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How history influences literature
A few ways that historical events have influenced literature
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There are three characters that are concerned with their reputations. John Proctor has
pride and is willing to sacrifice his life for his name. Reverend Parris is insecure about his
position because of his daughter. Parris is afraid she is bewitched which would humiliate him.
Judge Danforth knows he is hanging innocent people, but won’t postpone the trials to keep his
name respected. These characters face many complications and struggles but want to keep
their good reputation to maintain the high standards in Puritan society.
John Proctor is a tormented individual who is concerned about his reputation. He is
uncertain to tell the court about the affair he had with Abigail Williams, because it would
reveal his affair with Abigail,
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It would also affect his death because if he hadn’t cared about his
reputation as much then he would of survived. Reverent Parris is concerned about his reputation as well. He doesn’t want to tarnish his
name. In The beginning of the chapter, Parris isn’t too confident about his job, as a Reverent.
He’s insecure about his position because he is afraid that his daughter would bewitch which
would humiliate him. Parris was a holy man. He knew some of the people are not guilty
during the end of the trials. He can’t confess that the accusation was false because Parris
would get in serious trouble. Parris is known for his religious belief, the people conceder him
as a good man. If Parris loses this respect, he would be destroyed and can’t do anything to
gain his trust back. This affects how Parris acts because he continued to lie instead of freeing
all the innocent people and telling the truth.
Judge Danforth he too is concerned about his reputation. He is known for his decision-
making skills. Later on Danforth realizes that he is hanging innocent people that shouldn’t be
hanged. Regrettably he sentenced too many people; once he realizes that Abigail is putting
Many townspeople in Salem would agree that Reverend Samuel Parris had a role in the
There are many sides to John Proctor and they occur at different stages of the play, John is a complex character and is very well respected even though he has done wrong things. Arthur Miller was in the same situation as John Proctor in 1956-57 because he refused to give names of people he saw at communist meetings. There was the same trial system. If you confessed you would stay alive assuming you had turned from the communist meetings, however if you denied that you were seen at communist meeting you would have been hanged because there would be no evidence to show you weren’t there. You get the impression that the character of John Proctor was based on the real life character of Miller.
...n whether to confess to witchcraft or not. His unwillingness to sign his name to the confession is because of his desire not to dishonor his fellow prisoners’ decisions to stand firm.
Reverend Parris is the character that initiates the hysteria of the Salem witch trials, in a community where authorities wasted no time minding the business of it's citizens, what should have been seen as teen frivolity was blown into one of the ugliest moments in American History. Parris sparks this by firstly acting on his own paranoia, which the reader would find in the introduction 'he believed he was being persecuted where ever he went';, and calling Reverend Hale in an attempt for self-preservation '….if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it.'; This statement says a lot about the character of Reverend Parris: a greedy, power hungry man who is more concerned with his own reputation than the souls of his niece and daughter. He always acts on fear, a fear that he will lose his position of power in the community. Parris does not want the trials to end as a fraud because the scandal of having a lying daughter and niece would end his career in Salem.
Reverend Parris’ fear of losing his job provokes him to cry witch. Reverend Parris’ daughter feigns to be in a coma. When the doctor bade Susanna tell Reverend Parris that he “might look to unnatural things for the cause of it” (9), he denies that possibility because he fears that rumors of witchcraft under his roof would help his “many enemies” (10) to drive him from his pulpit. Later, by supporting the Salem witch trials, Reverend Parris secures his position in the church. When John Proctor brings a deposition to court signed by Mary Warren that calls Abigail and her girls’ frauds, Reverend Parris urgently tells Judge Danforth that “they’ve come to overthrow the court” (88). When Mary Warren cannot faint in court, Reverend Parris accuses her of being “a trick to blind the court” (107). After Abigail pretends that Mary Warren is attacking her, Reverend Parris spurs on the accusations by telling her to “cast the Devil out” (118). Reverend Parris fears that if Abigail becomes exposed he will be punished for supporting an illegitimate court procedure. When execution day arrives, Reverend Parris fears that the “rebellion in Andover” (127) over hangings will occur similarly in Salem. Reverend Parris pleads to Hathorne that “. . . it were another sort that we hanged till now . . . these people have great weight yet in the town” (127). Reverend Parris’ last attempt at preserv...
