article might include: the article title; author;
magazine title; volume; pages; and date.
• An annotation is a note that explains, describes or evaluates the cited source.
Example: an annotation for an article might: summarize the article; evaluate its
usefulness; or criticize the article.
How to write an annotation
Understand the information value of the material to be annotated. When analyzing a source,
consider:
• Purpose -- what is the source trying to do?
• Form -- is it a book or an article or a...
• Arrangement -- how is the source organized?
• Audience -- who is the source aimed at?
• Authority -- is the author/publisher reliable?
• Currency -- is the source up-to-date?
• Coverage -- is the source comprehensive?
• Ease of use -- are there any special features?
The standard format for this class is as follows (and note that this may differ from class to class
in terms of length):
• Sources in correct bibliographic form (double-spaced, in alphabetical order by the author's
last name, etc.)
• A two- to four- sentence summary of the article that should be direct and concise.
• First, state the main point of the essay in one to two sentences.
• Second, briefly describe how that point is developed or what the scope of the article/book
is.
• DO NOT MAKE VALUATIVE JUDGMENTS.
An annotated citation might look something like this:
Showalter, Elaine. A Literature of Their Own: British Women Novelists from Bronte to Lessing.
Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1977.
In this critical analysis of British women novelists, Showalter surveys the historical development
of women novelists and how their view of themselves as artists affected their work. She argues
that early women writers first copied what male writers were doing, then rebelled against
masculine models, and finally confidently wrote as individuals and females.
How do I compile an annotated bibliography?
1. Consider the scope of your bibliography -- how many and what types of sources are needed.
This will probably have been defined in your assignment.
2. Locate the sources, then analyze the information contained in each source.
3. Finally, write your citations (according to the format specified by your professor) and the
annotations.
What types of sources might be used in an annotated bibliography?
Books, pamphlets, magazines/journals, audiovisual materials, Internet sites and files, reports,
newspapers, maps, interviews, etc.
Scarlet Letter Packet Checklist/Scoring Sheet
8 Quick Writes (5 points each)
1. QW #1 – Prison Door
2. QW #2 – Letter Fits
3. QW #3 – Pearl as Symbol
4. QW #4 - Student’s Choice
5. QW #5 - Student’s Choice
6. QW #6 - Student’s Choice
7. QW #7 - Student’s Choice
8. QW #8 - Student’s Choice
_________/5 points
_________/5 points
_________/5 points
_________/5 points
_________/5 points
_________/5 points
_________/5 points
_________/5 points
Total:
5 Journals (10 points each)
1. Journal #1 -20th Century SL
2. Journal #2 - Rose
3. Journal #3 - Hester’s Diary
4. Journal #4 - Custody Debate Bulleted Outline
5. Journal #5 - Prequel to the Custody Debate
Total:
8 N&Q entries (5 points each)
1. Ch. 1
_________/5 points
2. Ch. 2-4
_________/5 points
3. Ch. 5-7
_________/5 points
4. Ch. 8-11
_________/5 points
5. Ch. 12-14
_________/5 points
6. Ch. 15-18
_________/5 points
7. Ch. 19-22
_________/5 points
8. Ch. 23-24
_________/5 points
Total:
_________/10 points
_________/10 points
_________/10 points
_________/10 points
_________/10 points
____________/50 points
____________/40 points
Class lecture/discussion notes ____________/15points
Total: ___________/145 points
____________/40 points
Name: __________________________________
Period: ______
Roundtable Discussion: The Scarlet Letter
To complete our discussion of The Scarlet Letter, we will be having a roundtable
discussion on various aspects of the novel. In order to prepare (as you will not know
which fishbowl discussion you will be called into), make notes for the questions/topics
below.
1. Should Hester and Dimmesdale run away? Argue one way or the other.
2. Imagine that Chillingworth did not die but instead was brought to trial for the
murder of Arthur Dimmesdale. Should he be found guilty or innocent? Why?
3. Who ultimately triumphs: Hester or the society that punishes her? Why?
4. What do you think are the three most significant meanings of the “A”? Why?
5. Why does Chillingworth leave his money to Pearl? Suggest at least two possibilities
and argue for the one that you believe to be the most viable.
6. What would have been an effective alternative punishment for Hester? Elaborate.
7. If Hester and Pearl had not been a constant reminder to Dimmesdale of what had
happened, do you think he would have ever admitted his sin? Cite specific qualities
of his character to support your answer.
8. Is Hester the most admirable citizen in Boston? Why or why not?
9. Several times in the novel, Hawthorne addresses the wildness in Hester’s nature. Is
Hester wild? Discuss this aspect of her character, providing specific examples.
10. It is your job to sentence Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. What sentence
would you bring for each of them and why?
Research Paper
Peer Edit Form
Writer: _______________________Peer Editor: _____________________
Rate each area 1-5 (1 being the lowest rating and 5 being the highest rating)
Correct use of MLA format ___________ (overall)
Heading:
Title:
Margins:
Well organized introductory paragraph ___________ (overall)
Hook :
Bridge (includes title and author):
Background:
Thesis statement
Clearly announces what the essay is about:
Provable?
Stated in a strong and sophisticated way?
Is the last sentence of introduction:
Body Paragraph One: ___________ (overall)
Topic sentence adequately supports the thesis:
Includes specific quotes which support the topic sentence:
Quotations are blended, cited, and explained correctly:
Transitions from one idea to the next:
Ends with a conclusion sentence:
Body Paragraph Two: ___________ (overall)
Transitions from previous paragraph:
Topic sentence adequately supports the thesis:
Includes specific quotes which support the topic sentence:
Quotations are blended, cited, and explained correctly:
Transitions from one idea to the next:
Ends with a conclusion sentence:
Body Paragraph Three: ___________ (overall)
Transitions from previous paragraph:
Topic sentence adequately supports the thesis:
Includes specific quotes which support the topic sentence
Quotations are blended, cited, and explained correctly:
Transitions from one idea to the next:
Ends with a conclusion sentence:
Body Paragraph Four _ ___________ (overall)
Transitions from previous paragraph:
Topic sentence adequately supports the thesis:
Includes specific quotes which support the topic sentence:
Quotations are blended, cited, and explained correctly:
Transitions from one idea to the next
Ends with a conclusion sentence:
Research Paper
Peer Edit Form
Conclusion: _______________ (overall)
Moves from specific to general:
Restates thesis in a new manner:
Summarizes what has been proven:
Contains a “universal” last sentences:
Reconnects to hook [bookends]:
Basic Requirements: _____________ (overall)
8 quotations:
uses multiple sources:
Use of present verb tense throughout the paper ___________
Uses STRONG verbs (limited use of “to be” verbs) ___________
Grammar: __________ (overall)
Grammar/mechanics:
MLA:
Citation Format:
Lack of sentence fragments and run-ons ___________
3 areas of strength:
A.
B.
C.
3 Areas of Growth:
A.
B.
C.
Comments:
Name: _______________________________________________________ Date: ___________
The Scarlet Letter Quote Identification
Clearly state:
1. Who is speaking? Hint: the narrator can be an answer
2. Who or what is the quote referring to?
3. The passage’s significance and/or function in the novel. Remember, you must go
beyond the obvious and make connections to different areas throughout the book.
1. “The rose-bush, by a strange chance, has been kept alive in history; but whether it had
merely survived out of the stern old wilderness, so long after the fall of the gigantic pines
and oaks that originally over-shadowed it,--or sprung up under the footsteps of the sainted
Anne Hutchinson, as she entered the prison-door,--we shall not take upon us to
imagine”(46).
