Scarlet Letter

     The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, has several examples from the Romantic Era. For instance, " The rust on the ponderous iron-work of its oaken door looked more antique than any thing else in the new world. Like all that pertains to crime, it seemed never to have known a youthful era" (Hawthorne 41).  The prison door is grayish black, has spikes, and is described as old and ugly. It is expected that such a door would portray the same characteristics as the person behind the prison doors.
      "The penalty thereof is death. But, in their great mercy and tenderness of heart, they have doomed Mistress Prynne to stand only a space of three hours on the platform of the pillory, and ten and thereafter, for the remainder of her natural life, to wear a mark of shame upon her bosom" (Hawthorne 54). Hester had been punished for her sin and was forced to stand on the platform for several hours in front of an audience. She also had to wear a Gothic scarlet letter "A" on her bosom. This portrays the Romantic Era and its darkness due to the punishment of having to be stared at.

News Article #5

     The disturbing news I came across can be found on CNN. It is usually the "beginning" of a woman's life when she finally gives birth to a child after all those months of pain and misery. In this news article however, it is shown how inhumane a person can be towards a newborn. The article, written by the CNN Wire Staff, provides an explanation of the horrific event that took place. A 25 year old woman named Lindsey Brooke Lowe secretly gave birth to male twins in her own bathroom. Her family was not aware of her pregnancy. She claims that she was trying to "calm the babies down" by putting her hand on both of their mouths. After the death of the two babies, she had placed them in a laundry basket next to her bed, with a blanket covering their dead bodies.
    Lowe's father had called the police stating that there was a dead infant in their daughter's bedroom. They had later discovered that there was another dead infant, which was the twin. It is assumed that Lowe has confessed what she has done. She is now put under suicide watch due to the chronic depression she is in. Lowe is sentenced for lifetime jail and she can only be freed with a $250,000 fee.