Students analyze The Scarlet Letter to determine how logos, pathos, and ethos shape characters, point of view, and reader response, using strong textual evidence to support their claims. They connect those rhetorical moves to real-world influence by exploring how similar appeals affect people, decisions, and change in their own communities. Working in teams, students create and refine a public-facing response that shows how the novel’s characters and ideas would affect today’s world, preparing to share their thinking with classmates, families, parents, and librarians at a book “tear down” exhibition. This experience builds close reading, collaboration, communication, and reflection through critique, revision, and presentation.

Students will analyze how Hawthorne and key characters in The Scarlet Letter use logos, pathos, and ethos to shape point of view, influence readers, and drive actions, citing strong textual evidence in discussion and writing. They will examine how author choices develop theme, perspective, symbolism, irony, and character relationships, and consider how the novel’s ideas about judgment, reputation, and morality would affect their community today. Students will collaborate in focus groups to gather, critique, and revise evidence connected to logos, pathos, or ethos, then communicate their analysis through a public “tear down” exhibition for classmates and families with input from librarians and parents. They will reflect on how persuasive techniques in The Scarlet Letter connect to real-world communication, media, and change-making.

Students will create an annotated rhetoric portfolio from the class novel, "The Scarlet Letter" that tracks examples of logos, pathos, and ethos with cited textual evidence, character analysis, and notes on how each appeal could influence real-world audiences. In teams, they will produce a “character in our world” artifact such as a mock campaign, public message, podcast, or visual advocacy piece showing how a character’s choices and persuasive strategies would affect today’s community. They will also develop peer critique tools and revision notes focused on the strength and accuracy of evidence connected to each rhetorical appeal. The final products will be displayed and presented at a tear-down party for families, classmates, librarians, and parents, alongside a short written or spoken reflection connecting rhetorical appeals in the text to real life.

Open with a mini “Scarlet Letter persuasion gallery” using key excerpts from the novel alongside ads, speeches, and social media posts, and have students sort each example by logos, pathos, and ethos while citing quick textual evidence for their choices. Then introduce the challenge: in teams, students will investigate how Hawthorne’s characters and narrator use rhetorical appeals, point of view, and perspective to influence others, and determine how those same moves would affect our world today. Invite a librarian or parent to join the kickoff and add a real-world perspective on how persuasion shapes public opinion, media, and everyday decisions. Close with a brief written reflection on how logic, emotion, and credibility influence both the characters in The Scarlet Letter and people in real life.

Host a public “The Scarlet Letter” tear-down showcase where student teams present how logos, pathos, and ethos shape characters, point of view, and reader response in the novel. Invite families, classmates, librarians, and parents to rotate through stations featuring annotated passages, character-impact displays, and brief presentations explaining how Hester, Dimmesdale, Chillingworth, and Pearl might affect our world today. Include a feedback protocol so guests respond to each team’s claims and use of textual evidence, and end with a reflection wall where students answer how these appeals appear in literature and in real life.