The crucible free essay sample

â€Å"One man with courage makes a majority. †- Andrew Jackson Meaning: If one brave man stands up for what he believes in, he can make a change. We will write a custom essay sample on The crucible or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Introduction: -hook -meaning -background information -thesis: Jackson’s quote is relevant to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the actions of John Proctor, Giles Corey and Reverend Hale of Beverly, thus proving that if one brave man stands up for what he believes in, he can make a change. BP1: John Proctor *transition -topic sentence: John Proctor proves the quote’s relevance by showing that if one brave man stands up for what he believes in, he can make a change. -tells the court that the girls are lying -refuses to confess to witchcraft -ends up showing courage and helping to put an end to Salem Witch Trials BP2: Giles Corey *transition -topic sentence: Giles corey proves the quote’s relevance by showing that if one brave man stands up for what he believes in, he can make a change. -protests one-sided courts when he refuses to enter a plea -sacrificed himself and was crushed to death BP3: Reverend Hale *transition -topic sentence: Reverend Hale proves the quote’s relevance by showing that if one brave man stands up for what he believes in, he can make a change. -Quits the court and shows other people how unfair Danforth and his trials were -Later comes back to try to save people from being hanged by talking to Danforth -Tries to convince people to confess in order to not be hanged and to at least save themselves Conclusion: -thesis: Jackson’s quote is relevant to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the actions of John Proctor, Giles Corey and Reverend Hale of Beverly, thus proving that if one brave man stands up for what he believes in, he can make a change. -Relative to the Red Scare in America during the 1950’s â€Å"It is extraordinary how extraordinary the ordinary person is. † George F. Will Meaning: It is remarkable how exceptional the average person is and how much potential each person has. Introduction: -hook -meaning -background information -thesis: Will’s quote is relevant to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the actions of John Proctor, Giles Corey and Reverend Hale of Beverly, thus proving that it is remarkable how exceptional the average person is and how much potential each person has. BP1: John Proctor *transition -topic sentence: John Proctor proves the quote’s relevance by showing that It is remarkable how exceptional the average person is and how much potential each person has. -tells the court that the girls are lying -refuses to confess to witchcraft -ends up showing courage and helping to put an end to Salem Witch Trials -makes a huge impact in the trials BP2: Giles Corey *transition -topic sentence: Giles corey proves the quote’s relevance by showing that it is remarkable how exceptional the average person is and how much potential each person has. -protests one-sided courts when he refuses to enter a plea -sacrificed himself and was crushed to death â€Å"more weight† -makes a statement BP3: Reverend Hale *transition -topic sentence: Reverend Hale proves the quote’s relevance by showing that it is remarkable how exceptional the average person is and how much potential each person has. -Quits the court and shows other people how unfair Danforth and his trials were -Later comes back to try to save people from being hanged by talking to Danforth -Tries to convince people to confess in order to not be hanged and to at least save themselves Conclusion: -thesis: Will’s quote is relevant to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the actions of John Proctor, Giles Corey and Reverend Hale of Beverly, thus proving that it is remarkable how exceptional the average person is and how much potential each person has. -Relative to the Red Scare in America during the 1950’s â€Å"Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear-not absence of fear. †- Mark Twain Meaning: To be courageous is to overcome your fears, not to be fearless. Introduction: -hook -meaning -background information -thesis: Twain’s quote is relevant to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the actions of John Proctor, Giles Corey and Reverend Hale of Beverly, thus proving that to be courageous is to overcome your fears, not to be fearless. BP1: John Proctor *transition -topic sentence: John Proctor proves the quote’s relevance by showing that to be courageous is to overcome your fears, not to be fearless. -tells the court that the girls are lying -refuses to confess to witchcraft -ends up showing courage and helping to put an end to Salem Witch Trials BP2: Giles Corey *transition -topic sentence: Giles corey proves the quote’s relevance by showing that to be courageous is to overcome your fears, not to be fearless. -protests one-sided courts when he refuses to enter a plea -sacrificed himself and was crushed to death BP3: Reverend Hale *transition -topic sentence: Reverend Hale proves the quote’s relevance by showing that to be courageous is to overcome your fears, not to be fearless. -Quits the court and shows other people how unfair Danforth and his trials were -Later comes back to try to save people from being hanged by talking to Danforth -Tries to convince people to confess in order to not be hanged and to at least save themselves Conclusion: -thesis: Twain’s quote is relevant to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and the actions of John Proctor, Giles Corey and Reverend Hale of Beverly, thus proving that to be courageous is to overcome your fears, not to be fearless. -Relative to the Red Scare in America during the 1950’s The Crucible free essay sample Arthur Miller in the novel, â€Å"The crucible†, analyze obliquely the relation between