The Scarlet Letter | Plot and analysis

The Scarlet Letter | Plot and analysis In this section, the book describes a nameless character who coincidentally shares the same occupation and desires as the author of this book, Nathaniel Hawthorne. The narrator works as a chief executive officer at the Salem Custom House, meaning that he collects tariffs on foreign goods. Unfortunately, not many ships dock at Salems Port for whatever reason, so the narrator often finds himself with little to do during the work week. One gloomy day, the narrator tries to keep himself entertained by exploring the abandoned second floor of the custom house. While checking out a room upstairs, he discovers a scarlet A and an old note written by a former chief executive officer at the Custom House nearly 200 years earlier. While examining the scarlet letter, he holds it over his chest, but drops it immediately because he feels a burning sensation in his chest. He then reads the note, which tells a story about a woman who committed adultery. This inspires him to write his own spin on the n ote, even though it wouldnt be factually accurate. At the end of this section, a new president is elected, and he loses his job, which forces the narrator into following his dream of becoming a writer to make a living. Questions about the Custom House: Who is this nameless narrator who works in the Custom House? Why didnt the narrator follow his dream of becoming a writer? If the narrator hates his job and is bored because there is no work for him to do, why doesnt he quit and follow his dream? What inspired the narrator to go up to the second floor of the custom house knowing that it was unused and probably empty? Why did he feel a burning sensation when he held the scarlet letter up to his chest? Why did the narrator lose his job after a new president was elected? My Reactions towards the Custom House: I was kind of surprised to see that the narrator shares so many traits as the author, but wasnt given a name. I would have assumed that if the author intended to put himself in the story, he would have named his character after himself. I wonder why he did this. The book described the building he worked in as being run down and rotting. I believe that this adds to the narrators resentment of his job because I think it makes him feel as if his job isnt important enough to work in a building that isnt falling apart. The narrator also described that his Puritan ancestors would have looked down upon his desire to become a writer. This shocked me because back in Puritan times, Monks Priests wrote a vast majority of all books, and they were held in high esteem. One would think that his or her ancestors would be proud to have a writer in their bloodline because a studious person was looked up to. Journal Entry: Chapter 1 The Prison Door and Chapter 2 The Marketplace Summary of Chapter 1 In chapter 1, the scene is set at the Jailhouse in Salem. A throng of hooded people dressed in somber clothing are gathered around the jailhouse door to scorn and belittle the offender who is about to be released. The area around the Jailhouse is described as being dreary and dead, even the trees and grasses have died because of the gloom radiating from the jailhouse, except for 1 lone rosebush, which provides a relief for the condemned because it is a sweet moral blossom which shows a sign of forgiveness. Summary of Chapter 2 In chapter 2, Hester is released from the Jailhouse, holding an infant and is escorted up onto the scaffold where she will stand for 3 hours as people stare and taunt her. As she is standing up on the scaffold she reminisces about her parents and their house, until her attention is drawn to an old, misshapen man. This misshapen man is the person she married while in Europe before coming to America. By this point, her attention has been drawn back to the crowd, which scares her briefly, causing her to squeeze her baby out of instinct. Questions about Chapters 1 and 2: Why are people dressed in hoods as they gather around the Jailhouse? How has the Rosebush survived the sullen atmosphere it is growing in? Has Hester seen the rosebush? Has it affected her feelings in any way? Why was Hester allowed to take an infant into a dangerous environment such as the Jailhouse? Didnt the Puritans consider the safety of the baby? While standing up on the scaffold, why did Hester choose to reminisce about her parents? My Reactions towards Chapters 1 and 2: Why do the Puritans consider the suffering and punishment of others as a source of entertainment? Based on their morals, wouldnt they want to alleviate some of Hesters suffering, rather than add to it? I find that the lack of compassion shown by the Puritans in the Scarlet Letter very disturbing. If the Jailhouse was designed to detain violent and destructive criminals, why was Hester held there? Hester did not harm or endanger anyone; therefore I believe that she didnt need to be treated as someone who is dangerous. Was the rosebush planted in front of the Jailhouse intentionally? Or was it a sign of forgiveness from God? I find this very odd that something so beautiful would even survive in an environment so dreary and dead. If wearing the scarlet A was not a repercussion of Hesters offense, why did she even bother making it? If I committed that sin and had to face severe ridicule because of it, I wouldnt want to attract more scorn unto myself by wearing a big, extravagant scarlet A. Journal Entry: Chapter 3 The Recognition and Chapter 4 The Interview Summary of Chapter 3 In this chapter, Hester is continuing her punishment on the scaffold. She sees her husband, who is dressed in Indian clothing. He makes a gesture to Hester, telling her not to draw attention to him. After making this gesture, he begins asking a man in the crowd about Hesters crime and who the co-sinner was. The man replies that she was the wife of a wealthy Englishman from Amsterdam and that she committed adultery, but refuses to reveal the father of the child. For some reason, Chillingworth makes a comment about how such an old man could keep a young woman such as Hester happy. After this, we are introduced to Reverend Dimmesdale, Reverend Wilson, and Governor Bellingham, who question Hester in attempt to get her to confess to who the real father is but to no avail. Then Reverend Wilson attempts to make her reveal the father by giving her a sermon on sin, which makes her scarlet A glow. After the three try everything they can think off, they give up, and Hester is taken back to the Jailhouse. Summary of Chapter 4 In chapter 4, Hester meets her husband face to face for the first time since the beginning of the novel. Since he is a physician, he is called into the Jailhouse to drug Hester, and make her more susceptible to interrogation. When he enters Hesters jail cell, he offers her a potion, but Hester refuses it out of fear of being poisoned for revenge. Chillingworth tries once more to get Hester to reveal the father, but she refuses. As Chillingworth is walking out of the entrance of the cell, he makes Hester promise to keep his identity secret. Because of his evil facial expressions, Hester