07-31-2008 This day in 1704, Defoe is Pilloried

On 31 July 1704 English novelist Daniel Defoe is made to stand in the pillory as punishment for offending the government and church with his political satire The Shortest Way With Dissenters. To read a short biography about DeFoe go to http://www.online-literature.com/defoe/ . Another interesting biography is athttp://enlightenment-revolution.org/index.php/Defoe,_Daniel . You can go to http://www.bartleby.com/27/12.html and read this literary work. If you are not sure what a pillory is, it is defined as

• a device formerly used for publicly punishing offenders consisting of a wooden frame with holes in which the head and hands can be locked 2 : a means for exposing one to public scorn or ridicule (From: "pillory." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2008. Merriam-Webster Online. 31 July 2008 http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pillory)