2. “There glimmered the embroidered letter, with comfort in its unearthly ray. Elsewhere the
token of sin, it was the taper of the sick-chamber…The letter was a symbol of her calling.
Such helpfulness was found in her,--so much power to do, and power to sympathize,--that
many people refused to interpret the scarlet A by its original signification. They said that it
meant Able; so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman’s strength”(148).
3. “After putting her finger in her mouth, with many ungracious refusals to answer good Mr.
Wilson's questions, the child finally announced that she had not been made at all, but had
been plucked by her mother off the rose bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door”
(103).
4. “She threw one of the prickly burrs at the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale. The sensitive
clergyman shrunk, with nervous dread, from the light missile. Detecting his emotion, Pearl
clapped her little hands in the most extravagant ecstasy” (123).
5. “Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken. The great scene of grief, in which the wild infant
bore a part, had developed all her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her father's cheek,
they were the pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do
battle with the world, but be a woman in it. Towards her mother, too, Pearl's errand as a
messenger of anguish was all fulfilled” (233).
6. “All his strength and energy -- all his vital and intellectual force -- seemed at once to desert
him; insomuch that he positively withered up, shriveled away, and almost vanished from
mortal sight, like an uprooted weed that lies wilting in the sun” (236).
7. “Hester Prynne had no selfish ends, nor lived in any measure for her own profit and
enjoyment, people brought all their sorrows and perplexities, and besought her council, as
one who had herself gone through mighty trouble” (239).
8. “And, after many, many years a new grave was delved, near an old and sunken one.... It was
near that old and sunken grave, yet with a space between, as if the dust of the two sleepers
had no right to mingle. Yet one tombstone served for both.... It bore a device, a herald's
wording of which might serve for a motto and brief description of our now concluded
legend; so somber is it, and relieved only by one ever-glowing point of light gloomier than
the shadow: -‘ON A FIELD, SABLE, THE LETTER A, GULES.’” (239-240)
9. “In fact, this scaffold constituted a portion of a penal machine, which now, for two or three
generations past, has been merely historical and traditionary among us, but was held, in the
old time, to be as effectual an agent, in the promotion of good citizenship, as ever was the
guillotine among the terrorists of France”(52).
10. “I charge thee speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and follow sufferer. Be not silent
from any mistaken pity and tenderness for him! For believe me, Hester, though he were to
step down from a high place and stand beside thee there on thy scaffold of shame, yet better
were it so than to hide a guilty heart through life.”
11. “He did not send me!” cried she, positively. “I have no Heavenly Father!”
12. "Will thou go with us tonight? There will be a merry company in the forest..."
13. “They are new to me. If found them growing on a grave which bore no tombstone nor
other memorial of the dead man, save these ugly weeds. They grew out of his heart and
typify, it may be, some hideous secret…”
14. “My little Pearl, dear little Pear, wilt thou kiss me now? Thou wouldst not, yonder, in the
forest! But now thou wilt?”
15. “I will not speak! And my child must seek a heavenly Father; she shall never know her
earthly one!”
16. “Nay, from the moment when we came down the old church steps together, a married pair, I
might have beheld the bale-fire of that scarlet letter blazing at the end of our path.”
17. “Thou wast not bold! Thou wast not true…Thou wouldst not promise to take my
hand…tomorrow noontide!”
18. “Thy strength, Hester; but let it be guided by the will which God hath granted me! This
wretched and wronged old man is opposing it with all his might! With all his might, and
the fiend’s! Come Hester, come! Support me up yonder scaffold!"
19. “Thou hast escaped me! Thou hast escaped me!”
Name: _______________________________________________
Period: ________
Test: Puritanism and The Scarlet Letter
Part I: True/False for The Scarlet Letter
Mark “A” if the statement is true and “B” if the statement is false. Remember: if one part of the
statement is false, the entire statement is false. Read carefully!
1. In The Scarlet Letter, the “A” appears in only one form, but has a variety of meanings.
2. Salem, Massachusetts, serves as the setting of the novel.
3. In the crowd watching Hester on the scaffold, there were women who felt she should have been
branded or hanged for her sin.
4. Despite her apparent humility and her refusal to strike back, Hester rebels against the severe
punishment of the Puritan prosecutors through her dressing of Pearl.
5. By the end of the novel, the demonic turn in Chillingworth’s character is obvious only to Hester.
6. Chillingworth does not accept any of the blame for the circumstances that resulted in Hester’s shame.
7. As the minister’s suffering becomes more painful and his body weakens, his popularity among the
congregation diminishes.
8. As time passed, the community’s anger towards Hester subsided.
9. Hawthorne makes use of light and dark symbolically and in the light of day, sins are exposed.
10. In the second scaffold scene when Pearl asks the minister if he will stand with them again the next
day, he agrees to her request.
11. Dimmesdale was shocked to discover that Chillingworth found out about the “escape plan.”
12. Chillingworth had left his wife, Hester, in Boston while he went to research medicinal herbs with the
Indians.
13. The scaffold is located on the outskirts of the community.
14. Hester willingly married Chillingworth because she was desperately in love with him.
15. The reader is left with little choice as to the interpretation of the marks on Dimmesdale’s chest.
16. Hester emerges from the prison proud, defiant, and with a year-old child.
17. For Puritans, the church and state laws were clearly distinct from one another.
18. Dimmesdale makes several veiled and failed attempts to confess.
Part II: Multiple Choice for Puritans and The Scarlet Letter
Mark the best answer that answers each question.
19. According to history, life for the Puritans was filled with:
A.
disease
B.
endless hard work
C.
harsh weather
D.
suffering
20. Which of the following set of adjectives best describes the Puritan outlook on life and on others who
were not of their faith?
A.
accepting and loving
B.
apathetic and cruel
C.
joyful and tolerant
D.
hard-hearted and narrow-minded
21. For which of the following crimes was a person most likely put to death under Puritan law?
A.
stealing
B.
witchcraft
C.
adultery
D.
lying
22. According to Puritan belief, what must be done in order to earn forgiveness from
sin? (Select the one that indicates the proper order.)
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
A.
repent, openly confess, perform penance
B.
openly confess, repent, perform penance
C.
perform penance, repent, openly confess
D.
repent, perform penance, openly confess
E.
the order isn’t important as long as all three are done
According to the Puritans, what is the Devil’s primary function?
A.
To convert Native Americans to his evil ways
B.
To terrorize towns such as Salem
C.
To recruit witches
D.
To tempt people to sin so he can slowly destroy God’s kingdom.
Which of the following statements accurately explains the Puritan stance concerning human nature?
A.
Man is innately evil and therefore at a high risk of being tempted by the Devil.
B.
Man is innately good, but is always at risk of being tempted by the Devil because he is so
strong.
C.
Man is innately good, and therefore the Devil has a difficult time winning people to his
side.
D.
Man is born neither good nor bad; it is up to his parents to raise him in a God-fearing
household.
E.
none of the above
According to their religious beliefs, Puritans were afraid of the forest because:
A. it was far away from the church.
B. flowers grew there and Puritans disliked anything of beauty.
C. the Devil and witches could be found there.
D. people were buried there.
The Scarlet Letter is a detailed criticism of Puritan life with regard to its
A.
economics
B.
domestic life
C.
spirit and mood
D.
medical practices
E.
B and C
The theme of hypocrisy and duplicity in the novel refers to
A.
the transformation of Chillingworth.
B.
the worship of God and the Devil within Puritan life.
C.
the dual realities that Dimmesdale is living.
D.
the love/hate relationship between Hester and the minister.
The younger women in the Puritan community are:
A.
more scornful than others of Hester.
B.
jealous of Hester’s relationship with Dimmesdale.
