Adam Sinkoe
English 11H – 3
Mrs. Crawford
28 September 2012
Outline for Public vs. Private Guilt
I. Thesis: In the Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale’s private guilt causes more mental
destruction than Hester’s public guilt; however, in the 21st century, public
guilt is more detrimental to baseball players who get caught using
steroids to enhance their performance.
A. Topic Sentence: In the novel, private guilt becomes corrosive to
Dimmesdale’s mental state while public guilt enables Hester to
overcome her sins.
a. (misery) “…choicest have become the ministers of spiritual torment.
Hester I am most miserable” (chapter 17)!
b. (dimmes jealous of hester) “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the
scarlet letter openly upon your bosom! Mine burns in secret” (chapter
17)!
c. (scarlet letters affect on hester’s guilt) “…While, again, the scarlet
letter brought her back from this twilight indistinctness, and revealed
her under the mortal aspect of its own illumination” (Chapter 21).
d. (Dimmes’s priv guilt has taken his life and he apologizes to god
before he dies) "'Thou hast escaped me!' he repeated more than
once.... 'May God forgive thee!' said the minister. 'Thou, too, hast
deeply sinned!'" (chapter 23)
B. Topic Sentence: In reality, public guilt can be more detrimental than
private guilt, especially in the case with the newly coined, “steroid
era” in Major League Baseball.
a. affects careers and viewpoint from fans
b. hall of fame ballot
C. Conclusion: In the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne portrays private guilt as a
cause for worse mental destruction than private guilt. However, in
today’s society, public guilt can ruin a life easier, as it does in the
“steroid era”.
Scarlet Letter Essay Private vs. Public Guilt
In the Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale’s private guilt causes more mental
destruction than Hester’s public guilt; however, in the 21st century, public guilt is
more detrimental to baseball players who get caught using steroids to enhance their
performance.
In the novel, private guilt becomes corrosive to Dimmesdale’s mental state
while public guilt enables Hester to overcome her sins. Dimmesdale expresses his
suffers to Hester, “…choicest have become the ministers of spiritual torment. Hester
I am most miserable,” (chapter 17)! Dimmesdale is slowly dying on the inside
because of his incapability to tell the truth about his sins with Hester. He cries to
Hester about her good fortune, as she is able to wear her guilt on the outside instead
of the in: “Happy are you, Hester, that wear the scarlet letter openly upon your
bosom! Mine burns in secret,” (chapter 17)! However Hester is frowned upon by
society because of her scarlet letter, Dimmesdale is jealous of her because she has
the ability to move on with life, instead of lingering with a burning secret. After his
private guilt has engulfed him in pain, at the end of the novel Dimmesdale
surrenders and asks for forgiveness from God before his pain takes his life: "'Thou
hast escaped me!' he repeated more than once.... 'May God forgive thee!' said the
minister. 'Thou, too, hast deeply sinned,'" (chapter 23)! The affects of private guilt
have taken full control of Dimmesdale and he cannot stand anymore inner-pain. He
submits himself to God and gets ready to die. By the end of the novel, private guilt
has eaten away dimmesdale’s life and public guilt and the scarlet letter has made
Hester a stronger person. The Scarlet Letter demonstrates that in Puritan society,
the consequences of private guilt cause more arm than those of private guilt.
In reality, public guilt can be more detrimental than private guilt, especially
in the case with the newly coined “steroid era” in Major League Baseball. Today,
professional baseball players must take monthly drug tests to determine if they
have recently used performance enhancing drugs, or steroids. Nowadays, most
players do in fact use these illegal substances. However, most players do pass the
test because of loopholes in the system and ways to make the drug undetectable.
The unlucky few that do not pass the test, for whatever reason, face extreme
consequences divvied by Major League Baseball. The short-term affects include a
suspension or ban, depending on the number of offenses that particular player has
had. However, the long-term view from the public is what breaks down these
players mentally. In most cases, the player’s career is ruined after being accused
because of a veered viewpoint of them from fans, the media, and their teammates
and coaches, as well. Five years after a player’s career is over, they are eligible for
the hall of fame voting. Players deemed “cheaters” by the public often will not be
voted into the hall of fame, even some of the best players in the history of baseball.
These include likes of Barry Bonds (the all-time homerun leader) and Roger
Clemens, who is considered to be one of the best and most dominating pitchers of
all-time. In reality, the 21st century’s media-based society makes public guilt more
severe than private guilt.
In the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne portrays private guilt as a cause for worse
mental destruction than private guilt. However, in today’s society, public guilt can
ruin a life easier, as it does in the “steroid era”.