Power can be a very dangerous thing to have. While it is good to have power, you need to know how to use it and be able to control it. Power can easily blind someone’s views, enabling bias and unethical thinking to float to the surface. Similarly, Danforth’s was oriented toward preventing crises in Salem. He became a careless and unethical judge without a moral compass in pursuit of his goal. This shows how power can easily blind a person’s choices and views. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible highlights how Danforth’s goals were oriented toward preventing further crises in Salem. He became a lackadaisical judge without a moral compass in pursuit of his goal. This shows how people in positions of power lack ethical thinking and get blinded by their power. My first reason is how Danforth's rigid …show more content…
He claimed that twelve people had already been executed for the same crime these seven were charged with. Danforth thinks that if he were to pardon anyone now, it would cause people to doubt his judgment of the previous twelve; he would hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law. (105) Danforth refused to reconsider his decision. Danforth also claimed that he couldn’t pardon these seven people because he needed to enforce the law without mercy, and the twelve previous who faced the same accusations were killed. A level of unchecked authority is also shown by his refusal to pardon or postpone the executions in fear that his rulings would no longer be respected. Danforth prioritizes his reputation as a judge rather than the accused's lives at stake. By prioritizing his reputation over the accused, Danforth is undermining the integrity of Salem by disregarding fairness and truth, two key rules to abide by as a judge. His willingness to slaughter innocents reflects a broader acceptance of power over the people and corruption in
Power to the Pernicious There are many factors that influence whether having power is favorable or hindering. In The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, two main characters, Abigail Williams and Judge Thomas Danforth use the power they obtain to hurt others. While Abigail uses it in a self seeking manner, Danforth uses it to show the town who is in charge. The witch trials occur after a group of girls claim that various people have compelled them to conjure evil spirits. With everything going on
character in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller faces an individual crucible. This individual crucible is later led on to effecting the whole community. A vital character to the story (Judge Danforth) having decades of experience in the court is believed to be an honorable man that always makes the right decision. In the play he is faced with great controversy, the controversy was that the traditional ways that the court system had been ran were being questioned. When Danforth mentions that an uncorrupted
once said, “Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts - perhaps the fear of loss of power”. As seen in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, people of authority can feel pressured to go along with actions or make decisions they know are wrong because they fear losing their power and influence in society. They also tend to let to their opinions and motives impact their work and responsibility to make good decisions. The Crucible demonstrates how people of authority, like Parris and Danforth, try to use good judgement
and can be easily accused for witchcraft, yet she finds a way to avoid this.Abigail uses peoples reputation to her advantage, and accuses many others of witchcraft, taking the attention away from her. During the trials How does Abigail Williams and Danforth demonstrate the value of a “good” reputation in a puritan society? How does it relate to McCarthyism? And how did Abigail use it to her advantage? In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams, a young girl in a small community, is accused
The Crucible provides us with an example of a masterpiece of dramatic writing. In this play Arthur Miller gives us a stimulating example of the use of a variety of theatrical techniques. His most powerful scenes in "The Crucible" have common characteristics: very effective use of stage actions, long build-ups of suspense that come crashing down in thundering climaxes, intense displays of emotion and an abundance of dramatic irony. These are my three chosen scenes: p46-50: "Tituba........Devil!",
Dramatic Tension in "The Crucible" by Miller The Crucible Coursework Excitement, nervousness, stress, anxiety, suspense, unease, and apprehension are all forms of dramatic tension that Miller creates throughout the Crucible. Dramatic tension is created by Miller throughout the Crucible in many ways. Straightaway, the title of the play, “the Crucible” implies to the audience of the tension that is to come in the play. Miller names the play “the Crucible” to represent the puritanical society
American Life in The Crucible The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller in the 1950s, depicts the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. During this historical event, many innocent people were charged and executed as a result of several young girls trying to avoid punishment for dancing and pretending to conjure the dead. For Miller, the play purposefully draws a parallel between the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy hearings that were at their peak when the play was first published. Miller's characters
overpowering character. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Judge Danforth, due to his misuse of privilege as a naïve dignitary, is the most villainous character in the play. This creates the tragedy in Salem because his ill-judgement and desire for power leads to the deaths of the accused citizens who in reality are innocent. One’s greed for power blinds their sense of pity for humanity which creates chaos in society because of their ignorance. In the text Danforth explains to Francis Nurse, “But you must
said, “Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts - perhaps the fear of loss of power”. As seen in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, people of authority can feel pressured to go along with actions or make decisions they know are wrong because they fear losing their power and influence in society. They also tend to let to their opinions and motives impact their work and responsibility to make competent decisions. The Crucible demonstrates how people of authority, like Parris and Danforth, try to use good judgement
Witch Trial. Puritans have very strict religious laws where certain things like dancing and other infractions of the sort are considered to be worship of the devil or witchcraft. The ultimate punishment for these violations is death. In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams is a young girl who lives in Salem during the Puritan era. Abigail and a group of other girls are caught dancing in the woods; which is considered by the townspeople and especially her uncle, Reverend Paris, as
Arthur Miller's Use of Dramatic Devices and Effects in Act 3 of The Crucible Works Cited Missing It is important that any play has successful dramatic devices and effects. Without these the play would be very dull and unexciting. The audience would soon lose interest. Dramatic devices and effects are used to create tension and suspense these may include sound, movement and atmosphere etc. An example of sound being used as a dramatic effect would be on page 77 of 'The Crucible', when voices of
Power and control are the central ideas of Ken Kesey’s One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest. There are examples of physical, authoritative and mechanical power in the novel, as well as cases of self-control, and control over others. Nurse Ratched is the ultimate example of authoritative power and control over others but R.P. McMurphy refuses to acknowledge the Nurse’s power, and encourages others to challenge the status quo. The other patients begin powerless, but with McMurphy’s help, learn to control
Alexander Pope 'To err is human.' Everybody makes mistakes. It is human nature. However, how one deals with the mistake is much more important than the mistake itself. In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Dimmesdale and Danforth's sins have similar motives, but the characters have distinctly different methods of sin and resolution. Dimmesdale is a selfish coward. He does not work toward anything substantial. Although he supposedly loves Hester, he refuses to
The Crucible The Crucible by Author Miller, is a highly fictionalized historic play based on the Salem witch trials that occurred from 1692-1693. During these wicked trials, people would accuse, or be accused, others of being a witch or taking any part in dealing with the devil. Almost all of the accusers were women, as well as most of the accused were also women. Although a good amount of the play is embellished, the characters and their fate are similar to the actual historical events of the
Values and Morality in The Crucible by Arthur Miller The Crucible by Arthur Miller raises many thought provoking issues throughout the play, including the importance of personal integrity, injustice in society and the rights of the community versus the rights of the individual. The first, the importance of personal integrity, is brought to light through John Proctor, who finds himself facing personal conflict when making the decision of whether to lie and 'confess' to the court, saving his own