Post-war Prosperity

Capitalism, entrepreneurship, advertising, media, and social ideals all exploded after World War I in the 1920's.  Women expressed a new, more outgoing identity. New products were mass advertised for the first time. Broadway and other entertainment areas flourished. This drastic change in society happened after World War II with the baby boomers and the 1950's as well. it seems as if the United States has a pattern to its prosperity, and the phrase "History always repeats itself" applies perfectly. So will this recurring theme happen again with today's recession? What if we pull out of all the wars on terrorism and turn the economy around? What new ideas and inventions could be awaiting discovery? At the time, women doing basically anything showy was considered scandalous, the term "flapper" was coined. New and more abundant forms of entertainment arose. This pattern gives hope for a creative future; numerous possibilities are just around the corner.

Preposterous Punctuation

Punctuation has valuable uses, but these rules should not be enforced because free use of punctuation allows for writers to express their thoughts in a clearer way. This is expressed best through poetry and social media. In today's world, people do not always have the time or the ability to use punctuation correctly, yet people can still understand the meaning of these grammatical atrocities. In source 1, Hitchings gives numerous examples of how our language has changed. In the "sentence" he gives, "Gr8 C u l8r @ skul :)" he shows how communication is entirely possible without the correct use of punctuation. The two poems, "On Punctuation" by Elizabeth Austen and "I Dwell in Possibility" by Emily Dickinson also use punctuation incorrectly or do not include it at all and still contain a theme that the audience is able to grasp. The use of the dashes as pauses may be said to prove punctuation rules are necessary, but in reality, they help show the creativity an author can have if they use punctuation freely. The whole poem is punctuated awfully. This helps to prove that the rules behind punctuation are restrictive and should not bind writers as tightly as they do.

A is for.....

In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne wears the letter "A" on her dress. The A supposedly stands for adulterer, but throughout the story, the meaning behind the letter changes. Because of her charity work, people start to think the letter actually means "able". Being branded by a symbol does not always mean that you are stuck as that person. Although the town outcast, Prynne soon becomes a respected figure in society as one who cares for others and is selfless even after her crime. This portrays an underlying theme in the story: you are what you choose to be. Hester was known as an adulterer, an outcast; her drive to carry out her punishment and change her life created a new image of herself in the town. The meaning of the letter A changed with her. It did not define her. Just because Superman wears the big S on his chest does not instantly make him super. The actions of a person are what ultimately define who he or she is as a person. As Hester's actions placed her under the scornful eye of the public, they also freed her from her shackles of sin and gave new light to her life in the Boston community.