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What relevance does the crucible have for modern society
The human experience in the crucible
The human experience in the crucible
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Performance Based Assessment The Crucible How would you react to hysteria? Would you join or stay far away from it? In the 1960s, people were accused of being communists. Arthur Miller publicly stated he was a communist. When a was a communist, he use to attend communist meetings. Miller was also on the Hollywood Blacklist because he refused to confess other people that could be potential communist. He was inspired by what had happened in the 1950s and personal experiences. This drew Miller into writing the Crucible. The Crucible was based on some real events, but the story is not non-fiction. Parris could have done more to stop the hysteria because he should have left his bad feelings about his neighbors. He also could have been stricter …show more content…
She started all the accusations about witchcraft and she blamed innocent people because she wanted revenge on those who hurt her. She also framed Marry Warren and Elizabeth Proctor for being involved in witchcraft. She framed Marry into giving Elizabeth a poppet. Little did Mary know that it was a poppet that had a needle in it which represented a form of unacceptable witchcraft. Before this happened, Parris and Abigail talked about what happened in the forest she denied the harsh allegations she wants to lie to the citizens so she cannot be punished by anyone. “My name is good in the village! I will not have it said my name is spoiled! Goody Proctor is a liar!” (Miller, 570) Abigail is now starting to lie about how things occurred, she is now blaming it on Goody, Proctor who had nothing to do with the witchcraft that has happened in the forest. She also tried to make it clear to Mrs. Putnam that she did not see any signs of witchcraft at her house or with Betty. She was with Betty and Parris. Betty starts showing evident signs of witchcraft. She attempted to fly, but was held back by Parris. After Abigail found John Proctor outside.”She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her.” (Miller, 578) Once Abigail finds John Proctor she talked to him and things did not go well. John said he never wanted to see her again. She does not believe him she thinks anything to do with her. He makes it clear he does not …show more content…
I disagree with those saying this. Characters such as Parris, Abigail, and the girls could have stopped the rumours that were spreading rapidly. It did not even have to be more than one person if at least one of the girls confessed what she had actually seen the day Elizabeth Proctor was framed the trial would have shut down. Abigail could have also came clean about the rumours she started and the people she framed. Parris could have made the situation better by not contributing to the rumours and false accusations
In the article, Miller discusses the rise of McCarthyism, and how it affected the American people and him personally. Being that Miller lived in the time of McCarthyism and was interviewed by the committee in charge of “Un-American Activities”, Miller is a very credible source on the effects of mass hysteria and paranoia. The article “Are You Now or Were You Ever” can be used as a source when discussing McCarthyism and its effects, and other studies of the era. This article is a valuable resource for studies of The Crucible and studies of Arthur Miller
She was put in the middle of the situation because she lied to the court about the affair with Abigail not knowing that John already admitted to it. That situation made both Elizabeth and John look bad. Some say that the truths will you set you free but in this case all it did was digging a deeper hole for the Proctor’s. Abigail tried to say that Elizabeth was dancing with the devil and the people believed it and started prosecuting every potential
In the Crucible there was three characters that stood out from all the other ones in this wicked story. Abigail Williams was a big influence in this story she would lie and lie to get out of things and she was also the leader of the girls in the woods. Furthermore she also had an affair with John Proctor which made John and Elizabeth relationship unstable. Also John Proctor runs into a situation at the end of the story where he is put in the position if he wants his pride of not signing that paper full of lies or die knowing he did the right thing of not lying. Additionally, Elizabeth Proctor has never lied ever until the day John was being prosecuted for his witchcraft and possibly adultery and Elizabeth lied so that his name wouldn't be ruined.
A very famous man once said, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” (Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1933). This is certainly true when it comes to Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible. Arthur Miller lived through the Red Scare, also known as McCarthyism. After living through this era and being one of the accused communists Miller wrote the book titled The Crucible in 1952. This book told the story of the Salem witch trials with some modifications to make it more relevant to the current situation. The book ultimately became an allegory devoted solely to McCarthyism. In The Crucible it uses situations such as the actual trials; direct comparisons of the characters in the book to those that participated in the McCarthy trials and, the atmosphere of the two events were almost identical.
