Copy paste looks bad. Will consult Mrs. Culver
0 Comments
Death as an Escape
After looking back at my first impressions and predictions, I discovered that I was partially right about what was going to occur throughout the story. I guessed correctly that Giovanni and Beatrice would become romantically involved and that the professors would play a major role in the climax of the plot. I believe that I was able to have such accurate predictions because we read The Scarlet Letter prior to reading this short story, and these two stories parallel each other in both the plot and the symbolism and themes. For example, in The Scarlet Letter, the rosebush is a major symbol of beauty and sin, and in Rappaccini's Daughter, the purple bush seems to represent that things may be beautiful on the surface but deadly on the inside (like Beatrice). To be completely honest, I wasn't a huge fan of how this short story ended. I felt that there wasn't a ton of closure. What happens to Giovanni? Does he take the place of Beatrice in the garden? Although I realize that Dr. Rappaccini is carrying out this experiment to find a lover for his daughter and to make her invincible in the world, it is hard for me to grasp that he thought he was helping his daughter. She most likely didn't want her father to seclude her from the rest of society with only the accompaniment of some vegetation. He never allowed his daughter to decide her future for herself. In addition, the death of Beatrice seems to parallel the death of Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter. With their death's, they were able to escape the pain that they faced on Earth. Beatrice was able to escape her father's experiment and find her own peace, and Dimmesdale was able to escape his sin and die guilt-free. After reading the first book by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I found it relatively easy to predict what was going to happen in the second one that we read. Even though I find Hawthorne to be an excellent writer, I am disappointed that some of his stories all follow the same main plot and themes. Notes:
Characteristics of Dark Romanticism I find it very creepy and disturbing that Dr. Rappaccini stands in the shadows and watches Giovanni and Beatrice while they are in the garden for the first time. Does Dr. Rappaccini always stand and watch the two? Is there a reason for this? If I had to answer these questions at this point in the story, I would have to say that he is watching to make sure that something is being performed or carried out. I have a seeking suspicion that the Rappaccini's are trying to poison him as part of an experiment, and the only way for this to happen is for Beatrice to seduce him and make him feel comfortable in the garden. This story is reminding me of The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe. Like The Tell-Tale Heart, this story has a dark and mysterious feel to it. Suspense is constantly building, and I predict that a death may occur at the climax. In addition, the purple print on the back of Giovanni's hand, which showed up after Beatrice grabs him, leaves me with some questions. Is she somehow connected to the flowers within the mystical garden? Is her breath poisonous? Like I initially predicted in my first blog entry, I see the professors, particularly Dr. Rappaccini, to be extremely mysterious and weird. I wonder if Dr. Rappaccini's intelligence is being used in negative ways. The way Baglioni talks of him leaves me wondering if the garden isn't as beautiful as it seems. As far as the relationship between Giovanni and Beatrice goes, I feel that their "love at first sight" will turn into something deadly. It seems that whenever two people jump into a relationship quickly, consequences follow. I get the feeling that Giovanni knows that Beatrice is dangerous, but cannot find it within himself to end the relationship that the two have. He does everything he can to cover this secret love up. For example, Giovanni lies to Baglioni to cover up the overwhelming smell of the flowers in his room. In my opinion, the love between these two will end very badly. As I mentioned earlier, I predict that a death will occur. Dark romantic authors seem to enjoy writing about relationships that turn out badly (The Scarlet Letter). repute- look on as or consider
eminent- standing above others in quality or position vagary- an unexpected and inexplicable change in something (in a situation or a person's behavior, etc.) baneful- deadly or sinister vanquish- come out better in a competition, race, or conflict depraved- deviating from what is considered moral, right, proper, or good inveterate- habitual Making Sense of Hawthorne's Vocabulary After completing this short story, I realized that Hawthorne's vocabulary can vary drastically. For example, In The Scarlet Letter I felt that I was constantly looking up the definitions to every other word, but in Rappaccini's Daughter, I felt that I was able to easily follow along. Granted, there were still some difficult words but not nearly as many as there were in In The Scarlet Letter. It is really amazing that Hawthorne has such a range of vocabulary to fit the type of story he is writing. To allow us to feel as though The Scarlet Letter was during Puritan times, he wrote with vocabulary and sentences that were complex and intricate. Due to the fact that Rappaccini's Daughter was easier to follow, this word wall isn't as dense in words as the first one I created. From the few general details that we were given, I predict that this story will have to deal with romance. I believe that this romance will occur between Giovanni and Beatrice, the lovely daughter of Rappaccini. I also believe that some sort of murder or crime will occur, for there are a few professors who really like science (meaning they could be creepy) and a creepy guy who watches Giovanni. In addition, I see the garden and mirror to represent something important, like love and sin. I feel like this story will parallel The Scarlet Letter.
Notes:
Lots of Questions! So far, i like the way Hawthorne uses his literary devices, such as personification, to make the plants come alive and seem as if they are connected to Beatrice. The way he does this is quite interesting and allows the reader to start asking questions. Just like The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne characterizes the lead female as beautiful. This particular aspect of Beatrice draws in Giovanni, and leaves him curious. At this point, I am unsure of what the garden symbolizes, but knowing that Hawthorne loves his symbolism, I have a feeling that it will represent a major theme throughout the book. This theme may be love or death, but whatever it is, I feel that it will be very significant. Following along as we have read the book, I have begun to come up with some questions. First, is Dr. Rappaccini going to play a pivotal role in the plot of this story? I get the sense that Hawthorne is bringing up questions of science and ethics as well. For example, he portrays Dr. Rappaccini as someone who constantly crosses the boundaries between these two topics for the benefit of his scientific experiments. I predict that a relationship between Beatrice and Giovanni will become serious and maybe even dangerous as well.
Start blogging by creating a new post. You can edit or delete me by clicking under the comments. You can also customize your sidebar by dragging in elements from the top bar.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |