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This is an extension of our classroom. You will use this blog to communicate as a class, either in response to an assignment or in the aftermath of a seminar discussion when class flew by too quickly and there simply wasn't time to make all of your points. These posts are graded, and must use appropriate language.
Welcome to our class blog!
You should use this space for engaging in academic and school related conversations for which you will receive a grade. You should be respectful and intelligent in your posts. Treat this space, and what you say here, as if it were the classroom. Inappropriate, derogatory, and inflamatory remarks will not be tolerated.
About Me
- Ms. Soderquist
- That's me with Ishmael Beah at the writing workshop he taught with his mom, Laura Simms!
Night
Dante's Inferno
Our life experiences mold our thoughts and feelings and change who we are. Both positive and negative experiences allow us to shape ourselves as we continue in life. Many negative experiences can change us for the better. Although Hester Prynne’s act of adultery results in her public humiliation, the crime also results in her daughter, Pearl. Pearl brings happiness to her mother, and ultimately keeps her alive. Without her child, Hester would have been put to death for her crime. Also, the humiliation that Hester Prynne endures, changes her into a self-less human being. Hester “is so kind to the poor, so helpful to the sick, [and] so comfortable to the afflicted,” (151) after she has been punished. Hester’s life of suffering allows her to be sympathetic with others who suffer too. Having undergone the struggle of living with the bare minimum, Hester is able to understand how these poor, sick, and afflicted people feel. Through experiences in our lives, we are able to sympathize with others who have experienced what we have. Positive experiences can affect us as well. For instance, Hester’s kindness to others results in other’s respect for her. Because of her charitable actions, people now say “that [the scarlet letter 'A'] means Able” (150). Life experiences, including the way we treat others and the way others treat us, affect our character and who we are.
ReplyDelete-Heather DeNisco
Experiences throughout life carry either a positive or negative effect on us. Throughout our lives, we face many challenges. Sometimes we are also placed in tough situations in which we must choose right from wrong. Tragedies and bad experiences can change a person's attitude, whether it be for the better or worse. Hester Prynne, for example, was criticized for her crime of adultery. However, she continued to do good for others, and did not let this humiliation stop her. Life experiences can have a major impact on the way we continue to live our lives, and the attitudes we have towards others.
ReplyDelete-Neha Malrani
Our life experiences influence our thoughts, feelings, and future selves. Whether the repercussions of our past are negative or positive depends on our personality. For instance, an optimist might view a death of a family member as a chance to appreciate their own loved ones. Likewise, a pessimist might react to the tragedy by submitting to bouts of depression or being angry. Hawthorne epitomizes this concept through Hester, who reacts both positively and negatively to her own personal tragedy--being denounced for committing adultery. At first, Hester reacts to her punishment by isolating herself from the community out of shame. Gradually, she realizes that her sin should not negatively impact how she develops as a person. Thus, she begins to help those more unfortunate than her as a form of repentance. Because Hester’s character changes throughout The Scarlet Letter, her perception of her past experience changes as well. Similarly, we all react differently to our past experiences based on our personalities.
ReplyDeletecatco25=molly o'shea
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ReplyDeleteOur life experiences affect our thoughts and feelings in many ways. Experiences can add to our knowledge of the world, change the way we feel about people and even ourselves and how we act in different situations. Both positive and negative experiences can have these effects on us.
ReplyDeleteExperiences add to our knowledge of the world by teaching us what the effects of our actions. Negative experiences teach us what is bad, what we should hate and who we should not trust. Positive experiences, however, teach us what is good, what we should like and who we should befriend. In The Scarlet Letter, Dimmesdale learns through the negative experience of his torture that he should not trust Chillingworth. Dimmesdale tells Hester "I shiver at him!...I hate him!"(146). Hester learns through positive experience in the woods that she can trust Dimmesdale. The two talk of their crime, guilt and plan to flee to Bristol.
