Maypole

knowes his owne, yet all things... are used in common amongst them...” (Morton p.182). This is a picture that is quite different from Bradford who sees the natives as people to be feared and reviled. It is this conflict that arises the need for Hawthorne to comment on this debate and point out that no one side is perfect (neither the jolly Merry Mounters or the gloomy Puritans). The Puritans are cruel and joyless, while the people of Merry Mount are naive and living in their own dome of one sided thinking. Hawthorne even points out in the story that it is considered high treason to be sad in Merry Mount. Neither group is willing to conform to the others ideals and ultimately this leads to the destruction of Merry Mount and the glorious maypole. Hawthorne is trying to say that the Europeans coming to this land for many different ideals are going to need to set their prejudices and differences aside and work together with the natives of the land or assuredly destruction will come to everyone involved which is exactly how the story concludes. In William Heath's article on Hawthorne’s short story titled Merry Old England and Hawthorne’s “The May-Pole of Merry Mount” Heath explores the meaning of the story's conclusion and what this says about Hawthorne and the future of America. It is important to note this part of Hawthorne’s life and career as he often did return to the blight of the Puritans, but in a way this short story seems like a jumping off point or a slight beginning…

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's “The Maypole of Merry Mount,” he opens by personifying nature in a Transcendentalist way. Nature is shown as a beautiful, young woman with a hedonistic wildness. Nature is coordinated with the feelings of the people. For instance, when the reality of life came to the lovers, “down came a little shower of withered rose leaves from the Maypole” (1126). This image differs from the traditional Transcendentalist view of nature reflecting emotion, which only shows the best and…

There are several famous rituals back then, the most significant one is the celebration of spring and the month of May, where people go out and enjoy the spectacular weather and activities to celebrate the spring season. “Till you come forth. Wash, dress, be brief in praying: Few beads are best when once we go a-Maying” The Norton Anthology p.1761 The lines above shows the importance of the celebration of May back then in England, and that it is as religious as saying your beads or your prayers.…

May Day is a fantastic celebration you may be curious and ask yourself, what is May Day? Well May Day is a celebration of the start of summer and children dance around, hold ribbons and weave patterns out of ribbons around a pole. Then this person named Margaret Sullivan made an article on Hubpages titled Facts About May Day History and Maypole Dancing for Kids and Adults and she said that May Day celebrations are celebrated in 66 countries such as Great Britain, France, Ireland, Germany,…

When the Pilgrims first landed in America, they started off with the principle of being the “City on a Hill”. William Bradford wanted us to embody this saying, by living strictly by the Bible. Hedonism was not allowed and anyone who strayed from God’s will, would be dealt with severely. However, there was eventually someone who questioned this way of life. This person was Thomas Morton. Thomas Morton was the direct opposite of Bradford. He was a man of secularity and open-mindedness. He visited…

holiday celebrated in March, was not always celebrated on the same day every year (Noguchi, 2009). Although Easter is still similar to how we it is celebrated today. For example we would have people start left nine weeks before Easter Sunday and when it comes to Whitsunday eight weeks later it ends (Noguchi, 2009). The next common holiday is April Fool’s day, which is celebrated in the month of April. April Fool’s Day is not as quite the same from now. In Medieval Times, Jesters and Lords would…

Moreover, she exemplifies this belief at the annual spring celebration. There, she tragically places McPherson in the square-dancing group and Lawson in the Maypole group. After discovering this, McPherson decided to try to manipulate his way into Lawson's group by explaining to Boswell that he dances poorly and will mess up the show. Unsuccessful, he gets his father to wrote him an excuse, but after switching groups, Boswell realizes the groups are uneven. In direct punishment to…

a chuckle or grin because one would have to understand the plot in order to find it funny. Moreover, the author uses comic language such as irony to add a touch of personality to Sam, the narrator, and use the Superiority Theory. This is shown as the narrator, Sam, has a speech pattern which includes tongue in cheek humor and descriptive phrases and expressions, and these aspects of Sam’s character were created by O. Henry, in order to keep the tone of the story light and satirical. In the…

simply illustrating her potential fertility. Exploring this puzzle led me to another work of van Eyck's, his 'Ghent Altarpiece'. Like Arnolfini's wife, the Cumaen Sibyl in this painting wears a similar sap-green gown and places her hand on the swelling curve of her high waist. I am in agreement with Grayson Perry, who wrote Van Eyck's images of women represent the pathway to something divine; the Arnolfini is "an early altar to human love". Linda Nochlin's article on the absence of great female…

stories about kidnapping, the kidnappers are very in control of the situation and the child is usually very scared, but is inevitably returned back to the loving arms of their parents. However in the short story, “The Ransom of Red Chief” by O. Henry, the kidnappers are scared while the child is in control. This irony creates a humorous tone that is seen throughout the entire short story. Verbal and Situational irony are used to create the tone of humor in the story. Verbal irony is used in…