calls her husband a reincarnated version of the devil. Then Chillingworth vows to find the father of her baby, and leaves the Jailhouse. Questions about Chapters 3 and 4: Did Roger Chillingworth think that Hester would take him back after abandoning her in America for many years? Why didnt Chillingworth want attention drawn to him as Hester was standing on the scaffold? Why did Chillingworth lie about his identity when he asked the man about Hesters crime? Why did Hester withhold the name of the father of her child? Isnt she a little bit angry towards the father for not sharing any of the punishment? My Reactions towards Chapters 3 and 4: I was surprised that Chillingworth sent Hester to America instead of keeping her with him until he finished his work. Wouldnt newlyweds want to stay together no matter what? On top of what was said above, I also wanted to know what Chillingworth was up to in Amsterdam after Hester left. Finishing up some work before he left obviously wasnt the only thing he was up to while in Amsterdam for multiple years after Hester left. When I read his remark about how her husband must have been foolish to think that he could keep a young wife happy, I wondered why he married Hester. Typically, when one is in love, they look out for the best of the other. In this relationship, it seems as if Chillingworth just wanted Hester as a trophy wife. After Reverend Wilson gave Hester the sermon about eternal damnation and sin, I felt really bad for Hester. After all she had been through that day, she must have been feeling many unpleasant emotions, and Reverend Wilson just amplified the feeling of guilt within her. Journal Entry: Chapter 5 Hester at Her Needle and Chapter 6 Pearl Summary of Chapter 5: In chapter 5, the author focuses on Hesters life after being released from prison. Hester is granted her freedom to live wherever she pleases, but she chooses to stay in Boston. Even though many years have passed, Hester was still considered an outcast and was forced to live on the outskirts of town. To support herself and Pearl, she works as a seamstress, and sells her goods in town. Her skill as a seamstress was described as being so great, that even the Governor wore her garments, despite their shameful source. Her work was held in such high regard that people asked her to craft things such burial shrouds, priestly vestments, and officials robes. All of this work afforded both Hester and Pearl a good life, but Hester still felt alienated from her community. Summary of Chapter 6: In chapter 6, the author focuses on Pearl for the first time through the entire novel thus far. Much like the rosebush in chapters 1 and 2, Pearl is the only consolation for Hester as the rosebush is the only consolation for the prisoners. Hester dresses Pearl in fine clothing, despite Puritan ethics. In addition to the scarlet letter, Pearl is another symbol of Hesters sin. Pearl is described as being a defiant child, for example, when Hester attempts to teach Pearl about God, Pearl refuses to listen, and she constantly produces mischief. Pearl also seems to be a little more aware of her surroundings than other infants. While many other 2 or 3 year olds would have disregarded the scarlet A entirely, Pearl asks Hester about it constantly. Questions about Chapters 5 and 6: Why doesnt Hester leave Boston after she is granted her freedom? Why hasnt her community let bygones be bygones and re-accepted Hester back into their community? Why does Hester violate Puritan dress ethics with her sewing? Hasnt she offended the Puritan community enough? Even though Hesters products violate the dress code for Puritans, why do people still purchase them? If Pearl wasnt an illegitimate child, would her behavior have changed? My Reactions towards Chapters 5 and 6: I was shocked to read that Hester decided to stay in Boston, despite her reputation there. If I were in this situation, I definitely would have left and started anew in a new colony or even Europe, that way Chillingworth would have been off of my back, and I wouldnt have to face any more scorn. It was a very brave mood on her part. While reading this section, I half-expected Hester to be allowed back into the community, because people started to interact with her in a positive way for the first time in a long time, by buying her stuff. Unfortunately for her, that was the only positive interaction she would ever receive from them. Towards the end of chapter 5, I was disgusted to read how she was treated by the poor people she served. Even though she made them clothes free of charge, the poor people still treated her in a disrespectful manner. The least they could have done was treat her with respect. After reading chapter 6, I discovered that Pearl was nothing like what I expected her to be. When I first saw the title of chapter 6, I expected a sweet little girl, who was perfect in every way, and caused no trouble, but in actuality, Pearl was every parents nightmare. Journal Entry: Chapter 7 The Governors Hall and Chapter 8 The Elf Child and the Minister Chapter 7 Summary In this chapter, Hester is summoned to the Governors hall to defend her custody over Pearl. While on the way to the Governors hall, a group of children harass Hester and Pearl, but Pearl throws a tantrum and scares the group of children off. Rumors have spread that Pearl is a demon child, and it is questionable if Hester should raise her, because she is alone, and Pearl is a handful in addition to her work to support them. It is also questioned if Hester can raise Pearl in a moral and God-infused environment. While entering the hall, Hester and Pearl take notice of the ornate portraits and suits of armor which decorate the hall. While passing an especially lustrous set of armor, Pearl points out her mothers reflection in the statue, which frightens Hester because the fiery scarlet A dominates the reflection. Chapter 8 Summary In this chapter, Hester meets with the Governor, Reverend Wilson, and Reverend Dimmesdale. Upon entering the conference room, Hester is asked why she feels she deserves to keep Pearl. She points out that she should keep Pearl because she can teach Pearl not to make the same choice she did. Then Wilson tests Pearl on her knowledge on religious topics. Unfortunately, this doesnt seem to sway any of their choices in her favor, so Hester begs Dimmesdale to speak on her behalf. Dimmesdale says that Pearl is both a blessing and a curse from God. Pearl is a blessing because she is a smart and healthy child, but also a curse because on top of being mischievous, she is a constant reminder of her sin. He also says that the best place for a child to be is with its mother because there is a sacred bond between them. After this, the Governor and Reverend Wilson decide to let Hester keep Pearl. Infuriated that Hester was allowed to keep her child, Chillingworth went to the Governor, demanding that he reopen the case to determine who Pearls father is, but he refuses. Hester is also asked by Mistress Hibbins if she would like to join a sà ©ance, but she refuses because she got to keep Pearl. Questions about Chapters 7 and 8: How was Pearl able to scare off a