C.
more compassionate, realizing their own vulnerability.
D.
fearful of Hester
Hester’s role in society become that of:
A.
house cleaner
B.
nursemaid
C.
seamstress
D.
B and C
Hester chose not to leave her community after being release from the prison because:
A.
she felt the scene of her guilt should be the scene of her punishment.
B.
she had placed roots into Boston’s soil and this was home for her.
C.
she wanted to stay in the place where her lover lived.
D.
All of the above
31. The name, “Pearl,” was chosen for Hester’s child because:
A.
her complexion was beautiful and smooth.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
B.
she had been purchased at a great price.
C.
she was difficult to understand as a pearl is hard to find.
D.
she always shone brightly.
Pearl reacted to the other children in town by:
A.
trying to talk and play with them.
B.
refusing to acknowledge them.
C.
throwing stones and shouting.
D.
being shy and clinging to Hester.
The elaborate décor of Governor Bellingham’s mansion:
A.
made Hester feel a bit jealous.
B.
was common in Puritan households.
C.
was in contrast to Puritan beliefs.
D.
was considered sinful by Rev. Wilson.
When the officials wanted to take Pearl away from Hester, Dimmesdale argues in her defense, saying
that:
A.
Pearl was sent as the one blessing in Hester’s life.
B.
Pearl was needed by Hester to help keep her soul alive.
C.
Hester needed Pearl as a reminder of her fall from grace.
D.
All of the above
After pulling aside Dimmesdale’s shirt while he slept, Chillingworth’s response was one of:
A.
relief.
B.
sorrow and pity.
C.
fear.
D.
ecstatic joy and wonder.
Dimmesdale punishes himself by:
A.
scourges.
B.
fasting.
C.
keeping vigils.
D.
all of the above.
Hester’s passionate nature is:
A.
destroyed by her punishment. B.
shown in her needlework.
C.
exchanged for solemnity.
D.
admired by Chillingworth
The three scaffold scenes in the novel:
A.
serve as a means of structural unity.
B.
reveal to everyone the shame of Arthur and Hester.
C.
are a means to showing situational irony.
D.
show the intensity of Puritan remorse.
Chillingworth will not stop his tortuous pursuit of the father of Pearl because:
A.
he wants Dimmesdale to die.
B.
he is overwhelmed with obsession.
C.
he likes the person he has become.
D.
he wants the father to publicly confess.
Hester believes her greatest sin was:
A.
sleeping with Arthur Dimmesdale.
B.
concealing the truth.
C.
staying in Boston.
D.
marrying a man she did not love.
Hester tells Pearl that she wears the scarlet letter because:
A.
she has sinned.
B.
she belongs to a secret society.
C.
she likes the gold thread.
D.
she wants to be known as “able.”
In the novel, the forest represents
A.
the rigidity of Puritan society. B.
the natural instincts of humans.
C.
the need for unity in the novel. D.
the desire to be free.
Dimmesdale’s encounter with the townspeople after his return from the forest represents his:
A.
re-entrance into the world of temptation.
B.
real self.
C.
need to seek revenge on Chillingworth.
D.
wish to escape.
44. What effect does Dimmesdale’s death have on Chillingworth?
A.
It made him so furious that he fled Boston for England.
B.
He further withered and died within a year.
C.
He went back among the Indians to live.
D.
In shame, he took some of his own herbs and killed himself.
45. The tragedy of Dimmesdale’s death and Hester’s shame was caused by:
A.
Hester’s refusal to reveal her lover’s identity.
B.
Hester’s keeping the secret of Chillingworth's identity.
C.
the rigidity of the Puritan society.
D.
hypocrisy
46. In Dimmesdale’s death scene, what does he tell Hester?
A.
He will see her in heaven.
B.
She should go back to her husband for Pearl’s sake.
C.
Perhaps they will never see each other again.
D.
He is sorry for her shame.
Part III: Speaker Identification
Match the correct speaker to the correct quote. Characters may be used more than once or not at all.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Hester
Dimmesdale
Chillingworth
Pearl
E.
AB.
AC.
Reverend Wilson
Governor Bellingham
Mistress Hibbins
47. “Is not this better than what we dreamed of in the forest?”
48. “I charge thee speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and follow sufferer. Be not silent from any
mistaken pity and tenderness for him! For believe me, Hester, though he were to step down from a
high place and stand beside thee there on thy scaffold of shame, yet better were it so than to hide a
guilty heart through life.”
49. “They are new to me. If found them growing on a grave which bore no tombstone nor other
memorial of the dead man, save these ugly weeds. They grew out of his heart and typify, it may be,
some hideous secret…”
50. “Thou wast not bold! Thou wast not true…Thou wouldst not promise to take my hand…tomorrow
noontide!”
51. “Care must be had, nevertheless, to up the child in due and stated examination in the catechism at the
hands of Master Dimmesdale’s. Moreover, at the proper season, the tithing-men must take heed that
she go both to school and to meeting.”
52. “So, Reverend sir, you have made a visit to the forest. The next time, I pray you to allow me only a
fair warning and I shall be proud to bear you company.
53. “Nay, from the moment when we came down the old church steps together, a married pair, I might
have beheld the bale-fire of that scarlet letter blazing at the end of our path.”
54. “Let God punish! Thou shalt forgive!”
55. “Wave back that woman! Cast off this child! All shall be well! Do not blacken your name, and
perish in dishonor! I can yet save you!”
56. “Thou hast escaped me! Thou hast escaped me!”
Part III: Speaker Identification (continued)
Match the correct speaker to the correct quote. Characters may be used more than once or not at all.
E.
F.
G.
H.
Hester
Dimmesdale
Chillingworth
Pearl
E.
AB.
AC.
Reverend Wilson
Governor Bellingham
Mistress Hibbins
57. “My little Pearl, dear little Pear, wilt thou kiss me now? Thou wouldst not, yonder, in the forest! But
now thou wilt?”
58. “I will not speak! And my child must seek a heavenly Father; she shall never know her earthly one!”
Part IV: Matching
Match the correct description to the item. Each will be used only once.
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
AB.
AC.
AD.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
tombstone
plucked from a rosebush
desire to teach “bad” words to children BD.
“speak thou for me”
Prynne
CD.
“he will be known”
light and day
discarding of “A”
AE.
Pearl caressing the minister’s hand
BC.
scourge in closet
gives disturbing info to Hester
BE.
New England holiday
Hester and Pearl
CE.
forest
DE.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
a symbol of exposure or revelation
commander of ship that is to take Dimmesdale, Hester, and Pearl to England
final variation of the letter “A”
the author of The Scarlet Letter
Roger Chillingworth’s real name
a suggestion of paternity
symbolic of a “moral wilderness” – go literal here!
similar to the image of the Divine Maternity (the Virgin Mary with Jesus)
symbolic of Dimmesdale’s unconscious desire to sin and be “bad”
vow of Roger Chillingworth
Hester’s request that Dimmesdale help her in retaining custody of Pearl
resulted in the daughter rejecting the mother
way in which Dimmesdale inflicted punishment on himself
Election day
Pearl’s view of her own conception and birth
Part V: Short Answer (15 points each)
For three (3) of the following passages, clearly state:
1. Who is speaking? Hint: the narrator can be an answer.
2. Who or what is the quote referring to?
3. The passage's significance and/or function in the novel.
Answer on a separate piece of paper. Your answers must be in complete sentences. Remember, you
must go beyond the obvious and make connections to different areas throughout the book. KEEP YOUR
TIME LIMIT IN MIND!
1. “It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her
in a sphere by herself” (51).
