Shaming In Source B. Monica Lewinsky's The Scarlet Letter
990 Words4 Pages
Public Shaming is something that can be accepted with different outlooks. For example, some view it as a hideous, gruesome display of how the consequences can be delivered. However, others see it as the only way the person of wrong-doing will be able to learn from their mistakes. With no precedents, our society may have never turned out the way it is today. In Source A, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne undergoes public shame through minimal interaction with her peers, and the placement of the embroidered “A” on her chest. These forms of public shame project an example of what crime not to commit, to the younger generations. Source B, Monica Lewinsky’s “The Price of Public Shame” revolves around the subject of a woman whom made the decision…show more content… The book, the Scarlet Letter, and Nick Bilton’s “Is the Internet a Mob without Consequence?” both teach lessons to its viewers through the subject of public shame. In Source A, The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne along with her daughter Pearl serve as examples for the younger generations of their community on what not to do. “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,- at her, the child of honorable parents,- at her, the mother of the babe, that would hereafter be a woman,- at her, who had once been innocent,- as the figure, the body, the reality of sin.” (Scarlet Letter 73) The difference between the lessons learned in the Scarlet Letter and the article written by Nick Bilton is that Hester and Pearl are the product of what not to do while the article surrounds a woman whom deals with the undertow of committing a “sin”. Bilton’s, “Is the Internet a Mob without Consequence?”, is a prime example of public shaming resulting in a negative way. “Daily there are countless other incidents of people being threatened and pummeled for something they have said online” (Bilton). This statement provides information on that fact that public shaming, now, can be taken further than necessary to teach a valuable lesson. As stated previously, public shame is beneficial in most cases because it provides lessons for others to learn from, if applied