INTRO:
The novel this is on is the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This presentation is done by Megan Blackwell in 3rd period.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
My essential question is what is the best way to process guilt?

ARTICLE OVERVIEW:
Guilt and shame are closely related negative emotions that affect people’s behaviors. People prone to feeling guilty are shown to show more empathy and are more adaptive; while people prone to shame have no relation to those categories. The two, though are alike, have not yet been seen relation in aspect of recognizing emotions. Guilt and shame are dangerous to live with because people find it hard to recognize these emotions in other people. The best way to handle these feelings are to not like them simply stay inside your head, but say them out loud— whether that be talking to a friend, family member, or just someone trusted. When these feelings are kept inside, they can get worse and more prominent. While on the other hand, when these feelings are spoken out, they tend to get better, not fixed necessarily, but they go down.

CONNECTION TO NOVEL:
In the Scarlet Letter, the minister experiences feelings of guilt for what he has done. He does not express to someone close to him what he has done, he bottles it up inside. Him bottling up his feelings of shame and guilt inside only makes it worse and drives him to craziness at some points. If the minster would have let out his feelings, he would’ve felt better and those feelings decreased. Hester Prynne also experiences shame, but her shame in her scarlet letter. She has told people that she feels it serves a good reminder and she is glad she is kept accountable by it. Hester is glad, but at the same time it burns on her chest as reminder of the sinful act she once committed.

WORKS CITED:
And this is my works cited for my research. Thank you!