The Scarlet Letter Quote

" 'He did not send me!' cried she, positively. 'I have no Heavenly Father!' " 

(Hawthorne 67)

Since the day that Pearl was born, no one looked at her as an innocent infant. The girl was born into sin and was looked down upon and was scorned by all. Pearl was considered to be "a beautiful flower, growing out of sinful soil." Because of the acts that Hester was accused of, Pearl had to live a life in the shadows. Hester took the matter into her own hands and taught her daughter of God's word. Denying that God was her Heavenly Father, was a symbol of Pearl defying the  views of the Puritan community. What reason did she have to follow in the light of God, if all God had done was bring Hester and herself pain and suffering. The sole fact that Pearl was described to be an outcast and an imp, meant that she had no right to socialize with the other christened children in the community. Pearl being aware of her mother's mistakes, understood the way she was treated by others. The other children especially would act strange toward the Hester and Pearl, understanding that they may have not been good Puritan people, but instead followers of the devil. Since Pearl is having extremely assuring doubts that God is not the "almighty", can create a barrier between Hester and herself. The only way to find out, is to keep reading. 

Dead and Gone

"Widow Sleeps With Dead Husband's Decomposing Corpse For A Year After His Death"

-The Huffington Post

by Cavan Sieczkowski

In November of 2012, seventy-nine year old Marcel H. from Liege, Beligium passed away from an asthma attack, according to Carters News Agency. His wife was incredibly upset after her husband's death and failed to report the death to the authorities, or anyone else for that matter. One may ask, what is special about this news, but here is where it gets a bit bizarre. After avoiding the death report, the woman continuously slept next to her husband's decaying body for about a year now. Unfortunately for the woman, Belgian authorities discovered the behavior and took actions against it on the nineteenth of November, 2013. 

The authorities were led to the apartment because the landlord had been complaining that the residents had not been paying the rent since last Novemeber, after the man's death. The neighbors had reported a bad smell countless amount of times, not knowing that the smell might have been a mummified corpse. 

Although this entire scenario may seem unbelievable and rare, this case was not the first of it's kind. A year ago, a woman from Michigan was found sleeping with her boyfriend's decaying body, months after his death. She had been cashing in his Social Security checks after his death, howver refused to give the body away in fear of being left all alone. 

Death is undeniably one of the most difficult parts of life to overcome, but maybe this is going a bit too far. 

-November 20, 2013

Fashion Crisis? I think yes.

Looking back at the time of the Colonial Era, numerous aspects of life have evolved, physically and mentally. Fashion and clothing is one of the aspects to consider, if one was to travel back around four hundred years into the past. The clothing of men were equally as fancy and lavish as the clothing of women. However, the decorative and elegant clothing came with a price, which not all were able to pay. 

Traditionally the attire of women consisted of a long dress or gown. The dress often had a close-fitting top or bodice with a low or high neckline. Shawls were wrapped around the bust area to cover any exposed skin around the neckline. The bottom half of the gown was full and heavy, reaching down to the woman's ankles or to the floor. Most working women would have an apron wrapped around their waist. However in most cases, women had a more special attire for Sundays. Wealthier women afforded fancier and flimsier fabrics like silk, satin and velvet. In rare cases, their shoes would also be made of silk. Casually outdoors, thick and wooden shoes like clogs were worn in order to protect their feet on the rough surfaces outside. Indoors, delicate slippers were simply worn. As for adding the finishing touches to the outfits, hats with long feathers or bonnets were worn outside as opposed to wearing mob caps indoors. 

For colonial men, outfits consisted of breeches, stockings, a waistcoat or doublet and perhaps a coat.  Breeches took the place of todays pants, except more puffy and full. The stockings met the breeches at the knee, which are like knee-high socks. The waist coat was the main component of the man's upper area. It is almost like the shirts that men wear today. Depending on the man's wealth, the outfit would also include a coat or a "suit jacket." Like the women's clothing, the men's attire varied based on wealth and how much one could afford to buy. Overall, it is safe to say, that fashion has most definitely evolved from four hundred years ago.

Hungry Anyone?