Abigail was able to easily deceive and manipulate the court to try and get what she had set her eyes on, being John Proctor; a much older, married man who had had an affair with Abigail once when she was a sort of servant in his household. After finding of this, his wife Elizabeth had banished Abigail from their house. Abigail sought revenge...
The Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice Thesis Statement: The purpose is to educate and display to the reader the hysteria and injustice that can come from a group of people that thinks it's doing the "right" thing for society in relation to The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I. Introduction: The play is based on the real life witch hunts that occurred in the late 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. It shows the people's fear of what they felt was the Devil's work and shows how a small group of powerful people wrongly accused and killed many people out of this fear and ignorance.
Although she was a smart girl, Abigail was only out for herself and her own reputation. Abigail Williams didn't only lie about witchcraft, but she forced others to join in. She was Reverend Parris's niece and believed she could get away with whatever she wanted. Abigail did not want to have to damage her reputation by having a different testimony as all the other girls, so she forced them to lie as well. While alone with the girls she said, "let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. And you know I can do it..." (Miller 1044). Abigail also stuck a needle in herself because she knew Goody Proctor had a poppet at her home with a needle in it. While talking to John Proctor about Abigail, Cheever remarked, "...and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, she draw a needle out. And demandin' of her how she come to be so stabbed, she testify it were your wife's familiar spirit pushed it in," (Miller 1077). Abigail may have been the most prominent person to lay the blame on, but other people were guilty as well.
...ad to avoid making close relationships to known communists. On the other hand instead of death as a punishment for crime, America blacklisted (prevented from getting jobs) or imprisoned those who refused to appear in trials or those who were determined communists. Behind it all was Senator Joe McCarthy, thus the name McCarthyism. McCarthy capitalized these concerns, becoming the standing figure for the anti-communist movement, aiming to hunt down the people he assumed to be infiltrators. In addition to his accusations, he also targeted writers and entertainers, whom he thought sympathized with the communists. Arthur Miller was one of the many questioned writers. His play, ‘The Crucible’, was a metaphor for McCarthyism, which therefore caught attention of both the public and the government, who questioned him on whether he has had any connection with communists.
She does everything that is physically possible to get rid of her. She drinks a charm to kill Elizabeth, she stabs herself with a needle to accuse Elizabeth of a crime, Abigail also accuses Elizabeth of being a witch. The whole play, those were the only intentions that Abigail had, exterminate Elizabeth Proctor. Even though John decided to attempt to make the court look differently at Abigail and see what she has done to many people in the city of Salem. The misleading trait that Abigail has, helps her get out of a rocky situation without harm. The threatening of the girls, drinking a charm, stabbing herself with a needle, and accusing Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft are all the reasons that Abigail is also an evil individual. Abigail was the most misleading and evil character in the play written by Arthur Miller.
