Quote Analyzation

"Ah, but," interposed, more softly, a young wife, holding a child by the hand. "let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will always be in her heart." (Hawthorne, 36) 

A quote is as powerful as when, how, and why it is said. This particular quote was stated whilst Hester Prynne stood in front of many for the people to recognize her as a sinner. A scarlet letter with the letter "A" - appropriately selected, standing for "Adultery" - was decided to be brandished on her bosom for the rest of her existence in the Puritan civilization in Boston. As she stood proudly amongst her fellow townspeople, Hester fell victim to endless gossiping and snickering. This quote came from the last of a group of women sharing their worthless opinions on the matter. Although the others' opinions were worthless, this scornful remark truly set the feel of the novel as a whole. Hawthorne's sense to sneak in such a powerful quote from such a powerless character shows his literary genius. The quote's immense power is that no matter how much she covers her scarlet letter, the presence of the guilt and disappointment will always be upon her. She is now a sinner, and sinners could never cover up their sins. This quote, however, is also ironic in the sense that Hester never really covered up her shameful marking signifying her pride. Will the "pang of it always be in her heart?" Will Hester Prynne succumb to the sorrows and troubles facing her whilst she brandishes that deemed scarlet letter and will this lady's opinion be actualized; or will Hester's pride slowly destroy her enemies?

Fisker sells its assets to Hong Kong tycoon, files for bankruptcy

http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-fisker-sale-bankruptcy-20131122,0,4870491.story#axzz2lRZJIQLu

Jerry Hirsch

Fisker? That is no Mercedes-Benz, BMW, or Porsche... but Fisker not being a car industry mogul is presumably why they are filing bankruptcy. Fiskers are rarely spotted, but when they are, one would surely stop and stare. The Fisker Karma is arguably one of the most sleekest, stylish, and eye-popping automobiles out there and it is truly a shame the world rarely sees them. An investor group headed by Hong Kong tycoon Richard Li purchased the federal loan made to Fisker, therefore acquiring the assets to the already struggling company. With Li only paying around $8,000,000, the federal government will lose up to $139 million in the deal. Despite the loss taken from the federal government, Li's Hybrid Technology is willing to continue production of the hybrid automobile and continue to pursue the hybrid advances and attempt to rejuvenate the company as a whole. The designer of the Fisker Karma was Henrik Fisker, who has already worked on a sum of beautiful automobiles - the Aston Martin DB9 and V-8 Vantage, along with the BMW Z8. Fisker Automotive started off as a prodigious and promising company, ready to revitalize the world of automobiles with their unique combination of hybrid technologies, speed, flare, and pure beauty. It is truly disheartening to witness the economical death of such an auspicious and felicitous company.

Puritans in 1600's; Religion

http://www3.gettysburg.edu/~tshannon/hist106web/site15/test2.htm

Henry the VIII of England was a man of many wonders - and wives, but as he wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon, he needed the permission from the Catholic Church. Divorce was not accepted in the Catholic Church, therefore a jumpy and impatient Henry the VIII created is own church: The Church of England (The Anglican Church). As the Church of England became more strict as the years passed, a religious group called the Puritans believed that the Anglican Church was flawed and branched out to practice their own religious views. When the King denied all forms of religious tolerance, the Puritans decided to take the treacherous journey to the New World to preserve and practice their beliefs. The New World became the perfect spot for the Puritans. They preached of their religion to the Indians settling there. Puritan leaders converted Native Americans into the Puritan religion and labelled them "Praying Indians." These "Praying Indians" then were separated from their initial groups and brought them to the Puritan settlements. The Puritans had many obscure beliefs. Of such, arguably the most controversial and the one which started the most trouble, was their beliefs in regards to the interaction of Satan on the people. The Puritans were most concerned with the influence and the "existence" of witchcraft within the people. Gender roles were deeply ingrained in the Puritan society; therefore the accusations of the witchcrafts based almost always on the women. Religion was easily the top priority for the settlers and was a key aspect of the settler's lives. Every move they made was based on their religious beliefs and what was tolerated by their beloved religion. 

