Honors English 11 Essay
...hment create can be seen through the modern day example of Megan’s Law. Under this controversial law, all convicted sex offenders of children must be registered with the state that they are living, providing residents with the knowledge of their presence. Because of such a regulation, these offenders must live lives very similar to Hester herself, isolated, and looked down upon by the community. This same reaction to an individual is finally seen in the Biblical reference of those who have contracted Leprosy. The marks on their bodies from this disease essentially caused the same response as the letter “A” in Hester’s case, and the community notification in Megan’s Law. These individuals with the disease were forced to be completely separated from the rest of man kind, living on their own in isolated villages. The community feared that they would contract this illness, and also felt that those affected were of a lower importance and standard. These examples all show that permanent punishments have great effects on the individual, however, much of these negative outcomes would not exist without the community about them. While the effects are greatest on the individual, their punishment also greatly affects their surrounding community. In Hester’s case, her community is directly connected to her punishment. They are the ones that make her punishment work, by always being there to put her down and make her feel uncomfortable. The elders want to make Hester an example to all, and the community takes her as just that. Parents try to keep their children from Hester and Pearl; everyone looks down upon them, mocks them, and, in many cases, are very afraid of them. The community lives in fear and reproach to her one sinful mistake. This fear and isolation from such a person also holds true with Megan’s Law. This law is designed to protect the general public and give them some peace of mind. Whether this perpetrator has changed or not, everyone within a close proximity to where he resides will know of his criminal past, and can take the proper precautions henceforth. The communities may tend to shy away from this person because of his known past, and this will cause the person more isolation and social burdens. This law also makes sure that the state government and law enforcement agencies know of the citizen’s past, which will hopefully prove effective in keeping these people from repeating what they have done. The Lepers of ancient times affected their communities in the same manner. Their horrifying and strange disease caused their communities to essentially excommunicate them from their community, forcing them to live on their own. They wanted nothing to do with someone who looked and acted different then themselves, and also falsely feared that this disease would be spread. There are many effects to both the individual and the community when dealing with permanent punishment, however not all of these effects are negative, and some actually prove to be beneficial. While all that seems to be discussed are the injustices and horrors, there are some benefits to this system. When looking...