American Literature Overview: Key Themes & Analysis | Môn Văn hóa Mỹ 1 - Trường Đại học Ngoại ngữ, Đại học Huế

. lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . RIP VAN WINKLE. . I Author. . WASHINGTON IRVING. . - 3/4/1783 – 28/11/1859. -
The 1st American writes to earn acclaim in Europe. -
American 1st genuine internationally best-selling author. -
Advocate for writing as a legitimate profession, protect American writer from copyright. -
Round characters: nhân vật chính. -
Flat characters: nhân vật phụ. - Protagonists: chính diện. - Antagonists: phản diện. . II The Storie. .
Rip Van Winkle (1819) belong early national literature. . BACKGROUND:. . -
Published in 1819 in the collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon Gent. -
Became the first book by an American writer to achieve international success. - Based on German folk tale. - Covered in Dutch culture. . SETTING:. . -
The story started before American Revolution (began 5 -6 years and ended 20 years later), when King George was ruling the colonies. -
Set in Dutch American community (Hudson river, Catskill mountain => Henry Hudson, Kaaeterskill, the Dutch word
Kaaterskill which means Wildcat Creek). -
Old village in the Catskill Mountains by Hudson River. - Theme:. Change with continuity. Preservation of tradition. Population. Area expansion. Standard of living.
Gaining Independence, Freedom and Democracy. Way of living.
People’s conception, perception, awareness.
 The Hudson River and the Catskill Mountain are unchanged. -
Radical changes are necessary to move society to forward but must not change old way and transitions entirely. . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . -
Changes keep the remain links with the past to make continuity.
+ Great impacts of the American Revolution upon the small and remote village +
A desire for freedom and independence. + American values. PLOT SUMMARY. a Exposition:. -
Rip was a kind and simple man who lived in a small village under the reign of King George III of the Great Britain. b Rising action:. -
One day, Rip went hunting up the Kaatskill mountains with his dog. -
Rip met a little man in Dutch clothes, who carried a barrel of liquor. -
Rip saw a group of other strange men who were playing a Dutch game. -
In his curiosity, Rip drank the liquor and then fell into a sound sleep. -
Getting up the next morning Rip found his dog disappear and his gun turn rusty. -
Returning to his old village, Rip realized the American Revolution happened, changing everything completely. c Climax:. -
Eventualy, Rip was recognized by his daughter. d Falling action:. -
Rip was relieved to know that his wife had died in her anger. e Resolution:. -
Rip soon took up his old habit and became famous for his story. . III. Analysis. . a Exposition:.
American landmarks Significance. -
Kaatskill mountains → distinctive American identity. -
Hudson river. → make the tale sound true.
→ witness the American Revolution (1775-1783).
Time setting Historical events:. -
The early Dutch ancestors of the village → Set in Dutch- American culture. -
The village pub was named after King George III → American
colonies were ruled by the Great Britain. (before 1775). . • RIP. Positives Negatives
Kind, meek, obedient, friendly, sociable, simple,
Lazy, careless, non responsible husband
easy – going, hen – pecked (sợ vợ), popular, helpful Evidence . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . .
+ We know that all the wives in the village like him + Even though Rip inherits a nice farm from his
because it says he was “a great favorite”.
parents, his lack of work make it “the worst- .
conditioned farm in the neighborhood” While he
+ Rip playing with children in the village, making spends time playing with the village children, he
toys for them, teaching them to fly kites and shoot doesn’t seen pay much attention to his own,
marbles, telling them “long stories of Ghost,
they’re described as being “as ragged and wild as witches and Indians”.
if they belonged to nobody” (Rách rưới và hoang .
dã như chẳng thuộc về ai).
+ Rip is so popular in the village that the dog . don’t even bark at him.
+ Rip is also very lazy He “would rather starve on .
a penny than work for a pound”.
+Rip helps all people in the village whenever they (Thà chết đói còn hơn làm Thà chết đói vì còn 1.
need him He helps husk corn and builds stone
xu còn hơn đi làm mà có 1 bảng.
fences, and “would never refuse to assist a Anh).
neighbor in the roughest” work He gladly runs Henpecked husband.
errand for the woman and does “little odd jobs”
+ He seems to want to do whatever he can do to
that their own husbands don’t want to do avoid being at home.
