I Need More. HELP IS APPRECIATED. :]]

hey yall. i'm a newwwbieee!!
[[=
well, the scarlet letter has been good so far.
teacher gave us questions to complete and i need more for an answer.
the question is about the disciplining of children during this time. well, i know Hawthorne says that discipline is,"more rigid than today," and that parents would frown,use the rod {not sure what this is though}, reprimand, their children, though not intended as punishment, but part of rutine. i need more to my answer, though i just don't know what i am missing.

can anyone hint to me? i am not looking for someone to just give me the answer.

your help is appreciated! thank you in advance. :)

First off, a rod would be like a stick possibly broom handle today. Today parents don't even spank their children. Way back, rod, belt etc. was not seen as punishment but as good upbringing. Parents taught them to respect everyone not just elderly. The kids knew they would get a whippen if they disobeyed.

An important issue is the fact that Hester is opposed to any form of discipline of Pearl, perhaps in part because of th ecircumstance of her birth, perhaps because she believed more in the cliche "spare the rod, spoil the child". The societal view on Hester's 'poor parenting' is that she is allowing Pearl to become the demon child they believe her to be. The part you won't like about this answer is to fully understand the qouesion and how best to address it is to reread the section of the book where Pearl is acting outside societal norms.