The Salem witch hunt with The McCarthyism. Miller supports his analogy by emphasizing the characteristics that relate the witch hunt with the McCarthyism. The author’s purpose is to express his philosophical assumptions about the misjudgment, chaos and hysteria, that is reappearing throw the history in different faces and political assumptions of the McCarthyism in order to arouse people from their blind obstinacy for what was really happening. The author writes in a formal tone to of course all socialists, historians, and people with vulnerability to suffer this kind of event. In Arthur Millers â€Å"The Crucible†, the events of the Salem witch trials stem from the communitys bitterness over political, financial, and personal issues, causing hysteria upon the Salem citizens. This scandal is seized by Abigail Williams as an opportunity to seek power and revenge, similarity with Joseph McCarthy in the Red Scare, when he used it as a tool to raise his power, until president Eisenhower instructed his vice president, Richard Nixon to stop him. We will write a custom essay sample on The Crucible or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Both of them recognized, a little late, all the chaos that McCarthyism was causing rather than fixing, as mentioned in The Red Scare and McCarthyism, in a nutshell’, â€Å"Men who have in the past done effective work exposing communists in this country have, by reckless talk and questionable methods, made themselves the issue rather than the cause they believe in so deeply† (Nixon, p. 3). The philosophical assumptions were that the crucial event was the blacklist of oneself’s name, even if one was innocent the fact of being spotted as a witch or communist was the end of one social reputation such as Miller mentioned in â€Å"why I wrote ‘The crucible’ â€Å"the crucial damning event was signing of one’s name in â€Å"The devil’s book†, In time of hysteria and delusion drowning suspicion on oneself was as easy as pie, for instance the authority was never questioned, they would say -are you with us, or against us? , even talk to blacklisted people wasnt the smart thing to do, it would been seen as â€Å"fraternizing with the enemy†, â€Å"the old friend of a blacklisted person crossing the street to avoid being seen talking to him† (Miller,,â€Å"why I wrote ‘The crucible’ , because do such things would mean the risk of being blacklisted, this was the psychological element of fear applied in both the citizens of Salem 1691, and Americans 1950. Miller political assumptions were that Joseph McCarthy’s role was to pretend been helping the society but actually was doing the contrary by increasing chaos, and misjudgment, â€Å"sneering like a villain, he comes across now as nearly comical, a self-aware performer keeping a straight face as he does his juicy threat-shtick† (Miller,â€Å"why I wrote ‘The crucible’ †( ¶3), his power stirred fear of creeping communism, at the peak of McCarthyism the authority example to follow wasnt as complete, instead of represent safety and order, as it should have, it became one of McCarthy’s tools in his game. â€Å"The old political and moral reality had melted like a Dali watch† (Miller,â€Å"why I wrote ‘The crucible’. Arthur Miller’s purpose for writing The crucible was to express his philosophical and political assumptions about the matter that was happening in that stage of The United States history, The McCarthyism, which he easily draw the analogy with the Witch hunt at Salem in the winter of 1691, both were situations of spreading chaos, hysteria ,and dilution, where both Abigail Williams and Joseph McCarthy raised their power, respectively, and both ended up by jeopardizing the original situation. The Crucible free essay sample The literary work The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a very good choice for your essay. The Crucible is one of the most mysterious, and at the same time very utilitarian creation of the outgoing century.The play, which hitherto raises heated debates of people, who are trying to bring to light the subjects of much controversy, which are discussed in the play: the theme of the moral choice, justice and injustice, truth and lie, trials of the innocently accused person, witchcraft, evil powers vs. good ones. This literary creation is loosely based on historical facts: the Salem witch trials of the late 1600s. Miller leaves a lot of uncovered questions at the end of the play, which give much food for readers thoughts. Miller gives a wonderful opportunity to read between the lines, and to conjecture some ideas. Youll be impressed by the originality, eccentricity of the plot, splendidly selected system of the title characters, and those who make the general foil for them. We will write a custom essay sample on The crucible or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The characters in the play were based upon real people who judged or were judged in hysteria. Youll close the book with a comma-like state, as there are a lot of ambiguities in it. But be sure to read it to the end, dont lose this superb possibility.Undoubtedly, youll benefit from writing your essay on one of The Crucible essay topics. All the below-listed topics are at your disposal. So choose one of The Crucible essay topics, which seem the most suitable for you, and develop it in the format of the essay. Discuss the role that grudges and personal rivalries play in the witch trial hysteria. How do the witch trials empower individuals who were previously powerless? How does John Proctors great dilemma change during the course of the play? Compare the roles that Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams play in The Crucible. What role does sex, and sexual repression, play in The Crucible? Why are Danforth, Hathorne, and the other authorities so resistant to believing the claim that Abigail and the other girls are lying? What kind of government does Salem have? What role does it play in the action? Analyze Reverend Parris. What are his motivations in supporting the witch trials? Discuss the changes that Reverend Hale undergoes in the course of the play. Compare and contrast the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. Understand the  living conditions in Massachusetts in the 1700s. Examine the dynamics of Puritanism in 1692. Gather historical perspectives of American Colonial period.  