+ His wife “kept continually dinning in his ears”,
which means she complains constantly and nags
 American people before the American Revolution. him about being lazy and careless
 Metaphor: the society of America.
• Rip’s wife ( Dame Van Winke). -
Very severe with him and often scalded him and shouted at him making his life difficult. -
Hot-tempered, nagging, shrewish, sharp-tangued, dominated, conservative (bảo thủ).
 British monarchy in which the power was on the queen's hand.
 Strict domination of Bristish rule, typified the strict domination of the British monarch to the colonial New England. . b Rising action. Foreshadowing. - Rip went hunting with his gun → the broke of American Revolution. -
Old men in antique Dutch clothes → Rip's old-fashioned appearance 20 years later. - The barrel of liquor
→ temptation of escape and freedom. - The thunder in the mountain
→ the American war with drastic changes. . . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . In the village
In the American society (1775 – 1783)
- Larger, more houses, more populous. - Expansion in US , border,. - More people. -
Population exploded with millions of immigrants & refugees multi-.
- Union hotel replaced the old inn. national population.
- The portrait of King George III gave place
→economic growth → standard of living.
to. that of General George Washington.
→the union of 52 states with their independence.
- Strange flag with stars & 13 stripes was.
→gained their liberty & independence, American national identity. raised at the great tree.
→ The American's civil rights to vote in the elections → -
Villagers talk about politics & the elections. Coruption of the tyranic rule of Old Mother Britain - Mrs Dame Van Winkle died.
→ younger generation as owners of a new country.
- Appearance of Rip II and Rip III
→ Collapse of English monarchy, replaced by US government.
- Rip adapt himself to the new circumstance: took up his old habits, become popular.
→ Adaptability to new circumstances. .
INTERNAL & EXTERNAL CONFLICTS. . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . Internal External. c
Changes of the progress/ Changes of continuity (mang
tính kế tục, tất yếu). Every changes in the village = Great changes in American society. .
d Constancy of history.
• The Catskill Mountain & Hudson River. -
These ones remain unchanged they are the historical witness of AR,.
they should be preserved. constant values of history. evoke patriotism. -
The significance of these geographical names in folk tales. make
the story believable. preserve historical events & victory.
raised up national pride & patriotism.
• The American values/desire + The American’s live for freedom Rip was satisfied to cost 20 years of his freedom.
+ Easy adaptability (make friends) Rip took up his habit and told his credible story.
Rip last 20 years, was satisfied of his life for his freedom desire for freedom of American to everyone. - → . .
1st: He really wants to find the family members, he felt
His wife and he often argue and his wife always nagging
very happy when he found his family.
He’s uncomfortable and leave the house with his dog to
>< When he found, he met his daughter but his wife died. live in the mountain.
He felt happy and released.
 He can’t bear, he decided to leave problem 2 later on.
nd: When he returned to the village, yet, he was the only
remainder, all his neighbor, his friends died in the war.
>< He felt proud and happy. He was the only remainder. . THEME. . FREEDOM. . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . . .
First, Rip gains freedom from his wife when he wakes up and learns that she has died Before he enters the mountains
and takes his 20-year nap, Rip's wife is constantly bothering him about working Rip also gets freedom from the work that his wife
wanted him to do Now that he's older and his wife is gone, Rip no longer has the responsibilities he used to have. .
Another way the theme of freedom is shown in this story is the freedom that American people gain from England after
Revolutionary war Before Rip’s nap, the Americans are colonists under England’s rule When Rip wakes up, he learns that the people
fought a war against England and won the right to be their own country with their own government. . LITERARY DEVISE. .
. a Irony: It is very ironic that even though Rip is a sorry, lazy man, he is such a likeable character He is the typical character that we, the. readers,
would usually hate, but because of Irving's word choice we like him so much. b Simile:. . •
"for he would sit on a wet rock, with a rod as long and heavy as a Tartar's lance, and fish all day without a murmur". •
direct comparison: like, as, as if, such.
