The Scarlet Letter & Its Place in English 10 Honors

The Scarlet Letter & Its Place in English 10 Honors

In a high school English class, the teacher's goal is to enrich the students with enjoyable literature that is relevant and the proper difficulty level. To choose books is a very difficult task simply due to the sheer number of books that are available. There are, however, books universally known to be good reads for high school students, for example, the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This novel has been read in high schools across the country for many years and will continue to be read because it is classic literature. It should be read in an English 10 Honors class because it is enjoyable, relevant, and complex.

The reader is the only person who can truly tell if a book is enjoyable. Many different people may have different opinions but The Scarlet Letter is generally accepted as a book that many students enjoy and therefore merits a place in an English 10 Honors class. Although this argument may be weak because obviously there are students who will hate the book, the majority of students have had positive feedback about the book. There are many things that a student can take out of the novel. On the surface, it is a captivating story about an adulterous woman and her conflicts with society. Hawthorne does an excellent job of making his main character, Hester Prynne, very likeable. Many high schools girls can relate to her. The other characters in the book are also very interesting and the story is exciting and suspenseful. Under the surface, there are many themes to which an active reader will pick up on and most likely enjoy discussing and thinking about. Hawthorne offers up criticism of organized religion and shows nature in a very positive light. These subtle themes make the novel interesting to discuss in a classroom. A third thing that a student would probably enjoy about the book is that it is very well written. Hawthorne does amazing things with the motifs and pictures he describes and it is interesting for students to discuss them with their classmates and teacher. The Scarlet Letter should be read in an English 10 Honors class because it is a very entertaining read.

Another reason that The Scarlet Letter should be read in an English 10 Honors class is that it has many themes that are relevant to the life of a high school student. One of the main questions the novel asks is "who determines what sin is?" High school students struggle with the very same question in their own personal lives. Reading The Scarlet Letter may show them a new way of looking at things and possibly help them with their issues. Another main theme of the book is hypocrisy in religion. This issue can still be seen today and high school students will be able to better understand this problem with the help of this novel. English teachers who teach a 10 Honors should teach this novel because