What is your perception of the girls allegations in the play? Do they really believe in witchcraft or are they fabricating the events? Is John Proctor a tragic figure? Compare his fate to that of such tragic literary figures as King Oedipus in Sophocless Oedipus Rex and the title character in William Shakespeares Hamlet. Examine the historical facts regarding the Salem Witch Trials and Joseph McCarthys hearings. In what ways does Miller employ these facts in the service of his drama? How do the two historical events compare to What was witchcraft? Who practiced it? Describe the social response to witchcraft in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. What social and religious factors are given to account for the harsh response to witchcraft? What can you find out about modern witchcraft or Wicca? Compare and contrast the characters of Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor. Discuss Millers treatment of women in The Crucible. Explain why the play is a tragic comedy.  Explain the symbolic characters and how they develop the themes. Discuss how the themes of The Crucible make it both universal and enduring. What is the function of Reverend Hale in the play? The Crucible free essay sample Fear can lead to a lot of things, but unfortunately, in humans it usually leads to something bad. Throughout history, fear has lead to some of the most violent actions by man, and some of the biggest collapses of organized society. In early American history, the people of Salem experienced this for themselves. Arthur Miller shows this in his book. The society of Salem that Miller creates in The Crucible shows how fear can slowly cause rational thought to deteriorate, leading to mass hysteria and eventually the breakdown of civilized behavior. During Act I, Miller shows how each Salem’s citizens begin to realize this fear they have, and how it is slowly starting to take over their minds. This new idea that witchcraft exists in their very own society is too much for most people to handle. The very notion that â€Å"the necessity of the devil† could overtake them at any moment sends them directly down a path of fear (Miller 31). We will write a custom essay sample on The Crucible or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These witches who they now believe exist are associated with the one figure that they know is bad. The devil’s motives, although unclear to them, obviously involve the innocent people of their little town, which is more than their minds can comprehend. They start to believe irrational thoughts that encourage this fear, and that only leads to the worsening of the situation. Giles’s irrational fear of the â€Å"behavior of a hog† and how he â€Å"[knew] it had to be the Devil in an animal’s shape† prolongs this idea of paranoia (38). This â€Å"strange† behavior that Giles interprets as the work of the Devil exemplifies how even the smallest things are getting to the heads of the Salem citizens. Even Giles cannot justify his irrational fear, and he is the one who has it. Even he does not know what possesses him to have such a belief, but it only furthers the idea that the townspeople’s minds start to deteriorate, that the presence of evil is slowly invading their heads and ripping them of their rational thought. Now the citizens of Salem begin to get out of control, because now they try to rationalize their irrational fear. They try to look for scapegoats to qualify their thoughts, and in turn become completely hysterical. Once the people of Salem fully realize their fear, Miller shows how they try to justify this fear, but that they are in fact becoming more and more hysterical. They now try to find a justification for thoughts and their fear of evil. They need some solid proof to back up these accusations that they make, and they need to clear their own names as well. So, they arbitrarily start claiming that â€Å"[they] saw†¦with the Devil†, and that â€Å"[they] saw†¦with the Devil† (45). These unjustified explanations for their fears just shows how truly corrupted their minds become. They start naming their own friends, neighbors, and even their own family in order to clear themselves and more importantly to try to prove that this witchery is really upon them, and to prove that they are not just crazy. What it really does is show how hysteria is setting in, and how they have actually accepted these lies as the truth. While questioning each other on the matter, their breakdown can really be seen through their quick, almost sputtering manner of speaking: Hale: â€Å"Did you call the Devil last night? Abigail: â€Å"I never called him! † Parris: â€Å"She called the Devil? Abigail: â€Å"I didn’t see no Devil! † Hale: â€Å"You cannot evade me†¦(40)† This pace at which they speak proves how they have no real justification, only that they can accuse someone and use that as proof. They speak in little fragments that can barely be considered sentences because they do not actually have much to say, they only wish to get words out there, in hopes of proving something. This repetition of â€Å"Devil† is an attempt to further their argument and to relate the accused with him further. At this point they are really not making much sense anymore, and their minds only get worse from this state of hysteria. Miller finalizes his idea about the effects of fear through the complete breakdown of civilized thought and action of