Certain criminal proceedings have had an enormous impact in the ideal American character. One example was the 1925 Monkey Scopes Trial in which John Scopes was being prosecuted for teaching Evolution. In a similar vein the speeches led by Senator Joseph McCarthy and the trials known as the “Red Scare” enraged many American authors and producers, leading these individuals to spread their own ideas and to defend civil rights. Two playwrights who lived through the “Red Scare” trials, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee, addresses the oppression of the McCarthy trials by a meek character called Bert Cates throughout their play named Inherit the Wind. A nationally recognized lawyer, Henry Drummond, uses his gift of freedom of speech to support Cates. Cates love interest, Rachel Brown, grows intellectually and portrays the change that Lawrence and Lee want to see in Americans. Furthermore, Brady comes to prosecute Cates for teaching Evolution throughout the schools in Tennessee. In this allegorical play Lawrence and Lee’s use of symbolic characters challenges the status quo and inspires American intellectual growth.
Through Rachel, who represents a naïve American who is insecure by making her own choices, Lawrence and Lee argue that Americans can be open to new perspectives and empower themselves with confidence. Rachel starts employing stress on herself when she is conflicted by Bert’s and her father’s thoughts on evolution before the trial. Furthermore, Rachel describes her conflicted way of thinking, “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty” (1.1.34). Rachel is called “sleeping beauty” because she is told to think for herself. Unfortunately, she is torn by her clashing thoughts between Cates and her father. She has to decide whether to support Cates...
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... that no one should be over confident even if someone is about to win. Being over confident may ultimately destroy you in the end. Brady dies in the end because of humiliation and regret. Lawrence and Lee uses Brady as a confident individual to an over confident individual through the play to caution Americans not to get prideful about our overconfidence.
Rachel and Drummond is an inspiration to many Americans, and the character Brady is a character that all Americans should stay away from. Rachel symbolizes a person with the freedom of thought. Furthermore, Drummond is shown standing up for his own beliefs about evolution. On the other hand, Brady is portrayed as overconfident and the role model that Americans should not follow. After reading Inherit the Wind, we should challenge ourselves to stand up for our own beliefs without being overconfident or prideful.
...own choices and the uncertainty that accompanies growing up. Rachel Marsh is a twelve year old indentured servant at the beginning of this novel. She is as lucky in her establishment as she is ill-fated in her sole remaining family member, the crucial, predictable, corrupt and wicked uncle. She is (and was in reality) the nursemaid to John and Abigail Adams. Abigail, an intelligent and forward thinking woman, mentors the young Rachel with books and unfettered opinions. While she is on her quest “to better herself,” she meets up with many of the pivotal figures of the Boston Massacre, such as Henry Knox, Samuel Adams and Paul Revere. Central to Rachel’s saga is her friendship with a young redcoat who becomes involved in the Massacre, causing Rachel even more confusion as she makes her mind up about liberty, civil actions and personal and national freedom and identity.
Authors often have underlying reasons for giving their stories certain themes or settings. Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, The Crucible, is a work of art inspired by actual events as a response to political and moral issues. Set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, The Crucible proves to have its roots in events of the 1950’s and 1960’s, such as the activities of the House Un-American Committee and the “Red Scare.” Though the play provides an accurate account of the Salem witch trials, its real achievement lies in the many important issues of Miller’s time that it dealswith.
Drummond still has much respect for Brady as a thinking man despite their complicated background. With Brady’s death, Drummond comes to highly value the life of Matthew Harrison Brady. The reader or audience can see what Henry Drummond means when saying that Brady became lost because “he was looking for God too high up and too far away” by looking at both Brady and Drummond’s beliefs. Though their history is not the smoothest, neither man allows it to enter the courtroom. Inherit the Wind is an amazing play and it’s characters are well developed full of good opinions and strong personalities.
