Characteristics of White Culture

Out of the 16 traits listed that most white people possess most of the time, I posses 14. I guess I am what you would call the "typical" white person. I am self reliant, I'm very competitive, action orientated, believe majority rules, celebrate christian religions and holidays, believe in the justice system, am hard working, believe in objective and scientific thinking, respect status and power, have a plan for my future, and want the ideal family structure.
The part about woman's beauty being based on being blonde and thin, like a "barbie" I don't believe is true. I think our society has accepted many different types of woman as beautiful, such as many of the Victorias Secret models. The idea that to be conventionally pretty you must be blonde and thin is outdated. I think that many of the traits listed above are outdated in peoples beliefs. Society has become much more accepting of difference in personality and looks. I'm pretty content with being the average white person because I didnt structure my life around becoming that, it's just who I am. Sometimes I feel like I don't have anything that makes me different or unique among everyone except that other people are different and I'm not. My "type" is not rare or special in its own way, its conventional.

Huck's Development

When Huck makes his own decisions on things he feels are wrong it shows the development of his own opinions and moral system that's not based on what others believe. He takes back the money because he knows that what the Duke and Dauphin are doing is wrong. Huck realizes that this money belongs to the daughters but his plan to return it is ruined when the money is potentially sealed up in the coffin with Mr. Wilk. I think that even though Huck meant to return it to the daughters, they gold is probably safest with Mr. Wilk, for it is out of the hands of the two criminals.
Another point in Hucks transformation is when he decides to tell Mary Jane about who the men are. I dont think that Huck wouldve done this if he didnt see Mary Jane crying in her room about the slaves being seperated. A drawback in Hucks development is that he didnt feel the same sympathy about the family being separated that Mary Jane did, even though it is obviously upsetting. His feelings towards the beautiful girl prompted him to share the identities of the men. Even though he may have not done it for the best reasons, he still helped the daughters.

Wealthy Teen Nearly Experiences Consequence

The article is very sarcastic when refering to Charles Wentworth. The article makes fun of those of the upper class who believe they are indestructable and that their money and social status can get them through everything in life. The author of this article obviously doesn't believe that this is true and believes in the consequences that the average person would have to face for doing something like that. The fake sympathetic tone about him almost being "put in jeopardy of learning a lesson" taunt how easy it was for him to escape the legal consequences. His lack of consideration for his actions shows how being spoiled and sheltered his whole life affected his morals. The fact that his parents also agree with him and did all that to save him, show that the way they raised him also affected his choices and opinions.
My favorite part of the whole article was the last line "The other four victims of the crash remain in intensive care at St. Peter's University Hospital, suffering from conditions ranging from poor to lower-class". This really shows the contrast of the two different classes. The whole article is about this rich boy who is stupid and spoiled, and the victims are rarely mentioned. In reality the article should be about the victims and how wrong Charles was. Just because they are of lower class they didnt recieve as much recognition and people care less about them. In the society we live in money is extremely valued and can be used to get whatever you want. Money=power and with this power, the Wentworh's were able to completely navigate the legal system and avoid any reprocussions. Their social status and life style is mocked which is ironic considering it allowed their son to get out of trouble. The article was funny in the way it made fun of the family and showed how much people like that value their social image.

"The N Word"

Nigger is an extremely loaded and powerful word. It gets it's power from many years ago when it was used to suppress black people during slavery by calling them the derogatory term. Now it is considered socially unacceptable to say, especially if you are white. Many black people still use the word but not in the derogatory sense that it was intended, they changed it to "nigga" and use it to address the brotherhood and connection the word is associated with. Some white people don't like that black people can use the word and they cant, they believe its hypocritical. I think that it all depends on the context the word is used in.
In the video on 60 minutes there is a book store that removes the N word and replaces it with slave, but by doing this it gives the word more power as a "bad" word. Using it as a tool for education, does not make it offensive. Mark Twain put it in the book over 200 times for a reason and by removing it, you are removing a large part of the books meaning and reasoning. How the word can and should be used is extremely difficult to say, because you never know who may be offended by it. I think that if the word isnt used in a demeaning way and in a way to discuss social issues then it is acceptable. To understand the past and why it was used helps in the understanding of why it should not be used now. There are a lot of bad words out there that may offend someone or hurt their feelings, words such as gay or faggot, yet sadly they are used commonly. Words gain power by people giving them power and that power can either be positive or negative. In the article by Peggy McIntosh she also addresses power, the power that white people have by just being born white. Some of the things she lists I had never thought about or appreciated before but it really opened my eyes at the advantages I have just from being born who I am.

End of Scarlet Letter

I was surprised that I was actually pleased with the ending of this book. I was expecting some non dramatic ending that would leave me hanging with an ultimate question about life. The way that Hawthorne ended the book answered questions and left the reader feeling satisfied. When Dimmesdale finishes his sermon, he finally grants Pearl her wish and invites them onto the scaffolding. He relies on Hester for her support and strength again like he did in the woods, as he finally confesses to the townspeople that he is the "one sinner of the world." When he takes off his shirt some of the townspeople claim they saw a red A on his chest similar to Hester's.
He then falls down and Pearl goes over to kiss him. Her kiss was like the kiss of death and shortly afterwards he dies. I'm happy that he tells the secret before he dies and I find the saying he finally "got it off his chest" ironic in this sense. Soon after Dimmesdale dies, Chillingworth dies as well. He most likely dies because as a leech he has nothing left to feed on or suck the life out of, ultimately giving him no purpose. Hester still wears the A which shows her strong will carrying through until the very end. The A represents her and the life she lived in this town and when she dies and is buried an A is placed on her gravestone that she shares with Dimmesdale. The A connects them for eternity and stands for the misery and pain they both felt for so long. Pearl finally becomes a human. Her only purpose was to torment her parents into revealing the truth, being the result of their sin.
I also liked how in the ending Hawthorne explained the fate of each of the characters and what came of them. It provided closure and some sort of explanation for the rest of the book. Overall I liked the book, even though at times it frustrated me. Bravo Hawthorne.

