Signing the Declaration of Independence was a major risk for the men of the Continental Congress. They believed that they had the duty to overthrow an oppressive government in order to protect the rights of citizens. While it was dangerous to create the document in the first place, the men knew that the ultimate benefits would outweigh the risks. In the end, the Declaration became one of the most important documents in the history of the United States. The Crucible presents a similar situation. Arthur Miller’s modern tragedy, The Crucible, is an excellent play for high school juniors to read. Similar to the Declaration of Independence, The Crucible changed the way that people looked at an event in United States history. The complex characters
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One night, Proctor comes home to his wife, Elizabeth. Unaware of the chaos in the town, Proctor is confused as Elizabeth describes the hysteria over witchcraft in Salem. She explains that many people have been arrested for suspected witchcraft, and that the court is threatening executions. Elizabeth is knowledgeable about the trial since her servant, Mary Warren, has been summoned to present evidence of witchcraft within the court. Elizabeth recalls, “The town’s gone wild, I think. She speaks of Abigail, and I thought she were a saint, to hear her. Abigail brings the other girls into the court and were she walks the crowd will apart like the sea for Israel” (Miller 50). The simile in the quote illustrates the extent to which Abigail exercises power over the community. After she begins crying witch, Abigail is praised for promoting the town’s safety and purity. The townspeople are under the impression that Abigail is rightly convicting women of conspiring with the Devil, a sin that warrants harsh punishments. They believe they have been saved by Abigail, a girl who only has everyone’s best interest in mind. The townspeople are mistaken; while they believe Abigail is aiding them, she is the one who is causing the most trouble and danger. She tries to convict people she holds grudges against, with no evidence to support her conclusions except her own supposed …show more content…
For example, when two girls are struck with an “illness” at the beginning of the novel, some people turn to witchcraft as the explanation. Mrs. Putnam supports her claim by stating that she sent her daughter, Ruth, to Tituba in the hope that Tituba could conjure her dead babies. She believes they were murdered, as she is determined to find the one responsible. Her daughter’s “illness” is viewed as a work of darkness, a sign of witchcraft (Miller 15). However, the benefits of the scene outweigh the costs, and the fear of witchcraft exhibited in the scene is crucial to the development of the play. Lastly, The Crucible is important for high schoolers to read because of the theme of corruption within the town and the court system. As Giles Corey attempts to free his wife, he presents a document containing the signatures of people that attest that Martha Corey is a god-fearing and honorable woman. When Hawthorne insists that the people should be summoned to prove the validity of the argument, Giles begins to worry that he has harmed innocent people. Danforth reassures him that the people should have nothing to worry about. He describes the current situation of the community, stating, “This is a sharp time now, a precise time- we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God’s grace, the sun is
One night, Proctor comes home to his wife, Elizabeth. Unaware of the chaos in the town, Proctor is confused as Elizabeth describes the hysteria over witchcraft in Salem. She explains that many people have been arrested for suspected witchcraft, and that the court is threatening executions. Elizabeth is knowledgeable about the trial since her servant, Mary Warren, has been summoned to present evidence of witchcraft within the court. Elizabeth recalls, “The town’s gone wild, I think. She speaks of Abigail, and I thought she were a saint, to hear her. Abigail brings the other girls into the court and were she walks the crowd will apart like the sea for Israel” (Miller 50). The simile in the quote illustrates the extent to which Abigail exercises power over the community. After she begins crying witch, Abigail is praised for promoting the town’s safety and purity. The townspeople are under the impression that Abigail is rightly convicting women of conspiring with the Devil, a sin that warrants harsh punishments. They believe they have been saved by Abigail, a girl who only has everyone’s best interest in mind. The townspeople are mistaken; while they believe Abigail is aiding them, she is the one who is causing the most trouble and danger. She tries to convict people she holds grudges against, with no evidence to support her conclusions except her own supposed …show more content…
For example, when two girls are struck with an “illness” at the beginning of the novel, some people turn to witchcraft as the explanation. Mrs. Putnam supports her claim by stating that she sent her daughter, Ruth, to Tituba in the hope that Tituba could conjure her dead babies. She believes they were murdered, as she is determined to find the one responsible. Her daughter’s “illness” is viewed as a work of darkness, a sign of witchcraft (Miller 15). However, the benefits of the scene outweigh the costs, and the fear of witchcraft exhibited in the scene is crucial to the development of the play. Lastly, The Crucible is important for high schoolers to read because of the theme of corruption within the town and the court system. As Giles Corey attempts to free his wife, he presents a document containing the signatures of people that attest that Martha Corey is a god-fearing and honorable woman. When Hawthorne insists that the people should be summoned to prove the validity of the argument, Giles begins to worry that he has harmed innocent people. Danforth reassures him that the people should have nothing to worry about. He describes the current situation of the community, stating, “This is a sharp time now, a precise time- we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God’s grace, the sun is