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Kunsusuki Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary
The Scarlet Letter
Hi! I'm recently trying to read the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and I faced some hazy passages which need some clarification. I would be pleased by having your answers 
"The father of the custom- house the patriarch, not only of little squad of officials, but, I am bold to say, of the respectable body of tide-waiters all over the United States- was a certain permanent Inspector. He might truly be termed a legitimate son of the revenue system, dyed in wool, or rather born in purple; since his sire"
"The father of the custom- house the patriarch, not only of little squad of officials, but, I am bold to say, of the respectable body of tide-waiters all over the United States- was a certain permanent Inspector. He might truly be termed a legitimate son of the revenue system, dyed in wool, or rather born in purple; since his sire"
Top answer
kunsusuki The father of the custom- house the patriarch, not only of little squad of officials, but, I am bold to say, of the respectable body of tide-waiters all over the United States- was a certain permanent Inspector. He might truly be termed a legitimate son of the revenue system, dyed in wool, or rather born in purple; since his sire" Which words do you not understand? These are the only idioms I see: dyed in the wool = utter; stubborn born to the purple = royal; privileged
- kunsusuki The father of the custom- house the patriarch, not only of little squad of officials, but, I am bold to say, of the respectable body of tide-waiters all over the United States- was a certain permanent Inspector.
- He might truly be termed a legitimate son of the revenue system, dyed in wool, or rather born in purple; since his sire" Which words do you not understand?
- These are the only idioms I see: dyed in the wool = utter; stubborn born to the purple = royal; privileged
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3 Answers
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kunsusukiThe father of the custom- house the patriarch, not only of little squad of officials, but, I am bold to say, of the respectable body of tide-waiters all over the United States- was a certain permanent Inspector. He might truly be termed a legitimate son of the revenue system, dyed in wool, or rather born in purple; since his sire"Which words do you n
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It's ok. You have answered my question. Thank you.
"It was well for their venerable brotherhood that the new Surveyor was not a politician, and though a faithful Democrat in principle, neither received nor held his office with any reference to political services. Had it been otherwise-had an active politician been put..."
"So little adapt
"It was well for their venerable brotherhood that the new Surveyor was not a politician, and though a faithful Democrat in principle, neither received nor held his office with any reference to political services. Had it been otherwise-had an active politician been put..."
"So little adapt
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kunsusukiWhy there is a change in the order (Verb+subject)?It is—or was—a common rhetorical technique, though it is less used today. It is a variant on an 'if'-clause:
Had it been otherwise = If it had been otherwise.
Remember that you are reading a book that is over 150 years old.
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