Warm Up:
Choosing the Right Word 1-25!
PUBLIC PERSONA VS. PRIVATE PERSONA
• Who dictates what is acceptable or unacceptable to present to
society?
• Why would we keep something private in our lives?
• What would happen if our public and private personas were
revealed to all?
• What characters from the novel can relate to this motif?
• How are they presenting themselves publicly? Privately?
• What would happen if they revealed their true selves?
PRIVATE V. PUBLIC: HESTER PRYNNE
• “When the young woman—the mother of this child—stood fully Revealed
before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant
closely to her bosom; not so much by an impulse of motherly affection, as
that she might thereby conceal a certain token” (45).
• “It might be, too,—doubtless it was so, although she hid the secret from
herself, and grew pale whenever it struggled out of her heart, like a
serpent from its hole,—it might be that another feeling kept her within the
scene and pathway that had been so fatal. There dwelt, there trode the
feet of one with whom she deemed herself connected in a union, that,
unrecognised on earth, would bring them together before the bar of final
judgment, and make that their marriage-altar, for a joint futurity of endless
retribution” (67).
Pre-activity: Private vs. Public Personas
Using chapters 9 and 10 (IX and X), find a quote to answer each of the following:
1. How did the townspeople perceive Dimmesdale?
2. How does Dimmesdale perceive his faith?
3. Why does Dimmesdale refuse treatment?
4. What does Dimmesdale do to punish himself?
5. What does Dimmesdale believe about revealing the truth?
TSL Analytical Writing
PROMPT: How does Hawthorne exemplify a romantic ideal
through the private persona of Dimmesdale or Chillingsworth?
•What would be the best approach to this prompt?
•Which means we need to look at this
theme a little more in depth before we
answer . . .
TSL Analytical Writing
PROMPT: How does Hawthorne exemplify a romantic ideal through the
private persona of Dimmesdale or Chillingworth?
•What is Chillingworth’s motivation?
With my claim, I want to focus on why Hawthorne shows us this evidence
rather than on proving that Chillingworth does something.
•CLAIM: Chillingworth’s decision to conceal his identity symbolically leads
him away from the ideals of transcendentalism in which Hawthorne believed.
•CLAIM: Chillingworth does not reveal his true personality to the
townspeople.
TSL Analytical Writing
•PROMPT: How does Hawthorne exemplify a romantic ideal through the private persona of
Dimmesdale or Chillingworth?
•CLAIM: Chillingworth’s decision to conceal his identity symbolically leads him away from the ideals
of transcendentalism in which Hawthorne believed.
•GROUNDS: “He resolved not to be pilloried beside her on her pedestal of shame. Unknown to all
but Hester Prynne, and possessing the lock and key of her silence, he chose to withdraw his name
from the roll of mankind, and, as regarded his former ties and interest, to vanish out of life as
completely as if he indeed lay at the bottom of the ocean, whither rumor had long ago consigned him.
This purpose once effected, new interests would immediately spring up, and likewise a new purpose;
dark, it is true, if not guilty, but of force enough to engage the full strength of his faculties.”
•Good quote, but it is too long! What are the important pieces of it?
TSL Analytical Writing
•PROMPT: How does Hawthorne exemplify a romantic ideal through the private persona of
Dimmesdale or Chillingworth?
•CLAIM: Chillingworth’s decision to conceal his identity symbolically leads him away from the ideals
of transcendentalism in which Hawthorne believed.
•GROUNDS: In choosing to “withdraw his name from the roll of mankind,” Chillingworth creates a
“new purpose” for his life (98). This new purpose, however, is not focused on improving himself.
•Warrant/Conclusion is the hard part. How do I avoid repeating what I’ve already said in the claim?
•WARRANT: This proves that Chillingworth is not a transcendentalist because Hawthorne uses the
novel to symbolically demonstrate the transcendental ideals in which he believed.
•WARRANT: The decision not only turns Chillingworth into the evil antagonist of the book but forces
him to find his purpose in life in others, rather than in relying on himself.
TSL Analytical Writing
•Remember, it starts with the claim.
•The claim should prove your interpretation of the text; it does not need to prove a
plot point or summary of the novel.
•The claim will probably prove what you consider is the author’s purpose in giving
us the evidence.
•Grounds will be incorporated into your paragraph.
•Warrant should do something beyond merely repeating the claim. This is the
hardest thing to do.
YOUR TURN
• GO BACK TO TSL and pre-activity.
• Using what we have just discussed, answer the prompt
•
•
for Dimmesdale.
I WILL BE TAKING THIS UP TO GIVE YOU FEEDBACK IN
PREPARATION FOR THE TIMED WRITING!
PROMPT: How does Hawthorne exemplify a romantic
ideal through the private persona of Dimmesdale?
Key Moments
• Chapter 14: Hester confronts Chillingworth…dun dun dun. Does it work?
•Chapter 15: Pearl is pestering Hester about the scarlet letter and
Dimmesdale. What is being seen about each (in other words- which
group of people are they representing or rejecting)?
•Chapter 15: Pearl dresses herself in seaweed- literally. What should she
obviously be?
•Chapter 16: More of Pearl in nature. What does this look like?
•Chapter 17: The Climax of the novel- which is? Other stuff that
happens?
DATING PROFILES FOR OUR CHARACTERS
•Put together a dating profile for one of the three main, adult
characters
•This would be how they present themselves to the public-- not
their private persona’s or secrets.
• This is what the public would see WHEN they to log onto
www.puritanmingle.com (#tsl4ever).
• Chillingworth
• Dimmesdale
• Hester
YOU ARE CHILLINGWORTH, DIMMESDALE OR HESTER
1.Create your dating profile for one of these character using his or her PUBLIC personas!
2.Include your character’s name, age (estimate) and a visual representation (profile picture)
3.Answer five of these question using textual evidence (citation needed!)
• Other than appearance, what is the first thing that people notice about you?
• What are your three best life skills?
• What are the most important things you are looking for in a partner?
• What are three things your friends would say to describe you?
• What are two things you cannot live without?
• What are you most passionate about?
• What are you most thankful for in this world?
CLOSURE:
• TURN IN DATING PROFILES (NEED GROUP'S
NAME ON THIS!)
• CONTINUE READING; TSL CH. 9-17 QUIZ
TOMORROW!