Annotated Bibliography

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "The Scarlet Letter and Other Writings". Norton Critical Edition. New York, London: W.W. Norton; Company, 2005. Print.

Puritans believed that God would forgive any person for their sins, not matter what the sin was, yet many of the townspeople (mostly the women) would show no mercy for Hester. In the book right before Hester is released from prison, the townspeople gather and wait for the prison door to swing open. They anticipate the look on her shameful face.

"'Goodwives,' said a hard-featured dame of fifty, 'I’ll tell ye a piece of my mind. It would be greatly for the public behoof if we women, being of mature age and church-members in good repute, should have the handling of such malefactresses as this Hester Prynne. What think ye, gossips? If the hussy stood up for judgment before us five, that are now here in a knot together, would she come off with such a sentence as the worshipful magistrates have awarded? Marry, I trow not.'" (Hawthorne 57).

It is clear that the townspeople did not welcome Hester back into town with open arms. Many of the women had made up their minds about Hester and what kind of person she was. They know Heseter to be an adulteress who should never be given a second chance. Once a sinner, always a sinner.

Difficulty Paper

I never had to read the Scarlet Letter in high school so when I began to read the book I wasn't expecting the book to be written in Old English. It was hard to get used to at first because of the way they talked in this era. Nathaniel Hawthorne's style of writing is very different from what I'm used to. Whenever there was something I didn't understand in the text I would look up a word I didn't understand, or use context clues to figure out what was being said in the novel. A lot of times I had to go back and re-read a page or paragraph to understand what was taking place in the story.When I began to read the book I didn't really catch onto most of the symbolism in the book. After we discussed symbolism, the characters, and certain occurrances in the novel (in class) I had a better understanding of what was really happening in the story and why it was happening. Hawthorne has an interesting way of using symbolism in his stories. As I read The Scarlet Letter I noticed it was sort of similar to Hawthorne's short storyYoung Goodman Brown, regarding symbolism, the Puritan society, and a few "dark characters". Once I began to notice the symbolism in the story more it made the book more interesting to read and gave the setting, the characters, and occurrances more meaning. Such as Hester having to wear the letter "A" on her clothing everyday.

"On the breast of her gown, in fine red cloth surrounded with an elaborate embroidery and fantastic flourishes of gold thread, appeared the letter ‘A.’ It was so artistically done, and with so much fertility and gorgeous luxuriance of fancy, that it had all the effect of a last and fitting decoration to the apparel which she wore; and which was of a splendor in accordance with the taste of the age, but greatly beyond what was allowed by the sumptuary regulations of the colony."

The "A" symbolized her sin of adultry, later in the story Hester changes the meaning of the letter "A" by all of her hard work and charity, the meaning was soon known to be "able". It seemed as if Hester was proud to wear the letter "A" on her clothing, it was as if it empowered her character, it set her apart from the rest of the women in this Puritan society she lived in. I think because Hester had to wear the letter "A" everyday it opened her eyes as to how cruel the Puritan townspeople could be, it was as if she was now an outsider looking in on the Puritan society and laws.

"Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid

In the poem "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid, it seems as if a mother is talking to her young daughter, teaching her all the things she was taught as a young girl. In the quote "this is how you hem a dress when you see the hem coming down and to prevent yourself from looking like the slut you are so bent on becoming" it is obvious the mother is very conservative, and arguably old fashioned because she believes that if her daughters hem were to come down, men will perceive her as a slut. This incident could happen and I'm sure has happened to many girls but nowadays less clothing has almost become the norm these days for many young girls and women. Whether we like it or not, the media, television, music, and magazines have sort of brain washed/convinced many young girls that short shorts and low-cut tops are what's in style. I think it's a persons perogative to dress however they like. If a grown woman wants to wear a short dress or a low cut shirt she should be able to but she's also taking her chances of getting judged, people having pre-conceived notions about her, and also harsh words against her. I don't agree with everything this poem saying but I do like the whole idea of a mother teaching her young daughter to grow up to be a smart and respectable woman. It's important for young girls to have a good role model to look up to and imitate as they mature. I am definitely fortunenate to have a great role model who I love and look up to. I have a lot of respect for my mother, she's a very smart woman and she has taught me a lot over the years. Over all I think this poem sends a positive message, it's just a mother teaching her daughter right from wrong and bringing her up to be a strong and independent woman.

