Eng11 H: American Themes Fall 2013

Investigative Reporting Directions: Investigate the area of study assigned to your group. Once research has been completed, your group will create a presentation filled with information that you will present to the class. Make sure your presentation has a Works Cited page. Investigative Group One Nathaniel Hawthorne is the author of The Scarlet Letter. Investigate the authors background, his writings and selected works, his influences, etc. Explore the impact the Hawthornes personal history has on his creative life, particularly in the context of American society. To what extent was he engaged by the transforming political and technological forces at work in his society, and to what extent was he estranged from his times by an overriding attachment to the American past? Investigative Group Two The action of The Scarlet Letter takes place in 1645. Investigate the Puritan Age to discover how the Puritans define the following: guilt, sin, crime, adultery? What characterized Puritan religion and government? Investigative Group Three Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter in 1850. Find out what the world was like at that time. How did people of Hawthornes time feel about guilt, sin, crime, adultery? Did Hawthorne believe the same way as his contemporaries? What were the major thoughts about religion at this time? Investigative Groups Four Connotations of terms and ideas change over time. The action of The Scarlet Letter takes place in the 17th century. Hawthorne wrote the novel in the 19th century. You are reading it in the 21st century. Obviously, there have been many changes in attitudes during each time period. How does todays society respond to the following: guilt, sin, crime, adultery? Y ou might draw on television shows such as sitcoms/reality tv/soap operas and on governmental and religious arenas. You might also consider conducting interviews with fellow students, adults, etc. Investigative Group Five The following terms are necessary for understanding certain concepts in The Scarlet Letter. While a dictionary definition might suffice in some cases, you might want to find interviews, talks, etc with ministers, priests, and/or rabbis to get a fuller understanding of these terms in context the of religious teachings since the novel is intricately involved with religious teachings of the Puritans. The terms are repentance, preternatural, remorse, contribution, penance, atonement, sorrow, penitence, revenge, sin.