Experiences also change the way we view places, people and ourselves. Positive experiences cause us to like people and how we see ourselves. Hester's negative experience with the townspeople in the beginning of the novel causes her to move into a small cottage outside of town and avoid their greetings. Hester's positive experience with Chillingworth in the jail when he gives her medicine causes her to admit who she had an affair with, and make a promise to him.
A third way experiences shape us is by changing how we act. Negative experiences generally teach us how not to act in certain situations. Hester and Dimmesdale learn not to commit adultery through their negative experience with the sin. Positive experiences, however, do not normally teach us how to act because we already knew to act this way. The exception to this rule is when we act in a way that gives us a positive experience because we guessed that we should act that way, but did not know.
--Adam Presser
Life presents all individuals experiences that form our thoughts and the feelings we have throughout our lifetime. During the course of the novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the main character Hester Prynne is sculpted by the scarlet letter that lay upon her bosom. Her thoughts and feelings are possessed by the insecurity she contains due to the scarlet letter. To hide from the possible humiliation, Hester isolates herself from everyone around her when she moves to “…the outskirts of the town…but not in close vicinity to any other habitation, there was a small thatched cottage” (74). Hester thinks she has to conceal herself from the Puritans of the town because of the “A” she bears upon her chest. Hester feels as if she is different and does not belong as a member of the town. The life experience of having to wear the dreadful scarlet letter formulates Hester’s thoughts and feelings.
ReplyDeleteIn John Knowles’s novel, A Separate Peace, Gene’s life experiences change his thoughts and feelings about his own identity. During the course of the novel, Finny breaks his leg, and Gene is left alone in the room. Due to Gene’s jealousy for Finny, Gene tries on Finny’s clothing. After putting on Finny’s clothing, Gene looks in the mirror and sees Finny inside himself. Due to the experience of putting on Finny’s clothes, he feels as if he is a part of Finny. He forgets his own identity and becomes part of Finny’s identity. The feeling he has makes him feel better than who he used to be.
Everyday life can present real-life people with new experiences. These experiences can have a positive effect, but others can have a negative effect on people’s thoughts and feeling. Positive experiences that can shape our feelings and thoughts are ones such as making a team, receiving a good grade, and being in good health. Negative experiences can include losing someone important to you, failing a class, or someone telling you, you are not good enough. People can benefit from both types of experiences by thinking what they either did right or wrong, or feeling as if they will do better next time. Life has recently presented me a new negative experience that I have to cope with. The new experience I have been offered is one I wish I could deny, but I can not. This event I must brace myself for is losing my grandmother. My grandmother has terminal stage-four lung cancer, and is not in good-health anymore. Everyday I wake up and think is she alright right now? The paranoia makes me feel that something tragic has happened to her. There is not a day that goes by when I do not think about her or feel that I have not shown her enough gratitude for being my grandmother. Life experiences, negative or positive, can strongly grasp a person’s feelings and thoughts and take them on a roller-coaster ride of emotions.
Nico Varano Jr.
Life experiences change and shape our thoughts and feelings in many ways. In The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, life experiences play a major role in the life of Arthur Dimmesdale. Reverend Dimmesdale’s life changes for the worst when he does not own up to being the father of Pearl. He lives with the guilt of letting Hester suffer on the scaffold alone. Dimmesdale’s life changes from that point on because his health begins to become deteriorated by his guilt. He becomes sickly and constantly puts his hand over his heart. The minister also begins to punish himself through physical harm, “wielding the bloody scourge” (122). Dimmesdale feels hatred towards himself for allowing Hester to suffer alone.
ReplyDeletePeople’s lives are changed by their own experiences or those of others. For example, my life has been changed by the people around me. A member of my family has recently been diagnosed with a disease that is very debilitating, causing her to mostly remain at her home with her daily struggles. As I see this person’s lifestyle, I am very fortunate to be able to go out and about my every day life without restrictions. Another experience in my life that has changed my outlook on life is seeing the poor conditions in other parts of the world. The images I see on the news and on the Internet make me very grateful for all that I have. Before I complain about not getting the new popular electronic, I first think about the unfortunate people in the world who have a lot less. This thought makes me humble, and I realize that I really am fortunate.