the people of Salem. After doing what they thought was justifying their fear, which was really just a step forward into hysteria, they now act on their irrational thoughts with irrational response. Their â€Å"long-held hatreds of neighbors could now be openly expressed, and vengeance [could] be taken†, but not on a direct level, however (7). They no longer need a justification, really, for anything because of the fear they have already established as truth. The so-called Puritans are no longer pure at all, because they are not catering to God, but only to themselves. All they had to do was accuse someone of itchcraft and they would be whisked away. Never in their right minds would they do such a thing, nor would anyone else believe it, but they are not in their right minds any longer, and anything relating to this evil is simply accepted. Upon accusing and questioning Mary Warren, Parris only has to offer a bad explanation to a simple question and it is right away accepted as truth. The people are no longer able to think clearly because their minds are clouded and the truth is made invisible by fear. The effects of fear are quite numerous, and as previously established, those effects are usually for the worse. As well as short-term issue, it can cause long-term damage and have adverse effects on one’s mind. These effects, in turn, are expressed outwards in different manners, effecting entire societies by causing hysteria and paranoia. In The Crucible, the town of Salem is used to express just that. Eventually this fear, which first deteriorates only the minds of individuals, develops into the mass breakdown of the entire society. The town also serves as an allegory to 1950s America, and the â€Å"witch-hunts† that followed the Red Scare. The Crucible free essay sample Why does guilt hold from telling the truth? In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, in the early year of 1962 in the small Massachusetts village of Salem, many innocent people in the play were hanged during the Salem witch trials. Of course, there are many people that may be blamed. Many problems arise that deal with jealousy, hypocrisy, and hysteria. One may find Abigail Williams, The Putnams, and Mary Warren to blame. Abigail was manipulative, The Putnams were very jealous, and Mary Warren was weak-will. Society can be destroyed by powerful forces of jealousy, hypocrisy and hysteria. Jealousy can lead you to do terrible things. Jealousy played a big role in who was to blame for the deaths in Salem. The Putnams were a small family, they had seven out of eight children and none survived but one. Mrs. Putnam was a very jealous person when it came to families, and Mr. We will write a custom essay sample on The Crucible or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Putnam was a very jealous person when it came to land. She Told Rebecca â€Å"You think it Gods work you should never lose a child nor grandchild either, and I burry all but one? There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires! †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Goody Putnam wanted more children and was jealous of Rebecca Nurse and her large family, so she blamed her for witchcraft . Mr. Putnam wanted more and more land and was very greedy. He accused many people of witchcraft, and once they were hanged, he would buy their land. Mental weakness is as much to blame for these deaths as much as jealousy and manipulation. People will lie to save their reputations. One character that seemed to fall into the social trap of hypocrisy is Judge Danforth. When questioning Mary Warren about her sudden decision to tell the truth, Danforth ridicules Mary when saying, How were you instructed in your life? Do you not know that God damns all liars? The Judge sees himself as part of the elect which is why he believes everyone else to be ignorant. For this same reason, is unable to see his error in forcing people to lie to save their lives. When Reverend Hale fails in his attempt to pardon the accused, Danforth states, I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime†. Danforth sees himself as high enough in society that he has the God-given gift to decide what will benefit the community. The Judge believes he is showing compassion in deciding what is just but is ignorant to the fact that this justness only causes unneeded deaths. Danforths pride causes him to be blind toward his blatant hypocritical accusations. Hysteria can tear apart a community. Salems hysteria makes the community lose faith in the spiritual belief they are strictly trying to enforce. The church soon began to lose many of its parishioners because the interest of the town is focused on Abigail, as they anxiously awaited her to accuse another person of witchery. The legal system which is designed to protect its servants, was also tainted by corruption. The court shows itself to be incapable of seeing truth when presented with it. Abigail along with the other girls scare Mary into disavowing her testimony as they all act together as if they were being attacked by the spirit of Mary Warren; Abigail screams in the court Mary, please dont hurt me! . Furthermore, when Proctor approaches Mary she screams and points at Proctor saying Youre the Devils man! In Conclusion, the powerful strength of hysteria, jealously, and hypocrisy can demolish a society. Jealousy can lead you to do terrible things. People will lie to save their reputations. Hysteria can tear apart a community. Goody Putnam was jealous of Rebecca Nurse for having a big family she was wanted to have. Judge Danforth fell in total hypocrisy when questioning Marry Warren about her telling the truth. The community lose faith in the spiritual belief they are strictly trying to enforce. Out of peoples’ greed they will go to extreme measures to obtain what they desire, which was the same then and is the same now.