It has been said that your reputation can be the difference between life and death, and it has also been said that someone’s reputation defines who they are. In The Crucible, which was written by Arthur Miller in 1956, as well as the film Good Night and Good Luck by George Clooney, many characters had to face very difficult decisions regarding opposition in their respective communities. Considering all this, reputation is everything in a society that fears the unknown.
Witchcraft in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, was very out of the ordinary, and was something that went against the town’s morals as a whole. The town was one that was ran by a theocratic government, which is a government based on God’s rule through religious officials. As Abigail says when accused of witchcraft: “I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (Arthur Miller, Crucible). Abigail says this when confronted with being a witch (even though she isn’t) because she sees it as the only way to be safe. The townspeople at this time were very uncomfortable with the idea of witches being on the lose, and if someone confessed they were
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The conflict started off with Edward R. Murrow (An American broadcast journalist) pointing out all of the faults with American senator and politician Joseph McCarthy in an attempt to improve his evening talk show program. This plan backfired, however, and provoked McCarthy, who in turn went about accusing Edward Murrow of being a communist. This really hurt Murrow’s talk show, so bad in fact that it was moved to a different time of day with a lower viewing base of
The village of Salem was a Puritan society, meaning the strict Puritan lifestyle was a strong factor to the outcome of the Salem witch trials. The lifestyle of Puritans was influenced massively by Christian beliefs and the church (Fraser 69-71). They desired to create a ‘City upon a hill’ (Fraser 69) and believed all eyes were focused on them. Their strict religion was one of a variety of reasons to why the witch trials occurred, if a resident of Salem were to commit a sin against God, then they were to be punished by the court of law. In Salem, politics and religion were viewed as one, and townsfolk followed laws to feel as though they are obeying God. The mass hysteria was affected by religion because the townsfolk were tricked to believe that the Devil was among them in Salem. This forced a reaction of fear out of the residents of Salem, because it challenged God (Hytner The Crucible). Religion had an impact on outlook of reputation as well, if an individual were to sin their name would be tainted, residents of Salem would obey commandments and laws, to avoid their name being posted on the door of the church (Hytner The Crucible). Religion was used to Abigail's advantage to create a mass hysteria over her accusations of witchcraft, which she utilized to gain authority
In The Crucible reputation is considered very important to maintain highly, a handful of the characters choose to sacrifice their lives and freedom in order to uphold their reputation.
A quote from the King James Bible, Exodus 22:18, states that “thou shalt not suffer a witch to live” (Doc A). Puritans, who made up the majority of the Massachusetts colony, were fundamentalists. Fundamentalists believed that everything the Bible said must be followed to the letter. When people were being accused of witchcraft and were found guilty, the Puritans sent them to Gallows Hill to be hanged, because the Bible said to kill witches. Respected church officials like Cotton Mather, who was a respected minister and intellectual, wrote, “Go tell mankind, that there are devils and witches” is a quote from one of his written works (Doc C). There were many other powerful leaders like Cotton Mather who were tied to the church and could spread word of the ‘evil sorcery’. Again, the fundamentalist Puritans obeyed the religious leaders because they were God’s messengers, and God’s word was the law. A large part of the Massachusetts colony life was religious belief, and the rush of the Salem Witchcraft trials was largely because of it. However, there was one more thing that caused the Salem Witchcraft trials - personal relationships between two families and the two sides of the
Before all else of the story, when Abigail initially began blaming individuals for witchcraft everybody accepted her and likewise denounced others. Taking a gander at a dairy animal, something dropping as you stroll past it, sniffling throughout chapel, any of these things could be considered witchcraft. The Puritans most amazing alarm; rebellion of God; making the Puritan religion a real part in this play. In this manner, anything
As we all know reputation is a really big deal in today’s society. Hardly any kid can be themselves because they are so scared they won't fit in or be popular. Many adults feel the same way. If there neighbor buys a boat, they feel like they should buy one to just fit in. In “The Crucible” it is the same way reputation is very important to them and they don’t want to ruin there reputation even if it is gonna sacrifice them being alive, they want to make sure they keep their good name in the community. In this novel there were a bunch of characters who cared about their reputation. Parris, Abigail, Rebecca Nurse, and John Proctor. The main two who cared about their reputation would be Abigail and John. Many characters in “The Crucible” are concerned about their reputations. Two of the main characters especially concerned with the betrayal of their reputations are Abigail and John.