1. “In fact, this scaffold constituted a portion of a penal machine, which now, for two or three
generations past, has been merely historical and traditionary among us, but was held, in the old time,
to be as effectual an agent, in the promotion of good citizenship, as ever was the guillotine among the
terrorists of France” (52)
2. “After putting her finger in her mouth, with many ungracious refusals to answer good Mr. Wilson's
questions, the child finally announced that she had not been made at all, but had been plucked by her
mother off the rose bush of wild roses that grew by the prison door” (103).
3. “She threw one of the prickly burrs at the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale. The sensitive clergyman
shrunk, with nervous dread, from the light missile. Detecting his emotion, Pearl clapped her little
hands in the most extravagant ecstasy” (123).
4. “Pearl kissed his lips. A spell was broken. The great scene of grief, in which the wild infant bore a
part, had developed all her sympathies; and as her tears fell upon her father's cheek, they were the
pledge that she would grow up amid human joy and sorrow, nor forever do battle with the world, but
be a woman in it. Towards her mother, too, Pearl's errand as a messenger of anguish was all fulfilled”
(233).
5. “All his strength and energy -- all his vital and intellectual force -- seemed at once to desert him;
insomuch that he positively withered up, shriveled away, and almost vanished from mortal sight, like
an uprooted weed that lies wilting in the sun” (236).
6. “Hester Prynne had no selfish ends, nor lived in any measure for her own profit and enjoyment,
people brought all their sorrows and perplexities, and besought her council, as one who had herself
gone through mighty trouble” (239).
7. “And, after many, many years a new grave was delved, near an old and sunken one.... It was near that
old and sunken grave, yet with a space between, as if the dust of the two sleepers had no right to
mingle. Yet one tombstone served for both.... It bore a device, a herald's wording of which might
serve for a motto and brief description of our now concluded legend; so somber is it, and relieved
only by one ever-glowing point of light gloomier than the shadow: --
8. ‘ON A FIELD, SABLE, THE LETTER A, GULES.’” (239-240)
The Scarlet Letter
Quiz - Chapters 1-4
Answer the following question on a separate piece of binder paper. Your grade will be
determined based on the depth of your response.
1. Explain Hawthorne's statement on page 51: "It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of
the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself."
Who is she?
What is "it"?
How is she in a "sphere by herself"? Give detail from these chapters for support.
2. Who visits Hester in her jail cell? (Give BOTH of his identities in your response.)
Give two key topics they discuss.
What does he vow to do?
The Scarlet Letter Unit
Quiz – Chapters 5-8
Dir ections: Choose the appropriate answer for each item. Each question is worth one
point. Please do not mark on this quiz.
1. Pearl can best be described as
A) an elfish, disobedient child
B) a good, obedient child
C) a holy child
D) a polite and respectful child
2. How does Hester provide for Pearl and herself?
A) She works as a nurse
B) She works as a counselor
C) She watches other children
D) She sells her needlework
3. Hester believes that her punishment has given her a sixth sense, or power. What is it?
A) to see the future
B) to move objects with her thoughts
C) to detect the sins of others
D) to use mental telepathy
4. Hester names her child "Pearl"
A) after her mother
B) because the child has fair skin
C) to keep the child free from sin
D) because she had come at a great price to her mother
5. Hester dresses Pearl in
A) plain, devout clothing
B) witch clothing
C) beautiful clothes
D) rags
6. When Hester walks down the street, the townspeople do all of the following except:
A) yell names at her as she passed
B) stare at the scarlet letter
C) refuse her charity
D) spit on her
7. What object/possession is Pearl most attracted to?
A) the scarlet letter
B) a dress her mother made for her
C) flowers
D) a doll
The Scarlet Letter Unit
8. Why does Hester visit Governor Bellingham?
A) to ask for a pardon
B) to ask that Pearl is not taken away
C) to ask for catechism lessons for Pearl
D) to give her sister some needlework
9. Who supports Hester in her plea?
A) Governor Bellingham
B) Roger Chillingworth
C) Arthur Dimmesdale
D) Mistress Hibbins
10. Where does Pearl say she comes from?
A) God made her
B) the witches brought her
C) she came from the prison's rosebush
D) the cabbage patch
11. Mistress Hibbins is
A) Dimmesdale's sister
B) a witch
C) the Devil
E) Governor Bellingham's mother
12. Pearl becomes a personification of
A) good
B) the scarlet letter
C) isolation
D) evil
13. Dimmesdale and Chillingworth are drawn together because
A) each knew the other back in England
B) they develop a doctor/patient relationship
C) they both are worried about Hester
D) the both are worried about Pearl
14. Pearl passes the catechism test Governor Bellingham gives her.
A) true
B) false
15. The children of the town are not aware of Hester’s sin and therefore welcome Pearl
as a playmate.
A) true
B) false
The Scarlet Letter
Reading Quiz 7-12
Choose the appropriate answer for each item. One point each.
1. Why does Hester visit Governor Bellingham?
A) to ask for a pardon
away
C) to ask for catechism lessons for Pearl
D) to give her sister some needlework
2. Where does Pearl say she comes from?
A) God made her
C) she came from the prison's rosebush
B) the witches brought her
D) the Devil
3. Mistress Hibbins is
A) Dimmesdale's sister
C) the Devil
B) a witch
D) Governor Bellingham’s mother
B)
to ask that Pearl is not taken
4. How does Pearl save Hester?
A. She prevents her mother from arguing with the governor.
B. She kisses Rev. Dimmesdale’s hand so he will take pity on them.
C. She is the reason Hester must go home and not to the witch gathering.
D. She protects her mother in the streets by chasing people away.
5. What is the living arrangement for Chillingworth and Dimmesdale?
A. They live next-door to each other.
B. They are roommates.
C. The live in the same house but in different rooms.
D. They live in the same town and visit each other daily.
6. What gesture does Reverend Dimmesdale continuously perform?
A. He places his hand on his forehead.
B. He places his hand over his heart.
C. He places his hand over his stomach.
D. He places his hand over his shoulder.
7. People in the town start to suspect Chillingworth of being evil.
A. true
B. false
8. People in the town start to suspect that Dimmesdale is hiding a terrible secret.
A. true
B. false
9. Dimmesdale never suspects Chillingworth’s intentions.
A. true
B. false
10. Where and when does Chillingworth find Dimmesdale, Hester and Peal together?
A. On the scaffold at midnight
B. On the scaffold at 6 p.m.
C. On the scaffold at noontide
D. In the church at midnight
11. Why won’t Pearl whisper the answer to Dimmesdale’s question in his ear?
A. She is making a joke because she is in a good mood.
B. She wants to leave because it is late and she knows that she and her mother should
not be out at night in the dark.
C. She is mocking him because they both have something the other needs; the minister
could be her father and Pearl knows who Chillingworth really is.
D. Her mother told her to never speak to him in public.
To whom does each quote refer?
A. Pearl
B. Hester
C. Chillingworth
D. Dimmesdale
12. "It was the scarlet letter in another form; the scarlet letter endowed with life!"
13. "...a change had overcome his features,-- how much uglier they were,--how his dark
complexion seemed to have grown duskier, and his figure more misshapen....”
14. “His form grew emaciated; his voice, through still rich and sweet, had a certain melancholy
prophecy of decay in it....”
15. "There was fire in her and throughout her; she seemed the unpremeditated offshoot of a
passionate moment."
Name: _______________________________________ Period: _____
Quiz: The Scarlet Letter, Chapters 9-17
Part I: Multiple Choice Choose the answer which best completes each statement.
_____ 1.
_____ 2.
_____ 3.
_____ 4.
_____ 5.
What gesture does Reverend Dimmesdale continuously perform?