. c Personification: "he looked down into a deep mountain glen, wild, lonely, and shagged. d Imagery: The nature element of "Rip Van
Winkle" is extremely descriptive The first three paragraphs are describing the setting in the. Catskill mountain.
e Foreshadowing: The thunder in RVW. f Symbols. •
Rip's gun becoming rusty over the course of his sleep symbolizes the passage of time. •
Nature symbolizes Rip's escape from his home life. •
The changes that Rip sees symbolizes the coming of new generations. g Nature Element:. •
Romantic Element: authors related nature and the country with good and happy things The woods were where Rip always went to.
escape his bad home life and relieve his stress. •
Supernatural Element: There is no possible way that someone can sleep for twenty years and still be alive The liquor that Rip.
drinks has this effect on him, making the story have a supernatural element.
. . THE TIDE RISES, THE TIDE FALLS (1879). . I Author.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882). * His Position:.
- - The most popular and the best-known Brahmin poet of his day.
- The first American to translate Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and was one of the Fireside Poets from New. England. *
His writing style: full of melody, versatility, and sentimentality. - Broadly-known for many lyric poems known for their musicality.
- Often presenting stories of mythology and legend. * His works:.
- Evangeline (1847), The Song Of Hiawatha (1855), The Courtship Of Miles Standish (1858),Voices Of The Night.
(1839), My Lost’ Young (1855), The Tide Rises, The Tide Falls (1880). . . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . II Poem. .
“The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls” As a Representative of Life: This poem presents the perspective of an old traveler who
is standing on the verge of death The poet presents the never-ending rise and fall of the tides in contrast with the finite
journey of the traveler to show the mortality of life The constant rise and fall of the tides emphasize the reoccurring
cycle of life in the universe, where people are born, go through different phases of life and then silently leave Also,
time washes away the spots of their existence However, what stays in the minds of the readers is the impacts of the
transience of life and eternity of the tides. . - Form: Lyric poem. - Structure:.
- Rhyme scheme: {aabba aacca aadda}.
- Explicit meaning: This poem presents the never-ending rise and fall of the tides in contrast with the finite journey.
of the traveler to show the mortality of life.
- Impression: ‘The refrain: “The tide rises, the tide falls” echoes the endless rise and fall of the tide.
- Tone ➔ poet’s attitude or attitude toward the idea is expressing in the poem.
- Mood ➔ atmosphere that surrounds a scene Tone and mood are interactive beau both involve feelings.
➔Mood : Sober and Melancholy ➔Tone : Calm and accepting. - Major theme:. Death
Natural world and Human lifetime
Death is a part of life and it is unavoidable
Natural world is ever-lasting and powerful while
human existence is limited and transient
 The poem comprises emotions of a traveler, who witnesses the constant rise and fall of the
tide,which symbolically shows the progression of life The rising signifies the beginning of life, and
the falling tides signify the end of mortal life . Stanza Analysis
The tide rises, the tide falls,. • Refrain.
The twilight darkens, the curlew calls • Metaphors.
Along the sea sands damp and brown
• The twilight – darkness- break morning = the old age
The traveler hastens toward the town
→sad. and gloomy (metaphor).
And the tide rises, the tide falls”
• The call of the curlew = feel lonely and homesick → the. call of death.
• ‘The sea sands = a cold and sombre grave.
• The traveler typifies human being who is on the journey of. his lifetime . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . .
• Damp and brown: Damp = wet - Brown = sad and gloomy,.
isolated → It evokes the image of the grave, everyone has.
to lay down into that grave permanently & peacefully.
• Traveler → a typical and universal figure →human being.
at the old age and coming to death.
• Hasten →it depends on the feeling of the readers, he may.
know for sure that he only has short time to live, so the
traveler hastens toward the town in order to fulfill his
responsibilities with other, he wants to carry out his
commitment with the other When we know that we dont
have enough time so we need to hurry up or maybe
someone is waiting for him and he wants to meet her before he dies. .
• The extended metaphor of ‘ rising’ and ‘ falling’ tide is.
compared to life and death, the continually of time. . •.
 Poet’s mood : regret/sad
Darkness settles on roofs and walls,.
• Shift of time: twilight — darkness →the urge of death.
But the sea, the sea in darkness calls;.
• (“darkness”: symbol and metaphor for the symbol of.
The little waves, with their soft, white hands,. inevitable of death).
