difficulty paper 2

While reading the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I came across many quotes I didn't really understand but I knew that they have an important meaning to them. I would reread them but sometimes I just couldn't figure out what the words were actually saying. Because of the language that Nathaniel Hawthorne used to write the Scarlet Letter made this a challenge to figure out some of the meaning of quotes throughout this book.  One of the quotes that I thought was important but wasn't sure is "When we last spake together, said Hester, now seven years ago, it was your pleasure to extort a promise of secrecy, as touching the former relation betwixt  yourself and me" (111) After reading this over and over again and looking up some of the words I didn't understand made it more clear. I'm not totally sure if I got the meaning of it right but I tried to break the quote down and figure it out. I think Hester is talking about her relationship with her husband and how they promised to keep a secret about it. I'm not sure if this is correct but I picked out words like betwixt and extort and looked them up to find what this quote was trying to say.
Another quote I took apart is " It lies not in the pleasure  of the magistrates to take off this badge, calmly replied Hester. Were I worthy to be quit of it , it would fall away of its own nature, or be transformed into something  that should speak a different purport" (110).  I looked up the meaning of magistrates and purport when i didn't understand this quote. After I looked up the meaning of these words I got that Hester was explaining the scarlet letter and how she would want the meaning of it to fade on its own or the meaning would turn into something else. She would rather it be seen differently then have it taken off. She knows what she did and she takes full responsibility and wears it without complaint. I really like this quote  because of how independent and strong she has gotten when wearing the scarlet letter. She doesn't want a way out of it unless she has deserved it by showing people who she really is and changing the meaning of it herself by proving to the people around her.
Throughout the Scarlet Letter I took the quotes that were difficult for me and broke them apart to find the real meaning of them. It really helped me understand the deeper meaning of things and the story's conflicts. If people picked out the quotes and took the time to understand them it would really help them if they were struggling through this reading. It helps me a lot and I suggest the reader should take the time to reread and understand what is the most difficult for them to fully recognize what they are reading.

difficulty paper 1

While reading the Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne I found the language he used to be the most difficult. When I started reading it I actually got into the story line. I wasn't sure if I was going to like this book when I first picked it up. It took me longer to read the Scarlet Letter because I didn't understand some parts when I first read them. I had to take the time to reread some parts and try to understand what the author was trying to say by using this different language that I'm not used too. I always had trouble with books that are written this way. I try my best to get through the book and to understand it.
One thing that helped me understand this story is my history class I am taking this semester. I have learned a little bit about the Puritans ways and their beliefs. I know they are very strict about religion. They think that if anyone doesn't follow the church that they have evil in them. They punish anyone who disobeys the church or the law. Knowing some of the Puritans background gave me an idea where the story was going. I had no questions about why this was happening the Hester Prynne. I knew she was being punished for the sin she committed. I understand why Nathaniel Hawthorne used evil to describe and symbolize certain things like Pearl and the scarlet letter Hester wears.
In the book they have so much hate towards her but they didn't sentence death to Hester or her daughter Pearl. They only made her stand in front of everyone at the place of dishonor with Pearl for punishment. I was surprised they didn't end up killing her and her child because of the sin she decided to commit. She was placed away from the town and that's the punishment she took. The Puritan society seems like a difficult place to live. Women don't have many freedoms in this society and have to live by the church or suffer the consequences like Hester has.
Another thing that confuses me when I read this was the names of people and the titles given to them. When Nathaniel uses the clergymen or clergyman, minister, and reverend instead of the persons actual name i always get  confused on who the person is when he is describing something. I always have to look back on the actual characters name so I don't mix up people. This stresses me out because I sometimes think the conflict is happening with one character then I find out that it really was happening to some other character. I guess its just how  its written since it was already hard for me to understand the language but with the characters thrown it and given a different title messes me up a little bit. Some of the names are different so its hard to remember all of them and to keep track of what is happening to who and all of the conflicts.