Wind gusts reported at Russian plane crash site; all 50 onboard die

by Sergei L. Loiko
11.17.13

http://www.latimes.com/world/worldnow/la-fg-wn-russian-plane-crashes-kazan-killing-50-20131117,0,2765899.story#axzz2kwKaltbf

An average morning for the Russian civilians headed on their relatively short journey from the extravagant and beautiful capital city of Moscow to Kazan, a city of lesser fame and importance. Stepping on to the empowering Boeing 747, all 50 passengers - comprised of 44 passengers and 6 crew members - never could have expected it be the last people knew of them. What seemed to be a calm, normal morning in Russia turned out to be a day of mourning. Wind gusts were reported, but the pilot was certain the flight would not have been affected by those winds. As they were beginning to land the plane instantaneously split in half and burst into flames - a true recipe for disaster. Among the innocent civilians on board, there were a handful of prominent figures that passed away also: Irek  Minnikhanov, the son of the Russia's president of the Tatarstan republic, amongst other men of importance. Some reports claim the wind gusts were strong and sudden during the landing, and others say the winds were so strong the pilot attempted to land two or three times before the disaster occurred. Others suggested there might have a trouble with the technical aspect on board, but there was a reassurance of the safety and tip-top quality of the Boeing 747. From all the evidence gathered, there has been a decision that there is truly not enough evidence and further investigations are scheduled. Whatever it may be, the lives of the victims will forever be mourned and their presence in the lives of their loved ones will forever be felt.

Ralph Waldo Emerson SOAPSTONE

Ralph Waldo Emerson is often considered a favorite in the literary world. His unique prose meshed with his exemplifying wit and intellect attract readers of all sorts. This excerpt from his world-renounced novel, Education - which was published posthumously - opens the minds of his readers by challenging what "education" truly is and how one could fully live up to the full potential of gaining a complete education. As one begins to try to grasp the concept of a piece, a simple yet effective way to do so is to analyze the piece using the SOAPSTONE rhetoric method. For example, in Ralph Waldo Emerson's excerpt from Education, the speaker is Ralph Waldo Emerson himself. The occasion is the time period of the 1820's to the 1830's where he found himself disappointed in the educational system after becoming a teacher himself at the age of 18. The audience is hypothetically everyone. Emerson did not write only to a specific group of individuals, but rather for every individual to absorb what he had to offer. The purpose would be to teach, to reform, and to inform. He yearned to teach what he felt needed to be taught, to reform the views of the people on the educational system and to reform the educational system in general, and to inform students that education is not just confined in the walls of the classroom. The subject of the passage is idea that education has been taught completely wrong and that students deserve to be respect and with that respect comes fulfillment of educational wonders. Emerson's tone was confident, shrewd, bold, proud, and he sounded as if he was ready to make a difference in the world. The SOAPSTONE for Ralph Waldo Emerson helps summarize quickly yet effectively his argument.

Detroit poised to elect its first white mayor since 1974

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-detroit-mayoral-race-20131103,0,5811.story#axzz2jbvPiZSn

Alana Semuels 

For a city with such rich American history, Detroit has seen better days - to say the absolute least. From the heart of the United States' budding automobile industry, due to the likes of Henry Ford, Detroit has now been a city looking to regain their stature. Detroit has been regarded as a "black" city because of the heavy rap and hip-hop influences, powering mobs and gangsters, and the heavy percentage of African-Americans who just simply reside in the heart of Michigan. For the first time since 1974, the city of Detroit is poised to elect a white mayor. The last time their mayor was a white man the Vietnam War was coming to a close. Their last mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, was recently sentenced to up to 28 years in prison for corruption. One can easily argue he has not left the BEST influence on his people. Now that the city is filing for official bankruptcy protection, the new white mayor, Mike Duggan is looking to take over. With a commanding 2-1 lead on his second place candidate, he is surprisingly ahead. But one may ask, "why 'surprisingly'?" The last multiple elections have been solely based on race and/or personal preferences rather than what that candidate brings to the table. People are voting based on the color on the skin of the candidate then the foundation they plan to establish for the city they live. In a city with 82% of its population being African-American, one can see why it is surprising. The city of Detroit, Michigan deeply hopes that Mike Duggan can fill that emphatic hole left by Kilpatrick and revitalize the city and its residents.