A. He places his hand on his forehead.
B. He places his hand over his heart.
C. He places his hand over his stomach.
D. He places his hand over his shoulder
Where and when does Chillingworth find Dimmesdale, Hester and Pearl
together?
A. On the scaffold at midnight B. On the scaffold at 6 PM
C. On the scaffold at noontide
D. In the church at midnight
The letter “A” has literally been given multiple meaning
throughout the novel. Which three have we seen thus far?
A. adultery, activity, advice
B. adultery, adequate, activity
C. adultery, able, angel
D. adultery, activity, able
Hester feels partly responsible for Chillingworth's change into an evil
man.
A. true
B. false
Dimmesdale proposes that Hester and Pearl run away with him.
A. true
B. false
Part II: Short Answer Briefly answer the following questions in complete sentences. You must provide
adequate detail, but you do not need to write an essay on each question.
6. Briefly describe the physical changes seen in Chillingworth.
7. Describe what Pearl does while in the forest with her mother before meeting up with Dimmesdale.
8. Describe the forest scenery in chapters sixteen and seventeen.
9. What secret does Hester reveal to Dimmesdale? How does he react?
10. Describe the plan proposed at the end of chapter seventeen.
11. Explain the following quote, “Her only justification lay in the fact, that she had been able to discern no
method of rescuing him from a blacker ruin than had overwhelmed herself, except by acquiescing in [the
gentleman’s] scheme of disguise” (153) A) Who is the she? B) Who is he? C) Who is the gentleman?
D) What is the scheme of disguise? E) What is the “black ruin”?
Name: ___________________________________________ Date: ____________
The Scarlet Letter Chapter s 15-19
Dir ections: Answer each question thoroughly. These need not be in complete sentences, but
make sure you answer the question completely.
1. Why does Hester plan to meet with Chillingworth?
2. How much time has elapsed since Chapter 12?
3. Chillingworth admits he has changed. What does he say?
4. Hester asks permission to reveal Chillingworth when he admits he has changed. What does
he say?
5. Pearl perceptively questions Dimmesdale’s appearance in Chapter 16. What does she ask?
6. Explain the reference to laughter and paradox in Dimmesdale’s statement: “I have laughed,
in bitterness and agony of heart, at the contrast between what I seem and what I am! And
Satan laughs at it!”
7. What are Hester’s feelings towards Dimmesdale by Chapter 17?
8. How does Dimmesdale react to the news that Chillingworth was her husband?
9. What, therefore, does Dimmesdale decide to do?
10. Provide at lest two interpretations of this chapter title, “ A Flood of Sunshine.”
The Scarlet Letter
By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Puritanism
Important Facts about the Puritans
 Puritans were group of Protestants who fled
England in the early 1600s to seek freedom
from religious persecution. (Pilgrims).
 Puritan churches are stark and simple – white
walls, hard wood benches – no adornment.
 Puritans established the Massachusetts Bay
Colony in 1628, and hoped to purify the
church.
Basic Puritan Beliefs
P uritan W ork Ethic
 Hard work brings success
 This is where we get our idea of the
American Dream.
Basic Puritan Beliefs
Reverence for Education
Harvard University, August 2008
– Mandatory school
attendance.
– Puritans believed
knowledge was the
best weapon
against Satan
– Puritans
established Harvard
University in 1636
Basic Puritan Beliefs
Supremacy of the Divine Will
 All natural phenomena are explained
as being the will of God
 All unnatural occurrences are
attributed to witches, who are
believed to be agents of the Devil
Basic Puritan Beliefs
Sins and the P uritans
 Every man is constantly tempted by the
Devil towards some sin
 Part of church belief was that once a man
sinned, he must:
1) Openly/publicly confess his sin;
2) repent, and
3) perform some act of penance

Without open confession, a person had no chance of ever
being saved (remember for Scarlet Letter)
Basic Puritan Beliefs
Function of the Devil
 Main purpose – to tempt men to sin and disobey
the commandments of God so he could destroy
God’s kingdom.
 The Devil could take on any shape on earth and
deceive even the best of men.
– This is where we get the superstition about black cats
 Man must therefore take every possible precaution
against something so deceptive as the Devil
 Also believed that the Devil held his strongest
foothold in the New World because of the large
regions of forests and the huge numbers of
barbarous “savages” existing in America
Basic Puritan Beliefs
Theocratic Government
 The government is controlled by and
made up of ministers and church
members
 Church and the civil government are
the same
 No separation of church and state
Salem Witch Trials of 1692
 At its worst, Puritanism was bigoted, cruel,
intolerant, and superstitious
 Most notorious example found in Salem witch trials
 19 people hung, one pressed to death, and
hundreds brought to trial
 severe punishments inflicted for minor infractions
of Puritan rules
 servant woman was banished from colony for
smiling in church
 man who swore stood for hours holding his tongue
on a forked stick
 Puritans were sadistically imaginative in devising
punishments
 Ironically, reestablished in their new society the
very system of intolerance they had fled
Puritan Beliefs
 To the Puritans any misfortune at all was
God’s punishment for sinful behavior.
 Conformity was paramount to their
existence -- this is why the first people who
were accused were social outcasts:
Hawthorne’s Interest in the
Puritans
(remember for Scarlet Letter )
 This slide is for Honors only
 Puritans’ self-righteousness, intolerance,
and narrow-minded bigotry interested
Hawthorne, himself a descendent of stern
Puritans
 Explored ideas of self-discipline, obsession
with introspection, sin, and guilt to learn
about the inner recesses of the human
heart.
Nathaniel Hawthorne




(1804 – 1864) Born in
Salem, MA
Related to one of the
judges during the Salem
Witch Trials
His work is considered
Dark Romanticism
Many of his novels/stories
contain moral messages
and have deep
psychological
complexities.
“Every individual has a place to fill in the world and is
important in some respect whether he chooses to be so or
not.”
Journal #1 –
th
20
Century SL
(Refer to the handout)
 Read the article from the Los Angeles
Times regarding what one judge is doing
to punish criminals.
 Then, write a letter to the editor
responding to the judge’s methods.

Quick Write #1 – Prison Door
What impression comes to mind when you
think of a prison door?
What images are used to describe the prison
door? What is the effect of this diction?
(Tone, mood, atmosphere created)
Journal #2 - Rose




The author includes a real flower, a wild rosebush, in
his description. What is the effect of this image?
What does the rose symbolize?
Ann Hutchinson was a religious leader in
seventeenth-century America who attacked
popular religious practices and preached for a
simpler and purer religion without ministers or
buildings. She was tried and banished in 1637.
What does suggesting that a rose might
have sprung up under her footsteps
imply?
Quick Write #2 – Letter Fits
Describe the objects and images you used
to create your Letter Fits.
 Why did you choose these items?
 What do they mean to you?
 What do they say about you?

Quick Write #3 – Pearl as Symbol
Give two examples of
how Pearl is the
scarlet letter
personified.
 In your writing, show
how Pearl is a symbol
of her mother’s
warring spirit.

Journal #3 – Hester’s Diary





Write a 1st person diary entry for Hester Prynne
based on Ch. 3-5. Make sure that you
incorporate at least three of the following
into your entry:
Hester’s feelings towards Chillingworth, past and
present
Why Hester chooses to stay in Boston.
The anguish and torment she continually feels,
along with some specific causes of it.
The “special power” that the scarlet letter gives
her.
Journal #4 – Custody Debate
Bulleted Outline
 As
you read Ch. 5-8, make notes that
will serve as evidence/proof for the
side you are arguing for in the
debate.