group of children easily twice her age? Why does Pearl point out the scarlet letter often, knowing that it causes her mother pain each and every time she is reminded of it? How did rumors of Pearl being a devil child spread? Hester lives on the outskirts of town and doesnt appear to be in the loop. Why does Pearl refuse to answer any of Reverend Wilsons questions, knowing full well that will allow her to stay with her mother? What makes Reverend Dimmesdale vouch for Hester? Considering he is the moral guru for the town, one would think that he wouldnt be inclined to speak on a sinners behalf. My Reactions towards Chapters 7 and 8: While reading the body of Chapter 7, I was confused on how the townspeople questioned whether or not Pearl was human. I assumed that this question arose from Pearls bad behavior and extreme awareness for her age, which made me seriously consider the theory that Pearl was the spawn of the devil. Also while reading the body of Chapter 7, my perspective of the Governor changed. When he was first introduced, I imagined him as a shorter and wider fellow, but when I learned that he fought battles against the Indians with the suit of armor in the hall, my picture of him changed. Instead of a short, stocky man, I re-imagined him as a taller, well built character. While glancing at the title of Chapter 8, I noticed that it is titled The Elf Child and the Minister. The title made me wonder if little Pearls facial figures had literally begun to look like those of an elf. Even having finished the book, I still cannot make sense of the title. After reading the beginning of Chapter 8, I was flabbergasted at Reverend Dimmesdales, Reverend Wilsons, and Governor Bellinghams treatment of Pearl. Upon entering the room these 3 fully grown men begin to tease a toddler by calling her a bird and demon child. On top of being fully grown men, these are the town leaders who are teasing Pearl. These men are supposed to be the epitome of morality and good behavior. Journal Entry Chapter 9 The Leech and Chapter 10 The Leech and his Patient Summary of Chapter 9: In Chapter 9, Chillingworth has changed his name, and nobody knows his real past, except for Hester, who is bound to secrecy. He has become the town doctor, and has been accepted by the townspeople because they dont have access to quality medical supplies. The town sometimes refers to Chillingworth as a leech, because the use of leeches to cure diseases was common at that time. He is also referred to as a leech because Dimmesdale has been suffering from health problems because of Chillingworths prodding and interrogation. It is also noted that Dimmesdale clutches his heart often. Because Dimmesdale has no wife or companion to live with, Chillingworth demands to live with him for health reasons. The ministers room is hung with pictures showing biblical scenes of adultery biblical punishment. As time passes, Chillingworths trust is questioned because rumors spread of his past. Summary of Chapter 10: In this chapter, the ministers signs of torture are becoming more and more visible. To make matters worse for Dimmesdale, Chillingworth is showing incredible persistence when it comes to discovering what Dimmesdale is hiding. Despite all of his attempts, Chillingworth still cannot determine what secrets Dimmesdale struggles to keep hidden. One day, Dimmesdale inquires Chillingworth about an odd herb. The doctor says that he found it above the grave of someone who buried their sins with them. Then Chillingworth begins to prod Dimmesdale more about buried sin, but Dimmesdale backs out. Suddenly the sounds of Pearl playing are heard from Dimmesdales window, but Pearl drags her mother away when she sees Chillingworth because she thinks that he is the devil. The doctor asks Dimmsdale about his spiritual condition, but Dimmesdale basically tells him that its Gods business. The minister then apologizes for his behavior and then goes to bed. While Dimmesdale is sleeping, Chillingworth pulls back his shirt and reveals the ministers deepest secret. Questions about Chapters 9 and 10: Why didnt Dimmesdale refuse when Chillingworth insisted on living with him? He knew that Chillingworth was after something that he was hiding. Why is Dimmesdale punishing himself so severely? How did the townspeople catch wind of Chillingworths secret past? Can Pearl detect evil in people she hasnt been in contact with? (I.E. Chillingworth?) My Reactions towards Chapters 9 and 10: Since the Puritans believed in superstitions such as witches, etc, I cannot believe that the townspeople trusted a man with such an evil appearance. After learning that Dimmesdale had a secret earlier on in the novel, Chillingworths body transformed from a tired, and old man to a nasty, dark being from all of his attempts to get Dimmesdale to reveal it. After reading that Chillingworth insisted on living with Dimmesdale for health reasons, I cannot believe that Dimmesdale actually accepted and allowed him to move in. He knew from previous chapters that Chillingworth would stop at nothing to find out about his secret. After finishing Chapter 9, I learned that the term leech had 2 meanings when referring to Chillingworth. Originally it was a term used for all doctors at that time period, but as the chapter progressed, Chillingworth sucked all of the life out of Dimmesdale from his persistent questioning. While reading Chapter 10, I was stunned that Pearl detected that Chillingworth was evil. She didnt really have any prior contact with him, and she doesnt live within the community. I believe that she is either really smart or observant or she has a special power. Journal Entry: Chapter 11 Interior of a Heart and Chapter 12 The Ministers Vigil Summary for Chapter 11: In this chapter, Dimmesdale is at the peak of his misery. Chillingworth will not stop playing games with him, and he is getting no sleep because of his guilt. Even though he is suffering mentally, physically, and even spiritually, he keeps his secret bottled up. While Dimmesdale feels worse, his sermons on sin keep getting better and better. To make things harder, he punishes himself physically, by whipping his back repeatedly with a lash, in addition to extreme fasting. One night, he plans to have a vigil where Hester once stood in an attempt to relieve his sin. Summary for Chapter 12: In this chapter, Dimmesdale carries out his plan for a vigil on the scaffold. While standing up there, he fantasizes about revealing his sin, until Reverend Wilson, who is coming from a funeral for Governor Winthrop, passes by the scaffold. He thought about laughing when Wilson passed, but decided against it. After Wilson is gone, Dimmesdale laughs a little bit, which is accompanied by Pearls laugh, who is also standing on the scaffold with Hester. The three hold hands and Dimmesdale feels energized. Pearl asks if Dimmesdale will stand with them tomorrow, but he says no. Suddenly, a meteor flies across the sky, which is in the shape of an A, which frightens Dimmesdale because its a sign of his sin. After the meteor is out of sight, Chillingworth gets Dimmesdale off of the scaffold and takes him home. My Questions about Chapters 