1. Goup Work: Young Goodman Brown as an allegory.
What is an allegory?
— A story where everything is a symbol
— Used commonly to instruct especially in religious matters
— Some famous allegories are:
· Dante’s Divine Comedy (more famous though is the first part commonly known as Dante’s Inferno
· John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress
The Allegory of Young Goodman Brown
Young Goodman Brown functions as an allegory of the fall of man, from which Hawthorne draws to illustrate what he sees as the inherent fallibility and hypocrisy in American religion. Please make a list of possible symbols and discuss the impact of symbolism on the theme of this story. Here are some hints:
2. Pair Work: A study of history and story.
In Young Goodman Brown, Hawthorne references three dark events from the Puritans’history: the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the Puritan intolerance of the Quakers, and King Philip’s War. Discuss what you know about those events and their traces in this story.
3. Solo Work: A comparative writing task.
Finish the complete story of Young Goodman Brown and then Compare this story to Kate Chopin’s Desiree’s Baby. In your essay of comparison, try to include your original thoughts about the nature of good and evil by referring to the details of both stories.
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