 In addition, try to anticipate which
evidence the opposing side may use.
Journal #5 – Prequel to the
Custody Debate



Who should have custody of Pearl Prynne? Should
Hester retain custody or should Pearl be given over to
the custody of the town of Boston? We will debate this
matter during the next class period, but first you need to
write about it.
When you have completed your rereading of Ch. 6-8,
write up a one-page argument quoting from the novel at
least 3 times along the way.
Begin your page with the words, “Ladies and
gentlemen of the jury ... ” and imagine that you
are writing your final summation to a jury of
your case. Write in a voice as if you were the
lawyer making that summation.
Chapters 1-4
1.
Identify Hester Prynne, Pearl, Rev. Mr. Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth.
2.
What emblem did Hester have to wear? Why was she sentenced to wear it?
3.
What information did Hester refuse to tell the officials and Mr. Dimmesdale?
4.
What was the relationship between Hester and Roger Chillingworth?
5.
What did Hester promise to Roger Chillingworth?
Chapters 5-7
1.
Hester is released from prison. Why doesn't she run away to a different settlement?
2.
How did Hester support herself and Pearl?
3.
Describe Pearl.
4.
Describe Hester's feelings towards Pearl.
5.
Why did Hester go to see Governor Bellingham?
6.
What did Hester and Pearl see in the breastplate of the armor? What is the significance of the
exaggeration?
Chapters 8-10
1.
Mr. Wilson asks Pearl, "Canst thou tell me, my child, who made thee?" What is Pearl's answer?
Why did she say that?
2.
What convinced the Governor to let Hester keep Pearl?
3.
How did Roger Chillingworth become Dimmesdale's medical advisor?
4.
Who is the leech? Why is he called that in the title of the chapter?
5.
Why did Mr. Dimmesdale rush from the room to end the conversation he had with Roger
Chillingworth?
Chapters 11-13
1.
What does Rev. Dimmesdale's congregation think of him? Why is that ironic?
2.
Where did Mr. Dimmesdale go at midnight? Why?
3.
What did Pearl ask Mr. Dimmesdale?
4.
What "sign" did the meteor make in the sky?
5.
Where had Mr. Wilson, Hester, Pearl and Roger Chillingworth been that night, that they would
all be walking by the scaffolding at midnight?
6.
What was the other view of Hester?
Chapters 14-17
1.
What did Hester tell Roger Chillingworth when they met on the peninsula?
2.
Why do Hester and Pearl go to the forest?
3.
When Mr. Dimmesdale finds out that Roger Chillingworth is out for revenge, he knows his
religious career in Boston will be at an end and his life will be miserable. What does Hester suggest?
Chapters 18-21
1.
What did Hester have to do by the brook before Pearl would come across?
2.
Mr. Dimmesdale kissed Pearl. What did she do in response?
3.
How did Rev. Mr. Dimmesdale's attitude change after he decided to leave Boston with Hester?
Chapters 22-24
1.
What shocking news did the commander of the Bristol ship bring Hester?
2.
What did Mr. Dimmesdale tell the people of New England before he died?
3.
What did the people see when Mr. Dimmesdale took off his ministerial band?
4.
What happens to Hester, Pearl and Roger Chillingworth?
ANSWER KEY: STUDY GUIDE QUESTIONS -The Scarlet Letter
Chapters 1-4
1.
Identify Hester Prynne, Pearl, Rev. Mr. Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth. Hester Prynne is
the main character of the novel. She is the one who has sinned and must wear a letter "A." The Rev. Mr.
Dimmesdale talks to Hester on the scaffolding, asking her to reveal the name of the man who sinned
with her. In this first section, he appears overly earnest in his questioning of Hester. We later find out
that he is, in fact, the other sinner. Roger Chillingworth is Hester's former husband. He remains in
Boston under this assumed name and practices medicine. Pearl is Hester's daughter, a result of her
affair with Dimmesdale.
2.
What emblem did Hester have to wear? Why was she sentenced to wear it? Hester had to wear
the letter "A" to show that she is guilty of adultery.
3.
What information did Hester refuse to tell the officials and Mr. Dimmesdale? Hester refused to
name the man who sinned with her.
4.
What was the relationship between Hester and Roger Chillingworth? Hester had married Roger
Prynne prior to coming to America. He loved her, but she didn't love him. It was a marriage they both
hoped would work out, but she was never satisfied with the relationship. They were separated on the
way to the colony, and when he didn't show up for a year, she assumed he was dead. He appeared in
Boston on the day of her public punishment and assumed the name Chillingworth.
5.
What did Hester promise to Roger Chillingworth? Hester promised not to reveal Roger's true
identity.
Chapters 5-7
1.
Hester is released from prison. Why doesn't she run away to a different settlement? "Here . . .
had been the scene of her guilt, and here should be the scene of her earthly punishment; and so,
perchance, the torture of her daily shame would at length purge her soul."
2.
How did Hester support herself and Pearl? Hester did needlework.
3.
Describe Pearl. Pearl was a physically beautiful child. Hester could "recognize her wild,
desperate, defiant mood, the flightiness of her temper, and even some of the . . . gloom and
despondency that brooded in her heart."
4.
Describe Hester's feelings towards Pearl. Hester loved Pearl very much. She was always a little
worried that, being the product of a sin, the child would exhibit some odd characteristics showing her as
a child of the devil.
5.
Why did Hester go to see Governor Bellingham? Hester went to see the governor because she
had heard some people saying she should not have custody of Pearl. She wanted to talk to the governor
to get him to let her keep the child.
6.
What did Hester and Pearl see in the breastplate of the armor? What is the significance of the
exaggeration? They see an enlarged, distorted letter "A" which symbolically shows the tremendous
burden of Hester's sin. When people see her, they perhaps see her as she saw herself in the armor.
Chapters 8-10
1. Mr. Wilson asks Pearl, "Canst thou tell me, my child, who made thee?" What is Pearl's answer? Why
did she say that? She replies that she was plucked from the rose bush. She knew the correct answer but
felt contrary.
2. What convinced the Governor to let Hester keep Pearl? Both Hester and Mr. Dimmesdale told the
governor that Pearl was a constant reminder to Hester of her sin and that Hester was capable of being a
good mother since she could pass along to Pearl the lessons she had learned since she had sinned.
3. How did Roger Chillingworth become Dimmesdale's medical advisor? The elder ministers of Boston
and the deacons of the church "dealt with him" about the sin of rejecting medical help, so he saw Roger
Chillingworth.
4. Who is the leech? Why is he called that in the title of the chapter? Roger Chillingworth is the leech. He
is called that because he has latched on to Mr. Dimmesdale and is systematically not only sucking out
information but also the life of Mr. Dimmesdale under the guise of being a helpful doctor.
5. Why did Mr. Dimmesdale rush from the room to end the conversation he had with Roger
Chillingworth? Chillingworth suggested that Mr. Dimmesdale's illness was not just physical but rooted in
some secret Mr. Dimmesdale held in his soul. Dimmesdale, recognizing Chillingworth's accuracy, does
not wish to reveal his sin to anyone. He runs out of the room to avoid being trapped into a confession.
Chapters 11-13
1. What does Rev. Dimmesdale's congregation think of him? Why is that ironic? The congregation thinks
Dimmesdale is practically a saint. The worse he feels about his sin and the harder he tries to confess and
bring it into the open, the more saintly he becomes in the eyes of the people.
2. Where did Mr. Dimmesdale go at midnight? Why? He went to the public scaffolding where Hester had
stood because he had some peculiar idea that standing there through the nights would in some way
help him with his penance.