11 and 12: Is Dimmesdale even worried about being caught anymore? Or has his guilt focused all of his energy to punishing himself? How didnt Wilson notice Dimmesdale up on the scaffold? Is the meteor a coincidence? Or a sign from God? My Reactions towards Chapters 11 and 12: I was really shocked when I read that Dimmesdale was at the point that he was hitting himself to express his pain inside. I am really puzzled as to why he just doesnt confess now. He is at the point of death, is his secret really worth his life? I could understand why he chose to stand on the scaffold to release his guilt. He chose to stand on the scaffold to mimic Hester punishment because he is the co-adulterer. I believe that it took real strength to do that because anyone could have seen him doing that, and then he would have had to face his worst fear. At first, while reading, I was a bit confused when Pearl asked if the minister would stand with them again tomorrow, because I thought that they had to keep standing up on the scaffold as a continuation of their punishment, but then it hit me that they were only standing up there because Dimmesdale was up there. Chapter 13 Another View of Hester and Chapter 14 Hester and the Physician Summary for Chapter 13: In this chapter, Hester is becoming more and more active in the town. She frequently makes trips into town to donate food to the poor and to nurse the sick and injured. While she is still subject to prejudice even after 7 years, she is gradually being accepted back into the community. The weight of Pearl, her jobs, and prejudice have finally taken their toll on Hester. Much like Dimmesdale, the weight of their suffering has taken a toll on their physical appearances. She is no longer the beautiful woman she once was. Summary for Chapter 14: In this chapter, Hester tries to alleviate some of Dimmesdales suffering by telling Chillingworth to back off of him. When they go to speak with him, he tells her that he has heard that she can take off the scarlet letter, but she describes that it cannot be removed by human hands. She also thinks that it is time to tell Dimmesdale who Chillingworth really is, which makes Chillingworth realize that he has become a figure of pure evil, instead of the brilliant man he once was. My Questions about Chapters 13 and 14: Why is Hester still the object of scorn after 7 years? Shouldnt the Puritans move onto something else? Why is Hester still so kind to the people that treat her like dirt? How can Chillingworth realize that he is so evil and not want to change his ways? My Reactions towards Chapters 13 and 14: While reading, the author mentioned that Hester still accepted scorn from the townspeople after 7 years. I wondered if anyone else committed a serious sin in those 7 years who deserved a punishment similar to Hester. Or has Hester been used as a deterrent to keep everyone from messing up? After reading chapter 13, I couldnt believe that Hester was still in Boston after all the insults she had taken, let alone taking care of and helping the people that put her down. That just goes to show that Hester is not only a model for sin but a model for supreme compassion. What probably shocked me out of the whole book more than anything else was the fact that Chillingworth knew that he was evil, and still didnt want to change. Any normal human being can be inconsiderate or hurtful, when they are confronted about their behavior; they examine themselves and desire to change. Journal Entry: Chapter 15 Hester and Pearl and Chapter 16 A Forest Walk Summary for Chapter 15: In this chapter, Hester resolves that she truly hates her husband, after the pure hatred he showed in the previous chapter. After Chillingworth leaves to go mix potions from the weeds he collected, Hester goes to find Pearl. She finds Pearl playing in the puddles on the beach, with an A shaped in seaweed on her chest. When Hester sees the A, Pearl and she engage in conversation about the A. Pearl mentions that she sees that Dimmesdale clutches his heart often. This shocks Hester because she learns that Pearl is supernaturally observant, which might endanger them all. Summary for Chapter 16: In this chapter, Hester goes to meet with Dimmesdale in the forest to reveal Chillingworths real identity to him. While walking through the forest, she decides to take Pearl along with her. The sunlight seems to follow Pearl as she plays in the forest, but seems to avoid Hester. Upon reaching a stream, they wait for Dimmsdale to arrive, and Pearl asks about the black man and how he correlates to the scarlet letter. To avoid conversation, she tries to get Pearl to play, but Pearl doesnt want to out of fear of the black man. Hester tells Pearl that it is not the black man who gave her the symbol; it was the minister who did. My Questions about 15 and 16: Why did Hester even marry Chillingworth in the first place? She knew full well that neither of them were in love. Is Pearl really as observant as she is believed to be? Or is gathering this information from an outside source? How does Hester think that revealing Chillingworths real identity going to help Dimmesdale? My Reactions towards Chapters 15 and 16: I was felt almost scared for Hester, Pearl and Dimmesdale at this point in the story. I was sure that Chillingworth had something even more sinister up his sleeve. After reading about Pearls constant haranguing about the scarlet letter, I began to doubt that she was thinking for herself at this point. Someone must be putting her up to it to either test how Hester responds when Pearl asks that question or to gain information about the ties between Dimmesdale and Hester. When Pearl and Hester went to go tell Dimmesdale who Chillingworth really was, I wondered how Hester thought that would help Dimmesdale. Journal Entry: Chapter 17 The Pastor and his Parishioner and Chapter 18 A Flood of Sunshine Summary for Chapter 17: In this chapter, Hester and Dimmesdale meet in the forest to avoid Chillingworth and the public. They join hands, and Hester reveals Chillingworths real identity to him. This makes Dimmesdale angry, and he starts blaming her for his sin. To get him to stop, Hester pulls him in close to see the scarlet letter, which makes him forgive her because it shows him that Chillingworth is a bigger sinner than the both of them. To avoid any more suffering caused by Chillingworth, they plan to sail away to Europe, and live with Pearl as a family. Realizing that this is his opportunity to finally release all of the pain and suffering within him, Dimmesdale plans to reveal his secret to everyone in Salem. Summary for Chapter 18: After plotting their escape, the couple feels a burst of new life within them. Hester unties her hair for the first time in many years and removes the scarlet letter and Dimmesdales sullen face has finally picked up. He tells Hester that he can feel joy again, and is excited to finally get to know his daughter. My Questions about Chapters 17 and 18: Why didnt Hester fight back when Dimmesdale was yelling at her? Will Chillingworth expose Dimmesdale and Hester before Dimmesdale can do it himself? Why is Pearl cautious of her transformed