Is the Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel - 1510 Words

Jennifer Drawdy Mrs.Marcano American Literature 3rd period February 21, 2012 Is The Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel? â€Å"Is The Scarlet Letter a Proto Feminist Novel?† The Scarlet Letter is a very well-known novel, between the scandals and lies. It starts off with a woman named Hester Prynne. Hester decides to leave her husband behind to migrate to Boston. A couple years later, Hester gives birth to a baby girl named Pearl in prison. Hester refused to reveal the father of Pearl. The town then forces Hester to wear a scarlet letter A upon her dress. This stands for adultery. When the town briefly allows Hester out of prison, they force her to stand on a scaffold to show her sin. While this is all going on, Hester’s husband†¦show more content†¦Across the country, some social conservatives are fighting for what they view as a critical article of faith: criminal adultery laws. In the U.S., in the year 2010, people can still be prosecuted for breaching their marital vows. The laws are some of the last remnants of our Puritanical past, where infidelity was treated as not only a marital but also as a criminal matter.(Turley 1-4) About two dozen states still have criminal adultery provisions. While prosecutions remain rare, they do occur. And beyond the criminal realm, these provisions can be cited in divorce proceedings, custody disputes, and employment cases and even to bar people from serving on juries. Though someone such as Tiger Woods might not be prosecuted, these laws could be cited in any divorce proceedings to show not just infidelity but also possible criminality in his lifestyle.(Turley 1-2) When the Puritans came to this land, they left a country where the English treated adultery as largely a civil and personal matter. The Puritans wanted to create a society where moral dictates were enforced by harsh corporal punishments. Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter accurately portrayed colonial America under such criminal laws enforcing religious values. There was extensive entanglement between church and state, with adulterers punished for their immorality. In 1644, Mary Latham and James Britton w ere hanged for their adultery in Massachusetts. (Turley 1-3) TheShow MoreRelatedThe Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne1641 Words   |  7 PagesThe Scarlet Letter is a story about a woman, Hester Prynne, who painfully lived her life in shame because of the adultery she committed in a1840s American colony. The way she and the other characters conducted themselves after the reveal of Hester’s baby all show a deeper meaning into what kind of person each character was, which can be interpreted in many ways. The story was written by a man named Nathaniel Hawthorne, only about a decade after his story took place, which meant that society in hisRead MoreSimilarities and Differences Between Anne Hutchinson and Hester Prynne1607 Words   |  7 PagesSimilarities and Differences between Anne Hutchinson and Hester Prynne While many people may feel that Anne Hutchinson has nothing in common with Hester Pyrnne they actually more alike than most people would think. Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of â€Å"The Scarlet Letter,† used many references to Anne Hutchinson in his book. During his life, he wrote a sketch of Hutchinson thus portraying his interest towards her and the characteristics of her life. It could be accurate to say that Anne Hutchinson was used as

Marijuana Should Be Legalized for Medical Purposes

A little girl in Colorado started having seizures when she was three months old. It turned out that she had a genetic problem that caused seizures. Traditional drugs used to prevent them were not helping. She was getting worse and experiencing up to 300 seizures a week! By age five, she could no longer walk or talk and was failing both physically and mentally. Through a stroke of luck, her parents were told that she might benefit from marijuana. After much difficulty they were finally able to get it for her in oil form. After taking the medical marijuana for just one day, the seizures basically stopped. Now she only experiences one to two seizures a month! She was on the brink of dying and now she is living a relatively healthy normal life. Medical marijuana literally saved this little girl’s life. (Gupta). Marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes because it is saving lives and improving the quality of life for many people. It can be produced in controlled environments so that it has limited side effects with safe and effective doses. Marijuana has come to the forefront in the news recently. This is due to the controversy over whether to make marijuana legal to use for medical purposes. People have different opinions about marijuana, what marijuana really is, and what it should be used for. The main element that is found in marijuana is called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). THC has a similar action in the body that endocannibi-noids do that areShow MoreRelatedShould Marijuana Be Legalized For Medical Purposes?1735 Words   |  7 Pagessurveys, about 25 million Americans have smoked marijuana in the past year. More than 14 million do it regularly. (NORML: Working to Reform Marijuana Laws, 2015) Marijuana has been the topic of much discussion these past decades. The main factor of discussion is whether or not to legalize it and the outcome it would have on the states. Some states have already legalized but for medicinal purposes only. Much research has come out in this decade that marijuana just isn’t for yo ur average drug junkie butRead MoreEssay on Should Marijuana Be Legalized for Medical Purposes?2342 Words   |  10 PagesShould Marijuana be Legalized for Medical Purposes? Marijuana has been used extensively as a medical remedy for more than five thousand years. In the early 1900s, medical usage of marijuana began to decline with the advent of alternative drugs. Injectable opiates and synthetic drugs such as aspirin and barbiturates began to replace marijuana as the physicians drug of choice in the twentieth-century, as their results proved to be more consistent than the sometimes erratic effects of theRead MoreMedical Marijuana Should Be Legalized For Pure Medical Purposes2532 Words   |  11 Pageshave not tried is medical cannabis. I am an in home caretaker for Holly, and after interviewing her mother I feel that everyone should understand why medical cannabis should be legalized for pure medical purposes. Unfortunately the drug has been abused by recreational users, and now has a bad reputation of being a gateway drug. Some Doctor’s also believe that medical cannabis has no medicinal value. Holly’s mother is a Registered Nurse, and feels that Holly would benefit from medical cannabis; unfortunatelyRead MoreMarijuana Should Be Legalized for Medical Purposes Essay1203 Words   |  5 Pagesoccurring in many children with refractory epilepsy are radiating from Colorado, a state where a strain of medical marijuana has been used to treat these children. The results are astonishing, yet there is a controversy preventing many children from receiving this treatment that could very well save their lives. Should medical marijuana be legalized? Though Charlottes Web, the strain of marijuana concocted to treat these sick children, could save lives, others will argue against it. Look past theRead MoreLegalization of medical marijuana at the federal law Essay1653 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿ Why should marijuana be legalized? Marijuana can be argued for different reasons. In my case I will be arguing the medical purposes for legalizing marijuana. Marijuana has positive features, and how people prefer using marijuana. Marijuana helps individuals get through a variety of things that they suffer. Marijuana provides relief from pain, rather than other medications out there. Many individuals prefer marijuana over anything else to relax. An argument on why people using marijuana spend moreRead MoreThe Legalization of Marijuana Essay1083 Words   |  5 Pagesbeen debating among themselves whether or not marijuana should be legalized in America. Marijuana is a drug that can be smoked or eaten. It is grown from the ground and gives the user a sense of a hallucinogenic high. It goes by many names such as Mary Jane, kush, grass, weed, pot, green, cannabis, hemp, or chronic. Some say that marijuana is not as bad as alcohol. Some say that marijuana is safe. Some hippies say that marijuana is natural and should be spread throughout the world. It is debatedRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?893 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Marijuana Tax Act OF 1973. Nevertheless, today, some countries have legalized cannabis while other countries have not. Moreover, in the United States, some states such as Washington and Colorado have also legalized the possession and usage of marijuana for medical purposes. On the other hand, various penalties are imposed for use or possession of cannabis in most states. Marijuana should be legalize because of the medical and economical adavnages it possesses. Primarily, cannabis should be legalizedRead MoreMarijuana Should Not Be Beneficial For Medical Purposes1080 Words   |  5 PagesMarijuana has proven to be beneficial for medical purposes. It has therapeutic effects that will ultimately allow patients with adverse health conditions to improve their quality of life. Legalizing marijuana can also improve the state of the United States’ economy through taxation and creation of job opportunities. Additionally, it can reduce the crime rate in the United States and save the United States tons of money. Contrarily, marijuana should not be legalized for recreational usage. ExtensiveRead MoreShould Marijuana Be Legalized?958 Words   |  4 Pagesand use of cannabis, also commonly known as marijuana is considered illegal. Nevertheless, today, some countries have legalized cannabis while other countries have not. In particular, small quantities of cannabis have been allowed in regions such as Europe, North America and South America (Ga rdner and Anderson,2012). Moreover, in the United States, states such as Washington or Colorado have also legalized the possession and usage of marijuana for medical reasons ( Siegel and Worrall, 2014). As inRead MoreLegalization Of Marijuan The Time For Change1359 Words   |  6 PagesLegalization of Marijuana: The Time for Change Marijuana has been an ongoing controversial issue for quite some time now. According to the national institution on drug abuse, â€Å"Marijuana—also called weed, herb, pot, grass, bud, ganja, Mary Jane, and a vast number of other slang terms—is a greenish-gray mixture of the dried, shredded leaves and flowers of Cannabis sativa— the hemp plant.† (National Institution on Drug Abuse). Today twenty-three states and the District of Columbia currently have