Efface the footprints in the sands,. • Personification:.
And the tide rises, the tide falls
• “The call” of the sea: the urge of an unavoidable death.
• “the hands” of seawaves: wipe away the traveler’s present.
• Footprints: human existence → implies human existences.
and achievements → it will be disappeared and forgotten.
after death → Very fragile and transient.
• → Nature always overpowers human existence.
• → Nature is ever-lasting, powerful and constant eternal.
while human lifetime is limited and transient, mortal.
• → Life and death comes naturally and inevitably like the. rise and fall of the tides.
 Poet’s mood: hopeless and accepting
The morning breaks; the steeds in their stalls • Metaphor:.
Stamp and neigh, as the hostler calls;.
• “The morning”: meaning of morning breaking →rebirth.
The day returns, but nevermore
and full of energy, a new life.
Returns the traveller to the shore,
• Alliteration of consonants.
And the tide rises, the tide falls
• Onomatopoeia: stamp, neigh, call → signify an energy. birth.
• Emphasize: a new day, noisy, busy and speedy.
• The steeds: typify new journeys in human life-time →. means of transportation.
• Life keeps going following its constant cycle despite the. death of hte traveler . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847
• Morning break, the day returns → human’s endless life.
circle: be born-grow up-die-be reborn. .
• Refrain: constant rise and fall of the tide. . • The tide rises → life. . • The tide falls → death. .
• The repletion of rise and fall → endless movement of
tide. → the circle of life → life keeps moving forward despite. of somebody’s death. • Accept unavoidable death.
 Poet’s mood: Calm and accepting, hopeful. . .
. . HOPE IS THE THING FEATHERS (1861). .
Literary Lesson: Figurative language. I Author:.
- Emily Dickinson (1830- 1886) in Massachusetts.
- By the 1860s, Dickinson lived in almost complete isolation from the outside world but still.
maintained some relationships through letters It is only after her death that her poetry was
discovered and published Since their publication, Dickinson has become recognized as one of the
strongest voices in American poetry. * Themes of Dickinson's Poetry.
- Her poetry focuses on her inner struggles Throughout her poems, she questions God and. writes of
her own struggles with faith, particularly in her sufferings In addition, her poems also focus on her
confusion with self-identity Though she lives alone, she becomes someone through her writing
However, if no one is reading the poems, is she really a person?.
- Dickinson often feels imprisoned in her own body Furthermore, Dickinson often relates this.
question of self to her questions of God What role does God play in defining self? What
situations does He create for people?.
- Finally, Dickinson often writes on the power of words The strongest voice Dickinson has is. her
own; however, this voice is really only seen in her poetry Poetry becomes her language and her
way to communicate with the outside world She also shows a strong relationship between nature
and her poetry Often times, nature becomes a symbol in her writing to explain the complexity of her relationships. * Writing Style.
- Dickinson's poems are usually lyrics, short poems with a single speaker who expresses thoughts
and feelings Although the poems are usually written with 'I,' this does not mean it represents.
- Dickinson, just the speaker of the poem Many of Dickinson's poems do not have titles but are.
now recognized by the first few lines of the poem Finally, she usually follows a specific
writing pattern, common meter, which is alternating lines of eight syllables and then six
syllables It is important while reading her poems to listen to the syllables and accented words to find the pattern. II The Poem. . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . - ABCD EFEF GHHH.
- Alternative iambic trimeter and iambic tetrameter. Literary devices: - Metaphor
compared hope with “feathers”/ “bird” which
shows how it sings and gives courage to the spirit of a person - Personification
“Hope” _ “And sing the tune without the. words”.
Dickenson considers hoping a preacher that
keeps on preaching and never stops It sings its
silent song in the hearts of the men to fill them
with spiritual power In other words, she has personified hope in this poem - Imagery
images for the sense of sight such as, “bird”,
“feathers”, “storm”, “land” and “sea” - Symbol
Emily has used many symbols to show the
powerful impact of hope in our lives
“Chilliest Sea” and “storm” symbolize
struggles during trying times when hope is still there - Alliteration
/h/ sound in “we have heard it in the chilliest
land” where this sound has created a musical quality in the line - Consonance
the sound of /th/ in “the tune without the
words” and the sound of /t/ in “that could abet the little bird” - Assonance /i/
in “I’ve heard it in the chilliest land Stanza Literature Devices . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . .
