Shiloh Lee
2/7/2023
Fleetwood
The Crucible: Power
Its Hale-ing witches
Power: a deciding factor in one's life. Those born with power are given an automatic key to success in life. Those without power are given a handicap. However, power is a construct- because of its intangible nature, power can be taken or given at any time. The Crucible by Arthur Miller follows the story of a village that transcends into chaos over the Salem witch trials. The delicacy of power is demonstrated in Reverend John Hale, a character that holds legitimate and referent power as a religious figure who learns that power is delicate and upon possession of it, one must act with caution.
French and Ravens research finds that “Cultural values constitute one common
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He is called to Salem due to his expertise in witchcraft, being described as having “much experience in all demonic arts”, (1.193) and is therefore a credible figure. Unlike Reverend Parris, he is generally well-liked by the population of the town. Due to his and Reverend Parris’ contrasting images, he is perceived as far more charismatic and capable in carrying out religious duties. Because of the power given to him, he is faced with large decisions. Initially, he followed the court and signed the death warrants of countless individuals, expressing that “There is too much evidence now to deny it” (2.471-472). He later realizes that his decision to sign the death warrants had resulted in innocent people dying and publicly denounces the disorganized court. However, it is impossible for his actions to be reversed as not only have the people already died, but he no longer is the power holder. By believing Abigail and following her accusations, the court could not go back on their word without making themselves look uncredible and unreliable. Due to pride, even most of those who know that the accused are innocent refuse to testify. His actions near the end where he is earnestly convincing John Proctor to save himself and confess his last feeble attempt at reversing his actions and gaining his power
In The Crucible, the desire for power is prominent, which causes characters in the play to avert events. The church and the Bible were the two main sources of evident power. They held the community together and helped make decisions upon accusations. Abigail, due to her obsession with John Proctor, gained power because she just wanted to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor, his wife, thus she began the hysteria. With this, she was looked up to as a savior because she was ‘cleansing’ Salem of witchcraft.
Despite their deeply religious values, the members of the Puritan Society in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible are equally as sinful as the rest of the world. The Puritans, known for turning to God when given any matter at hand, lay blame on the Devil, regardless of their contradictory values. By blaming on him for their wrongdoings, the Devil earns power through the Puritans restoring to involve him whenever any one thing goes wrong. Power is defined by one’s reputation, status, wealth, gender, and age; although the natural deciding factor of one’s power in the Puritan society is land, the Devil himself holds ultimate power. Despite the fact that he does not appear as a human figure, he controls the thoughts and actions of the Puritan society, serving as the ultimate threat.
In theocratic Salem, where personal and public morality is synonymous, reputation is crucial. The dread of guilt by association becomes especially harmful in a setting where reputation is so important. The residents of Salem are concerned with upholding their good reputations and must be concerned that the transgressions of their friends and associates would tarnish their names. The desire to preserve their reputations is the motivation behind the acts of many personalities. Parris worries that his reputation will be threatened and that his removal from the pulpit will be caused by Abigail's increasingly dubious conduct and the suggestions of witchcraft surrounding his daughter's coma as the play opens.
Plenty, actually. When it comes down to it, the “pure” town of Salem’s real devil is it’s nature of self-regard. No one is safe from it, but some are worse than others, especially one. Reverend Parris refuses to differentiate the events in Salem as a problem and thus
The Salem Witch Trials was a time period where tension and controversy arose from personal religious pursuits. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller used the character of Reverend Hale, a minister, and expert on the demonic arts, to display the raw injustice and hypocrisy manifested from his bibliocentric beliefs. Hale’s confident, formulaic view of Christian faith and witchcraft gradually changed. But as He came to Salem with much devotion to the church and with good intentions, he soon realizes the very evil he is committed to brought chaos and the overpower of authority. Despite Reverend Hale’s deep religious convictions, his naivety showed the fallibility of his judgment of others.
Argumentative Essay: Power in The Crucible There are many concepts in human society that can only exist if there is a belief in them. One of the strongest of those concepts is the concept of power which can be so strong that it gets out of hand. As John Dalberg-Acton once said, “Power tends to be corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely” The feeling of being powerful causes one to go off the rails and believe they are truly invinvible. Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is a fictionalization of the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s that also acts as an allusion to the Red Scare that happened in America during the early 1900s.
