English 11 Honors
November 12, 2015
Agenda
●*Collect Questions for Chapters 1-4 of The
Scarlet Letter
●Journal
●We Are #NotADistraction
●Literary Devices Guided Notes
●Four Corners Activity
●HW: Read and answer questions for chapters
5-8 and Finish Vocabulary packet, QUIZ
NEXT CLASS
Writing Prompt –
Making a Comeback…
According to the cliché,“Every
setback is an opportunity for a
comeback.”
▪In your life, has this proven true?
Have you always recovered from
setbacks? If so, how?
**If you finish early, work
on your vocab packet.**
“...But do you know what we think is truly distracting? Having to be
sent to detention, or suspended, or kept from educational and
extracurricular activities because of these completely archaic and
unfair dress codes.”
WE ARE #NOTADISTRACTION!
BY RACHEL SHUTTLEWORTH
http://amysmartgirls.com/we-are-notadistraction/
“The students involved in this protest were asked to take a page–or
a letter, if you will–out of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work The Scarlet
Letter, and incorporate a red letter “A” into their outfit.”
WE ARE #NOTADISTRACTION!
POSTED BY RACHEL SHUTTLEWORTH ON NOVEMBER 11, 2015
It’s become commonplace in our world today to see women, especially young girls,
getting in trouble with their schools due to dress code violations. In the last six months
alone, we’ve seen Canadian teen Lauren Wiggins suspended after posting on social
media about the detention she received for her “inappropriate” halter top dress; Harriet
Dale, a 15 year-old from the United Kingdom sent home for wearing “too tight” of
pants, which were cited as having been distracting to her male teachers; and even just
this past week, South Carolina high school senior and student body president Carey
Burgess was given a questionable in-school suspension for a seemingly modestly
worn skirt.
Almost every time this happens, the clothes these girls are wearing are deemed to
have been “sexually inappropriate” or “distracting” to other students (read: distracting
to their male counterparts). But do you know what we think is truly distracting? Having
to be sent to detention, or suspended, or kept from educational and extracurricular
activities because of these completely archaic and unfair dress codes.
And the good news is, Smart Girls, we aren’t the only ones who think so! While there has
been plenty of backlash on social media every time one of these stories is reported, we
have come across a truly awesome movement to combat these sexist dress codes, which
cleverly uses the intersection of high school curriculum and the history of public shaming to
make its point.
In late September, students at Charleston County School of the Arts (CCSOA) in North
Charleston, South Carolina, staged a protest against their school’s new dress code policy,
which involves requiring students to leave class and sit in the office until their dress code
violation is “dealt with”. As organizer Reese Fischer described in her Instagram post
encouraging people to take part in the movement, teachers were allowed to send students
out of class simply by questioning whether or not students were in uniform, not even
having to dictate or confirm it.
The students involved in this protest were asked to take a page–or a letter, if you will–out
of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s work The Scarlet Letter, and incorporate a red letter “A” into their
outfit. For those who haven’t read this book before, the “A” worn by main character Hester
Prynne serves to label her as an adulterer to the public; as such, “the scarlet letter” has
come to be synonymous with sin and public shame.
Reese and roughly 100 of her fellow students took part in this protest in early
October, and their posts on social media went viral. The #NotADistractionSOA (SOA
for their school name) and the less specific #NotADistraction hashtags trended on
Twitter, where even women from outside of South Carolina shared their feelings on
the dress code rules that unfairly target young women who simply want to dress how
they’d like, stay in class, and do so without being unnecessarily sexualized and
singled out by the educators who are supposed to be looking out for them.
Some students at CCSOA are keeping up this protest until they see young girls no
longer being objectified or unfairly punished. And we think this is so awesome! We
would love to see this movement take place in schools around the country, and to
see the conversation continued on social media using the #NotADistraction hashtag.
What do you think, Smart Girls? Have you done anything like this in your schools?
What ways can you think of to help keep this discussion alive? Share your thoughts
with us in the comments below!
The Scarlet Letter
Literary Devices
Figurative Language
● refers to words, and groups of
words, that exaggerate or alter the
usual meanings of those words.
Figurative language may involve
analogy to similar concepts, and
may involve exaggerations.
● Simile
● Metaphor
● Personification
● Hyperbole
Imagery
• language that appeals to the
senses: sight, sound, smell,
taste, and touch
Sight
● The bright yellow sun hurt our eyes.
● The soft glow of the candle flickered like
a firefly dancing in the wind.
Sound
● The loud roar of the crowd sounded like a
beast.
● The soft whisper of her dainty voice tickled his
ears.
Smell
● The room reeked of month old rancid milk.
● The smell of spring filled our nostrils as the
freshly cut flowers were placed on the mantle.
Taste
● The sweet bread was laden with thick honey.
● The tarts and sweet pies tantalized the tongue
with a myriad of tangy flavors.
Touch
● The smoothness of the bird's feathers
reminded him of rose petals.
● He considered that the volcano's heat on his
skin was the equivalent of being inside of an
oven.