“Hope” is the thing with feathers -.
1 What is HOPE compared to?→ Little bird. That perches in the soul -.
2 What is the allegory (ngụ ý) of hope as it
And sings the tune without the.
(sing. the tune without the words)”?. words -.
→ Like a real friend, the partner with us, but always And never stops - at all -
in our soul like a close friend, invisible but can feel it.
3 What is the inherit quality of hope?.
→ Hope, faithful, selfless, persistent, dedicated (Hy
vọng, chung thủy, vị tha, bền bỉ, tận tâm) (Never
think about myself, just only think about you). 4
Why do you think Dickinson choose a bird to. embody hope?. •
A BIRD: “Feathers”→ soft, light but strong in.
fly, the feathers keep a little birds warm, fly up.
HOPE: → invisible, quiet but very
persistent,raise us up, inspires us is the way
And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard. without1 Where words can hope be found?. -.
→ It can be found in the darkest times and through
And sore must be the storm - That
many different storms Hope is as my best friend, it could abash the little Bird
always stands by my side and although hope fights That kept so many warm -
for us, it never asks anything in return.
2 What is the metaphorical meaning of the
“the. gale” and “the storm”?.
→ Metaphorical images show the difficulties and.
challenges, trouble, problem in our lives.
3 What is the effect of the superlative.
comparison adjective “sweetest”?.
→More hardship, emphasize→ can involve the
value of hope→ the darkness moment, the difficult
moment so there is HOPE which appearing
overcome any suffering in our life.
4 What can hope do for us in line 8?.
“That kept so many warm” → Give us strength,
hopeful, self-confidence, save us throughout the difficult situations.  Role of hope:. Is very important.
Give us a lot of determination /confidence
Help us overcome the difficulty/trouble . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . .
I’ve heard it in the chillest land - And
1 What is the metaphorical meaning of “the on the strangest Sea -
chilliest land” and “the strangest sea”? .
Yet - never - in Extremity, It
→They are the challenge to hope and lonely asked a crumb - of me. situation.
→The values of Hope is the more suffer in our life,. moments of desperation.
2 How important is the idea of suffering to this poem?.
→ Selfless (think about any people but never think. for itself).
Crumb - the smallest thing => hope asked nothing
even though crumb did a smallest, hope does not want to ask anything.
More metaphor: "hơp" vs " little
bird". Little birds can fly People have hope. - ==> optimistic. 3
What is the most wonderful thing about
hope? Hope is compared with the little bird, it is
small but powerful, never stops, and always exists
in our minds It gives us the power to overcome
difficulty such as chillest land, the strangest sea,
the storm It give us a lot of motivation but it never
ask anything even though a "crumb". 4
What can we learn from hope?
→We should ever never give up HOPE.
. . THE SCARLET LETTER. . I Author. Position:. . •
The greatest American writer of Dark Romanticism. . •
The greatest American novelist, dark romantic and short story writer. . •
The pioneer of literature of American identity. . •
Much of Hawthorne’s writing centers on New England featuring moral metaphor with an anti. Purian inspiration. . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . . Writing style:. .
- Master of the allegorical and symbolic tales. .
- His writing centers on New England, featuring moral messages and deep psychological
complexity with an anti-Puritan inspiration.
- Themes about history, morality, religion and inherent sin of humanity. .
- Moral messages and deep psychological complexity. . LITERARY LESSON.
- Symbolism: a concrete object used to present an idea more abstract and broader in scope and
meaning- often moral, religious, philosophical concept or value. . . II The stories. . a Summary:. .
- The novel is set in a village in Puritan New England The main character is Hester Prynne, a.
young woman who has borne a child out of wedlock Hester believes herself a widow, but her
husband, Roger Chillingworth, arrives in New England very much alive and conceals his
identity He finds his wife forced to wear the scarlet letter A on her dress as punishment for her
adultery After Hester refuses to name her lover, Chillingworth becomes obsessed with finding his identity. .