Church was the foundation of life in New England. People in Massachusetts were Puritans colonists seeking freedom and religious acceptance by leaving England. The Puritan lifestyle was self-controlled and firmly enforced. Since Puritans were expected to live by a resistant code; they believed that all sins committed should be punished and that God would punish sinful behavior. When someone went against their codes, Puritans saw it as God’s will to not help them. In keeping up with the Puritan code of obedience, the many women to be accused of witchcraft in Salem were seen as divergent and social
Throughout his journalism career, Edward Murrow fought for what was right, not for what was easy. The movie, Good Night and Good Luck, shows how he made the controversial decision to challenge Joseph McCarthy in his news reports. McCarthy was a Wisconsin senator who played on the American’s fear of Communism, and he unjustly accused people of associating with Communism without proper evidence. Since McCarthy had the power of persuasion and people were so scared of Communism, he became a powerful figure. Murrow was not intimidated by the senator, and he thought it was vital to report on McCarthy’s actions in order to stop the madness. Overall, Murrow realized the importance of facing important issues and reporting them to the public in order
In Arthur Miller’s dramatic play The Crucible, the notable writer successfully argues that the people in Salem rely too much on their reputation by creating a connection to the audience in order to convey the message. He does this in hopes of informing the world that in times of hysteria, reputation means nothing. To prove the argument, Miller uses ethos by developing his credibility when he explains his very own knowledge of the historical situation. Also, the appeals of logos and pathos are evident when illustrating the value of reputation within the play through the characters’ tones.
In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the people of Salem, Massachusetts prove time and time again that they care more about their reputations than the events that are taking place and how these events are affecting the people around them. Having a good reputation can be a good thing but when being concerned about your reputation clouds your judgement, that is when it becomes a dilemma. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses having a good reputation, the character of Parris, and how reputation and The Crucible tie into modern life to enlighten the reader that even though having a good reputation is great, it should not cloud one’s ability to see the harm they are doing to others.
Throughout the town of Salem, reputation becomes progressively significant as every action is exposed to the townspeople. While the citizens are persistently condemning every immoral action publicly, reputation is worked on and stressed about the most. With the attempt to surpass others in terms of status, publicizing other’s flaws progressively leads to the unveiling of consequences. When Proctor is asked to sign his name as a testimony he asks, “How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name” (Miller 143). As the trials lead from one to another, the label of each character expresses what they stand for and their sinful deeds. The goal to preserve each of their reputations is a result of distress in a whirlwind
I believe that the truth is more important than a good name. Therefore, I do not like people lying to keep a good reputation. A few characters in The Crucible do exactly that. The first character goes by the name of Reverend Samuel Parris. He is in his mid forties and I believe he only cares about himself and his reputation.
“It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently” (Warren Buffett). Arthur Miller was a well known American playwright, essayist and a very important figure in the American theater. Arthur wrote some very important plays throughout his life and The Crucible was one of them. The Crucible is a very well written play about the Salem Witch Trials and how the people chose their own reputation rather than telling the truth and having a consequence for it. Having a good reputation in a small town like Salem is very crucial. This is evident throughout the acts in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. John Proctor,
A respectable reputation is a commonly sought after title that many will go to extreme lengths to achieve. In the late 1600’s reputation was everything. The characters in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible manipulate the truth and strike fear into others to furiously protect their reputation.
In The Crucible a lot of stuff happens. A girl controls the whole village with her bad reputation. A families life gets messed up. Also alot, a lot of people die just because of this girls actions. Every bad thing leads to another and that is what happens in this play. In this play it shows who people really are when a person gets power they don't care about others they get what they want. Repetition is everything in that time.Reputation and integrity is a big role in this book just because everyone's reputation changes dramatically over and over again. With a bad reputation you can do bad things. If you have a powerful reputation you can get whatever you want and when you want it. In The Crucible By Arthur Miller, Reputation and integrity was shown by the characters actions.
Over my summer break, I read The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The Crucible is set in a town, year 1692, where religion plays a big role in society. When a young girl falls sick, the town is stirred up over the possibility of witchcraft. Crazy right? Now that I’ve told a little bit about the story, let’s discuss the theme. Theme is the main topic, or subject, of a story. Because you read my overview of The Crucible, you’d probably conclude that the theme of the story is religion or the supernatural. Congratulations, you’re not wrong- the theme could be anything. With that being said, from my standpoint, the theme of The Crucible is reputation.