Traditionalism and conservatism have always threatened the “rights” and easily strengthened the “wrongs” of society. Liberal ideals allow some people to see past the norms of the time into the heart of the matter or to predict a better future. Victimized people may be forced to see things differently even if they are not naturally liberal. The Crucible shows how these people—the liberals, victims and liberal victims—fought to stand by what they knew to be right, even when all of the voices and norms of society were against them. In the Salem in the play people who were accused were urged to confess based on the testimonies of others and the traditions of severe religious consequences and
In this passage, Sandra Cisneros explains the world of a small eleven-year old girl named Rachel who has been disappointed but taught by her experiences. The author uses several literary devices such as simile, imagery, foreshadowing, tone, diction, etc., to address the neglected and sad feelings of Rachel and to portray Rachel as a character who changes as a result of experience. Rachel, as she explains her difficulty in growing up, she is embarrassed and feels helpless. Though she just turned eleven, all the years before eleven are "pushing at the back of her eyes". The author shoots all these emotions out from Rachel and characterize her actions as that of which small kids would do so they can solve problems. Cisneros uses all these various literary techniques to create the development of the character of Rachel in that she is complex and round
Silence has pervaded every imaginable recess in the old dilapidated courthouse. A hundred silent onlookers hold their breath in baited anticipation. Suddenly, the dull sound that only wood can make as it slams into an desk echoes for what may as well be all eternity. A single man garners the attention of two hundred eyes as he unintentionally clears his throat. However his lips only are able to take form around one bloodcurdling word: guilty. Although of what crime depends on the time period of the aforementioned case, for trials such as these have occurred in American History not once but twice. The first began back in the 1600's in a little town known as Salem Massachusetts, where people were killed for crimes of witchcraft. The second instance, while not quite as known for bestowing rigor mortis still put ruin on the lives of many. Trials in the 1950's fueled by McCarthyism and the idea that communism was invading the United States led to the blacklisting of many people as supposed socialists. Arthur Miller saw the real story of the trials for supposed unamericans during his time and he set about making it known to the public. However, had miller outright stated his views he would have found himself in the same position as those who's stories he tried to tell. Therefore he devised a creative solution; he wrote a story based on events in the Salem witch trials that is nearly perfectly symbolic of the McCarthyism trials. Miller's extensive [use of] irony in the crucible reveals the actual motives behind events carried out during the Salem witch trials, and thereby he exposes the dark truth of what happened during 1950's McCarthyism trials on Unamerican activities.
The horrors of history are passed on from generation to generation in hopes that they will never occur again. People look back on these times and are appalled at how horrendous the times were; yet, in the 1950s, history repeated itself. During this time, Joseph McCarthy, a United States senator from Wisconsin, began accusing people of being communists or communist sympathizers, which is parallel to the Salem witch trials in the late 1690s when innocent people were accused of practicing witchcraft. One of the people McCarthy accused was author and playwright Arthur Miller. To express his outrage at McCarthy’s actions, miller wrote The Crucible, intentionally drawing similarities between the McCarthy hearings and the Salem witch trials.
Explore Miller’s dramatic presentation and development of the theme of power and authority. Even though The Crucible is not historically correct, nor is it a perfect allegory for anti-Communism, or as a faithful account of the Salem trials, it still stands out as a powerful and timeless depiction of how intolerance, hysteria, power and authority is able to tear a community apart. The most important of these is the nature of power, authority and its costly, and overwhelming results. “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or against it,” says Danforth conceitedly. With this antithesis, Miller sums up the attitude of the authorities towards the witch trials that if one goes against the judgement of the court
In Nathaniel Hawthorne's “Young Goodman Brown”, he recreates a time most recalled of the Puritans: the Salem witch trials. He includes multiple historical names associated with the trial, some of them even of his own ancestry. These historical facts are important to his story because it builds a sense of apprehension, doubt and superstition in the reader, while containing tangible connections to reality. It also allows contemporary readers to examine the issues and see the repercussions of such a belief system and the impact it can and did have.
Rachel Robinson is a thrilling character in I Never Had it Made by Jackie Robinson. She displays several qualities which make her an engaging character. Rachel is fierce, and it is evident when she thinks Jackie is cocky, conceited, and self-centered. Rachel is also helpful. The author shows this when Rachel helps Jackie Jr. with his homework. Lastly, Rachel is loyal. We witness this when Jackie goes into the army and Rachel does not see him for two years, but she stays with him. This essay will show that Rachel possesses the three qualities just mentioned. This essay will also show how the events specified show unique attributes.