- When he learns that the man in question is Arthur Dimmesdale, a saintly young minister who is.
the leader of those exhorting her to name the child’s father, Chillingworth proceeds to torment
him Stricken by guilt, Dimmesdale becomes increasingly ill Hester herself is revealed to be a
self- reliant heroine who is never truly repentant for committing adultery with the minister; she
feels that their act was consecrated by their deep love for each other Although she is initially
scorned, over time her compassion and dignity silence many of her critics. .
- In the end, Chillingworth is morally degraded by his monomaniacal pursuit of revenge.
Dimmesdale is broken by his own sense of guilt, and he publicly confesses his adultery before
dying in Hester’s arms Only Hester can face the future bravely, as she prepares to begin a new
life with her daughter, Pearl, in Europe Years later Hester returns to New England, where she
continues to wear the scarlet letter After her death she is buried next to Dimmesdale, and their
joint tombstone is inscribed with “ON A FIELD, SABLE, THE LETTER A, GULES”. Summary Chapter 2:. . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . .
- The crowd outside the prison grows restless waiting for Hester Prynne to appear The faces in
the crowd are grim, yet familiar, since Puritans gathered often to watch criminals be punished
The narrator says that the Puritans considered religion and law to be almost identical. . . b Analysis. . Summary of chapter 2. .
• Section 1: Hester is led out of the prison with a child in her arms and letter A on her dress.
• Section 2: Standing on the scaffold, Hester encounters the merciless eyes from the crowd.
and the stern judgement of the Puritans.
• Section 3: To endure her time on the scaffold, Hester thinks about her youth spent in.
England and then realizes her harsh reality. . . . Character: Hester. .
- Hester is described beautifully and impressively She is tall,” glossy black hair”,” deeply black.
eyes”, “perfect elegance on large scale and nice grace” Specially, she is “lady-like dignity” This
beauty shows her identity In spite of being a sinner, she is still a vibrant individual in front of
community She doesn’t show any expression of shame Constantly, she is still impressive, show her pride and beauty.
- About the action: She steps forward with a naughty smile, certain state, passed through the.
portion of her ordeal and desperate, recklessness of her mood All prove that she is very strong,
brave and fearless She doesn’t fear anything because it is true love, she is willing to struggle in front of the public.
- According to Calvimistic Dortrine: everyone has an elate sin since he was born/ only God. salvation can save his soul.
- According to Determinism: everyone has his own fate and people can’t escape from his fate. .
Question for Analysis:. SECTION 1: (Từ đầu→line 45). . .
1 What is the nature of the Puritan laws as seen in the image of the town- beadle?. Sword = staff of office:
The town- beadle (thầy tư tế) like a black shadow emerging in to sunshines overeignty of Puritan laws. . . .
• Sovereignty Puritan laws ( quyền tối cao độc lập). . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . • Like: Simile.
• “Grim and gristly’’: Rigid, cruel, threatening.
“With a sword by his side and a staff of fire in his hand”.
→He symbolizes the black shadow of the Puritan laws and religious authority, severe, rigid and
inhuman (Ông ta là hiện thân của một bóng đen của luật pháp Thanh giáo và thẩm quyền tôn giáo,
nghiêm khắc, cứng nhắc và vô nhân đạo).
→For the Puritan, sin is a deliberate violation against a religious principle Thus, they view sin as
a threat to community that should be punished and suppresented (Đối với Thanh giáo, một tội
nhân bị coi là mối đe dọa đối với cộng đồng cần bị trừng phạt và đàn áp để thanh lọc xã hội). .
2 How does Hester show natural dignity as she steps out of the prison? →
She walks into the sunlight on her own in her natural dignity and by her free will →
She looks around the public with her unembarrassed glance.
 She rejected the arms of the beadle, walking into the sunlight on her own, in her natural grace and.
dignity ➔She wants to show that she was not ashamed about what she did, she was not a
sinner. 3 How does Hester receive letter A?. .
→ it is beautifully embroidered and decorated by herself. .
→ it becomes a part of who she is and a sign of her secret love. .
→ She makes it change from a symbol of sin and ignominy to a spell of her own identity → Cô ấy làm
cho nó thay đổi từ một biểu tượng của tội lỗi và dị thường thành một câu thần chú về danh tính của chính cô ấy. . .
