Week Five
Reading One: "The Birthmark"
1. Modern readers often complain that Hawthorne’s archaic writing style is too difficult. Take a passage (2-4 paragraphs) of “The Birthmark” and write a new, updated version. After your adaptation, write a paragraph explaining your choices and what you learned as a result of this activity.
Passage:
"Such a union accordingly took place, and was attended with truly remarkable consequences and a deeply impressive moral. One day, very soon after their marriage, Aylmer sat gazing at his wife with a trouble in his countenance that grew stronger until he spoke.
"Georgiana," said he, "has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?"
"No, indeed," said she, smiling; but, perceiving the seriousness of his manner, she blushed deeply. "To tell you the truth, it has been so often called a charm, that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so."
"Ah, upon another face perhaps it might," replied her husband; "but never on yours. No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect, which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty, shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection"."
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Passage updated version:
"A traditional wedding was celebrated by the union of a a woman with a birth mark and a man of high intelligence. One day, shortly after their marriage, Aylmer sat gazing at his wife's birth mark that baffled him until he brought the birth mark up in a discussion with his wife.
Aylmer said to his wife, "Georgiana, have you ever thought of the possibility of removing your mark that lays on your cheek?"
Georgiana whom was smiling; but, recognized the seriousness in Almyer's question blushed deeply and responded, "No, all my life the birth mark has been called a charm, that i was special enough to encounter such a beauty mark."
Aylmer responded, "Such a mark does not belong on your face, but on another person's face. No, dearest Georgiana, you came so close to being the perfect human; however, you encountered a small defect, which we can not determine whether the meaning of the mark is of defect or beauty, I believe the mark is a visible mark of earth's imperfection."
My choice and learned:
I choice the part that Aylmer and Georgiana talk about her birth mark for the first time. This is where the story reveals what the audience will be reading about. I was star struck on how both Aylmer and Georgiana both had complete opposite views of how to interpret her birth mark. I learned there are many ways to express ones feelings and that we live in a word full of language, which we must dissect ever aspect of the form of language just to understand the meaning behind the words that are being spoken.
2. Modern readers often find Aylmer’s reaction to the birthmark and Georgiana’s acquiescence to its removal outrageous. But is it really? How do people today still succumb to outside pressures in regard to appearance?
All the years that humans have been alive, image has been everything. Way back in the days heavy set woman were viewed as great children bearers. Now days woman have life threatening surgeries and eating disorders just to have the image that society portrays as "perfect". The fact that Georgiana was willing to let her husband put her under a life threatening surgery to change her appearance for her husbands sake is not outrageous for woman actions.
1. Modern readers often complain that Hawthorne’s archaic writing style is too difficult. Take a passage (2-4 paragraphs) of “The Birthmark” and write a new, updated version. After your adaptation, write a paragraph explaining your choices and what you learned as a result of this activity.
Passage:
"Such a union accordingly took place, and was attended with truly remarkable consequences and a deeply impressive moral. One day, very soon after their marriage, Aylmer sat gazing at his wife with a trouble in his countenance that grew stronger until he spoke.
"Georgiana," said he, "has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?"
"No, indeed," said she, smiling; but, perceiving the seriousness of his manner, she blushed deeply. "To tell you the truth, it has been so often called a charm, that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so."
"Ah, upon another face perhaps it might," replied her husband; "but never on yours. No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect, which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty, shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection"."
"A traditional wedding was celebrated by the union of a a woman with a birth mark and a man of high intelligence. One day, shortly after their marriage, Aylmer sat gazing at his wife's birth mark that baffled him until he brought the birth mark up in a discussion with his wife.
Aylmer said to his wife, "Georgiana, have you ever thought of the possibility of removing your mark that lays on your cheek?"
Georgiana whom was smiling; but, recognized the seriousness in Almyer's question blushed deeply and responded, "No, all my life the birth mark has been called a charm, that i was special enough to encounter such a beauty mark."
Aylmer responded, "Such a mark does not belong on your face, but on another person's face. No, dearest Georgiana, you came so close to being the perfect human; however, you encountered a small defect, which we can not determine whether the meaning of the mark is of defect or beauty, I believe the mark is a visible mark of earth's imperfection."
My choice and learned:
I choice the part that Aylmer and Georgiana talk about her birth mark for the first time. This is where the story reveals what the audience will be reading about. I was star struck on how both Aylmer and Georgiana both had complete opposite views of how to interpret her birth mark. I learned there are many ways to express ones feelings and that we live in a word full of language, which we must dissect ever aspect of the form of language just to understand the meaning behind the words that are being spoken.
Passage:
"Such a union accordingly took place, and was attended with truly remarkable consequences and a deeply impressive moral. One day, very soon after their marriage, Aylmer sat gazing at his wife with a trouble in his countenance that grew stronger until he spoke.
"Georgiana," said he, "has it never occurred to you that the mark upon your cheek might be removed?"
"No, indeed," said she, smiling; but, perceiving the seriousness of his manner, she blushed deeply. "To tell you the truth, it has been so often called a charm, that I was simple enough to imagine it might be so."
"Ah, upon another face perhaps it might," replied her husband; "but never on yours. No, dearest Georgiana, you came so nearly perfect from the hand of Nature, that this slightest possible defect, which we hesitate whether to term a defect or a beauty, shocks me, as being the visible mark of earthly imperfection"."
"":"
"
Passage updated version:"A traditional wedding was celebrated by the union of a a woman with a birth mark and a man of high intelligence. One day, shortly after their marriage, Aylmer sat gazing at his wife's birth mark that baffled him until he brought the birth mark up in a discussion with his wife.
Aylmer said to his wife, "Georgiana, have you ever thought of the possibility of removing your mark that lays on your cheek?"
Georgiana whom was smiling; but, recognized the seriousness in Almyer's question blushed deeply and responded, "No, all my life the birth mark has been called a charm, that i was special enough to encounter such a beauty mark."
Aylmer responded, "Such a mark does not belong on your face, but on another person's face. No, dearest Georgiana, you came so close to being the perfect human; however, you encountered a small defect, which we can not determine whether the meaning of the mark is of defect or beauty, I believe the mark is a visible mark of earth's imperfection."
My choice and learned:
I choice the part that Aylmer and Georgiana talk about her birth mark for the first time. This is where the story reveals what the audience will be reading about. I was star struck on how both Aylmer and Georgiana both had complete opposite views of how to interpret her birth mark. I learned there are many ways to express ones feelings and that we live in a word full of language, which we must dissect ever aspect of the form of language just to understand the meaning behind the words that are being spoken.
2. Modern readers often find Aylmer’s reaction to the birthmark and Georgiana’s acquiescence to its removal outrageous. But is it really? How do people today still succumb to outside pressures in regard to appearance?
All the years that humans have been alive, image has been everything. Way back in the days heavy set woman were viewed as great children bearers. Now days woman have life threatening surgeries and eating disorders just to have the image that society portrays as "perfect". The fact that Georgiana was willing to let her husband put her under a life threatening surgery to change her appearance for her husbands sake is not outrageous for woman actions.
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