-Christopher Colarusso
Why do people act the way they do? What causes them to think in certain ways? One factor that contributes to the development of a person's character is his or her life experiences. Where you were raised, who you interacted with, everything has an effect on a person's way of thinking and how they feel.
ReplyDeleteAs a teenager, still in the prime of my life, I am still shaping my character, but some of my notable characteristics reflect off my early childhood. I was raised around mostly girls since most of my relatives and family friends have daughters. Because of this, I am very respectable to women. Also, my parents were very strict on me as a kid. So because of that, I am very studious and I have an incredible work ethic.
I am still going through my early life, so my life can change me at anytime. My father, however, has gone through so much in his lifetime. His experiences have made him the man he is today.
My dad grew up in Korea in an orphanage. So obviously, he did not have a lot of luxuries. In fact, he had pretty much nothing, except for one soccerball for every kid to share. He used to tell me that they would take any bit of sweets or candy and have a secret stash, either under a floorboard or buried outside in a secret spot. Because of the frugality my dad had to cope with as a child, he is now very smart with his money and does not need any excessive luxuries.
When my dad moved to America, he did not speak a word of english. Yet, despite this handicap, he attended public schools and kept up a solid GPA. He excelled in high school soccer and through his grades and his athleticism, he got a scholarship to college. He did not have much money, so thanks to his hard work, he was able to get a college education. Because of this, my dad always emphasizes the importance of hard work to me on a daily basis. He feels that even though our family is fairly stable money-wise, I still need to work my hardest so that we can stay safe. My Dad experienced hardship as a child that I will never truly know, but he is a great man because of it, and he is a prime example of how experiences can shape one's thoughts and feelings.
-James JDawg★ Christianson
Previous life experiences shape thoughts and feelings about future events. When faced with difficult situations, memories are often recalled to help ease choices. It is natural to learn from your mistakes. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Hester Prynne lives her life in shame due to the resentment she receives from the town. The way the public reacts to her sin makes her think she is worthless. Yet with time, she observes her illegitimate daughter Pearl and notices the girl’s optimistic outlook. Pearl has been exposed to sin and rejection since birth yet still manages to be happy. Due to the way she has been treated, Pearl does not outcast anyone and is openly playful. Hester alters her outlook and returns a giving, helpful person. She also realizes that her adultery should not define her as a person. By thinking about what she was put through and also by assessing her daughter’s life, Hester makes the decision to change her own life. The outcome of events and personal decisions about how to act frequently depend on life experiences.
ReplyDelete-Martina Corona
Throughout our entire life, events occur and mold future actions, thoughts, and character. These life experiences, positive or negative, influence our future actions and thoughts in small or big ways. Almost always when faced with a question or dilemma, we refer back to a similar or exact event. For example, in football when an offensive lineman pulls I know to stop, turn, and look for anyone coming my way, but the only way I learned to do this is because of the last time we ran the play I got knocked down. Because of the previous event I know to expect another person coming my way and I am able to avoid him. Also, if you anger your parents they give you some sort of punishment. When you're faced with the same reason for which you received the punishment, you know not to it.
ReplyDeleteIn Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, The Scarlett Letter, one of the main characters, Hester Prynne, commits adultery and receives public humiliation as punishment. Over the years though Hester fights and takes in the adversity and humiliation. By fighting these problems, they are able to mold her into a more courageous and stronger individual. All previous occurrences, no matter how bad the outcome, shape us for the better.
-John Gaff
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ReplyDeleteWe are products of our environment. Events throughout our lives play a role in creating our personas. Through both teaching and trial and error, we gain a sense of what works and what does not. The way a person addresses a situation can be affected by what they have experienced in the past. If someone knows that a particular food does not taste very good to them, that person probably would not eat that food again. In the same way, Hester thinks that she has bettered herself by submitting to the punishment of the community. However, she continues to suffer from the inability to help Dimmesdale because she fears the public outcry that Chillingsworth would create. This suffering shows how flaws in a society’s rules can lead to problems for that society’s people. Life’s experiences can have good and bad effects on a person.
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