Introducing the Story Literary Skills Focus: Symbolism Literary Skills Focus: Literary Perspectives Reading Skills Focus: Drawing Inferences Writing Skills

Introducing the Story

Literary Skills Focus: Symbolism

Literary Skills Focus: Literary Perspectives

Reading Skills Focus: Drawing Inferences

Writing Skills Focus: Think as a Reader/Writer

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The Minister’s Black Veilby Nathaniel Hawthorne

Where does an individual find

inspiration?The Sermon by Julius Gari Melchers

The Minister’s Black Veilby Nathaniel Hawthorne

Click on the title to start the video.

The Minister’s Black Veil Introducing the Story

Would people be comfortable . . .


. . . if we knew the contents of each other’s souls?

Mr. Hooper, a young Puritan clergyman, shocks his congregation by appearing at the church one Sunday in a black veil.

• Why, the people wonder fearfully, is their minister hiding his face?

• Is the veil related to the topic of Mr. Hooper’s sermon—secret sin?

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A symbol is something that

• has meaning in itself

• also stands for something beyond itself

peace passage of time love

The Minister’s Black Veil Literary Skills Focus: Symbolism

Hawthorne, like other Dark Romantics, used symbolism in his writing. The central symbol in this story is a black veil.

Descriptions of the veil suggest its symbolic importance.

“horrible”

“dismal shade”

“mysterious emblem”The veil “darkly separates the wearer from the world.”

The Minister’s Black Veil Literary Skills Focus: Symbolism

The Sermon by Julius Gari Melchers

The Minister’s Black VeilLiterary Skills Focus: Analyzing Historical Context

Thinking about historical context helps you understand the culture of the time.

In Puritan New England, sin was a frequent sermon topic.

How might the Puritans’ focus on sin and guilt have affected their emotions and actions?

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When you read a story, you draw inferences about characters and events.

An inference is an educated guess based on

• details in the text

• your own knowledge and experience

The Minister’s Black VeilReading Skills Focus: Drawing Inferences


How can you infer the mood on the Sunday morning in Milford as the story begins?

“Children, with bright faces, tripped merrily beside their parents, or mimicked a graver gait, in the conscious dignity of their Sunday clothes. Spruce bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens, and fancied that the Sabbath sunshine made them prettier than on weekdays.”

From these details you can infer that the mood is lighthearted.

“Children, with bright faces, tripped merrily beside their parents, or mimicked a graver gait, in the conscious dignity of their Sunday clothes. Spruce bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens, and fancied that the Sabbath sunshine made them prettier than on weekdays.”

Into Action As you read, keep a chart like the one below to record your inferences about characters, events, and symbols.

My Inferences My Knowledge Details

“Children, with bright faces, tripped merrily”; “bachelors looked sidelong at the pretty maidens.”

Many of the words have a lighthearted, pleasant connotation.

The mood in Milford is cheerful and happy.


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Find It in Your Reading The black veil is the principal symbol in this story.

The Minister’s Black VeilWriting Skills Focus: Think As a Reader/Writer

As you read, notice how the author suggests the veil’s meanings by describing the way it affects

• Mr. Hooper’s view of the world

• the congregation’s view of Mr. Hooper

Vocabulary

The Minister’s Black VeilVocabulary

obscurity n.: darkness.

iniquity n.: wickedness.

ostentatious adj.: deliberately attracting notice.

inanimate adj.: lifeless.

antipathy n.: strong dislike.

plausibility n.: believability.

pensively adv.: thoughtfully or seriously.


Those inanimate objects which can be easily replaced are not highly valued.

Which of these inanimate objects might be hardest to replace?

The surprised security officer was compelled to ask, “Is everything in your luggage inanimate?”

What might the officer have noticed?

a. a lumpb. heavinessc. meowing



Not everyone depends on the spotlight for happiness, but few like to work in obscurity.

You are aware of obscurity when the lights literally go out, but you may also sense a kind of darkness if you are not noticed or recognized.


Unlike some writers, Hawthorne did not have to toil in obscurity.

A writer or artist often first creates in obscurity, until the quality of the work is recognized.


A circus today would be considered reasonable and tame entertainment for the family . . . hardly a den of iniquity.

What features does this clown have, however, that suggest wickedness, or iniquity?


The word iniquity is old-fashioned, but the concept of wickedness is common enough today.

Which of these people looks the least likely to be guilty of any iniquity?

A B C


The word ostentatious suggests an outward appearance created for the express purpose of showing off.

While the word ostentatious can carry a negative connotation, a show-off quality is often appreciated in public buildings.


Which is more ostentatious, the opera house in Sidney or the arch in St. Louis?

The adverb pensively suggests that someone has some deep thinking to do.

thoughtful meditative

eager deceitful

lighthearted serious

harsh jealous


A poet pensively considering a sonnet is probably in what kind of mood?

Before Angela accepted the promotion, she and her siblings considered the impact of a move.


They each reflected pensively on how they would stay close from a greater distance.

The word antipathy suggests a dislike that is somewhat milder than deep hatred.


Melton’s hostility toward classmates is only fleeting.

What might help him forget his antipathy?

The word antipathy brings to mind several words built on the root –path, meaning feeling.


Match the following prefix/root combinations with their meanings: apathy antipathy empathy

shared feeling

no feeling

hostile feeling

Marianne enjoys inviting partners onto the dance floor . . .


but can there be any plausibility to the rumor she’s an extraterrestrial who makes dancers disappear between the waltz and the cha-cha?


One may imagine a bizarre and unbelievable scenario, only to find that the natural world functions with equally astounding results.

If you had never seen a gyroscope before, would you doubt the plausibility of such incredible balance?

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The End

Documents

Introducing the Story Literary Skills Focus: Symbolism Literary Skills Focus: Literary Perspectives Reading Skills Focus: Drawing Inferences Writing Skills