Kate Chopin's "The Story of An Hour"

Kate Chopin's "The Story of An Hour" is a short story about a woman who is told that her husband has been killed in an accident. It's as if she has mixed emotions about the death of her husband. One minute she is sad and the next minute she is kind of happy about it because she will finally have the chance to do what she pleases when she pleases. She has discovered a new found freedom within the death of her husband. In the last line of "The Story of An Hour" it states, "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills." This quote is the climatic moment in the story, yet it is also the resolution . The words "of the joy that kills" represent verbal irony. Throughout the story it is said that she was sad about the death of her husband but she only loved him sometimes. Although she was mourning, she was also celebrating her freedom at the same time. "'Free! Body and soul free!' she kept whispering." At the end of the story when she found out her husband was really alive it was as if her dreams of being free were crushed, she would never get the chance to live for herself. When she saw her husband at the front door, just the sight of him killed her. Something that had once brought her joy, killed her in the end.

Crowds reaction to Mr Dimsdale

When Mr Dimsdale revealed the scarlet letter to the towns people, because of their Puritan beliefs, they felt that even though he committed a sin, God still had mercy upon sinners because even ministers such as
Mr Dimsdale have the ability to sin. They state this when they say "Mercy which looks down, and repudiate more utterly the phantom of human merit, which would look aspiringly upward. Without disputing a truth so momentus, we must be allowed to consider this version of Mr. Dimsdale's story as only an instance of that stubborn fidelity with which a man's friends-and especially a clergyman's-will sometimes uphold his character; when proofs, clear as the mid-day sunshine on the scarlet letter, establish him a false and sin-stained creature of the dust." (212)


Brielle Roberts
Sarah Lopez

Transitions

Addition: again, also, and , and then, besides, equally important, finally, first, further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, last, moreover, next, second, still, too.
Comparison: also, in the same way, likewise, simalarily
Concession: granted, naturally, of course
Contrast:  although, and yet, at the same time, but at the same time, despite that, even so, even though, for all that, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, otherwise, regardless, still, though, yet.
Emphasis:  certainly, indeed, in fact, of course.
Example or illustration: after all, as an illustration, even, for example, for instance, in conclusion, indeed, in fact, in other words, in short, it is true, of course, namely, specifically, that is, to illustrate, thus, truly.
Summary: all in all, altogether, as has been said, finally, in brief, in conclusion, in other words, in particular, in short, in simpler terms, in summary, on the whole, that is, theresore, to put it differently, to summarize.
Time sequence: after a while, afterward, again, also, and then, as long as, at last, at length, at the time, before, besides, earlier, eventually, finally, formerly, further, futhermore, in addition, in the first place, in the past, last, lately, meanwhile, moreover, next, now, presently, second, shortly, simultaneously, since, so far, soon, still, subsequently, then, thereafter, too, until, until now, when.
Combining: for instance

Rough Draft

It's not finished but this is what I have so far...

In the novel Los Flores by Dagoberto Gilb, we are introduced to one main female character named Silvia. Silvia is portrayed as your typical housewife. Her roles in the home are mainly to cook, clean, and watch after her son, Sonny. This “stay at home” housewife is what is expected from Silvia, while her husband Cloyd is gone all day at work making money. Silvia is made out to look like one of the weaker characters in the novel who has to depend on her husband for everything. Silvia is anything but independent, at least that is how we perceive her. She isn’t as helpless as everyone seems to think. Silvia is good at using what she’s got, such as, her looks and sex appeal to get exactly what she wants, even if it means living in the shadow of her husband. Silvia is far from perfect but does her best to survive in a man’s world. This paper will follow the feminist critical theory.

Silvia plays a significant role in Sonny’s life. She is Sonny’s mother and the first woman he will ever love. Silvia and Sonny’s relationship is crucial, yet it turns out to be a weak and dysfunctional relationship. She is very distant from Sonny. At the beginning of the novel, it seems as if she pays no attention to Sonny. Silvia comes off as self-centered and cares for nothing but herself and her well-being. Sonny talks about her saying she is never home, always going out with her friends and when she is home it’s only for a short time. Sonny said “It was that my mom, if she wasn’t at her job, was out on dates and whatever. And sometimes she’d get in so late I wouldn’t be awake. That was better for me than when she was home, because when she was home, though I lived there and slept there, it was better to be inside a neighbor’s house than pissing her off” (5). When Sonny talks about Silvia it seems that she takes no interest in her son’s life. Silvia is too caught up in her own world, whether it is because of dating or her job. When Silvia brings Cloyd home to meet Sonny for the first time, Cloyd starts asking Sonny questions about himself and his interests. Silvia joins in on the conversation and says “’Maybe he likes baseball… Don’t you mijo?’ She had no idea. We never talked nothing about me” (12). This quote goes to show how disconnected Silvia is from Sonny, and it’s obvious knowing that Silvia is not around to take care of Sonny. By being absent she fails to do her motherly tasks of nuturing him, giving him advice, and teaching him right from wrong.