 By embroidering the letter, Hester transforms letter A as a badge of shame into a symbol. of
Individuality ➔ it means herself, her ability to protect her love, her ability struggle against the public. .
4 What effect does the scarlet letter have on Hester?.
- Letter A has “ the effect of a spell” talking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity” and.
enclosing her in a “halo” of her own identity which could not be shamed due to its fantastic beauty and elegance.
 It becomes an Armor protecting her from the public outrage and indignation. . .
5 What does letter A symbolize to Hester?. . . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . .
→ Letter A symbolizes Hester’s identity, beautiful, dignified trang nghiêm, and strong-minded. .
• To Hester: Letter A is a symbol of Armour, Art, bearing her own identity Letter A is also a.
symbol of her own identity or her self-protection.
• To Puritants: Letter A is a kind of prison grim punishment they put into Hester.
• To the town people: The scarlet letter A stands for a badge of ignomity and scorn Adultery -.
badge of sin and ignominy sự nhục nhã.
• To Dimmesdale: Letter A is the Agony sự đau đớn cực độ of his hidden sin. . SECTION 2. . .
1 What is the townspeople’s attitude towards Hester as a sinner? Compare with that of the.
public in your country to an adulteress.
→ Hester has to suffer the public scornful remarks, disgusting attitude, and merciless manner →
Hester phải hứng chịu những lời chê bai khinh bỉ, thái độ ghê tởm và tàn nhẫn của công chúng. .
2 How terrible is the scaffold to the offender kẻ phạm tội?.
→ It devilishly has the sinner’s face exposed for shame and for outrage in public → Thật quỷ dị.
khi bộ mặt của tội nhân bị phơi bày vì xấu hổ và phẫn nộ trước công chúng.
→It subjects Hester to constant humiliation and punishment → Nó khiến Hester phải chịu sự sỉ
nhục và trừng phạt liên tục. .
3 The scaffold as a symbol.
• To Hester: the scaffold symbolizes her forced public shame.
• To the offender the most devilish effect of the scaffold is having the sinner’s face exposed for.
shame and for outrage in public.
• To public: the scaffold is symbol of sin and penitence.
• To the Puritant: the scaffold is a symbol of punishment The Scaffold symbolize to the Puritant. .
➔carry out the Puritants authority, it takes the role of the Supreme Court that punish the sinners. .
➔ symbolizes stricts discipline and hypocrisy. .
- To Dimmesdales: the scaffold stands for a place of his reconciliation (hòa giải). SECTION 3:. .
1 Who is Hester compared with when she stands on the scaffold in front of the crowd? . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . .
- Divine Maternity: Virgin Mary - a symbol of purity and virginity. 2 How does Hester react to defend herself?. .
- She sustains herself to encounter the public contumely, and tries to hold her shriek of rage. .
3 How does Hester endure her time on the scaffold? What and whom does she see in her. . reminiscence?. .
- Hester avoids the harsh reality by withdrawing into her own mind, living with the recollections
of her native village and her beloved relatives in England.
4 How does letter A give the ambivalence about Hester’s identity?. .
- The letter splits her identity into a public self that the Puritans dominate and a private self she. . tries to control. . 5 Pearl as a symbol. . .
- Pearl to Dim is the freedom of breaking the law The girl is the symbol of his hidden sin and
his. Agony which tortures him day and night.
- Pearl to the community is shame because she commit Adultery A visible secret in Hester’s sin.
of adultery Under their eyes, Pearl is God’s way of punishing Hester.
- Hester sees Pearl as an embodiment of a living scarlet letter in the flesh, an Angel, a source of. her survival and sanity. . Themes. . 1 Sin and punishment. . -
Hester Prynne is forced to undergo public punishment and ignomilny while Dimmesdale
goes. free due to his social status and influence This is a strong criticism on the Puritan laws. .
2 Public judgement and individual guilt. . -
Public judgement on a person’s guilt tend to be under mass effect, especially when it is
guided. by a group of authority. . 3 Feminine bravery. . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . . -
Hester identifies the scarlet letter as a symbol of her own dignity phẩm giá and character of.
which she is always well aware. . • Literary devices Elements Themes
• Sin, Knowledge, and the Human Condition. • The Nature of Evil. • Identity and Society. • Female Independence. • Guilt. • Nature vs Society. • Empathy Foreshadowing
• Dimmesdale as a weak character.
