Intro: What does geography mean to a work of literature? In the two texts, “The Crucible,” by Arthur Miller, and “Geography Matters…” from the book, “How to Read Literature Like a Professor,” the authors describe how characters, moods, and themes are impacted by geography. First, Miller writes about many characters, but specifically three: Tituba, Abigail Williams, and Judge Danforth, who all have completely different views on their Puritan culture, based on their separate hometown geographies. Second, the author of the chapter from “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” explains how this geography can impact these characters and their environments. Lastly, my life has been impacted by my hometown in similar ways. *Thesis* Body 1: Crucible The play, “The Crucible,” includes a setting in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600’s. The people of Salem considered faith and religion to influence every aspect of their life, causing suspicion and intolerance any time someone didn’t follow their religion. The faults and consequences of living in Salem, a Puritan town, were that any misfortune or illness could easily be associated with the act of witchery. What began the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, was in the home of Reverend Parris, who had a slave from the Caribbean who practiced black magic in the woods. These new and foreign practices were seen as dangerous, causing her to become a threat to the town and its own religion. Her name was Tituba, and she was the first woman to be accused of witchcraft. According to the play, Abigail Williams, a self-centered young woman, declared, “She made me do it! She made Betty do it!” (Miller 43). This quote is referring to how Abigail is fearful of being accused of witchcraft, so she claims that Tituba, the foreign, black slave, forced her into doing it. Abigail lies constantly throughout the play, blaming and accusing others of doing things that they never have, so she goes against Puritan cultures, but pretends to worship it. She would do anything to not be punished or hanged, and to get back her first love, John Proctor. To contrast, the Deputy governor of Massachusetts, Judge Danforth arrives in Salem to preside over the witch trials, by sentencing accused people
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Miller creates several characters that do not have many direct characterizations. This play shows the thoughts of some of the people in Salem during the time of the witch hunts. These people also had accused their neighbors simple for more land, animals, and money. Some of the characters offer a lot of indirect characterization such as Giles Corey. In the beginning of the play Giles Corey is suspicious of witches like most of Salem, but over the course of the play he believes it was pure superstition.
Geography is the biggest part of a story. Every book, poem, short story, movie, play, and basically anything with a storyline has geography, it’s what makes a story good. Writers use geography to show readers a more indepth point of view of what they were thinking while writing. This is all stated in “Geography Matters” by Thomas C. Foster, he helps the readers realize how important geography is in their lives. In the Crucible by Arthur Miller, geography is a big impact on people's lives and actions. After reading these stories it makes the readers think how much the location and people they grew up with impacted them. Furthermore, geography is a big part in any story as shown through “Geography Matters,” The Crucible, and my own life.
Few people are willing to stand up to the overwhelming power of authority, especially during a time like the Red scare. Hardly any authors are able to recognize meaningful similarities between the present times and an event that happened many years ago—and write about it effectively. Only one has had the courage and intelligence to do both. Arthur Miller was an American author who wrote plays, essays, and stories and has published works dating from to 1936 through 2004. The Crucible, one of his most famous plays, premiered in New York on January 22, 1953 (InfoTrac). It is a historical-fiction story set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The witch hunt described in this play is similar to the Red Scare, an anti-communist movement led by
How many people have you met in your life that is stronger because of a difficult experience they went through? Most people are because we take these difficult experiences and grow from them and become better people. This is the exact case is expressed in the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. The story begins in Salem, Massachusetts 1692 right in the middle of a period of witchcraft hysteria. During this time many people were accused of being witches and wrongly convicted by judges Danforth and Hathorne. The characters in the story are struggling because of a girl named Abigail who gets caught practicing witchcraft and then starts naming and accusing others so that she doesn’t get in trouble; one of these people being a well-respected farmer, John Proctor’s, wife Elizabeth. The title, The Crucible, refers to a test, trial, ordeal, formation by fire, and vessel baked to resist heat, and the entire story is an allegory meaning it has a hidden meaning. John Proctor symbolizes a crucible by embodying the definition of one, as he went through a test and was formed by fire.
Crucible, a noun defined as; a container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures, in the traditional sense but, it also means a severe, searching test or trial. The latter of the two definitions is exactly what Arthur Miller had in mind when he wrote the play, The Crucible. The play set in Salem Massachusetts during the start of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, is about the struggle to discover truth within the twisted and brutal lies flying about the little town, started mainly by a young girl by the name of Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams, as we quickly come to know, is the past mistress of the prominent Mr. John Proctor, a local farmer. As the tension rises in the
Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, focuses on the inconsistencies and injustice of the 1692 witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts. The restrictive Puritan society of Salem in the 17th century was based upon religious intolerance, where faith was demonstrated through physical labour and by strict adherence to religious doctrine. Material, physical and sexual desires were considered the Devil’s work and a threat to the very fabric of society. In summary, it is said that Puritanism discouraged individualism on all levels. The literal way in which the Bible was interpreted by the Puritans, provides a paradox within the play. This is because although the Bible says “thou shalt not kill,” the people of Salem are willing to sentence innocent
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the witch trials in Salem were a devastating time. The entire community was in disorder and chaos because of personal vengeance. This included accusations of innocent town’s people being called witches, so they hanged and were jailed. Throughout the play certain characters help the rise of witchcraft as well as the disapproval of all the innocent people who were being convicted for no reason. Reverend Hale is a dynamic character whom comes to rid of the evil spirits in Salem, yet he later tries to end the trials. Hale realizes the accusations are false, attempts to postpone the hangings, and persuade the victims to lie conveys that he is a dynamic character and changes throughout the play.
