Examine Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. You can decide upon many possible approaches, including the Forum prompts on: A Feminist Reading, A Psychological Reading, A Cultural Critique, A Dialogic Reading, An Ecocrical Reading. Other approaches may include:
a)Reader Response: What strikes you most in a reading? What surprised, excited, or horrified you and why? How did the story make you feel and why? What important questions are left unanswered? What values of your own did you bring to the text while reading? Which of your belief systems shaped your responses? What morals of your own did you bring to bear on the actions and responses of characters? Where do your own judgments come from?
b)Thematic Analysis: What are the main themes? What situations and events most prominently reveal these main themes? What is the author’s opinion of these themes? Do you agree with her or his beliefs?
c)Rhetorical Analysis: What specific language (words and phrases) does the author use to express views? How and why does the author use dialects (colloquial and vernacular speech) and slang? What are the main symbols? What is the relationship between figurative language (analogies, metaphors, similes, symbols, puns) and the text’s themes? Are there words and phrases that frequently occur? How is the piece structured to achieve certain effects?
d)Didactic Approach: Something that is didactic instructs or provides information for a particular purpose. Literature is considered didactic when its primary aim is to teach readers some lesson, whether moral, political, religious, ethical, or practical. Why do you think the author wrote this text? What is the main message or “moral” of the story? What is the author trying to teach readers? How does the author go about getting across her or his message? What kind of influence might the story have upon its readers?
e)Personal Approach: What does this story mean to you? Can you relate specific personal experiences to the story? What particular life events and situations come to mind when you read the story? Does the story remind you of people in your life? How does this story make you feel and why does it make you feel this way? What specific scenes, lines, or passages can you associate with particular circumstances and moments of your own personal history?
f)Place: Setting/Environment: Describe the importance of the setting and environment. How does a character’s surroundings shape and determine her or his life? How is the character’s life influenced by the immediate environment? To what extent does the character overcome obstacles and adversity in the environment?
g)Power Relations Analysis: How do those in positions of power influence the lives of marginalized groups or individuals? What is the relationship between the individuals and the community?
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