Dream Symbolism

Symbolism in dreams is interpreted by viewing ourselves and around the world us, it is a comparison that is brought to life by association. Similar to dreams, in literature they are used to better understand the underlying reasons for different actions or happenings that occur. In Lecture X, it said that symbols are stable translations that assist interpretation. The Interpretation of Dreams written by Freud, highlights the importance of dream symbolism and how it can be used to reveal inner desires and impulses. He states that nothing you do happens by chance; and all actions and thoughts are intertwined and controlled by some inner desire.(http://books.google.com/books?id=Sfz0l6WSqFgC&pg=PA183&lpg=PA183&dq=Introductory+Lecture+%22Symbolism+i#v=onepage&q=Introductory%20Lecture%20%22Symbolism%20i&f=false) By using dream interpretation in literature we can see the "id" (inner impulses, pleasures, desires, and urges) of the different characters.(http://www.dreammoods.com/dreaminformation/dreamtheory/freud.htm) This helps us better understand their motives and reasons for certain actions. It allows the reader to view the literature in a different way, further exposing them to hidden symbols.

The male genitals are represented in dreams as being anxious about someone or something in your life. Some of the common symbols are sticks, pencils, weapons, or fountains. The more difficult to understand but also the more popular is the symbol of reptiles, especially the snake.(http://www.dreamforth.com/search.php?query=snake&page) The snake in dreams represents repressed sexual desire or an inner conflict about how to express or experience ones sexuality. Snakes resemble the original sin, for it was a snake that convinced Adam and Eve to eat the apple.

Roger Chillingworth is introduced and his facial features are described as "A writhing horror twisted itself across his features, like a snake gliding swiftly over them, and making one little pause, with all its wreathed intervolutions in open sight." (57) He is described similarly to a snake which symbolizes the male genitals. But if looked at more in depth the word choice also represents those that describe snakes. Intervolution is the state of being coiled up, very similar to the shape of snakes when they are coiled up. Snakes represent the original sin which is a symbol for all of our sins. Roger Chillingworth stands for temptation, evil intentions, and all other sinful desires that one may have. By hiding his true identity he is "slithering" around. The snake in dreams or literature can represent someone who is heartless or evil, and in this case Roger Chillingworth is plotting revenge against Hester and is a cruel person.

The female genitals can be represented by jewels and treasures. They stand for someone who is loved deeply by the person or character being observed. (http://books.google.com/books?id=Sfz0l6WSqFgC&pg=PA183&lpg=PA183&dq=Introductory+Lecture+%22Symbolism+i) By naming Hester's daughter Pearl it symbolizes that Pearl is a treasure and worth a lot to her. "She had named the infant Pearl, as being of great price,-purchased with all she had,- her mother's only treasure!" (81) She is all Hester has and is the richest thing in her life. It is ironic that society punished her for her terrible sin, yet the sin graced her with a wonderful gift. Pearl is someone who is invaluable to her because the price she had to pay for her was her reputation and dignity. Hester passed along her stubborness, passion, and curiosity to her baby. Pearl is aware she is different, while her mother may consider her a gem, society views her as an outcast and as a product of sin. Even though she is a lovely child that is her mother's world, she is also a constant reminder that she was what caused the scarlet letter to be branded into Hester's life permanently. 






http://www.dreamforth.com/search.php?query=snake&page=1

http://books.google.com/books?id=Sfz0l6WSqFgC&pg=PA183&lpg=PA183&dq=Introductory+Lecture+%22Symbolism+i


http://www.dreammoods.com/dreaminformation/dreamtheory/freud.htm

ch 9-12

It is ironic that Chillingworth is called a leech by the towns people. Leeches normally drain blood from the ill and ultimately curing them. Chillingworth is doing the opposite and almost sucking the life out of Dimmesdale. He has incorporated himself into Dimmesdale's life so much because he is suspicious of him. Chillingworth aims to suck the secret out of Dimmesdale, much like a leech would. It has become Chillingworth's mission to find out the secret that Dimmesdale is hiding. He tries to scare him by saying that some of the weeds he found are darkened from a dead persons unconfessed sin that was buried with them.

Chillingworth keeps prodding at Dimmesdale for information but how is it that Chillingworth knows that Dimmesdale is that father? Many townspeople have started to call him the devil, so maybe he possesses some super natural powers that have led him to Dimmesdale. In earlier parts of the book Pearl has acted as an informer to her mother about evil. With the power to sense evil she protects her mother from it. When Pearl sees Chillingworth she calls him the "black man"and says he has already gotten to the minister. Chillingworth is portrayed by using words such as "leech" or "black man" which sound dark and evil. I think it is foreshadowing how his revenge is going to be, perhaps like a leech, slowly sucking the life out of its victim.