Fear, anger, and distrust are feelings that all humans face on a daily basis. In Arthur Miller’s book The Crucible, Abigail Williams’s actions opened Pandora's box in her small town. The story takes place in Salem, a puritan village, and it’s a tale of how a single person can bring havoc to the ones around them. The Crucible acts as a morality play by illustrating how manipulation and panic can cause false accusations that lead to death. Miller shows this through symbolism and characterization of good and evil.
The play, The Crucible, authored by Arthur Miller, took place in the time of the Salem witch trials, in which lies caused mass delirium and murder. Miller shines a light on the exploitative tendencies of people in power during periods of hysteria. The play also showcases the tendency for people to change when an event tests their morality. The Crucible proves that significant events can shift someone's moral compass, just as it had in the case of Reverend Hale.
George Bernard Shaw once stated, “Power does not corrupt men; fools however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.” When given power you can either allow it to humble you or you can abuse it. The influence of power proves to show a person's true colors, bright, dark, vivid, or muted. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, reflects on the past Salem witch trials, however, Miller uses power as an underlying focal point to display the effects of corrupt influence. The struggle for power hangs over the heads of the citizens of Salem like a carrot over the head of a rabbit.
n the Puritan society, power is often given to people because of the land that one owns, one 's age, one 's race, one ’s religious beliefs, or one’s reputation in the community. In Act I of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, there is a clear sense of hierarchy in their community. There are few people who pull away and actually gain or lose power regardless of their standing. With the idea that the devil has come into this community, some see this as an opportunity to gain the power that they have been lacking for most of their lives. Even though in the Puritan society, men are much more dominant, Tituba and Abigail Williams are two women who hold great power due to their involvement in the alleged witchcraft.
Shawn Jande Ms. Clancy American Literature B3 15 November 2015 The Crucible Analytical Essay Imagine, being accused of a crime you didn’t commit by your neighbors and friends out of jealousy, and desire. This is what many people in the town of Salem had to go through during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. People's motives such as: gaining and maintaining power, and aspirations for what other people had caused them to make irrational, and atrocious decisions. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, desire and power drive characters to create chaos in the community.
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, conveys through Abigail and the judges how experiencing unlimited power will lead to abuse of power and deadly undeserved consequences. Many times throughout the play, Abby with her newly gained power irresponsibly uses it for her own benefit without thought about the consequences those actions might cause. The first example of this abuse of power is seen early on in the play in Act 1 through Abigail when she tells the other girls, "I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you." because all of the girls are scared of witchcraft and are about to admit to dancing and conjuring. She was scared that her reputation was going to be damaged by the girls admitting so she used her power of engaging fear in the
Power and influence in society have a huge impact on the way things happen and affects perception. A prime example is the power that presidents and prime ministers have. Given this power they can effectively influence and persuade others. Power and influence is often associated with gender, conflict and roles and relationships. The importance of the power and influence can be thoroughly examined using texts that demonstrate ideas presented as truths.
Reverend Parris was in a position of power as the town 's spiritual leader, but he was insecure about his authority. He was willing to say and do whatever it takes to retain control. He was obsessed with maintaining his power because he wasn’t brave enough. We knew that Parris was consistently preaching hellfire before the incident of the girls practicing witchcraft in the forest. He demanded more money and acted as if he deserved more.
Power, the ability to maintain control, command, or authority over others can often be determined by one’s reputation and his or her persuasiveness. This principle is displayed within The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, in which follows the town of Salem, Massachusetts attempting to navigate through a “Witchcraft” outbreak supposedly lead by the Devil. Within such a theocratic society such as Salem, the Devil is often associated with death, fear, and uncertainty. While his name alone is often believed to be able to influence others in to following through in certain actions. The Devil, as a key figure behind the immense “witchcraft” occurring in Salem, is crafted by Miller as the most influential “character” due to his infamous reputation and his ability to control characters’ actions.