Essay 1: The Prolonging Ramifications of Former Fallacies Ben
Essay 2: Trials within Trials Toni
Society has a problem. History is littered
with tales of lives being ruined by false accusations during times of paranoia.
In The Crucible, a story written by Arthur Miller, the dramatic events of
witch hunts in Salem, Massachusetts are vividly portrayed. Throughout hundreds
of years, innocent citizens have been imprisoned, terrorized, and even killed
because of similar “witch hunts”. Even though America has also experienced a
variety of witch hunts, lessons have yet to be learned.
During the late 1600’s in Salem, Massachusetts, mass
hysteria erupted when fear and accusations of witchcraft swept through the town.
A young girl, Abigail Williams, found herself caught in a trap of lies. After
being caught dancing in the woods, an action viewed as immoral and evil in the
town, Abigail tries to cover herself by telling a small lie to make her uncle
believe it wasn’t true. As many children do, Abigail believes the only way to
escape her lie is to tell another lie. Thus, what began as one, small lie
soon escalated into a series of deadly, life-altering lies. Abigail and several
other young women testified in court of being haunted by specters of various
local residents. Even Tituba, a slave woman, was accused of “sending
her spirit on [Abigail] in church” (1233). Abigail even claims to “hears
laughing in [her] sleep” (1233). By claiming to be haunted by witches, the
young women gain sympathy as opposed to dreadful punishment. Unfortunately,
those accused suffer being condemned to hell as well as a death sentence by
lynching. Those accused were overwhelmed with pain. Some even felt so worthless
that they begged to, at the very least, “leave [them their] name” (1272).
The Salem Witch Trials brought permanent agony to the accused and the families
of the accused.
Approximately two and a half centuries later, similar
hysteria developed when the fear of communism in America was prevalent. Many
Americans had a phobia of communism because of the many events that had taken
place in that day. One man, Joseph McCarthy, had the “power to stir fears of
creeping Communism” (1213). Anyone suspected of being a communist was
immediately powerless. Once accused, the quality of one’s life was tainted. If
anyone ever tried to step up to defend another, that person could even be
“identified as covert Communists if they should protest too strongly”
(1213). This time of great paranoia, often referred to as the Red Scare, led to
a life filled with agony to anyone who was accused.
Currently, America is being bombarded with the breaking news
of rumored usage of performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball.
Unfortunately, this rumor epidemic has given way to an even bigger outbreak of
accusations. Any player, especially the most elite, can be suspected of being a
steroid user. Many of America’s baseball heroes have already been confronted
with the issue of either admitting to using steroids or suffering the rest of
their career with a poor reputation. The authenticity of numerous records is
being questioned. Not only are many players being doubted on their
accomplishments but also many are contended with the realization that making the
Hall of Fame is unattainable. Dreams have been shattered. Careers have been
jeopardized. Many of today’s greatest athletes are suffering the agony of the
media’s wrath simply because they are pursuing their life’s dreams.
Clearly, despite the fact that hundreds of years have passed, Americans still have not learned from the mistakes of the past. History itself is composed with numerous occurrences where fear was so rampant that unfair allegations were made. These allegations have affected innumerable lives and have brought more pain and suffering to this nation than necessary. How long will it take before American lives are no longer afflicted? How many must suffer despite their innocence? How long will it take before history ceases to repeat itself?
If one was to drop his wallet, would you tell him?
Your decision as to whether or not you would tells a lot about your
character. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play based on the events
and hysteria of the
Foremost, Giles Corey undergoes a physical and ethical crucible.
By ethical, I mean the consistency of Giles’ morals in all of his
actions. When he was being tried,
Giles’ refused to “give [Judge Danforth the] name” of a witness because
“[they] would [lie] in jail if [he] gave [their] name” (1254) even though
this would mean contempt of court. Furthermore,
when Giles was accused of witchcraft he had the same choice as any other;
innocent or guilty. If he told
the truth and said that he had nothing to do with witchcraft “they’d hang
him…and auction off his property” (1269). Giles refused to plead innocent or
guilty thus Giles was pressed to death rock-by-rock.
Therefore, because of the law “he could not be condemned a wizard
without [his] answer to the indictment” (1269). As a result, Giles was to be
allowed a Christian burial. Without
his strong ethics, Giles unquestionably would have been one of the many hanged.
Moreover, John Proctor is transformed by his character trials.
John, in further detail, has a very rigorous test of saving either his
life on earth or his spirit post-mortem, both having very serious consequences.
Since “those that confess will not hang” (1267) John must lie and
admit to witchcraft in order to save his own life. In doing so, John would
condemn the other’s names. However, since John chose in the end to not
confess, he “[has] his goodness” (1273) and hanged alongside other falsely
accused with a free spirit that no one could take from him. Surely,
if John was not able to take the stand for what he believed in, his guilty
conscience would have haunted him for the rest of his days.
In addition, Elizabeth Proctor is faced with a test of her true
character. To clarify, Mrs.
Proctor’s test is whether to uphold her virtue, or save her loved husband,
John Proctor. In the play, Mrs. Proctor must uphold her righteousness by telling
the court of John’s lechery, or lie in order to save him from their
accusations. Although, “in her life…she never lied”
Without a doubt, Giles Corey, John Proctor, and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible withstood great tests that revealed their true character. Although others feel there is only one way to be right, sometimes one must decide what he thinks would be right in his specific situation. Everyone is faced with tests such as these during their daily lives, whether they are more simple or complex. One must ask himself, would he take the bull by the horns, or fall short to the will of others?