Life in the 1600’s was arduous for members of Puritan society. Strict social rules, including defined gender-specific roles, mandatory attendance at church, no self-indulging activities, and limited personal freedoms, forced people to repress their feelings and opinions to maintain a good reputation. God was involved in every aspect of life, and punishment fell upon those who were seen as not doing God’s work and deviated from the norm. The Crucible, a play set during the events of the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts during this time, focuses on the mass hysteria which plagued the people and their reactions. A group of girls went dancing in the woods, and were caught by Reverend Parris. To avoid getting in trouble, the girls, led by Abigail Williams, claimed being the victims of witchcraft. John Proctor, who previously had an affair with Abby while she worked for his family, refused to believe the accusations of witchcraft. After Abby accuses his wife, Elizabeth, John does his best to prove her innocence, yet ultimately ends up being hanged himself. The events are tragic, and many people died as a result. Abigail’s “in the moment” survival is evident in her disregard for virtue in favor of reputation throughout The Crucible, whereas John Proctor ultimately decides integrity is more important than survival through his admission of guilt.
“Hale: Quail not before God’s judgment in this, for it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws away for pride” (206). Reverend Hale’s eye-opening words make Elizabeth realize that John Proctor should do the right thing for God, even if that includes lying. This quote relates to the Salem witch trials because during this time, the court was getting involved with the town, so everybody had to constantly tell the truth. Overall, the play gives a feeling of the Salem witch trials by using facts and events relevant to the time period. On a similar topic, Arthur Miller feels that everybody is vindictive, manipulating, and betraying each other; therefore, Miller uses his troublesome experience to commemorate the demeaning investigations of witches. Miller’s high disapproval of the American government, especially how the court handles situations, is greatly represented in his play. The characters change throughout the story, and they start to realize that it is not all about what the government wants for their life. They soon enough start thinking and speaking for themselves which leads to big decisions and disapproval from the American government. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, he artistically manipulates the authentic facts of the Salem witch trials’ victim John Proctor to fiction in order to similarly represent his interrogation during the Red Scare while also putting a spin on the trials through his style, characterization and tone.
A man 's reputation in many forms is his, life’s work. To have your reputation dismantled is like taking away one 's accomplishments and life’s work. Arthur Miller 's The Crucible is a play about justice and injustice, and how our justice system can be easily corrupted. The story revolves around a man named John Proctor, the tragic hero of this story. John Protector is a symbolic character created by Arthur Miller, because he faced the justice system head on. Proctor’s biggest flaw would be his great amounts of pride, which unfortunately led to his own death. In Arthur Millers’ The Crucible, he characterizes John Proctor as the tragic hero of the story because of all that he lost, through his relentless crusade to free his wife and exposing injustice, illustrating that no hero is perfect.
A person chooses not to take good care of his/her car, and as a result, the car malfunctions, resulting in the person having an accident. Every single action that a person commits leads to either a positive or a negative consequence. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a book filled with mistakes and the outcomes of those mistakes, and this piece of literature provides readers with an opportunity to analyze some causes and effects. Every character in the crucible created a situation that gave place for a negative consequence to take place. This led him or her to endeavor to protect the virtue of their reputation. Three most significant characters, whose actions are greatly emphasized throughout the story, are Abigail
Mistakes are part of human nature. Mistakes can happen to anyone and anything. In the play The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, mistakes are shown all throughout the story. The whole idea of The Crucible is that a wild witch hunt is going on in the town. Names are being called out at random, and people are turning on one another. This story was written by Miller after the McCarthy Hearings, which was the period during the Cold War where Joseph McCarthy began to call many high level officials out for being a communist. The Crucible is right on along like the Hearings. One character who was of high respect in the town of Salem was John Proctor. Proctor is shown to the reader and throughout the play as the hero of the town. Proctor is a simple but well respected farmer in the town of Salem, who gets himself mixed up with witchcraft and the twisted and treacherous Abigail Williams. Through the writings of Arthur Miller, Proctor is shown to have many strengths and flaws that attribute him as the tragic hero of the play.
“She made me do it! She made Betty do it!” said seventeen year old Abigail Williams when accusing Tituba, a servant from Barbados, of witchcraft. Abigail is the person in the play, The Crucible, to do whatever it takes to stay alive and out of jail. The Crucible is a play inspired by the McCarthy hearings in the 1950’s. It focuses on the Salem witch trials and how the devils work is incorporated in the trials. Abigail was a walking and breathing problem during these trials because of her personality. She was stubborn, selfish, and persuasive. Her personality shows through out all four acts of the play in different situations, as does mine, but in a more minor way compared to hers.
One of the main aspects of a story begins and ends with the geography. Many things can be interpreted by the word geography and The Crucible by Arthur Miller along with “Geography Matters” by Thomas C. Foster found a way to express just how much geography can shape and change the way the story is told. Setting and geography have impacted everyone on this earth, including me. The way setting has impacted be makes up for who i am today and who i will be in the future. The Crucible and the passage “Geography Matters” go into depth on how geography shapes and defines the people in it.
In every literary work, there are themes. A theme is a broad idea, moral or message of a book or story. One individual may construe the themes of a book or story differently than another, but that is the pure beauty of themes. One great literary work is The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller. Succinctly, the play is about the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692. Throughout the story, the townspeople indict their neighbors of being a witch and practicing witchcraft. On the surface, this historical drama has a few universal and enduring themes. Themes are universal because regardless of where in the world, the ideas still relates to everyone and is understood. Themes are enduring because the ideas are found