mother? My Reactions towards Chapters 17 and 18: When I read that Dimmesdale yelled at Hester and blamed her for his sin, I was surprised that she acted in the manner that she did. I would have expected her to break and fight with Dimmsdale because she easily could have defended herself in that argument. But her action did make sense, because a fight would have divided them, which is the exact opposite of what they needed at that moment, if they wanted to steal away and start a new life. After Hester confronted Dimmesdale about Chillingworth I could really feel the all of the suspense. It was like I was experiencing the same fear of Chillingworth that Dimmesdale and Hester felt. After reading that Pearl was afraid of her transformed mother, I was mystified. I expected Pearl to love her mother even more than she did before, now that she was finally happy. Journal Entry: Chapter 19 The Child at the Brookside and Chapter 20 The Minister in a Maze Summary for Chapter 19: In this chapter, Hester calls Pearl to rejoin her, but Pearl refuses, because she doesnt recognize her transformed parents. To get Pearl to come back, Hester ties her hair back up and pins the scarlet letter on once more. After the letter is fully secured, Pearl rushes back to her mother and father. She envelopes Hester in a hug and kisses her, along with the scarlet letter. Without revealing that Dimmesdale is her father, Hester tries to get Pearl to embrace Dimmesdale as well. Dimmesdale kisses her once, but then washes the kiss off in the stream. Summary for Chapter 20: On the way back to the town, Dimmesdale cannot believe the energy he feels. He even runs and skips with Pearl. When they reach the town, Hester makes reservations on the ship to Europe because she has become acquainted with the captain due to her chari

Government Affiliation and Cloning Essay -- Biology Medical Biomedical

Government Affiliation and Cloning Abstract The theory to alter and duplicate a human being first arose in the early 1900s. It became widely controversial since the entrance of the experiments on real animals by the 1990s. Influenced by its citizens, the governments all over the world stepped in to regulate the new process by establishing specific laws tackling the issue. Each government differed from the others, and hence, each national law varies from another. However, attempts were made to unify the regulations under international circumstances in organizations such as the United Nations. Still undergoing conformation, the effort to halt cloning failed to stay constant, and would continue to change in the future. Since the successful cloning of the sheep Dolly in Roslin Institution of Scotland on July 5, 1996 (Peters, 2003, p.161), governments wrestled with the ideal of human cloning. Thrust with the responsibility to regulate a new form of artificial mammalian reproduction, and possibly human reproduction, the government became the deciding factor amidst the storm of controversy. Dolly signifies the first mammal cloned from the fully differentiated cell, which already had the genes of its function fully expressed. It allowed the duplication of another individual from any living cell of body. Ian Wilmut announced and patented the Roslin Technique, the method to clone Dolly, on February 22, 1997 and explained the details on the issue of Nature five days later (Peters, 2003, p.161). The reaction was immediate. Within hours of Wilmut’s announcement, the Church of Scotland released its rebuttal, criticizing the event as unethical. Likewise, the world was quick to establish its stance, pron ouncing the cloning of human as mora... ...e Government Affiliation 5 answer is simply democracy in action. Surely, the population will voice its opinion upon the matter, and whatever the majority of this generation decides, it will be enforced peacefully. Even as the times change-- people’s opinion change—it is still sure that the voices of the public will be heard. Government Affiliation 6 Bibliography NCSL. (2005, June). State Human Cloning Law. 7-27-05: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/Genetics/rt-shcl.htm. Peters, Ted. 2003. Playing God? New York and London: Routledge. Stanford. (2001, December). International Cloning Policy. Human Cloning- Cloning Policy. 7-24-05: http://www.stanford.edu/~eclipse9/sts129/cloning/policy.html. United Nations. (2005, May). Ad Hoc Committee on an International Convention Against the Reproduction Cloning of Human Beings. 7-28-05: http://www.un.org/law/cloning/.

Difference in Lymphatic Function in Health and Disease State Essay

ABSTRACT High Performance Liquid Chromatography has been used to evolve an analytical procedure for the evaluation of the content of paracetamol in the bulk, dosage forms and in urine, a body fluid. Separation and resolution have been achieved with a combination of methanol and 2.5% acetic acid (15:85) on a reversed-phase column at ambient temperature. Elution was isocratic with UV detection at 257nm. Internal standard calibration method was used for quantitation with caffeine as the internal standard. Mean retention times for paracetamol and caffeine were respectively 2.61  ± 0.13 min and 11.98  ± 0.72 min . The calibration curve was linear over the range 0.1-5.0ÃŽ ¼g/ml. The method was also suitable for the assay of paracetamol-codeine combination drug as well as estimation of the amount of constituents in urine when the wavelength of UV detection was 245 nm with acetanilide as the internal standard. Keywords: Chromatography, isocratic, internal standard, in vivo and in vitro INTRODUCTION Paracetamol (N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) acetamide) tablets are listed among the essential drugs selected for the health care delivery system in Ghana. OH NHCOCH3 Figure 1: Chemical Structure of Paracetamol Paracetamol is very much used for antipyresis and analgesia without prescription. The drug is useful in mild to moderate pain such as headache, myalgia and postpartum pain. It is a very good alternative for mild to moderate pain in patients who cannot take aspirin because of allergy,  haemophilia, history of peptic ulcer and asthma. (Katzung, 1989). As a result of the Ghana government’s policy of generic prescribing, the liberalization of trade and import laws, and the ever-increasing number of pharmaceutical industries, a wide range of paracetamol products appear on the Ghanaian market. According to the Ghana National Drugs Policy, only drugs conforming to nationally accepted and/or internationally recognized quality standards shall be permitted to be procured and distributed in the country (Ghana National Drugs Policy, 1999). Any study therefore designed to monitor and improve the quality evaluation of pharmaceutical products both at the time of registration and post-market is very essential in the policy and technical guidelines of drug regulatory authorities such as the Food and Drugs Board. Such a study also benefits the Ghana Health Service in the sense that procurement staff, prescribers, dispensers and patients have access to high-quality and efficacious drug products. Pharmaceutical industries may also have simpl e