Feelings
of The Crucible Ashley
Reading a good
book or play is one of the most sufficient ways to discover feelings and
emotions that may not have been felt before.
Whether it be a feeling of sorrow and sympathy or of anger and
frustration, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible certainly stirs up plenty of
emotion. The Crucible is a slightly modified version of a tragic time in
American History. It tells of the Salem Witch Trials and of the many families
affected by the terror, which explains how it is able to channel so many
emotions. Abigail Williams, Sarah Cloice, and Rebecca Nurse are the characters
that cause these feelings to show their faces the most, for me. Their characters
are so strong in who they are that they put your heart in the story, be it
hating or grieving.
Rebecca Nurse’s character causes me to feel such frustration. She has a
well-known reputation of being a person of excellent morale. Even Rev. Hale, a
visiting minister, can attest, “but I suppose you look as such a good soul
should. We have heard of your great charities in Beverly” (1230). Based on all
that is known of her, she was never expected to be one of the ones accused of
witchcraft. Nevertheless, she is called out to join the many others in Salem
Jail. This irritates me so much because I don’t understand how the court
allows such a remarkable woman to be accused of working hand in hand with the
devil. The town was just as baffled. John Procter complies with this,” But
it’s hard to think so pious a woman be so secretly a Devil’s bitch after
seventy year of good prayer”(1242). Rebecca Nurse followed God with her whole
heart and this accusation was beyond farfetched. However, her fate bothers me
the most. She is tried and found to be guilty. Therefore, she is hanged. It is
extremely unfair that Rebecca lost her life to this hysteria, but what happens
to Sarah Cloice is equally as bad, if not worse.
Sarah Cloice is Rebecca’s sister, who is also accused of practicing
witchcraft. Although she spends an extensive amount of time in jail, her life is
spared. Sarah is left behind with the grief of losing her two dearest sisters. I
consider that a fate worse than death. Family is a reason to live and when you
are close to them they can make life much more interesting. Going on, knowing
that her loved ones lost their lives unjustly must have been misery. My heart
goes out to Sarah. I couldn’t imagine living without my sister, whom I love
dearly. I would have much rather been swept up by the madness. However, Sarah is
a strong, Puritan woman who keeps her good character through it all. While in
jail, she started up a petition to try and save Rebecca. Unfortunately, the
judges were blinded by their pride and did not consider it reason enough to save
her life. She was not long discouraged though. Sarah is constantly trying to
raise the spirits of the other prisoners, and she never loses faith no matter
how unbearable conditions become. She doesn’t even allow the discomfort of it
all to change her kind heart towards people. A wonderful example of that is how
she tends to Tituba’s wounds, even though she was one of the ones accusing
Sarah of lies. Her character continues to fight this trial, which, in my
opinion, is one of the reasons she survives. After it is over and she is set
free, her spirit is still not content. Sarah goes back to the courts with the
intentions of setting their story straight and to regain her sisters’ honor.
They listen as she tells them, without slandering any of the accusers, what was
really going on. They, for once, acknowledge her side and in the end give her
three sovereigns to try and make up for her devastating loss. Not too long
after, they grant the honor that is due back to her sisters. Sarah is an
outstanding example of how a Christian woman should act, but Abigail Williams,
on the other hand, is not.
Abby makes my blood boil in this play. She is the mastermind behind the
entire crucible, a scaled down Hitler of WWII. She doesn’t necessarily afflict
the torment, but one call of her voice causes innocent, helpless people to lose
their lives. She starts up the lie by trying to cover that she and some of her
friends were dancing in the woods. Dancing is strictly prohibited in the Puritan
culture. Unfortunately, that is not the only case of Abby taking part in sinful
behavior. She and John Procter have an affair sometime earlier, and she has no
intention of letting the thought of being with him go. When speaking with him in
Act I, she cries out to him, “I cannot dream but I wake and walk about the
house as though I’d find you comin’ through some door”(1225). Her heart is
still fully with John, despite whether or not he feels the same. Her love for
John is part of the reason she doesn’t want anyone to know about their dancing
in the woods. While they were there, Abby drank a concoction that would
supposedly kill Elizabeth Procter, John’s wife. In her mind, she thought if
she could get rid of Elizabeth then she could have John all to herself. That
defines exactly the character that Abby prevails. She is only concerned about
herself and seems to have no problem condemning countless people to a horrible
doom. Every time she cries “witch!” or cases a scene during a trial, I want
to knock her out. She infuriates me with her lies and how carried away she gets
with them. As her uncle asks her of the dancing, she bursts into tears and
screams, “I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book”(1234). She
says these things as she is crying out to her uncle and Rev. Hale. One lie leads
to another until she finds herself so deep in falsehood that she knows there’s
no way out. Like a selfish coward, she takes Rev. Paris’, her uncle’s, money
and flees Salem. She is ridiculous, and it amazes me that such a formerly
insignificant person can cause a riot that would end so tragically. I despise
her character and hope that karma catches up with her down the road.
These three women cause so many emotions to fly throughout the course of the play. The injustice that is exhibited makes for an agonizing experience. Within it, I find myself wanting to yell at so many of the accusers, mainly Abby, but no one listened to logic during this time period so yelling would do no good. I do find a sense of fulfillment in how Sarah and Rebecca displayed outstanding integrity through this trial, but it can never make up for not seeing Abby punished. Even if she were, it would not bring back the beloved lives that were lost. Therefore, we must move on and trust that what goes around will come back around. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible affected me in ways I never expected it to, and I don’t imagine I’ll ever feel the same when discussing The Salem Witch Trials.