Customer Reviews

The Scarlet Letter: A Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Classic

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am an SAT tutor and believe that this is one of the most valuable books of its type a student preparing for the test can read. Unfortunately, in my experience, students also find this one of the least enjoyable books. Why is it valuable?
There are 2 major areas that a student must master to improve scores on the SAT Critical Reading section: (1) Vocabulary. (2) Understanding of complex sentence structures. This book provides a student with both. (1) SAT words are bolded, their definitions conveniently located on the facing page. (2) Sentence structure is complex and the book is written in "older" English which is partly a result of the era it was written in. The college board knows this and even suggests that students read books written before 1900. The complex sentences and old language may be reasons students do not put The Scarlet Letter on their Top 10 Favorite Books List, but it does not take away from the book's value-- if you can get your child to read it.

I am an English teacher and I learned that many of my students find The Scarlet Letter intimidating and daunting because of its level of vocabulary. Ever since I found this book, I have recommended it to many of my students to alleviate their anxiety about reading it. Using this book cuts down the time that one has to spend looking up the words that one has never heard of or read, which is one of the reasons why many of my students quit reading this book in the first place. This also helps my students to become exposed to many SAT vocabulary words without having to memorize them from an alphabetized list. The newer edition has thinner papers, which makes this classic extremely portable and accessible. I highly recommend this to any student.

Our son is in AP English and this is the first book he was required to read. A friend of his told him to get it in Kaplan form. The book was sent out right away and received very timely. Thank you!!!

There are many books that are considered classics, but often times it may seem difficult to read them because of the language and the time setting in which the book was written. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of those classic tales. Although the book was written in 1850 and set in a 17th century Puritan Society, the issues of morality, deceit, romance, and guilt make the novel an interesting and captivating read, even in modern times.
The work of Hawthorn illustrates the question of humanity and morality. His vivid use of language and third person narrative style allows the reader to have insight into the lives of the main characters. He allows the reader to sympathize with both Hester and Dimmesdale. Although society has deemed their sin immoral and made Hester an outcast, Hawthorne is able to capture the reader's humanity and empathy toward the human condition.
Hawthorne is also able to capture the essence of the Puritan society. He skillfully utilizes language, such as this, while Hester speaks to her daughter she states, "We must not always talk in the market-place of what happens to us in the forest." This symbolizes the shame that is forced upon those who are judged and the need to escape from public scrutiny. Most readers will be able to relate to the characters and understand the tragedy of the times and circumstances.
I highly recommend this book. Although the introduction may seem slow and somewhat disinteresting, the storyline will prove to be enticing. This novel challenges the reader to question his/her own moral views and values. The reader will see why this novel is a timeless classic.

The novel introduces Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale,and Pearl in a Puritan town of Massachusetts. Hester Prynne proves to be a feisty woman at times who keeps her words and pride despite being shunned by the community. Her daughter, Little Pearl, as she calls her, is an elf-like child who is straightforward and honest. Roger Chillingworth is man who can be careless but does not back down once he sets to do something, such as revenge. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale is a fragile man not only mentally but physically as well, who bears a dark secret. He also preaches at sermons and is known to be an intelligent man by the community.
The story embarks off with Hester Prynne walking out of prison with a baby and an intricately sewn scarlet letter, "A", on her bosom. The whole town starts to gossip, for Hester committed an unforgivable act. She had fallen in love and given birth to a child with another man, not her husband. Furthermore, she does not confess and reveal who the man is despite being asked in front of the public so many times. Later on, a man by the name of Roger Chillingworth, visits her prison cell, and it is revealed Roger is Hester's husband, whom left her for nine years. Chillingworth promises Hester he will find that man who had done this to her and get revenge. Suddenly, Chillingworth is appointed Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale physician.
This novel is very detailed in many aspects, especially when talking about the scenery, which contained refreshing imagery. On the other hand, the old-fashioned writing style was frustrating at times and caused confusion for me; furthermore, it was difficult to understand as well with the words "hast", "thy", or "thou". Also, it seemed on some parts of the story that the scene was stretched more than needed, but the ending felt rushed. I would recommend this novel if one does not mind old-fashioned literature or has enough patience at times; however, the concept or idea is very appealing and makes the reader addicted. Sometimes I could not get go of the book because it made me so curious on what will happen next. Overall, this piece of literature is amazing and deserves to be labeled a classic.