When Abigail first started to accuse people in her town of witchcraft, she was trying to protect herself. Blaming other people and
Her selfishness is evident when Abigail and her friends accuse the innocent people of Salem of witchcraft. She puts the blame on others, so she does not get punished for dancing in the woods. Abigail shows her anger towards John Proctor when she tries to accuse his wife and ultimately gets John killed. Her anger leads her to make the poor decisions of getting John killed, even though he did nothing wrong. She is a coward when she puts the blame on innocent people and runs away before John gets hung. Her craven attitude is the last flaw that ultimately leads her to run away from Salem. Abigail’s flaws eventually bring her to her downfall by the end of the
In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, the main character Abigail Williams is to blame for the 1692 witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Abigail is a mean and vindictive person who always wants her way, no matter who she hurts. Through out the play her accusations and lies cause many people pain and suffering, but she seemed to never care for any of them except John Proctor, whom she had an affair with seven months prior to the beginning of the play. John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth used to employ Abigail, until Elizabeth found out the affair and threw Abigail out. Although John told Abigail that the affair was over and he would never touch her again, she tried desperately to rekindle their romance. "Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I'll ever reach for you again." (Page 23) She claimed that she loved John and that he loved her. Before the play began, Abigail tried to kill Elizabeth with a curse. She thought that if Elizabeth were dead John would marry her. Further into the play, Abigail accused Elizabeth of witchcraft. She saw Marry Warren, the Proctor's servant, making a poppet. Mary put a needle into the doll, and Abigail used that for her accusation. She stabbed herself with a needle and claimed that Elizabeth's soul had done it. Although Abigail claimed she loved John, she may have just loved the care and attention he gave her. John cared for her like no one else had. In a way he could be described as somewhat of a father figure to her. When Abigail was just a child, she witnessed her parents' brutal murders. "I saw Indians smash my dear parent's heads on the pillow next to mine..." (page 20) After her traumatic experience, she was raised by her uncle, Reverend Parris, who is somewhat of a villain. In the play it was written, "He (Parris) was a widower with no interest in children, or talent with them." (Page 3) Parris regarded children as young adults who should be "thankful for being permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at the sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak." (Page 4) Therefore, it is obvious to see that Abigail grew up without any love or nurturing.
Mary realizes that what Abigail is doing is wrong and she’s the only one who can put a stop to it. Abigail’s frustration grew as Mary announced to the court that, “She [Abigail] sees nothin’!” (121) and tried to accuse her of murder. Abigail saw Mary’s confidence building up as Mary kept denying using witchcraft after she repeatedly accused Abby of it. Transition here Abigail screaming at the “bird” on the ceiling because she thought it was Mary, Mary supposedly sent to attack her as Danforth asks Mary, “Have you compacted with the Devil? Have you?”(121) and Mary replies with, “Never, Never” (121). Mary Warren knows that if she does not admit to using witchcraft she could be hung, but she knows she must put an end to Abby’s manipulation. Earlier in the novel, Mary was too intimidated by Abigail and would never have had the courage to accuse Abby of lying about the events in the woods. To successfully accuse Abby, Mary had to admit that, “I never saw no spirits” (112) which put her own life in danger as well. Until accusing Abby of witchcraft and murder in the court with John Proctor, Mary Warren had no confidence in herself and did what everyone else wanted her to do. At the end of the play, Mary made decisions for herself and wasn’t afraid to go against what everyone else was doing.
One of the most important conflicts that transpire is between Abigail and John, and Abigail’s jealously towards John’s wife Goody Proctor. The first case of jealously and conflict between these characters is when John has called Abigail to the woods to confront her about the accusations her and the other girls have been making. Abigail thinks differently; she believes that John is calling her to the woods to tell her that he wants to be with her. This is not the case though, John says he comes in friendly but he later reveals his true intentions and tells Abigail that she is not to call out Elizabeth’s name. Abigail proclaims “: Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be— Proctor, angered-at himself as well: You’ll speak nothing’ of Elizabeth.” Abigail: she is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, snivelling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn you like a- Proctor, shaking her: Do you look for whipping’? Abigail refers to Goody Proctor as “ a snivelling woman” to make John believe that she is upset that Goody Proctor is vilifying her reputation in the town. The real reasoning behind Abigail insulting her is not because she thinks her name is being blackened but she is trying to cover up her unrequited feelings she has for John. Abigail is later brought up in the Proctor household...
One night the girls were caught dancing in the woods naked by Reverend Parris. Abigail threatened the other girls she would kill them if they ever said what they were actually doing, which was conjuring spirits. Abigail was the one who had done most of the wrong dong including drinking blood. Because of this event the start of the whole witch hunt and hysteria can be accredited to Abigail. Whenever she would be accused she would make up a lie, and threaten the other girls to say it was the truth.