Silvia isn’t your average mother figure. Sonny describes his mother to be somewhat of a sexual object, “I was always seeing how men looked at her… How pretty she was in the way men are flipping through pages of dirty magazines” (10). It is obvious that Silvia is desirable to men, for example, Cloyd. When Silvia sits next to Cloyd he can’t help but to admire her, “He looked up at her like he was the luckiest man because her warm body was next to him, thank you, thank you Lord. She made her eyes go like she’s so flattered, and you’re welcome” (13). Through out the novel people such as, Bud and his wife show some sort of admiration for Silvia. They both speak about how beautiful and good looking she is. No matter how distant Silvia and Sonny were, it was easy to see that Sonny loved his mother very much and thought very highly of her. Even Sonny took notice of how his mother always kept herself up and looking good no matter the occasion when he says, “It seemed to me she was wearing another new dress, and she was smelling washed and bath-oiled and lotioned and misted, and the high heels were glossier and redder than her lipstick" (76). Once Cloyd and Silvia got married, it seemed as if Silvia tried to make a change in her relationship with Sonny. Now that she’s married she doesn’t have to worry about bringing in any income, having a job, and she’s not going out as much as she used to. She definitely has more free time on her hands. It seems as if she wants a relationship with Sonny now that she is married. She makes more of an effort to communicate with Sonny and she’s always asking him “what’s wrong?” yet she still fails to spend much time, if any at all, with him.

Silvia doesn’t seem to be the most sincere person. What were her reasons for marrying Cloyd? Was she really in love or did she do it for financial stability? It’s obvious she is not happy with her situation, but as long as Cloyd continues to support and provide for her and Sonny, she doesn’t mind putting up with this man she married. It’s as if Silvia and Sonny are always walking on egg shells around Cloyd. She does her best to make sure nothing is said or done to make him angry. Silvia is always trying to convince herself, as well as Sonny, that it’s good they’re living with Cloyd now. Silvia’s heart isn’t in the marriage. She is always questioning herself as well as reassuring herself that she made the right decision moving into Cloyd’s apartment.

Idea Paper

I think I will write my paper on the female characters in the novel such as Silvia, Cindy, and Nica. I will use the feminist critical theory. I will write about their roles in society and how they are viewed or judged by others.

Significance of the car salesman

Pink the car salesman’s name. He lives in apartment number six. I’m not exactly sure what his significance in the story is, but I predict that he will have an impact on Sonny’s life. Through out the story, ever since we were introduced to Pink, he has had a connection or taken a liking to Sonny. Whether Pink is a sincere character or not, we may soon find out. At first it seems as if Sonny isn’t sure how to feel about Pink, but he soon takes a liking towards him once they go on a joy ride together in the Bel-Air to get beer. I think Pink maybe a little conniving and sneaky. The main reason Pink even speaks to Sonny is so he can have Sonny listen in on Cloyd and Bud’s conversations. Pink wants Sonny to be a fly on the wall and bring back everything that is said about Pink. I predict that later in the story a fight or some kind of drama concerning Pink, Cloyd, and Sonny will occur. The reason Cloyd doesn’t like Pink is because Pink is always bringing African-Americans around Los Flores. Cloyd is racist and doesn’t want African-Americans anywhere near the apartments. Cloyd isn’t sure why Pink hangs around or converses with African-Americans so much but he doesn’t like it one bit. Later in the story we find out Pink is an albino, so this may stir things up a bit.

Metacognitive Reflection

While reading Los Flores, there were a few times where I would get a little confused how Sonny’s story would jump from one scenario to another so abruptly. At first it was hard to get used to the story jumping around so much but soon enough I grew accustomed to it. Every once in awhile it’s hard for me to get started reading, because I get distracted or side tracked doing other things, so I will put reading on the back burner and “do it later.” I’ve learned that I have to just force myself to stop wasting my time watching TV, being on the computer, or whatever it is that I’m doing and just sit down and read. I know when I’m reading  it’s very easy for me to get side tracked but I’ve definitely gotten better at making time during the day to just sit and read, this way  I don’t fall behind on my reading. The reading we do in this class definitely isn’t unbearable or too much. I feel it’s just the right amount of reading and it’s never overwhelming. When I first started reading the novel I wasn’t sure what to expect from the story but as I kept reading, Sonny’s story caught my attention and I’ve enjoyed reading the story.