analytical procedures for both in-process and finished product evaluations. The HPLC has been used to determine paracetamol in tablets. Franeta et al (2002) used the HPLC for the  19 simultaneous determination of acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol, caffeine and phenobarbital in tablets on a reversed-phase column using a mixture of acetonitrile and water (25:75 v/v) adjusted to pH 2.5 with phosphoric acid. The Bio Rad 1801 UV-Vis detector was used (207 nm). Ramos-Martos et al (2001) also described a rapid reversed-phase HPLC method with UV detection for the simultaneous determination of acetylsalicylic acid, caffeine, codeine, paracetamol, pyridoxine and thiamine in pharmaceutical preparations using two successive eluants of water for 5 minutes and acetonitrile-water (75: 25 v/v) for 9 minutes, both eluants adjusted to pH 2.1 with phosphoric acid. Codeine was determined at 240 nm whilst the rest were detected at 285 nm. Okine et al (2003) used a mixture of methanol and 0.05M NaH2PO4 (17:83), pH  2.0 with UV detection (273 nm) for eluting ascorbic acid, paracetamol and caffeine combined in a tablet. Apart from the high cost of acetonitrile for routine analysis, the systems were not selective for unchanged paracetamol in urine. It therefore becomes imperative to evolve a system that is cost effective and selective for paracetamol in the bulk powder, dosage forms and biological fluids s uch as blood and urine for easier routine in vitro and in vivo monitoring of drug samples. EXPERIMENTAL Components of the Liquid Chromatograph Pump: Spectra System P100 (Spectra Physics) Detector: Spectra 100 Variable Wavelength Detector (Spectra Physics) Integrator: CR501 Chromatopac (Schimadzu) Sample Injector: Syringe loading sample injector fitted with an external 20 µl loop (Model no. 8125-095) Stationary phase: Spherisorb HPLC column, S10 ODS2 (10cm, 4.6mm) Materials  Pure paracetamol powder (Chemcon GmbH, Germany), Paracetamol tablets (Phyto-Riker Ltd., Ghana), Paracetamol tablets ( PZ Co Ltd., Ghana), Paracetamol tablets (Tylenol Forte, Cilag Ltd., Switzerland), Paracetamol-codeine combination product (Paracod, Phyto-Riker Ltd., Ghana), Paracetamol-codeine combination product (Co-codamol, Alpharma, UK), blank urine sample, deionised water, urine samples with unchanged drug and drug metabolites, methanol (BDH), acetic acid (BDH), potassium dihydrogen phosphate (BDH), caffeine (BDH), salbutamol sulphate (Shubhmets, Mumbai, India), citric acid (Acid India) and phenyl ethanolamine (Blue Bird, Mumbai, India) Method Design Considerations Information on the physico-chemical properties of paracetamol and the other chemicals above were searched. Details considered include solubility properties, chemical structures, acid dissociation constants (pka), level of purity, stability in solution and ultraviolet light absorption pattern in acidic, basic and neutral media with their respective wavelengths of maximum absorption (Moffat, 1986; British Pharmacopoeia, 2000). The substances were found moderately polar. Based on their polarity, reversed-phase HPLC was  considered more applicable because in this mode, a nonpolar stationary phase and a polar mobile phase were utilised so that more polar substances were eluted before the relatively nonpolar. The differences in the physico-chemical properties of paracetamol and the other chemicals aided in selecting an internal standard for the study since they all interacted differently with a chosen combination of mobile phase to give a chromatogram of different separations, resolution s and retention times. Various combinations of methanol/phosphate buffer and methanol/water (pH and ionic strength modified with acetic acid) were tried in order to optimise column capacity factor for separation and resolution. Each concentration of phosphate buffer or water (various pH) was combined with methanol in various proportions, starting with a 50:50 combination and gradually increasing and decreasing the aqueous content while monitoring their respective effects on separation and resolution. All the mobile phase combinations tried could elute both paracetamol in the bulk powder and tablet matrix with reasonable retention, but not all the other chemicals being considered for an internal standard (caffeine, salbutamol, citric acid and phenyl ethanolamine). Some had poor resolution and tailing peaks while others had poor resolution and unduly long retention times. Some of the mobile phase combinations that could conveniently separate and resolve paracetamol in vitro could not separate and resolve blank urine (urine from a healthy person before drug was administered) spiked with a standard solution of paracetamol. Further altering the combination ratio, ionic strength and pH of the mobile phase produced the optimum system that could satisfactorily resolve paracetamol in the bulk powder, tablet matrix, spiked blank urine and unchanged paracetamol and other paracetamol metabolites  excreted in urine. Among the list of chemicals for an internal standard, caffeine was found the best under the optimum chromatographic conditions of the study. The best mobile phase combination was methanol/2.5 % acetic acid (15:85). Elution was isocratic because a single mobile phase combination was used. After other investigations, the best wavelength of maximum absorption for UV detection was 257 nm, absorption unit fraction scale (aufs) for  quantitative detect ion of the analyte at very small concentrations , 0.5, flow rate of mobile phase, 1.5 ml/min and chart recorder speed, 5 mm/min. Preparation of mobile phase The volume of mixtures do not usually equal the sum of the separate volumes making up the mixture as a result of differences in density and other physical factors such as volume expansion and contraction. The mobile phase was therefore prepared by measuring separately the volume of each component and mixing them together. All mobile phases prepared were filtered through a membrane filter before use. Validation of Analytical Method Various parameters can be evaluated for validating any newly developed analytical system. These include linearity, precision, accuracy, sensitivity and comparison to other standard methods. Comparison of new method with standard spectrophotometric method, (BP, 2000) The method was applied to paracetamol products from three pharmaceutical companies. Twenty tablets of each of the experimental paracetamol products were weighed together and finely powdered. A quantity of the powder containing 0.15g of paracetamol (0.1692g of Phyto-Riker Paracetamol, 0.1578g of PZ Paracetamol and 0.2001g of Tylenol Forte) was weighed and quantitatively transferred into a 200ml volumetric flask with 50ml of 0.1M NaOH and then diluted with 100ml of distilled water and shaken mechanically for 15 minutes. Sufficient distilled water was then added to produce 200ml. After filtration, further dilutions were made with distilled water such that the final concentration of paracetamol in solution was 0.00075 %w/v an d the NaOH, 0.01 M. The absorbance of the resulting solution was then taken in triplicate with the Cecil 7020 double beam UV spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 257nm with quartz cuvette of path length 1 cm using 0.01 M NaOH as the blank solvent. New Method For each of the experimental brands, sample preparation was done by crushing 20 tablets. A quantity of the powder equivalent to 0.1g of paracetamol (0.1128g of Phyto-Riker Paracetamol, 0.1052g of PZ Paracetamol and 0.1333g of Tylenol Forte) was weighed and quantitatively transferred into a clean 100ml volumetric flask with 20ml of methanol. It was then mechanically  shaken for 10 minutes. It was diluted to the 100ml mark with deionised water. Insoluble excipients were filtered off through a medium porosity sintered glass filter. A 0.1%w/v aqueous solution of caffeine was also prepared as a stock internal standard solution. A final solution containing 0.00025% paracetamol and 0.001 %w/v caffeine was prepared for the HPLC analysis. Triplicate injections onto the column were successively done for each of the experimental brands. Average peak area ratios (test sample/internal standard) for the various samples were calculated from their chromatograms. The actual concentration of paracetamol in each of the samples analysed was interpolated from a calibration curve using the average peak area ratios. The student’s t-test was used to compare the means of the two methods while the variances were compared with the f-test. Calibration Graph The range of concentrations used was 0.000005%-0.001%w/v. The new HPLC method was used for the determinations. Injections were done in triplicate for each of the concentrations in the above range. A graph of average peak area ratio was plotted against concentration. All the concentrations used gave signals but not all the signals were proportional to concentration. Concentrations that were not detected proportionally defined the limits of detector linearity under the given set of experimental conditions. Before preparing the solutions for the calibration curve, the paracetamol reference powder was identified and characterised according to BP 2000. Determination of inter-day variation of  analytical method The inter-day variation was investigated to assess the likely variations in results from day to day when the new method is used. This involved the HPLC assay of paracetamol of approximately the same concentrations on two different days under same conditions. The results for the two different days were paired and the f-test applied to determine likely significant difference in their variances. Determination of intra-day variation of the analytical method Several assays of paracetamol were done within the same day to determine the repeatability of the new method. Seven sets of solutions of approximately the same concentration (0.0001 %w/v) from the same homogenous stock were prepared and successively analysed with the HPLC. Each set was run three times and the average peak area ratio taken to represent that set. Actual concentrations of solutions were interpolated from the calibration graph. The relative standard deviation of results was calculated to determine the level of repeatability. The concentration of paracetamol solution was so chosen to ensure that readings were taken within the linear region of the calibration curve. Application of analytical procedure to urine, a body fluid After following all pharmacokinetic protocols (Shargel and Andrew, 1993) six healthy male volunteers between the ages of 26 and 32 years were each given 1.0g of paracetamol tablets and had their urine samples collected at specific time intervals for 24 hours. All subjects had the same time points of urine collection after administration of the tablets and these were: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 9.0, 12.0, 18.0 and 24.0 hours. The entire volume of urine voided during each sampling interval was pooled together and recorded and the analysis done immediately. Where urine samples had to be kept overnight, quantities were kept tight in sample tubes and frozen. Other applications The new HPLC method was also applied to a combination product containing paracetamol and codeine both for assay and determination of unchanged forms of the two constituents in urine. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Since paracetamol is a compound of moderate polarity as shown by its chemical structure in Figure 1, a reversed-phase column with a polar mobile phase was used. The mobile phase was methanol/2.5% acetic acid (15:85). In reversed-phase separation, compounds were separated based on their hydrophobicity. Retention increased as the solutes decreased in polarity; thus, polar species were eluted first. Hence, eluting time increased by increasing the polarity (water content) of the eluent. The pH of the eluent  as well as the pka of the drug being separated affected the elution profile. Figures 2 (a-c) therefore show different elution profiles and retention times because of the differences in the physicochemical properties of the analytes under review. The retention time of caffeine (11.98  ± 0.72 min) was greater than paracetamol (2.61  ± 0.13 min) because it was greatly retained on the column as evidenced by the tailing nature of the caffeine peak because of its relatively greater h ydrophobicity. The components of the blank urine though poorly resolved, had shorter retention times (< 2.5 min) than paracetamol because they were relatively more polar and interacted better with the polar mobile phase, resulting in decreased retention. The presence of aromatic rings together with auxochromes in the chemical structures of paracetamol and caffeine made UV absorption possible for monitoring the column effluent. As regards the intra-day precision of the new method, the relative standard deviation (RSD) of repeated assay of separate identical samples of concentration 1 µg/ml was 2.17% (Table 1 and 2). According to Dong (2000), only HPLC analysis with modern auto samplers yields RSD of less than 2.0%. Manual sample injections with RSD of 2.17 can therefore not be said to have a poor potential to give reproducible data under the same experimental conditions. Random errors from analysts might as well have contributed to the RSD value being greater than 2.0%. The degree of agreement among the individual observations was indicated by the value of the absolute precision (0.02). This appears small and suggests a good level of agreement between test results. The inter-day precision from Table 3 and 4 was high as there was no statistical difference between the variances of the set of analytical data generated for two different days at a confidence level of 95%. The method therefore was reproducible and could produce data for peer analysis. There was a positive correlation between peak area ratios and the concentrations of analyte (Figure 3). Correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.9998 implies that the scatter presented in Figure 3 was accurate enough for predictable purposes within limits of detector linearity. From Table 5, the range of detector linearity was established as 0.1-5.0  µg/ml. Under the set of experimental conditions, the lowest concentration of paracetamol that was detected but did