Favorite Literary Piece

As a class, we have read and discussed many vastly different pieces of literature. These different types included memoirs, autobiography's, speeches, novels, and short essays. My favorite type of literary works are novels and my favorite novel that we have discussed this year is The Scarlet Letter. The Scarlet Letter started out by introducing a sinful character. This character, Hester Prynne had committed adultery and adultery was one of the most unforgivable sin in Puritan culture. Therefore, the society had rejected her. Now, she must fight through the loneliness and emptiness by herself to reach her goal to be with her lover. The story is not just about a couple who committed adultery but also the impact on them by Puritan culture. Nathaniel Hawthorne describes this situation in such a detailed manner, yet the richness in detail is very relevant to the suspense of the story rather than detail that is given to fill space. Also, Hawthorne was able to grab the reader's attention by touching up on the feelings of passion, revenge, loss, grief, hope, and redemption. This story also appeals to me because it is timeless. Even though it is written in the American Romance Era, it pertains to a problem that still exists today as we experience a high number of unplanned pregnancies. The Scarlet Letter could also relate to today's society because of the idea of hiding the sins of the elite class. Just like how Dimmesdale's sin was suppressed  the lies and the sins of our upperclassmen are suppressed as well.  Nathaniel Hawthorne presents the issue from everybody's perspective and lets you decide who you want to sympathize with. Anyone who has  been teased when they were a child or had parents who withheld important information can sympathize with Pearl. However in Pearl's case, she committed no fault yet such a huge sinful burden rests on her shoulders even though we witness redemption by the act of good deeds by Chillingworth at the end. All these elements were so well dissected throughout the story that it makes The Scarlet Letter one of my favorite novels of all time.

Suicide Bombing on U.S Airbase

Associated press, Huffington Post

On Sunday, November 25, Jalalabad Airbase was attacked by Afghan suicide-bombers. According to a Taliban spokesman , the suicide bombers blew up a car in the entrance of the base, entered the premisis, and engaged in gun battle for about two hours. The Afghan Defense Ministry general however claims that the attackers had not entered the airfield. The Nato military coalition supports these claims and described the incident as a failed attack. We are still unaware of the exact number of casualties and wounded, as the assessment of the attack is still incomplete. This attack is frightening mainly because of the suicide bombers. This shows us that there are many people that are so angry, fed up, and disgusted by America that they are willing to die for their cause, bringing America down on its knees. The military should prepare for any more future attacks.