that, in the belief of the time, would damn his soul. In fact, in one soliloquy in Act III,
As cited by Sutter (2003), during the period, contracts for ministers provided them a modest salary, use of a house and free firewood; Reverend Parris received this and much more, including the title and deed to the parsonage and its surrounding land. Those residents who were angered by Reverend Parris’ benefits and who wanted to remain part of Salem Town refused to attend worship services and withheld their local taxes. This latter action was of consequence because local taxes helped pay the minister’s salary and provided his firewood. In October 1691, Parris’ opponents comprised the majority of the new Salem Village Committee, who refused to assess local taxes for Parris’...
The primary dramatic focus in the play The Crucible is the moral struggle of its protagonist, John Proctor. Certain characteristics of John Proctor's character and also the environment of the Puritanical Salem alleviated this problem for him. The main issues running through out the play are a series of dilemmas that John Proctor faces. The first and foremost of these is his guilt over his adulterous affair with Abigail Williams, the second his hesitation to testify against Abigail to bring out the truth and the third, his final decision to make the ultimate sacrifice.
What I said was altogether false against my grandfather and Mr. Burroughs, which I did to save my life and to have my liberty; but the Lord, charging it to my conscience, made me in so much horror that I could not contain myself before I denied my confession…”(Godbeer 147).
commits a crime of his age. The new robes ultimately act as stimulation for his tragic
Socrates, in his conviction from the Athenian jury, was both innocent and guilty as charged. In Plato’s Five Dialogues, accounts of events ranging from just prior to Socrates’ entry into the courthouse up until his mouthful of hemlock, both points are represented. Socrates’ in dealing with moral law was not guilty of the crimes he was accused of by Meletus. Socrates was only guilty as charged because his peers had concluded him as such. The laws didn’t find Socrates guilty; Socrates was guilty because his jurors enforced the laws. The law couldn’t enforce itself. Socrates was accused of corrupting Athens’ youth, not believing in the gods of the city and creating his own gods. In the Euthyphro, Socrates defends himself against the blasphemous charges outside the courthouse to a priest Euthyphro. Socrates looks to the priest to tell him what exactly is pious so that he may educate himself as to why he would be perceived as impious. Found in the Apology, another of Plato’s Five Dialogues, Socrates aims to defend his principles to the five hundred and one person jury. Finally, the Crito, an account of Socrates’ final discussion with his good friend Crito, Socrates is offered an opportunity to escape the prison and his death sentence. As is known, Socrates rejected the suggestion. It is in the Euthyphro and the Apology that it can be deduced that Socrates is not guilty as charged, he had done nothing wrong and he properly defended himself. However, in the Crito, it is shown that Socrates is guilty only in the interpretation and enforcement of Athens’ laws through the court system and its jurors. Socrates’ accusations of being blasphemous are also seen as being treasonous.
...and accusations. The extend to which Abigail has manipulated Judge Danforth is shown here. Danforth’s unconditional reliability in Abigail motivated the people in Salem to accused each other to save their own skins. This brought about chaos and commotion to the people of Salem.
One of the characters to be anxious regarding his good name was the town priest, Mr. Parris. In the beginning of the play when his daughter Betty is said to be bed ridden due to a witch attack, he denies every notion of the possibility. It is imperative to Parris that his holy home does not house evil spirits and that
...f King Laius, he unknowingly banished himself. If he had waited to punish the killer of King Laius his departure may have been a little less shameful.
to act every inch the lady. He wants everyone to be jealous of his wife and