1
Rhetorical analysis #3
Pearl, Hester and Arthur Dimmesdale stand together on the scaffold. Pearl has asked the minister to “stand here with mother and me, to-morrow noontide” but the minister has refused, saying “But the daylight of this world shall not see our meeting.”
At that exact moment, as Hawthorne tells the story, the entire sky lights up with a dramatic light. In the passage, Hawthorne emphasizes the perhaps divine power of the light and its amazing ability to light up the surrounding village and then seems to connect the lighted image of Pearl, Hester and Arthur on the scaffold with a great and moral truth.
Your task: Write a short essay in which you analyze Hawthorne’s rhetorical purpose: how does Hawthorne use language to create a sense of divine revelation in this passage? You must clarify the significance of what is revealed.
Step One: jot down answers to following questions about passage . . .
1. What is the tone of Hawthorne’s comment “It was doubtless caused by . . .”
(notice how Hawthorne’s language immediately after seems to discount a literal interpretation of the light . . . .)
2. With what metaphoric language (2 specific metaphors) does Hawthorne suggest
that the light is holy or supernatural? Do these metaphors have any religious connotations?
3. ”awful” literally meant inspiring awe. How does the description of light as “awful” and “unaccustomed” contribute to the sense of supernatural?
4. How, then, has Hawthorne’s tone changed? What is it now?
5. Hawthorne goes on to describe the surrounding houses and lawns with exact and specific details. List some of these details and explain why Hawthorne includes them in this passage:
How does the sense of vivid reality that comes from these specific details ironically contribute to, rather than detract from, the sense of the supernatural?
6.After the description, Hawthorne makes a thematic comment: that the light “seemed to give another moral interpretation to the things of this world . . .” What is he suggesting here?
7. Remember the whole scenario--Arthur tells Pearl that the daylight of the world will never see their meeting, and then Bam! Here comes an amazing light. Look carefully at Hawthorne’s depiction of the 3 characters this light clarifies:
What is Arthur doing?
What does Hawthorne emphasize about Hester?
How does he identify Pearl ?
In the concluding sentence of this paragraph, note Hawthorne’s repetition of light words--noon--light--daybreak. Hawthorne says the light gives a “moral interpretation” to the things of this world--and the “things” are the three on the scaffold.
So, you must decide --what is Hawthorne’s meaning in this passage?
Step 2: Write a well-developed essay that begins with a focused topic sentence (or a thematic statement) that addresses the question in the prompt. Then, discuss specific examples of language in the passage as you explain their effect. Combine everything into a very coherent and clearly-developed explanation of the passage