I'm not quite sure exactly how to start this, but I'm thinking of writing my essay on the themes of respect, shame and fear through parenting. Comparing and Contrasting today's society to Hester's will be a main focal point as well, and asking questions regarding if society is better today. Through the parenting of Pearl, I feel that I can show these aspects clearly. In the Scarlet letter Hester at times treats pearl with what we would feel today unacceptable "Do not tease me, ; else I shall shut you in a dark closet!" It was custom in Hester's age to treat children harshly in order to obey their parents, or the law (even if this meant beating them for no reason) "The discipline of the family, in those days, was of a far more rigid kind than now. The frown, the harsh rebuke, the requent application of the rod, enjoined by scriptural authority, were used, not merely in the way of punishment for actual offences, but as a wholesome regimen for the growth and promotion of childish virtues. Hester Prynne, nevertheless, the only mother of this one child, ran little risk of erring on the side of undue severity". Actions were immediately followed by consequences out of a fearful respect. As well, during Hester's time there were not as many statistics of teenage pregnancy, rape, or other horrible acts. Is this a result of the harsh consequences that were immediately gien after actions? Today's society it seems is haunted by high statistics of the previous listed. As well, consequences don't seem to reach the finality and harshness as they did in earlier times as they do today. I'm not saying that we should beat our children in order for factors in society (such as rape) to be lessened, but only that a much higher no tolerance level was found in Hester's time.
These are just my beginning thoughts, but this is an idea of what I'm going to write about...
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I really like this Amy, as i've told you before. I think that the idea of parenting through fear and other such aspects as in Hester's time, definitely kept the statistics of things like teen pregnancy's and such to a minimum. And although it would help parents during these times, are those techniques acceptable today?
ReplyDeleteohhh I really like this idea, Amy! I think it's really unique, and not something most people would think to write about in reference to The Scarlet Letter. I think this subjct leaves a lot of room to explore the ideas of parenting in a really informative and interesting way.
ReplyDeleteAmy,
ReplyDeleteI agree with those above who are excited by your topic (parenting then and now) and by the textual examples you've already cited. I am interested to see--once you've though (and written) about this further, where you come down on just how lax (or harsh) today's parents should be--and why.