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Innocent or Guilty?
Grace Marks, the main character in Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, is undoubtedly guilty. The evidence against her is way too much to consider innocence. Feeling sympathy towards Grace seems easy, especially since she tries to make it out to seem that she is the victim, but when looking at the facts only, it is obvious that the evidence all points against her. She has motives, Grace has left evidence, and her stories are not consistent with each other. The evidence, as well as the motives signify her guilt, not her being a victim of an unfair system.
Grace’s motives seem to be fairly simple, as they are based mostly on a love interest of Mr. Kinnear. Mr. Kinnear’s love interest is Nancy Montgomery, who Grace absolutely despises. This hatred has more to do than the fact that Nancy involved herself with Thomas Kinnear, but also because Grace considers her to have multiple personalities, signified by her alias Mary Whitney, and she hates that she is not blessed with the same social standing and wealth that Nancy Montgomery has reached. It is not just a crush for Grace, especially since there are signals that Mr. Kinnear has interest in Grace as well. The easiest solution for her to obtain his love would be to kill Nancy. Kinnear’s interest in Grace is shown when he takes time out of his day to make small talk with Grace. The best signal of Mr. Kinnear’s interest in Grace, however, would be when he asked her to go out on her birthday. Mr. Kinnear’s sly flirting, however, only increases Grace’s desire to be with him, and this will lead to his eventual death. The feelings are not one sided, as they are reciprocated by Grace based on her going out of her way to do things, for example delivering coffee to Mr. Kinnear, that make Nancy angry. Due to the time period, the idea of a mistress, and being born by anyone other than one’s wife is extremely unacceptable, and when Grace finds out Nancy is pregnant, she has another motive for killing her. A marriage between Nancy and Mr. Kinnear would appear imminent if she were to have his baby. Grace will not allow this to happen, and therefore she puts an end to any chance of it occurring by murdering Nancy and Mr. Kinnear.
In addition to having motives, Grace has done a poor job of covering up the murder, and can ...
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...he seemed to be unfazed by it unless you had a part in the death, which Grace obviously did. Her lack of consistency in recounting what had happened casts doubt upon her honesty and character. How can it be believed when Grace changes her story to fit her needs? They cannot, and therefore she is guilty.
Grace Marks is a murderess, not a victim. The events that unfolded clearly she her guilt, and all the evidence points against her. It is hard to think anyone else besides McDermott and Grace performed the sinful murders, especially considering that both of their motives were based on love. I am of the opinion that Margaret Atwood is trying to show that people will do crazy things for love, even though that is not one of the main underlying themes in the book. Grace’s desire for Mr. Kinnear’s affection, as well as her other motives led her to commit the crime. The evidence left behind, as well as the evidence in how Grace conducted herself after the crime help prove her guilt, and her dishonest storytelling takes away all doubt of her guilt. She is a cold blooded murderess who let feelings get in the way of morals, and she should be charged as so.
In Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings, guilt is shown in almost every character in the story, but it is through Brady that we see the most guilt.
Lizzie went through many trials. Lizzie was not the only one who was put on trial for the murders. Lizzie was the one who had the most trials. Every trial Lizzie went to, she was found innocent. The truth will never be known. Lizzie will be the only person to ever know the truth. Lizzie took that truth with her when she died. We can only think we know the truth, but none of us will ever really know the truth.
Before the play takes place, Abigail Williams and John Proctor had an affair while Abigail was working as a servant in their home. Eventually, John confessed and apologized to Elizabeth, pledging his faithfulness to her. Nonetheless, at the time the play takes place, Elizabeth still hasn’t fully forgiven him, and gives him a hard time about it. Abigail confessed the pretense of her accusations to him when they were alone, and now he has no way to prove that she’s lying to the court. But because he was alone with her again, Elizabeth becomes angry with him. She still doubts her husband because she feels that if it were any other girl he had to go testify against, he would not hesitate. But, because it’s Abigail, John feels he has to think harder on making a decision. He doesn’t want his name spoiled by a counter-testimony. John feels he is now justified in becoming angry because for the seven months since his confession, he has done nothing but try to please his wife, and she still approaches him with suspicion and accusatio...
A basic sense of honesty is another of Mary Warren’s traits. In Act I she goes to Salem to convince Abigail to tell the truth about what really happened in the woods. When the witchcraft scare gets out of hand, Mary joins Abigail and the other girls in falsely accusing women of being witches. These false accusations are motivated by hysteria. There is evidence that Mary really believes that the women in court are bewitching her. She tells the judge that she thought she saw spirits. The other girls were screaming, and before she knew it, Mary was screaming with them. When she realizes that there are no spirits, Mary is willing to be truthful. After Elizabeth Proctor’s name is brought up in court, Mary Warren defends her against the accusation. At the end of Act II, the reader hopes that the basic sense of honesty will remain strong enough to allow Mary to testify on behalf of the accused women in Act III.
QUESTION 1: Cecilia is a victim just as much as Robbie is. Was it important for her to share in the loss of innocence?
The clichés, as listed above, were really enjoyable. Most of them were some of the things I avoided in high school as well, not that I vowed to avoid them at all costs – I just never got around to doing any of them because I was always far too busy reading. I really loved watching Julia and Dave go through their cliché list, though it started off as more of a joke for them rather than a die-hard mantra, but seeing how they experienced the different events and how hard they tried to make some of them happen was really entertaining.