3. What did Pearl ask Mr. Dimmesdale? Pearl asked Dimmesdale if he would stand on the scaffolding,
hand in hand, with Hester and her at noontime the next day.
4. What "sign" did the meteor make in the sky? It made a large letter A which glowed red.
5. Where had Mr. Wilson, Hester, Pearl and Roger Chillingworth been that night, that they
would all be walking by the scaffolding at midnight? They had all been at the deathbed of Governor
Winthrop.
6. What was the other view of Hester? Hester had taken to doing good works, living a simple, pure life.
The people of Boston were beginning to recognize her as a person instead of just a sinner. Some even
were beginning to say the "A" was for "Able."
Chapters 14-17
1.
What did Hester tell Roger Chillingworth when they met on the peninsula? She told him that
she would break her promise and identify him as her former husband.
2.
Why do Hester and Pearl go to the forest? They go to the forest to intercept Dimmesdale on his
journey home to Boston, to tell him that Chillingworth was really Hester's husband who was seeking
revenge.
3.
When Mr. Dimmesdale finds out that Roger Chillingworth is out for revenge, he knows his
religious career in Boston will be at an end and his life will be miserable. What does Hester suggest?
She suggests that Dimmesdale could move and leave his troubles behind. She also volunteers to go with
him.
Chapters 18-21
1.
What did Hester have to do by the brook before Pearl would come across? She had to put her
letter A back on and pin her hair back up.
2.
off.
Mr. Dimmesdale kissed Pearl. What did she do in response? She ran to the brook and washed it
3.
How did Rev. Mr. Dimmesdale's attitude change after he decided to leave Boston with Hester?
He felt better and had more energy. He also has a real temptation to do some very bad things like
"uttering certain blasphemous suggestions . . . regarding the communion supper" or teaching some
wicked words to Puritan children.
Chapters 22-24
1.
What shocking news did the commander of the Bristol ship bring Hester? She learned that
Chillingworth had also booked passage on the ship.
2.
What did Mr. Dimmesdale tell the people of New England before he died? He confessed that he
was the one who had sinned with Hester, that Pearl was his child.
3.
What did the people see when Mr. Dimmesdale took off his ministerial band? Some say they
saw a scarlet letter.
4.
What happens to Hester, Pearl and Roger Chillingworth? Chillingworth died within a year,
leaving his property to Pearl, who we are led to believe married and lived on that property in England.
Hester vanished with Pearl, but later she supposedly returned to Boston to finish her penance sentence
there. She supposedly died there years later and was buried, we assume next to Dimmesdale.
The Scarlet Letter
Study Guide Questions
Chapters 1-4
1. Identify Hester Prynne, Pearl, Rev. Mr. Dimmesdale and Roger Chillingworth.
2. What emblem did Hester have to wear? Why was she sentenced to wear it?
3. What information did Hester refuse to tell the officials and Mr. Dimmesdale?
4. What was the relationship between Hester and Roger Chillingworth?
5. What did Hester promise to Roger Chillingworth?
Chapters 5-7
1. Hester is released from prison. Why doesn't she run away to a different settlement?
2. How did Hester support herself and Pearl?
3. Describe Pearl.
4. Describe Hester's feelings towards Pearl.
5. Why did Hester go to see Governor Bellingham?
6. What did Hester and Pearl see in the breastplate of the armor? What is the significance of the
exaggeration?
Chapters 8-10
1. Mr. Wilson asks Pearl, "Canst thou tell me, my child, who made thee?" What is Pearl's
answer? Why did she say that?
2. What convinced the Governor to let Hester keep Pearl?
3. How did Roger Chillingworth become Dimmesdale's medical advisor?
4. Who is the leech? Why is he called that in the title of the chapter?
5. Why did Mr. Dimmesdale rush from the room to end the conversation he had with
Roger Chillingworth?
Chapters 11-13
1. What does Rev. Dimmesdale's congregation think of him? Why is that ironic?
2. Where did Mr. Dimmesdale go at midnight? Why?
3. What did Pearl ask Mr. Dimmesdale?
4. What "sign" did the meteor make in the sky?
5. Where had Mr. Wilson, Hester, Pearl and Roger Chillingworth been that night, that they
would all be walking by the scaffolding at midnight?
6. What was the other view of Hester?
Chapters 14-17
1. What did Hester tell Roger Chillingworth when they met on the peninsula?
2. Why do Hester and Pearl go to the forest?
3. When Mr. Dimmesdale finds out that Roger Chillingworth is out for revenge, he knows his
religious career in Boston will be at an end and his life will be miserable. What does Hester
suggest?
Chapters 18-21
1. What did Hester have to do by the brook before Pearl would come across?
2. Mr. Dimmesdale kissed Pearl. What did she do in response?
3. How did Rev. Mr. Dimmesdale's attitude change after he decided to leave Boston with
Hester?
Chapters 22-24
1. What shocking news did the commander of the Bristol ship bring Hester?
2. What did Mr. Dimmesdale tell the people of New England before he died?
3. What did the people see when Mr. Dimmesdale took off his ministerial band?
4. What happens to Hester, Pearl and Roger Chillingworth?
The 10 Commandments
The 10 Commandments are found in the Bible’s Old Testament at Exodus, Chapter 20. The
tradition is that they were given directly by God to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai after He
had delivered them from slavery in Egypt:
ONE: ‘Thou shall have no other gods before Me.’
TWO: ‘Thou shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything
that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under
the earth.’
THREE: ‘Thou shall not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.’
FOUR: ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.’
FIVE: ‘Honor thy father and thy mother.’
SIX: ‘Thou shall not murder.’
SEVEN: ‘Thou shall not commit adultery.’
EIGHT: ‘Thou shall not steal.’
NINE: ‘Thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.’
TEN: ‘Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s house; thou shall not covet thy
neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his
donkey, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.’
Punishments
Commandment
Punishment 1600s
Punishment today
Think Like a Puritan
You are the members of the town council of a small Puritan community in Massachusetts
during the late 1600s. You are gathered because a problem has been discovered. A woman
whose husband has been in England for the past two years has recently given birth to a
baby girl. Obviously, adultery is not tolerated in this community and the woman must be
punished.
Unfortunately, this is the least of your problems. The adulteress does not appear to be
the least bit remorseful about committing her heinous crime. In fact, she proudly walks
with her illegitimate child around the town holding her head up without shame. When
asked why she is behaving this way, she replies, "I am not ashamed of what I have done."
In addition, the adulteress steadfastly refuses to identify the father of her child. Since
this is a very isolated community, the father must be one of the townspeople. Finally, the
council has noticed that the child, now almost five years old, has been exhibiting some
unsavory characteristics lately — she sings, dances and skips around town (this behavior,
of course, is considered sinful in our community). Her mother appears unconcerned with
this behavior and lets the child continue with these behaviors
During this meeting, you must formulate a plan to accomplish the following goals:
1. Determine what punishment should be given to the adulteress and how you can
discourage this behavior in the other members of the community.
2. Determine what steps you will take to force the adulteress to divulge the name
of the father of the child.
3. Determine what steps you will take to encourage the father of the child to come
forward on his own.
4. Determine what punishment you will administer to the father once he is
determined.
5. Determine what is to be done with the child. Is this adulteress a fit mother to
raise this child?
6. How can the soul of the sinner be saved?
When you have finished your meeting, you will address the community (the class) and
outline your plan to them.
What Happened to Pearl?
