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In 1692 many people died during the Salem witch trials; which were in effected greatly by peer pressure. It started off when the girls of Salem ran off into the night and went dancing in the forest. Then when the girls were caught some of the older girls threatened others and some just had great influence on others. For instance, Abigail started accusing random women of witchcraft and the other girls did it to, just for the excitement. Peer pressure can lead to all sorts of behavior.
As a teenager we are all looking to be accepted by our peers and will do whatever it is they want us to so we can be accepted. That is to say the feeling of needing to be accepted by ones peers is done consciously; the person starts to do what their friends do without thinking about it. (Teen 3) In fact, teens are more likely to be affected by peer pressure because they are trying to figure out who they are. (How 1) Therefore, they see themselves as how their peers would view them so they change to fit their peer’s expectations. (How 1) Secondly, the feeling of needing to rebel and be someone that isn’t who their parents are trying to make them be affects them. (Teen 2) Thus, parents are relied on less and teens are more likely to go to their peers about their problems and what choices to make. (How 1) Also, their brains are not fully matured and teens are less likely to think through their choices thoroughly before doing it. (Teen 6) Lastly, how a child is treated by his peers can affect how they treat others; this can lead them into bullying others who are different. (Teen 3) Consequently this can affect a teen into doing something good or bad; it depends who you surround yourself with.
Peer pressure can affect somebody in many different ways, fr...
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... In addition, you should always stand up for what you believe in and don’t let people try to change your views. (Peer 1) Therefore, learn to say no and find a way to explain why you don’t want to do what they want without causing a commotion. (Peer 1) Lastly, if anything find somebody to talk to if you can’t find the strength yourself to tell anybody no. (Teen 6)
Many of the people in the Salem witch trials fell heavily due to peer pressure and had very sad outcomes. John Proctor or Tituba were judged and were accused of witchcraft due to the fact that people did not like them for being different and doing things outside of society’s rules. John Proctor wouldn’t allow himself to admit to his peer’s lies and died with his pride. However, some characters like Mary Warren were pressured to do the right thing and tell the truth, but chose to let the others get to her.
In life everything is about choices whether it is a serious choice such as moving place to place because of your parents career or it being like wanting to eat a muffin or apple for breakfast. In the Crucible written about the Salem 1692 witch trials, John Proctor is one of the main characters in the play. John is 35 years of age and is Married to Elizabeth Proctor. A concept we have to understand is in this era Witch accusations were always coming from different people to random innocent women and men. These accusations are obviously false, but due to what they believed in, and how strong they were in religion, witch trials became of it. All the choices people made during the Salem witch trials, were always looked upon corresponding to John and the choices he made.
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the madness of the Salem witch trials is explored in great detail. There are many theories as to why the witch trials came about, the most popular of which is the girls' suppressed childhoods. However, there were other factors as well, such as Abigail Williams' affair with John Proctor, the secret grudges that neighbors held against each other, and the physical and economic differences between the citizens of Salem Village.
.... Knowing that names as high standing in Salem’s society such as John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Martha Corey, the falsely accused believed that people would eventually question the validity of the trials. When John Proctor ripped up his confession he took a personal stand against the witch trials, choosing to die with his dignity rather than satisfying the court and his accusers with a false confession. They would just use that confession against more of the accused, reasoning that they were finding and persecuting real witches.
Salem citizens in general were afraid of all ungodly things with their Puritan views. They had no trouble believing that, because Parris had called Reverend Hale, (known for his studies in demonic arts), there must truly be witchcraft within the town. The play progresses and certain characters begin to develop: here is a community full of underlying personal grudges. Religion pervades every aspect of life, 'A man may think that God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now.'; but it is a religion that lacks the ritual of confession. Here and throughout the play we see how this affects John Proctor, a man so proud of his name that guilt eats at his very heart, as he will not let out his secret pain in a vain attempt to keep his integrity.