Greek Mythology and Religion Essay Example For Students

Greek Mythology and Religion Essay Mythology is the study and interpretation of myth and the body of myths of a particular culture. Myth is a complex cultural phenomenon that can be approached from a number of viewpoints. In general, myth is a narrative that describes and portrays in symbolic language the origin of the basic elements and assumptions of a culture. Mythic narrative relates, for example, how the world began, how humans and animals were created, and how certain customs, gestures, or forms of human activities originated. Almost all cultures possess or at one time possessed and lived in terms of myths. Myths differ from fairy tales in that they refer to a time that is different from ordinary. The time sequence of myth is extraordinary- an other time the time before the conventional world came into being. Because myths refer to an extraordinary time and place and to gods and other supernatural beings and processes, they have usually been seen as aspects of religion. Because of the inclusive nature of myth, however, it can illustrate many aspects of individual and cultural life. Meaning and interpretationFrom the beginnings of Western culture, myth has presented a problem of meaning and interpretation, and a history of controversy has gathered about both the value and the status of mythology.Myth, History, and ReasonIn the Greek heritage of the West, myth or mythos has always been in tension with reason or logos, which signified the sensible and analytic mode of arriving at a true account of reality. The Greek philosophers Xenophanes, Plato, and Aristotle, for example, exalted reason and made sarcastic criticisms of myth as a proper way of knowing reality. The distinctions between reason and myth and between myth and history, although essential, were never quite absolute. Aristotle concluded that in some of the early Greek creation myths, logos and mythos overlapped. Plato used myths as metaphors and also as literary devices in developing an argument. Western Mythical TraditionsThe debate over whether myth, reason, or history best expresses the meaning of the reality of the gods, humans, and nature has continued in Western culture as a legacy from its earliest traditions. Among these traditions were the myths of the Greeks. Adopted and assimilated by the Romans, they furnished literary, philosophical, and artistic inspiration to such later periods as the Renaissance and the romantic era. The pagan tribes of Europe furnished another body of tradition. After these tribes became part of Christendom, elements of their mythologies persisted as the folkloric substratum of various European cultures.Greek religion and mythology are supernatural beliefs and ritual observances of the ancient Greeks, commonly related to a diffuse and contradictory body of stories and legends. The most notable features of this religion were many gods having different personalities having human form and feelings, the absence of any established religious rules or authoritative revelation such as, for example, the Bible, the strong use of rituals, and the government almost completely subordinating the populations religious beliefs. Apart from the mystery cults, most of the early religions in Greece are not solemn or serious in nature nor do they contain the concepts of fanaticism or mystical inspiration, which were Asian beliefs and did not appear until the Hellenistic period (about 323-146 B. C.). At its first appearance in classical literature, Greek mythology had already received its definitive form. Some divinities were either introduced or developed more fully at a later date, but in Homers Iliad and Odyssey the major Olympian gods appear in substantially the forms they retained until paganism ceased to exist. Homer usually is considered responsible for the highly developed personifications of the gods and the comparative rationalism that characterized Greek religious thought. In general Greek gods were divided into those of heaven, earth, and sea; frequently, however, the gods governing the earth and sea constituted a single category. Principal DivinitiesThe celestial gods were thought to dwell in the sky or on Mount Olympus in Thessaly. The Earth, or chthonic (Gr. The difference between price and non price competition Essay Public gratitude was expressed for being unexpectedly delivered from evil happenings or for being unusually prosperous. Organization and BeliefsDespite its central position in both private and public life, Greek religion was notably lacking in an organized professional priesthood. At the sites of the mysteries, as at Eleusis, and the oracles, as at Delphi, the priests exercised great authority, but usually they were merely official representatives of the community, chosen as other officers were, or sometimes permitted to buy their position. Even when the office was hereditary or confined to a certain family, it was not regarded as conferring upon its possessor any particular knowledge of the will of the gods or any special power to constrain them. The Greeks saw no need for an intermediary between themselves and their gods. Greek ideas about the soul and the afterlife were indefinite, but it was apparently the popular belief that the soul survived the body. It either hovered about the tomb or departed to a region where it led a sad existence needing the offerings brought by relatives. The disembodied soul was also presumed to have the power of inflicting injury on the living, and proper funeral rites were held to ensure the peace and goodwill of the deceased. Within the framework of Greek worship of many gods are traces of the belief that all natural objects are endowed with spirits. Fetishism, the belief in the magical efficacy of objects employed as talismans against evil, was another feature of early Greek religion. Examples of fetishes are the sacred stones, sometimes regarded as images of specific deities, such as the pyramidal Zeus at Phlius or the rough stones called the Graces at the ruined city of Orchomenus in Boeotia. OriginsAncient Greek religion has been the subject of speculation and research from classic times to the present. Herodotus believed that the rites of many of the gods had been derived from the Egyptians. Prodicus of Ceos (5th cent. B.C. ), a Sophist philosopher, seems to have taught that the gods were simply personifications of natural phenomena, such as the sun, moon, winds, and water. Euhemerus (370?-298 B.C. ), a historian of myths believed, and many other shared this belief, that myths were the distortions of history and that gods were the idealized heroes of the past. Modern etymology and anthropology research produced the theory that Greek religion resulted from a combination of Indo-European beliefs and ideas and customs native to the Mediterranean countries since the original inhabitants of those lands were conquered by Indo-European invaders. The basic elements of classical Greek religion were, in the Hellenistic and Roman periods, somewhat modified and supplemented by the influences of philosophy, Middle Eastern cults, and changes in popular belief (as shown, for instance, in the rise of the cult of Fortune, or Tyche). The main outlines of the official religion, however, remained unchanged.BibliographyAncient Myths, by Norma Lorre Goodrich Meridian Books (July 1994)The Greek Gods, by Bernard Evslin (August 1995)Greek Myths, by Olivia E. Coolidge (December 1949) Greek and Egyptian Mythologies, by Yves Bonnefoy (November 1992) Gods and Heroes; Story of Greek Mythology, by Michael Foss (September 1995) Funk and Wagnalls, New EncyclopediaMultipedia CD-ROM for windows