Very little information about Pearl is shared at the end of The Scarlet Letter. All
we learn is that when Chillingworth dies, he leaves Pearl a great inheritance,
making her “the richest heiress of her day, in the New World.” Then Pearl leaves
town, never to return. According to the novel:
“None knew—nor ever learned.... whether the elf-child had gone thus
untimely to a maiden grave, or whether her wild, rich nature had been
softened and subdued, and made capable of a woman’s gentle
happiness.”
In this project, you will use hints from the novel, your sense of romance, your
sense of tragedy, and your knowledge of human psychology to propose a logical
resolution to the question, “What happened to Pearl?”
Your group will share your written, detailed prediction with the rest of the class. It
can be in the form of a magazine article, a biography, newspaper article,
obituary, interview whatever you want! Be creative! Please include a picture!
You may use the following questions to guide your thinking:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What do we learn about Pearl from her appearance?
What do we learn about Pearl from the way she talks and the way she
acts?
What do we learn about Pearl from what other people (including the
author) say or suggest about her?
How might Pearl’s childhood experiences affect her emotions and her life
choices once she leaves New England?
What basic life skills will Pearl have to learn as a young woman?
Under what conditions might Pearl marry or have a child?
How likely is it that Pearl might take out her anger on people in her new
community? What antisocial actions might she take?
How likely is it that Pearl would grow beyond her anger? How would Pearl
display normality?
If Pearl survives, what communication if any do you think she will have
with her mother back in New England?
What role could Pearl play in a new community—witch? Religious leader
who dispenses mercy and punishment? Recluse? Mystery woman?
If Pearl survives and has a child, what if anything do you think she will tell
the child about Hester? About Dimmesdale and Chillingworth? About
Pearl’s own childhood?
Common Core State
Standards Alignment Grid
Grades 9-12
The following grid indicates which of the Common Core State Standards are covered in this unit plan.
You may find that you also cover other standards not listed or checked while teaching this unit. This list
is not meant to be exhaustive or restrictive, but is intended as a basic reference for teachers and
administrators needing to confirm that the lessons and activities in this unit conform to the curriculum
prescribed by the Common Core State Standards.
Standards Alignment Grid: Grades 9-10
Reading: Literature and Informational Text
Key Ideas and Details
RL.9-10.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RL.9-10.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze in detail its development
over the course of the text, including how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific
details; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.9-10.3. Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting
motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the
plot or develop the theme.
Craft and Structure
RL.9-10.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices
on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a
formal or informal tone).
RL.9-10.5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure a text, order events
within it (e.g., parallel plots), and manipulate time (e.g., pacing, flashbacks) create such effects
as mystery, tension, or surprise.
RL.9-10.6. Analyze a particular point of view or cultural experience reflected in a work of
literature from outside the United States, drawing on a wide reading of world literature.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RL.9-10.7. Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic
mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment (e.g., Auden’s “Musée des
Beaux Arts” and Breughel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus).
RI.9-10.8. Delineate and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, assessing whether
the reasoning is valid and the evidence is relevant and sufficient; identify false statements and
fallacious reasoning.
RL.9-10.9. Analyze how an author draws on and transforms source material in a specific work
(e.g., how Shakespeare treats a theme or topic from Ovid or the Bible or how a later author
draws on a play by Shakespeare).
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RL.9-10.10. By the end of grade 9, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas,
and poems, in the grades 9–10 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at
the high end of the range.
Writing
Text Types and Purposes
W.9-10.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using
valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
W.9-10.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas,
concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization,
and analysis of content.
Text Types and Purposes (continued)
W.9-10.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
Production and Distribution of Writing
W.9-10.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing
types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
W.9-10.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or
trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose
and audience.
W.9-10.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or
shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information
and to display information flexibly and dynamically.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
W.9-10.7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question
(including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when
appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the
subject under investigation.
W.9-10.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources,
using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the
research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas,
avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.
W.9-10.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection,
and research.
Range of Writing
W.9-10.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and
revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks,
purposes, and audiences.
Speaking and Listening
Comprehension and Collaboration
SL.9-10.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-onone, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9–10 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
SL.9-10.2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse media or formats
(e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source.
SL.9-10.3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric,
identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
SL.9-10.4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and
logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development,
substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.
SL.9-10.5. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and
interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and
evidence and to add interest.
SL.9-10.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating command of formal
English when indicated or appropriate.
Language
Conventions of Standard English
L.9-10.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
L.9-10.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Knowledge of Language
L.9-10.3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different
contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when
reading or listening.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use
L.9-10.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and
phrases based on grades 9–10 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies.
L.9-10.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances
in word meanings.
L.9-10.6. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and phrases,
sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career readiness level;
demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or
phrase important to comprehension or expression.
Standards Alignment Grid: Grades 11-12
Reading: Literature and Informational Text
Key Ideas and Details
RL.11-12.1. Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text
leaves matters uncertain.
RL.11-12.2. Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their
development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another
to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.
RL.11-12.3. Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate
elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the
characters are introduced and developed).
Craft and Structure
RL.11-12.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including
figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning
and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh,
engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)
RL.11-12.5. Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a
text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic
resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
RL.11-12.6. Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is
directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or
understatement).
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
RL.11-12.7. Analyze multiple interpretations of a story, drama, or poem (e.g., recorded or live
production of a play or recorded novel or poetry), evaluating how each version interprets the
source text. (Include at least one play by Shakespeare and one play by an American dramatist.)
RI.11-12.8. Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application
of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning (e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court majority
opinions and dissents) and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy
(e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses).
RL.11-12.9. Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century
foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same
period treat similar themes or topics.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
RL.11-12.10. By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, in the grades 11–CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as
needed at the high end of the range.
Writing
Text Types and Purposes
W.11-12.1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts,
using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
W.11-12.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas,
concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization,
and analysis of content.
W.11-12.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective
technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.
Production and Distribution of Writing
W.11-12.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and
style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing
types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)
W.11-12.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting,
or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose
and audience.
W.11-12.6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual
or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or
information.
Research to Build and Present Knowledge
W.11-12.7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question
(including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when
appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the
subject under investigation.
W.11-12.8. Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources,
using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in
terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to
maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and
following a standard format for citation.
W.11-12.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection,
and research.
Range of Writing
W.11-12.10. Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection,
and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks,
purposes
Speaking and Listening
Comprehension and Collaboration
SL.11-12.1. Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-onone, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 11–12 topics, texts, and
issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
SL.11-12.2. Integrate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media
(e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) in order to make informed decisions and solve problems,
evaluating the credibility and accuracy of each source and noting any discrepancies among the
data.
SL.11-12.3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric,
assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of emphasis, and tone
used.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas
SL.11-12.4. Present information, findings, and supporting evidence, conveying a clear and
distinct perspective, such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning, alternative or opposing
perspectives are addressed, and the organization, development, substance, and style are
appropriate to purpose, audience, and a range of formal and informal tasks.
SL.11-12.5. Make strategic use of digital media (e.g., textual, graphical, audio, visual, and
interactive elements) in presentations to enhance understanding of findings, reasoning, and
evidence and to add interest.
SL.11-12.6. Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of
formal English when indicated or appropriate.
Language
Conventions of Standard English
L.11-12.1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage
when writing or speaking.
L.11-12.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization,
punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Knowledge of Language
L.11-12.3. Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different
contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when
reading or listening.
L.11-12.4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and
phrases based on grades 11–12 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of
strategies.
L.11-12.5. Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances
in word meanings.
L.11-12.6. Acquire and use accurately general academic and domain-specific words and
phrases, sufficient for reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the college and career
readiness level; demonstrate independence in gathering vocabulary knowledge when
considering a word or phrase important to comprehension or expression.