"Suspected Cannibalism Shocks France As Man Confesses To Eating Victim's Heart and Tongue"

-The Huffington Post

by Sara Gates

French police suspect cannibalism after a man in southern France supposedly cut out a man's heart and tongue with the intentions of eating them. Nouilhan police arrested a twenty-six year old homeless man Thursday night. According to local news sources the man has been accused of breaking and entering into a ninety year old man's house and striking his skull with metal work equipment from the man's barn. The victim's body was found burned, with the heart and tongue cut out, which seemed as if they were cooked. 

When the authorities arrived to the scene of the crime, the old man's body was found calcinated, meaning the body was burned to dust. The bizarre part of the investigation was that the authorities also found cooked meant and white beans placed in a plate. 

While the twenty-six year old tried escaping the scene, he assaulted a man on a tractor, breaking his shoulder. He entered another home and got a hold of a shotgun before the resident was aware of his break in. Officers were unable to locate him during his efforts of running away. They arrested the man shortly before midnight of Thursday. 

During the process of the man's arrested he remained calm and passive. However after his statements, it was strongly believed to investigators that the man had intentions of consuming the heart and tongue of his first victim."It would seem he acted because of voices, messages that he was receiving and that were telling him to act in this way. Those are his first statements," local prosecutor Chantal Firmigier-Michel told the Agence France-Presse. The investigators are still digging into this case in order to prove the intentions of the murderer. 

-November 15, 2013

SOAPS-T

The SOAPS-T of a piece of literature is what truly breaks down what one is trying to convey through reading. Each and every aspect of SOAPS-T, the speaker, the occasion, the audience, the purpose, the subject and the tone aid one another through the process of digging through the piece of literature. For example, the subject, speaker and occasion basically go hand in hand together because the subject holds what one is trying to focus on through the speaker and the occasion. Without one part of SOAPS-T, all of the other aspects of it cannot work, therefore making it remarkably effective for one to use during analysis.
After analyzing "I Know Why The Caged Bird Cannot Read" it is clear that the use of SOAPS-T is a major factor of this piece. The speaker of this passage is a woman named Francine Prose, born in the late forties, who is now a reporter, essayist, critic and editor. The occasion of this piece was in September of 1999 and published in Harper's. Throughout the passage, Prose is not referring to any one person. She was trying to relay her message simply to anyone who reads it. The purpose that the speaker is trying to achieve is to inform and to persuade. The subject at hand is the critique of the quality of required reading in American high schools. Through the entirety of the passage she contains a sassy and familiar tone, which also emphasizes the disappointment she conveys through her diction. She questions why high school students are not asked to read more quality pieces nowadays. Overall, SOAPS-T was extremely efficient while analyzing this piece.

The Risk That Comes With Talent

"Cirque du Soleil Accident Leaves Performer Hospitalized"

-The Huffington Post

by Joanna Zelman

Another tragedy hit the stage of the world renowned Cirque du Soleil show "Zarkana." A Cirque du Soleil performer remains hospitalized after a deadly fall on Friday night's performance at Las Vegas resort Aria. The performance company settled a statement the next day, saying that the male acrobat and performer was appearing in the "Wheel of Death" act during the 7 p.m. performance as irony took its course and the artist slipped and fell off of the wheel. The name of the course,  "Wheel of Death" may have been a bit too literal for the act. The act features two acrobats who perform high-risk stunts atop and inside a pair of spinning wheels rotating high above the stage, which includes rope skipping and jumping. Following the accident, the show was immediatly adjourned and the victim was taken to the University Medical Center, where he was in a stable condition, hoping to be discharged out of the hospital's car within the next few days. The name of the male artist could not be revealed because of Cirque du Soleil's privacy policy.

To the company's misfortune, an accident with a more tragic ending occurred four months ago. During the Cirque du Soleil's "Ka" show in MGM  Grand in Las Vegas, an acrobat died after a fall during her performance. Thirty-one year old Sarah Guillot-Guyard fell ninety-four feet to the floor below on the twenty-ninth of June, when a wire rope she was suspended from was severed because of her rapid ascent. Guillot-Guyard was the first acrobat that died during a performance on stage, of Cirque du Soleil's twenty-nine years of history. The risk that this company sets forth during each performance is unimaginable, however some may pay a price. 

- November 2, 2013