Character Description

Silvia is one of the main female characters in this novel. At the beginning of the novel, it seems as if she pays no attention to her son Sonny. Silvia comes off as self-centered and cares for nothing but herself and her well-being. Sonny talks about her saying she is never home, always going out with her friends and when she is home it’s only for a short time. Sonny said “It was that my mom, if she wasn’t at her job, was out on dates and whatever. And sometimes she’d get in so late I wouldn’t be awake. That was better for me than when she was home, because when she was home, though I lived there and slept there, it was better to be inside a neighbor’s house than pissing her off” (pg. 5). By the way Sonny talks about Silvia it seems that she takes no interest in her son’s life. Silvia is too caught up in her own world, whether it is because of dating or her job. When Silvia brings Cloyd home to meet Sonny for the first time Cloyd starts asking Sonny questions about himself and his interests. Silvia joins in on the conversation and says '“Maybe he likes baseball… Don’t you mijo?” She had no idea. We never talked nothing about me’ (pg. 12). This quote goes to show how disconnected Silvia is from Sonny. Its obvious Silvia isn’t around to take care of Sonny, nurture him, give him advice, and teach him right from wrong. Silvia isn’t your average mother figure. Sonny describes his mother to be somewhat of a sexual object, “I was always seeing how men looked at her… How pretty she was in the way men are flipping through pages of dirty magazines” (pg. 10). It is obvious that Silvia is desirable to men, for example, Cloyd. When Silvia sits next to Cloyd he can’t help but to admire her, “He looked up at her like he was the luckiest man because her warm body was next to him, thank you, thank you Lord. She made her eyes go like she’s so flattered, and you’re welcome” (pg. 13). Through out the novel people such as, Bud and his wife show some sort of admiration for Silvia. They both speak about how beautiful and good looking she is. Once Cloyd and Silvia got married, it seemed as if Silvia tried to make a change in her relationship with Sonny. Now that she’s married she doesn’t have to worry about bringing in any income, having a job, and she’s not going out as much as she used to. She definitely has more free time on her hands. It seems as if she wants a relationship with Sonny now that she is married. She makes more of an effort to communicate with Sonny and she’s always asking him “what’s wrong?” yet she still fails to spend much time, if any at all, with him. Silvia doesn’t seem to be the most sincere person. What were her reasons for marrying Cloyd? Was she really in love or did she do it for financial stability? Nowhere in the book does it say why she got married to Cloyd, but it’s obvious she is not happy with her situation. Silvia and Sonny are always walking on egg shells around Cloyd. She does her best to make sure nothing is said or done to make him angry. Silvia is always trying to convince herself, as well as Sonny, that it’s good they’re living with Cloyd now. Silvia’s heart isn’t in the marriage. She is always questioning herself as well as reassuring herself that she made the right decision moving into Cloyd’s apartment.

My Mother Never...

My mother never fails to speak up and say what’s on her mind. I love that about my mom. I think it’s good to speak your mind and always be truthful, especially when it comes to friends and family. My mother is a very smart woman and always has the best advice for me no matter what my situation or dilemma is. My mother always says “I’ve already been there and done that,” so I know I can count on my mother to always speak up, tell me how she feels, what she believes, and trust that she knows what she’s talking about. My mother and I are really close, she is one of my best friends and I know I can go to her for anything. My mother is always looking out for my best interest, so when I ask for her opinion I know I will always get the truth, whether it be what I want to hear or not. My mother will always say what’s on her mind (at the appropriate time and place, of course,) and I respect her for that. There are too many phony people out there who will lie and just say what they think you want to hear. People who speak the truth and aren’t afraid to say what’s on their mind are like a breath of fresh air. If more people were willing to say what’s on their mind and just lay it out on the table, it would save many of us the trouble in our relationships with others, as well as some of the decisions we make. Saying what’s on your mind may get you in trouble sometimes if you aren’t careful, especially in a room full of family members. My mother comes from a big family; she has seven sisters and two brothers. They are all very close to each other. We always have our family over for dinner, lots of good food, drinks, and conversation. Every once in a while the conversation gets a little heated, whatever the topic may be. If they each share how they feel about something or someone and they don’t agree with each other the volume level definitely goes up a couple notches. Even when my mother and her siblings disagree, they always agree to disagree, no matter how strong their opinions or beliefs are. My mother encourages my brothers and me to speak our minds and voice our opinions as often as we can, under the right circumstances, of course. I believe in the old saying “The truth shall set you free.”

My Father Always...

My father always works hard. My father always told my brothers and I to work hard at whatever we do, no matter how easy or how hard the task is, one job is just as important as the other. My father works hard all day, five days a week. I respect him for how hard he works to provide for our family. My parents own a hair salon in Willow Glen called J/R Roberts. Being a small business owner isn't always easy but in my eyes, my parents have done a great job. I hope that one day whatever it is that I decide to do, will make my parents proud. My father always says work hard, play hard, so that's just what I'll do.

I am

I am... a student at Gavilan college. I am studying to get my degree in business. I plan on transferring to SJSU and continuing on with my business degree there. I enjoy working out, good music, mountain biking, going to the beach, going shopping, and going out with friends. English has always been my better subject in school, so I don’t mind reading and writing (depending on what I’m writing about.)