Tone
● the writer’s attitude as revealed by
diction
Diction
●the author’s purposeful word choice
Mood
● the effect of the writer’s use of tone on the
reader
Characterization
● Characterization is the process by which
the writer reveals the personality of a
character. Characterization is revealed
through direct characterization and
indirect characterization.
Direct Characterization
● Direct Characterization tells the audience
what the personality of the character is.
● Example: “The patient boy and quiet girl
were both well-mannered and did not
disobey their mother.”
● Explanation: The author is directly telling
the audience the personality of these two
children. The boy is “patient” and the girl is
“quiet.”
Indirect Characterization
● Indirect Characterization shows things that
reveal the personality of a character. There are
five different methods of indirect
characterization:
● Speech - What does the character say? How does
the character speak?
● Thoughts - What is revealed through the
character’s private thoughts and feelings?
● Effect on others toward the character. - What is
revealed through the character’s effect on other
people? How do other characters feel or behave
in reaction to the character?
● Actions - What does the character do? How does
the character behave?
Juxtaposition
● Juxtaposition is a literary technique in which
two or more ideas, places, characters and their
actions etc. are placed side by side in a narrative
or a poem for the purpose of developing
comparisons and contrasts.
● EXAMPLE: William Shakespeare - Romeo and
Juliet
● We notice the juxtaposition of “light and
“darkness” repeatedly. Consider an example from
Act I scene v :
● “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear;”
● Here, the radiant face of Juliet is juxtaposed with a
black African’s dark skin. Romeo admires Juliet by
Symbolism
● Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify
ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic
meanings that are different from their literal
sense.
● Symbolism can take different forms. Generally, it
is an object representing another to give it an
entirely different meaning much deeper and
more significant. Sometimes, however, an action,
an event or a word spoken by someone may have
a symbolic value. For instance, “smile” is a symbol
of friendship. Similarly, the action of someone
smiling at you may stand as a symbol of the feel
of affection which that this person has for you.
● Symbols do shift their meanings depending on
the context they are used in. “A chain”, for
Common Examples of Symbolism
● In our daily life, we can easily identify
objects, which are treated as symbols.
Let us have a look at some common
examples:
● Dove is a symbol of peace.
● Red rose or red color stands for love
or romance (but it can also be a
symbol of anger or hate).
● Black color is a symbol that represents
evil or death.
● A ladder may stand as a symbol for a
connection between the heaven and
Dialogue
● The conversation between characters in a
drama or narrative.
● It gives literature a more natural,
conversational flow, which makes it more
readable and enjoyable. By showcasing
human interaction, dialogue prevents
literature from being nothing more than a
list of descriptions and actions.
● Dialogue varies in structure and tone
depending on the people participating in
the conversation and the mood that the
author is trying to maintain in his or her
writing.
Chapters 14 Questions
Four Corners Activity
Top Left:
What is the SETTING of The
Scarlet Letter?
- Draw each piece of the town
that is described and label it
with a quote from the text.
Top Right:
Who are the CHARACTERS of The
Scarlet Letter?
- Draw 4 of the characters (or
groups of characters) present in
the first 4 chapters and label them
with quotes that identify who they
are and how they are feeling.
Bottom Left:
Bottom Right:
What is the PLOT of The Scarlet
Letter?
- Draw a 6 panel comic strip
showing the plot of the first 4
chapters and descriptions
written in your own words.
Where is there SYMBOLISM in The
Scarlet Letter?
- Draw 3 major symbols and in 3-5
sentences (each) explain what
they symbolize and why you think
they were included by Hawthorne.
*Use quotes from the text*
Comic Panels:
- Interesting,
eye-catching
drawings
- Clearly labeled
dialogue and
explanations
- Obvious
progression of
events
Four Corners Activity
Top Left:
What is the SETTING of The
Scarlet Letter?
- Draw each piece of the town
that is described and label it
with a quote from the text.
Top Right:
Who are the CHARACTERS of The
Scarlet Letter?
- Draw 4 of the characters (or
groups of characters) present in
the first 4 chapters and label them
with quotes that identify who they
are and how they are feeling.
Bottom Left:
Bottom Right:
What is the PLOT of The Scarlet
Letter?
- Draw a 6 panel comic strip
showing the plot of the first 4
chapters and descriptions
written in your own words.
Where is there SYMBOLISM in The
Scarlet Letter?
- Draw 3 major symbols and in 3-5
sentences (each) explain what
they symbolize and why you think
they were included by Hawthorne.
Read
Chapters 58
Homework:
●Read and Complete
Questions for Chapters 5-8.
DUE NEXT CLASS
●Finish Chapter 5 Vocabulary
Packet. DUE NEXT CLASS.
Essential Questions: The Scarlet Letter
● Is it natural for humans to condemn each
other for mistakes and flaws? What are the
effects of this?
● What does sin do to a person? Can we and
should we be forgiven from the sins of our
past?
● Are humans naturally good or do we have a
tendency to do things we shouldn't?
● Can we be truly independent, or do we always
seek the approval of others?
● What are the effects of being exiled or
shunned from a society? Do we always want to
get back in?