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A reference to events in the mythical story of Oedipus, King of Thebes, later immortalized by Sophocles himself in the play Oedipus the King (a.k.a. Oedipus Rex).

After he learned that he had unwittingly killed his father and married his mother, Oedipus was consumed by anguish and shame over what he’d done, what he was fated to do and could not avoid. His self-punishment was to pluck his own eyes out. Iocaste, his mother, committed suicide.

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What is this?

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It’s one of the great ironies of our world. In order to have peace, we must prepare for war


This is a paraphrase of “Si vis pacem, para bellum” from the tract “De Re Militari” by Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus, written in the 4th century AD.

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The rose symbolizes hope in the midst of ugliness. It is beautiful, and found next to a prison, which suggests that Nature does not judge humans as humans do.

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One couldn’t completely say that the Puritans loved to watch people be disciplined and tortured, rather they enjoyed watching their city living up to theirUtopian views, which usually came from their upbringing that it takes a village to raise a child. The idea is that rather than parents taking responsibility of their own children, all of the adults in the community were responsible for raising the child so that the community remained the same and was conducted as such in future generations. While it is true to say that many people enjoy watching others get punished for what said person believes was immoral, it is also equally true that some enjoy the idea of a social order of people who act and behave in the same way.

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not less than = more than

More than two centuries ago means this story took place over 200 years ago. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850 so the story took place sometime before 1650.

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The Puritans want Hester to feel shame for what she has done, but she shows off her baby. Is it defiant pride or is it a mask she is putting up? Hester is a long way from dealing with the torment of being an outcast and will not be able to be a confident symbol of defiance against the Puritan community until she comes to accept all the circumstances that come with her crime and choices.

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This goodwife takes the most extreme stance of all. Hester Prynne should be killed for what she has done.

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What is this?

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Jewish women are supposed to be nice on computers (according to Jadakiss) which likely means they know how to manage money. This particular girl, Veronica, knows how to do that stuff on the computer and she’s not even a Jew!

Jada loves to rap about Jews with the most famous example being from Benjamins when it was censored.

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What is this?

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A woman that looks manly, setting up a contrast with the beautiful Hester.

These women were tough in a bad way. They were “hard” in the sense of blood thirsty and just plain mean.

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The gems are beautiful roses, which contrast with the dark tone established by the jail and the cemetery.

Hawthorne tells us that it is June, a month when roses are in bloom in New England.

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