• Hester’s eventual acceptance of the scarlet. letter Metaphors
• Convey the rebellious nature of Hester.
Prynne's presence outside of the prison Imagery
• The light reflecting from Hester’s hair . woman of sin but purity. • Letter A.
• Black shadow town beadle from the prison Symbolize • Holding Pearl in her arm. • The sin. • The Letter.
• Darkness, therefore, is a symbol of the.
concealment of sin, and light becomes a
symbol of truth and acceptance of guilt . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . . • Allegory
• Symbolizes the views of the author on sin,.
guilt, and judgment in Puritanical New England • Irony
• Ironically, Hester Prynne, who is on the Puritan.
scaffold because she has committed the sin of
adultery, While is Dim is escape from his guilt
and people still acclamation him
THE GIFT OF THE MAGI (1905). . I Author.
• O Henry (September 11, 1862- June 5, 1910).
• Was born under the name William Sydney Porter.
• American short-story writer whose tales romanticized the commonplace- in particular the life.
of ordinary people in New York City.
• He gathered ideas for his column by loitering in hotel lobbies and observing and talking to.
people there→ technique he used in his writing career.
• He was sentenced to 5 years in prison. • His works:.
-14 stories published under various pseudonyms (bút danh). - 381 short stories.
- Some of his best and least known works are Cabbages and King (1904) and The Four Million. (1906).
- O henry stories were considerably playful, and are also known for their witty narration and.
frequently have surprise endings.
- Coincidence (sự trùng lặp) is something that O Henry enjoyed using in his work along with
the surprise endings → kept the readers’ attention and kept the suspense (hồi hộp) up for the entire story.
- The O Henry Award is a prestigious (uy tín) annual prize named after Porter. II Stories. . . - Literary Lesson: Irony - Theme:.
+Love and sacrifice (sự hi sinh): a true love means giving rather receiving Happiness means making the person you love happy. .
+Wise and foolish in love: love sometimes makes one become foolish The wisest in love are those.
who know the value of self-giving love +Role-playing. . lOMoAR cPSD| 58794847 . . .
+Love worth more than all of the material possessions money can buy.
- Tone: sincere and loving - Literary devices:.
+simile: “Jim stopped inside the door as immovable as a setter at the scent of a quail”.
+metaphor: “The next 2 hours tripped by on rosy wings”.
+personification: “her heart had simply craved and yearned over them without the least hope of. possession”.
+imagery: “beautiful combs, pure tortoise shell, with jeweled rims”.
+allusion: “I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat.
who most unwisely sacrificed the greatest treasures of their house They are the magi”.
+irony: the irony of the story is when Jim gave Della her present and they were combs for the hair. that she had sold.
+foreshadowing: an example of foreshadowing is when Della asked for Jim’s watch and he did not.
answer her, it led us to think he had sold the watch +the symbol of the story is the Magi.
- Character: both characters are the protagonist There is no antagonist.
- Main conflict: (external conflict) the main conflict of the story that Della and Jim each do not have
money to buy presents so they both sell their prized possessions you get each other gifts, only to
find out they bought each other gift that go with the items they sold. . PLOT DEVELOPMENT. Exposition Rising Action Climax Falling Action Resolution Della only has. Della sells her Jim found out
Della found out The poor couple $187 to buy her hair to buy a Della sold her
Jim sold his sold the greatest husband a chain for her hair to get him a
watch. to buy her treasures in their
Christmas present husband Jim, to chain for his
combs for her house to give gift and she is match his watch watch hair They are the wise heartbroken for Christmas magi . - • Analyzing:.
❖ The tragic setting:.
3 The effect of the opening of the story:.
- The story begins on Christmas Eve.
- The repetition of “one dollar and 87 cents” → to emphasize Della’s problem: she did not have.
enough money to buy her husband a gift with 1 dollar and 87 cents.
- The author create a false effect with ‘1 dollar and 87 cents” → ironic effect in important role of. money.
4 Poor living condition that this young couple suffered:. - “Shabby little couch” (chiếc ghế tồi
tàn): this couple have to pass the extremely cold winter without. mattress (nệm) bed.