Here's an online copy of the story:
http://www.eldritchpress.org/nh/ygb.html
And here is the worksheet for it:
Study guide
questions for “Young Goodman Brown”
Pre-reading questions
This is a
story about a man’s walk into the woods late one night. But it is really an
analogy for something else. Remember this from The Crucible?
…the Salem folk believed that the virgin
forest was the Devil’s last preserve, his home base and the citadel of his
final stand. To the best of their knowledge the American forest was the last
place on earth that was not paying homage to God. (P.5)
With this in mind, what might this man’s
walk into the woods represent?
Another
thing to know. The author, Nathaniel Hawthorne, was the grandson of Judge
Hathorne-the spiteful judge from the Salem witch trials. But Nathaniel hated
the puritans and everything they stood for so much that he changed his name to
Hawthorne when he started writing books.
With this knowledge, what do you think he
is going to say about the Puritan religion?
Reading questions
1.)
Which of the following best describes Goodman Brown’s conversation with
his wife at the beginning of the story?
A) His wife wants to come with him into the
forest, but Goodman Brown refuses.
B) His wife begs him to sleep in his own bed and
not pursue his “errand.”
C) His wife tells him he’ll meet him in the
woods later.
D) Young Goodman Brown wants his wife to
accompany him, but she refuses.
2.)
Write three ways that the man in black is described (behavior or
physical).
3.)
The man Goodman Brown meets is most likely…
A)
his father
B)
the ghost of his father
C)
a witch assuming the shape of the town minister
D)
the devil
4.)
What important news does the man have for Goodman Brown regarding the
other members of the town (What does he have to say about the townsfolk)?
5.)
What reason does Goodman Brown give for not wanting the old woman to see
him (91)?
6.)
What startling fact does Goodman Brown learn about this woman?
A) She hates the devil
B) She is a witch
C) Gives moral and spiritual guidance to youth.
7.)
Who does Goodman Brown think passes him by on horseback?
8.)
Explain the double meaning of Goodman Brown’s statement, “My Faith is
gone!”
9.)
Does Goodman Brown recognize the people in the clearing? Who are they?
10.)
Why doesn’t Goodman Brown kiss his wife?
What does he realize when he looks into her face?
11.)
What is the best way of interpreting the reality of what Goodman Brown
experienced?
A) It clearly happened because of all he felt
and saw
B) It was clearly a dream because of all the
strange, unexplainable things witnessed.
C).
It is unclear whether it was a dream or reality-Goodman Brown doesn’t even know.
12.)
How does the experience in the forest affect Brown’s relationship with
other people?
A) He vows to be loyal to his wife forever more.
B) He retreats away from people, appalled at
their hypocrisy.
C) He becomes older and wiser and more
understanding of people’s faults.
D) He realizes he is no better than his fellow
townsfolk.
Complete the following statement as
best you can:
“Young Goodman Brown is a story about
a man who…”
“…and comes to discover…”
Essay on The Crucible and “Young Goodman Brown”
Abigail
tells John, “I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying
lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men!”
(p.24). It’s safe to say that Goodman Brown has similar feelings. How have each
of these people changed after discovering the hypocrisy of the members of their
community?
Give
specific examples from the each text to support your argument by imbedding
quotes into your essay.
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