not necessarily produce a signal that was proportional to concentration was 0.05  µg/ml. However, signal for 0.2  µg/ml paracetamol solution was approximately twice that of 0.1  µg/ml. Since the minimum concentration of paracetamol that started varying proportionally with peak area ratio was 0.1  µg/ml, it was chosen as the limit of quantitation of the method. This observation was in good agreement with what has been reported that in many cases, the limit of quantitation is approximately twice the limit of detection (Seth i, 1993; Olaniyi, 2000). The upper limit of quantitation was also set at 5.0 µg/ml because there was no proportional increase in peak area on increasing paracetamol concentration from 5 to 10  µg/ml. Evidence of correlation between the new method and that of British Pharmacopoeia (2000) for the assay of paracetamol tablets was positive. The F-test at 95% confidence level, showed no significant difference between the variances of both the HPLC and UV methods (Table 6). This means that within certain limits, both methods have comparable precisions. However, the absolute precision of the two methods at the same confidence level indicates that the HPLC method has a better precision. The absolute precision values were respectively 1.90 and 2.12 (Table 7). As regards accuracy, even though the results of both methods complied with BP (2000) limits for content of paracetamol in tablets (Table 8), a significant difference was observed between the means of the two methods when the student’s t-test was applied (Table 6). Assessing the absolute error of the mean for the two methods, the HPLC results (2.3%) was found to be more accurate than the UV (4.3%) (Table 7). Moffat (1986) reported that when a dose of paracetamol tablets is administered orally, close to 5% is excreted unchanged in urine. As found in this study, only a small fraction of the absorbed dose was excreted unchanged for all the paracetamol products. These were 5.3 ±0.9%, 5.3 ±1.2% and 5.0 ±0.7% respectively for Paracetamol CoA, Paracetamol CoB and Paracetamol CoC (Table 9). These values are closely in agreement with what has already been reported, making the new method suitable for the detection and quantitation of paracetamol in urine. CONCLUSIONS Paracetamol in the bulk, dosage form and urine has been analysed accurately and precisely by HPLC with Methanol / 2.5% acetic acid (15: 85) in the reversed-phase mode at a wavelength of 257 nm using caffeine as the internal standard. The method has also been used for the detection and quantitation of codeine and paracetamol in urine as well as codeine-paracetamol combination tablet. The wavelength of detection in this case was 245 nm with acetanilide as the internal standard. REFERENCES British Pharmacopoeia (BP) (2000). Volumes I &II, CD-ROM, The British Pharmacopoeial Commission. Dong, W. M. (2000). Precision in HPLC. In Today’s Chemist at Work (2000), 9 (8): 28-32. Franeta, J. T., Agbaba, D., Eric, S., Pavkov, S., Aleksi, M. and Vladimirov, S. (2002). HPLC assay of acetylsalicylic acid, paracetamol, caffeine and phenobarbital in tablets, Farmaco Sep; 57 (9): 709-13 Ghana National Drugs Policy (1999). Ministry of Health, Ghana. pp 4, 7, 12 and 19 Katzung, G. B. (1989). Basic and Clinical Pharmacology, 4th edition, Appleton and Lange, Norwalk, CT. p 444 Moffat, A. C. (1986). Clarke’s Isolation and Identification of Drugs, 2nd edition, the Pharmaceutical Press, London. pp 420-421, 849-850 Okine, N.N.A., Asiedu, K.S. and Acheampong, J. (2003). RP-LC determination of ascorbic acid, paracetamol and caffeine in multicomponent anti-cold preparation, Journal of Science and Technology, 23 (1): 55 Olaniyi, A. A. (2000). Principles of Drug Quality Assurance and Pharmaceutical Analysis, Monsuro Publishers, Ibadan, Nigeria. Ramos-Martos, N., Aguirre-Gomez, F., Molina-Diaz, A., Capitan-Valley, L. F. (2001). Application of liquid chromatography to the simultaneous determination of acetylsalicylic acid, caffeine, codeine, paracetamol, pyridoxine and thiamine in pharmaceutical preparations. J.A.O.C. Int. May-Jun; 84 (3): 676-83 Sethi, P. D. (1993). Quantitative Analysis of Drugs in Pharmaceutical Formulations, 2nd edition, C.B.S Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi. pp 33-37 Shargel, L., Andrew, B. C. Y. (1993). Applied Biopharmaceutics and Pharmacokinetics, 3rd edition, Appleton and Lange, Norwalk, CT. pp 205-209

Concert Review Free Essay Example, 1000 words

Concert Review: A Review of Regan Siglin’s Junior Piano Recital al Affiliation The October 31st concert by Regan Siglin had beenhugely anticipated by students and lecturers alike, as it would be a convenient opportunity to gauge the performance of a fellow student against my own private performances (Bennett, 2012). At 4:10 P. M Regan approached the stage from the backstage, and the audience gave her a round of applause before she began actual performance, and from stage she bowed and waved back to in acknowledgement. The mood was expectant and the audience waited with bated breath, and thirty seconds later she assumed her seat and began playing a variation of the epic fantasie. This paper shall review the concert and her performance on stage during her piano recital, as the greatness of a pianist can only be reviewed by a fellow pianist (Bennett, 2012). The great Mozart, Beethoven and amongst others was only declared great after a consistent review of their performances by f ellow artistes. This was one of the best compositions from Schumann expressing a forbidden love between him and Clara Wieck (Bennett, 2012). We will write a custom essay sample on Concert Review or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Her movement during the performance was impressive, as the slow consistent movement had tact. The first key pressed must have been a chopstick, then the tempo of the recital picked up but within the constant cadence (Bennett, 2012). I was lucky as I sat within reach of the performer and I could actually watch the movements of her fingers methodically dancing around the keyboard picking the keys on the Piano (Froehlich, (2004). The assured performance by Regan could portray one important point that she was being moved by the song, in a manner which could echo Schumann conversing with her. The slow performance rthymic performance captured the gape of the audience quite fittings, as a look glance around the Kimbrough Concert Hall showed positive approval of her performance. The six minute cameo recital in mid performance began floating emanating rich, grand and delicate rhythm (Froehlich, 2004). Without doubt the song through the mid performance began to convey the message for which the dong had been composed the gentle throb of the combination of black and white key could never be ignored and forgotten. In fact this paper is quite a frank resonance of the sound that was heard in the concert hall. The sound was stimulated my brains, and frankly it was simply deep within the performer and somatically transferred the sensation to the audience. It is common knowledge with the academic music discipline that indeed music is one if the external factors that stimulate the brain.