Vice to Virtue Project

English III Honors classes recently wrapped up their study of the American classic, "The Scarlet Letter," by Nathaniel Hawthorne. While reading this novel, English III students analyzed and explored the negative impact of public shame and judgment on forming one's sense of identity. Readers learn that the main character Hester’s public label of "A" originally stands for “adultery” (a vice – an immoral or evil habit or practice; fault; weakness) but eventually comes to represent her “ability” (a virtue – moral excellence, goodness, righteousness). Students reflected on their vices and virtues and created their own "scarlet letters" to wear, displaying those vices and virtues externally. They decorated their letters to reflect the essence of their chosen labels by using materials, symbols, and colors intentionally.

To embrace Hester's experience further, students opted to deliver their presentations from our rendition of the "scaffold," where Puritans lived out their harsh punishments in the public eye of Colonial Boston. While the Puritans may have responded with jeers, our students encouraged and supported their peers in their vulnerable positions on the scaffold. Though our modern-day living scenario is surely not as severe as the Puritans', this project helped students gain a better perspective on the lesson that our mistakes and vices do not define who we are. Our identities are rooted in something deeper: daughters of Christ.