Inherit the Wind, written by Robert E. Lee and ___ Lawrence, has an array of characters that mirror the world during McCarthyism. The greatest similarity between Inherit the Wind and its historical context is evident in the character of Brady and Senator Joseph McCarthy’s personality. Joseph McCarthy exhibited a compelling style when orating speeches that came to define an era. According to historians, “...his current path was the path of righteousness. his delivery was emphatic and powerful. His fist pounded the pulpit, and his voice growled with vigilance.”("Joseph McCarthy as the Epithet of an Era" ) The character of Brady showcases the charisma and force McCarthy used with his words to make people listen to his opinions. In the play, Brady seems to translate Miller’s impression of McCarthy. When about to make a speech, Brady’s charismatic quality is described to the reader, “[Brady] seems to carry with him a built-in spotlight...[Brady] raises his hand. Obediently, the crowd falls to a hushed and anticipatory silence.” (Lawrence, Lee 19) Brady’s power as a public figure imitates Joseph McCarthy’s unequivocal force as an orator. McCarthy’s image in history is known to be one of immense power and manipulation of the masses’ emotions.
Few people are willing to stand up to the overwhelming power of authority, especially during a time like the Red scare. Hardly any authors are able to recognize meaningful similarities between the present times and an event that happened many years ago—and write about it effectively. Only one has had the courage and intelligence to do both. Arthur Miller was an American author who wrote plays, essays, and stories and has published works dating from to 1936 through 2004. The Crucible, one of his most famous plays, premiered in New York on January 22, 1953 (InfoTrac). It is a historical-fiction story set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The witch hunt described in this play is similar to the Red Scare, an anti-communist movement led by Senator Joseph McCarthy that lasted from the late 1940s to the late 1950s (Broudin). During both time periods, most people respected high authority while a few dissenters challenged conformist views. The public was censored in what they could say because of the fear of being accused of witchcraft or communism. The hysteria of the times triggered a mob-mentality to emerge among the citizens, which influenced nearly everyone to join the terrible movements. Miller presents all of these ideas in The Crucible using his own experiences as influences. He incorporated many of his own traits into the characters’ dispositions. He also described many situations in the play that were similar to the ones he was in, including how he was censored by the Red Scare. Many people will often conform while only a few will challenge authority, will use censorship to prevent others from expressing their views, and are easily affected by hysteria; these characteristics influenced Miller’s life and are reflected by him in Th...
Presumably, complications start to revolve around the protagonist family. Additionally, readers learn that Rachel mother Nella left her biological father for another man who is abusive and arrogant. After,
...common in human beings, and the demonstrations that have been considered in this term paper are not the only examples that live in the novel that call up the difficulty of considering with change. believe about Holden lowering out of yet another school, Holden departing Pencey Prep and, for a while, dwelling life in the cold streets of New York town all by his lonesome. The book ends abruptly, and gathering condemnation of it is not rare. It's an odd cliffhanger, not because of the way it's in writing, but because of a individual desire to glimpse what Holden finishes up doing with his life. Perhaps, as he augments up, he'll learn to contend better through change. Imagine the death of Phoebe, decisively an event that would be similar to Allie's tragic demise. if an older Holden would reply the identical as did a junior one, is a inquiry still searching for an answer.
For example, Ruth May is usually very objective in her descriptions of things and enjoys people viewing her that way. For example, she says that her parents “won’t talk about the bad things in front of my sisters, but me I can listen all the livelong day while I’m getting me a banana in the kitchen house and peeling it” (Kingsolver 51). Not only does Ruth May remain objective, but the majority of her views come from her parents and sisters rather than directly from herself since she is immersed in their life and everyone else around believes that she is too young to have a view or opinion on anything. On the contrary, Rachel is very subjective in the novel and tries to involve herself in a variety of situations. For example, she is very self-centered and focused on what will happen to her. This is still the case when she says “the instant we get back to Georgia I am filing for an adoption” (Kingsolver 268). So not only does Rachel put herself directly in the middle of a situation, she declares it and wants everyone to know. Rachel has a difficult time remaining objective throughout the novel and therefore often loses her unreliability as a narrator. Each of the other characters have differing narrative perspectives than Rachel and Ruth May. However, it is this that shapes the novel and its structure as a circular