John Procter tears up the confessions because he is angry that court officials, and the girls had allowed this outrage to continue in the community. As a respectable man and father, he knows that innocent people has lot their lives because of the false testimony given by Abigail Warren and the other girls. John Procter is angry at Marry Warren because she changed her deposition because she was judged because she had been doing the correct thing. John Procter, is angry that the girls would let others die because they lied and see no wrong in it. Most importantly, John Procter is angry in the actions of the court, since the courts in Salem are to be free or error. Procter tearing up the confession can also be seen as
Elizabeth still doubts her husband because she feels that if it were any other girl that he had to go testify against, he would not hesitate. But, because it’s Abigail, he feels he has to think harder on making a decision. John Proctor feels he is now justified in becoming angry because for the seven months since his confession, he has done nothing but try to please his wife, and she still approaches him with suspicion and accusations.
Not only did he stand up to relive the stress that was being put upon the church, he lied to both himself, his aunt, and to the church as a whole. Hughes also faced a tremendous amount of emotional pressures that night. Hughes sat in bed and cried, because he knew what had actually happened that night, he also cried because he was promised that he would see Jesus, and all his sins would be relieved from him. Hughes started to think that something was wrong with himself and that was why Jesus never did come. He did not understand why all the other children were able to be saved but not him. “But I was really crying because I couldn’t bear to tell her that I had lied, that I had deceived everybody in the church, and I hadn’t seen Jesus, and that now I didn’t believe there was a Jesus any more, since he didn’t come to help me” (112), Hughes writes on his predicament. He had no idea what his religious beliefs were anymore, nor did he wish to talk to about it, with anyone, because the entire community believes (including his aunt) that he reached salvation that night. Hughes was confused, he was raised to believe in Jesus Christ, that was all he ever knew and this new idea, that Jesus might not actually be real was terrifying. Hughes emotions were all over the place, he was both confused and sad, but mostly disappointed. Was he the problem? Was it his fault other children got saved from their sins
She didn’t care about those lives that vanished because of her nor did she care about lying and turning against her own friend, Mary. One of the reasons why Mary was scared to tell the truth to the court was because of Abigail, She frightened her, and the other girls with threats. Mary knew that if she spoke Abigail would turn against her use everything in her hands to rid her and make sure she never spoke the truth again like Mary says on page 80, when proctor and the others were trying to convince Mary to tell the truth. “She’ll kill me for sayin that” Were the words that came out Mary’s mouth.Those words are the ones that prove that Abigail Williams is not innocent but if not guilty.Once Mary spoke the truth, Abigail turned against her just like mary knew it would happen, She began saying things that were not true once again. She began to pretend as if Mary’s spirit had left her body and were hauting her, She said things such as “Mary please don’t hurt me” making it seem as if Mary was hurting her.This made the other girls also begin to pretend and repeat everything Mary was saying making seem as if they were bewitched by her. This is another thing that shows how she manipulates
To start things off in the court, John Proctor is the protagonist and Abigail is the antagonist. Abigail also leads the girls in court in their witchcraft accusations. To start the court situation off, Hale believed that all the information that she told him were indeed false and only lead Abigail to point at others such as Mary Warren. “But God made my face; you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary”. (Miller 120). The irony here is she calls out Mary Warren for committing a deadly sin such as envy, however both lies with the lord’s name in vain and committed adultery with John Proctor (as that is what she stats happened). Abigail also points again to Elizabeth Proctor and accuses her of creating a voodoo doll and stuck pins into it to harm her, when it was Mary Warren who put it into the Proctor’s home to have proof that the Elizabeth needed to be arrested. “Tis hard proof!(To Hale) I find here a poppet Goody Proctor keeps. I have found it sir. And in the belly of the poppet is a needle’s stuck” (Miller 79). Also it was Mary Warren who put it there, everyone assumed it was Goody Proctor who did because it was in the Proctor home. However, even after Goody Proctor was set to be arrested with enough proof, Mary Warren comes out to tell everyone that it is her poppet.
John Proctor is both flawed and honorable. After having an affair with Abigail. His wife has been unable to forgive him for this, and their marriage is unhappy, John has the guilt from his past affair weighing down on his shoulders, he apologizes for the mistake but it is shown that the guilt is still there “I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you, and still an everlasting funeral marches round your heart. I cannot speak but I am doubted every moment judged for lies, as though I come into a court when I come into this house!” this shows that the guilt is crushing him that he has been trying to apologized for his wrong doings but hasn’t been forgiven he needs his wife to forget about the pass and move on he will do anything to show his wife he is devoted to her. John Proctor knows what he will do knowing that now his wife is charged with witchcraft he must go to the court and prove to them that this is all a hoax and this his wife is not involved in witchcraft and that Abigail is making this all up. John makes a ...
Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is a statement to the 17th century witchcraft. The Crucible renders John Proctor as a puritan, a husband, and a highly respected man. His name is his prime possession. John Proctor is a farmer and a villager who is faced with intense dilemma. He also commits adultery, which becomes his tragic flaw. Therefore he is to make a decision to tell the truth and ruin his name or lie and save his most prized possession. By this John Proctor is portrayed as an honest, tenacious, and faithful man.
Thomas Jefferson once said, “Where the press is free and every man is able to read, all is safe”. In his quote, Thomas Jefferson is referring to freedom of speech. Freedom of speech also referred to as freedom of expression (Roleff). The freedom of speech is an unalienable right given to every citizen of the United States of America. The Bill of Rights, which includes the first amendment, was drafted in 1789 and adopted in 1791. In 1925, the United States Supreme Court declared the freedom of speech as a civil liberty. In conclusion, state governments had to allow freedom of speech because the fourteenth amendment protected it. This paper will explain the origination of freedom of speech and arguments for free speech as well as restrictions,
If we are to be truly innocent and humble beings, we must recognize our own innate guilt as human and accept it. If we do not, we will constantly be obsessed by our “state of apparent acquittals”. Kafka, Franz. A. The Trial. Trans.