"Scandalous" behavior similar to Hester Prynne's is still looked down upon in modern society. Celebrities are frequently criticized for scandalous behavior which leads them being publicly shamed. This in many ways is similar to the way that the townspeople shun Hester Prynne and criticize her actions. On a much smaller level, promiscuous behavior committed by a student in high school will be criticized and may cause people to exclude or shun the person because of their behavior. The Puritan society of The Scarlet Letter judges Hester's behavior more harshly than it would be judged nowadays however. In some ways, women are judged more harshly for promiscuity than men because modern society's expectations for women's behavior involve women being much more chaste than men. The expectations for men's behavior condones behavior like Hester's and in some ways glorifies it.

Round B Cloggers, if you're not sure what you'd like to post on, consider the following:

Hester Prynne is shunned by members of her society for her "scandalous" behavior. Does this still happen to people in our (modern) world? In what ways are our society's responses to scandal similar to those of Hester's society? In what ways are they different? And do you think there women are judged more harshly than men in our society? Explain and give examples.

Is America exceptional? If so, how so? If no, why not?

I believe that in many ways, America is an exceptional nation. Our beginnings are fairly unusual. How many nations have the ability to start with a clean slate and truly select how they are going to live? In the past centuries, America has continued to stand out from other nations in our economic and military power. However, unlike Winthrop, I do not believe that America is a nation of chosen people destined to be an example to all the world. While today, we are among the most powerful nations in the world, our time will pass as it did for the Spanish, the British, and other past super-powers. We are a country made up of remarkable people: entrepreneurs, leaders, artists, and of course, farmers, but we have no predetermined destiny or any particular right to dominate over other nations. To believe so is dangerous. In the colonial days, this was reflected in settlers using Manifest Destiny as justification for taking land from the Native Americans. Today, the American belief that we are exceptional can be seen in our invasion of Iraq to install our own and (in our eyes) superior form of government. While there are many wonderful and unique things about our country, this does not give us any extra rights or privileges compared to other countries.

"Is America exceptional? If so, how so? If no, why not?

America is a country that has risen from a humble beggening to being a a powerful country. There are opertuniteis offered in America that arn't offered anywhere else in the world. It is one of the wealthyist most influential contries in the world. If this is how you define exeptional then America is exeptional. However, these are not the only criteria I use to look at American exeptionalism. I do not beleive that America is the City upon a Hill that Winthrope proclaimed it to be. Bigotry is still common in America. Prejudices, supposedly wiped out with the Civil War, are still common throughout the country. In every city, homeless can be found on the streets. People die every day because they cant afford healthcare. In many countries these problems wouldn't occur because every citizen has healthcare is. America has come a long way from its humble roots however it still has a far way to go before it becomes truly exceptional.