Varying opinions and ideologies exist everywhere in the world presently, but rarely do they lead to such drastic separation. Social dissent is when these clashing opinions exist within a society and ultimately pulls these sides apart. The Red Scare and McCarthyism are examples of social dissent when people clashed on the idea of Communism. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is an allegory for McCarthyism during the Red Scare. The Crucible is set in Puritan Salem and Puritan culture is based around religious ideals. When social dissent arose in Puritan Salem, it lead to the death of 19 individuals on grounds of witchcraft and support of the devil. Although social dissent is common in society and peacefully resolves itself most of the time, it can
In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, a group of teen girls caught in an innocent act of love potions to catch the love of men are compelled to tell lies that Satan had invaded them and forced them to participate in the rituals and are then forced to name those involved. Thrown into the mix are greedy preachers and other major landowners trying to steal others ' land and one young woman infatuated with a married man and determined to get rid of his innocent wife. Those who demanded their innocence were executed, those who would not name names were incarcerated and tortured, and those who admitted their guilt were immediately freed. The Salem Witch Trials are possibly the most notable examples of the persecution of witchcraft in the New World. In Arthur Miller’s 1996 film, The Crucible, it portrays the witch trials from the point of view of a small community that becomes disintegrated by frenzy and lunacy. The film, emphasizes the role of a group of girls led by Abigail Williams, and illustrates how society was so strict for not only women, but even young children. This caused an uncommon form of hysterical fear of witches, spirits and the Devil. This group of girls created an outlet of their own from their reality. “The witch trials are often taken as a lens to view the whole Puritan period in New England and to serve as an example of religious prejudice, social persecution, and superstition” (Ray
The Salem witch trials were a time period when any individual could be accused of witchcraft for numerous reasons. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller focuses on the deviation of the trials and how the town’s most religious and honest members of the community are tried with witchcraft. John Proctor, the town’s most honest man, is accused of being a witch and must decide if he should confess or not. Proctor’s confession will stop the town from rebelling and uphold the reputations of Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris. Hale also wishes for Proctor’s confession so he does not have to feel responsible if Proctor were to be hanged for his witchcraft accusations. The confession of Proctor would convince others in the town to confess to their
In the Salem Witch Trials, jealousy played a big role on who was being accused and who was doing the accusing. For instance, in Document B most people being accused were forty-one to sixty year old married women. Document B also shows us that the accusers were mostly sixteen to twenty year old single women. This document shows us that many of the younger women, the accusers, were jealous what the women had that they did not-- husbands and affluence. They were constantly reminded of the absence of their own family and wealth, and this jealousy caused them to lie.
The Crucible was a rather strong book, it had battles both internal and external, there were also betrayals and vendettas… but a few stuck strong to their morals of what was wrong, and what was right. After the girl’s acts were, undoubtedly, in the eyes of the law, seen as entirely real, people who would not otherwise have been accused of witchcraft were now eligible to be under Satan’s spell. One John Proctor, saw himself above the nonsense, that witches could not exist in Salem, his wife, his children nor him; But, when Mary Warren said to the court that he used his spirit to drag her into court to testify against the girls, the judges deemed her word more truthful than his. After actively and repeatedly denying the claims, he was sentenced to death, for only a witch could lie in the face of god.
Is there any idea worth more than a human life? In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor decides that he has nothing left to live for, and therefore becomes a martyr. The question for him or one in his position would be whether or not there exist causes worth dying for and if his position is one such case. There is no principle worth more than a person’s life and therefore principles worth dying for, only principles worth living for.
The deterioration of Salem's social structure precipitated the murders of many innocent people. Arthur Miller's depiction of the Salem witch trials, The Crucible, deals with a community that starts out looking like it is tightly knit and church loving. It turns out that once Tituba starts pointing her finger at the witches, the community starts pointing their fingers at each other. Hysteria and hidden agendas break down the social structure and then everyone must protect themselves from the people that they thought were their friends. The togetherness of the community, the church and legal system died so that the children could protect their families' social status.
When pressure is pushed onto somebody they can be forced further from there morals and this can lead them from their truths. One character that is a victim of pressure is Mary Warren. Mary Warren has many pressures from her peers and her peers are a big influence to her because she is a teenager. Mary Warren wouldn't have been in the trails as a huge problem but she was drag when Abigail framed her with a "voodoo" doll for Elizabeth Proctor. Mary Warren really gets dragged in the controversy, when the girls were in the courtroom and were acting as if an evil spirit cast out by Mary warren posed them, by repeating every thing she had said (Miller 115).
Great events, whether they are beneficial or tragic ones, bring change in a person. These scenarios can give one an entirely new perspective on life, and turn around his way of thinking. Events such as the Salem Witch Trials show the people involved what they could not see before. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Hale, and John Proctor gain valuable insight into themselves, as well as others.
... instead of following the majority. The issue of peer pressure can relate to teens, as they are in constant pressure to be ‘cool’ or to be in the ‘in’ group. It does not really promote individualism, so people cannot develop their own ideas but rather follow the leader of their group.
Teens have more pressure to be cool, and to be accepted that's what makes them rebel of do what mom or dad had always told them not to do. They may know that it is wrong but it is all about looking cool for that second, or being safe and listen to your parents. Actually, when you are faced with a situation that you know is wrong you don't think about what your parents will think until you have already completed it and there is no turning back. Then there comes the punishment. That makes the teen rebel more and do more things to be "cool" and doesn't care.