The Crucible and Black Ice – Repression
Within the small and somber courtroom, wandering eyes search for their victims; fingers of vengeance fly at the innocent with sufficient speed to free themselves of the accusations. Hear the anguishing voices of the dead, feel the fury of the falsely accused, see the pain of the convicted, smell the scent of a paradox authority, and taste the bitterness of societal repression. John Proctor devotes himself to saving his wife and bringing justice to the backward court that rises in his society. The authority makes efforts to repress his outspokenness with questions meant to steer him towards admitting to immoral deeds. Pressure builds on him as he becomes accused and forces him to live a life-threatening test. Similarly, Libby is given the challenge to succeed in the white dominating society while not betraying her own culture. Feeling repressed by teachers and students because of her color, she is torn between the decision to adopt the white world and fit in, or struggle to maintain her identity but at the same time, succeeding. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller and Black Ice by Lorene Cary, societal repression unfolds to be a troubling situation for them, however with their promising traits, they carry on towards their goal without hesitation.
To start off, a comparison between the two protagonists would be their determination and ambition. After Proctor's wife is arrested, he confidently states that "my wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me" (Miller 76). To reach his goal, Proctor vows to surpass any o...
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...to die rather than succumb to the falseness of the authority. John Proctor is dead, but he is buried with the honor regained from trading in his life. With determination, strong-values and independence, Proctor makes his voice heard and does not succumb to the unjust authority, and because of that, he grasps in his hand the triumph of overcoming societal repression. As for Libby, she finally understands she does not have to be repressed to succeed in the white world, but instead, she can balance both her identities. She will take advantage of the privilege she is offered in the white world while she can easily slip back into her back skin at other times. So Libby overcomes societal repression as well with ambition, strong-values and fickleness, allowing her to at last skate on the black ice she has heard so much about.
At the turn of the century, and after gaining our independence, the United States land mass more than doubled through the use of purchasing, annexing, and war. However, the foreign policy of our government took a predominately isolationist stand. This was a national policy of abstaining from political or economic relations with other countries. General Washington shaped these values by upholding and encouraging the use of these principles by warning to avoid alliances in his farewell speech. The reasoning behind these actions was that the Republic was a new nation. We did not have the resources or the means to worry about other countries and foreign affairs; our immediate efforts were internal. Our goals that were of primary importance were setting up a democratic government and jump-starting a nation. The United States foreign policy up to and directly preceding the Civil War was mainly Isolationist. After the war, the government helped bring together a nation torn apart by war, helped improved our industrialization, and helped further populate our continent. We were isolationist in foreign affairs, while expanding domestically into the west and into the north through the purchase of Alaska. However, around 1890 the expansionism that had taken place was a far cry from what was about to happen. Expansionism is the nations practice or policy ...
During the years surrounding James K. Polk's presidency, the United States of America grew economically, socially, and most noticeably geographically. In this time period, the western boundaries of the Untied States would be expanded all the way to the Pacific Ocean. Many Americans in the 19th century believed that the acquisition of this territory to the west was their right and embraced the concept of "Manifest Destiny". This concept was the belief that America should stretch from sea to shining sea and it was all but inevitable. Under the cover of "Manifest Destiny", President Polk imposed his views of an aggressive imperialistic nation. Imperialism is the practice of extending the power and dominion of a nation by direct territorial acquisitions over others, and clearly America took much of this land by force rather than peaceful negotiations with other nations. Polk acquired three huge areas of land to include: the Republic of Texas, the Oregon Territory, and the states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico under the Mexican Cession.
The departure from previous expansionism (up to 1880) developed alongside the tremendous changes and amplifications of United States power (in government, economics, and military.) The growth in strength and size of the United States' navy gave the country many more opportunities to grow, explore, and expand both in size and money. The better range and build of ships allowed the U.S. to enter the far-east "trade and money" lands of the Philippines (eventually a territory) and China. Because of the huge production of agricultural goods and the need for outputs and markets for these goods, the United States needed to find other places for shipping, trading, buying, ...
Expansionism in America during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century shared many similarities and differences to that of previous American expansionist ideals. In both cases of American expansionism, the Americans believed that we must expand our borders in order to keep the country running upright. Also, the Americans believed that the United States was the strongest of nations, and that they could take any land they pleased. This is shown in the "manifest destiny" of the 1840's and the "Darwinism" of the late 1800's and early 1900's. Apart from the similarities, there were also several differences that included the American attempt to stretch their empire across the seas and into other parts of the world.
In the play, Puritanism and their beliefs and values ruled Salem. Puritanism are a close community that follow a strict set of rules; there is little freedom for individuals. Individuals who are independent or do not conform to their values are immediately seen as threats to the community. The character of John Proctor is an example of a non-conformist as he believes in justice. Proctor’s sarcastic remark against Reverend Parris: “I like not the smell of this ‘authority,’” highlights his disagreement with Parris’s power and values. The sensory imagery emphasises Proctor’s non-conformist attitude and shows his deviance towards Parris, who is considered the highest power in society as he is the man closest to God. Proctor’s blasphemous exclaim: “I say God is dead!,” is a subversion of the Puritan society and theocratic values. The high modality emphasises his rebellion against Puritanism and emphasises his nonconforming nature. His refusal to conform to the Puritan values ultimately ends in his demise. The ripping of his confession and death symbolises his refusal to conform and his integrity; he does not want to be used to justify the witch hunt and the injustices the court has done. He does not want the other people to be seen as guilty for their crimes, when they weren’t; he does not want to be seen by others as a symbol of falseness
The election of 1848 also marked the birth of the Free-Soil Party, a hodgepodge collection of Northern abolitionists, former Liberty Party voters, and disgruntled Democrats and Whigs. The Free-Soilers nominated former president Martin Van Buren, who hoped to split the Democrats. He succeeded and diverted enough votes from Cass to throw the election in Taylor's favor.
Throughout most of the nineteenth century, the United States expanded its territory westward through purchase and annexation. At the end of the century, however, expansion became imperialism, as America acquired several territories overseas. This policy shift from expansionism to imperialism came about as a result of American's experience in the Spanish American War and the Congressional debates that followed the American victory.
In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, justice and injustice is portrayed through the characters of John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams. It is also shown through the minor characters of Mary Warren and Mercy Lewis, followers of Abigail Williams, and through Danforth and various townspeople.
In the 1960's another group was being formed to rival the Black P-Stone Nation. The Black Gangster Disciple Nation was started by a man named David Barksdale. The Black Gangster Disciple Nation {BGDN} fought bloody wars ont he Chicago south side over turf and drug sales. King David Barksdale was assassinated in 1974. As a symbol of honor and remembrance the six-pointed Jewish star {Star of David} was adopted by the BGDN as well as crossed pitchforks pointing up. Following Barksdale's death, the leadership of the Black Gangster Disciple Nation was taken over by two men; King Larry Hoover and King Jerome 'Shorty' Freeman. They divided the Gangster Nation into the Black Gangster Disciples, led by King Larry Hoover, and the Black Gangsters, led by 'Shorty' Freeman. Both of these men were soon incarcerated but continued to run their groups from inside the penal system.
The United States began as a group of 13 colonies controlled by Great Britain. These colonies won their independence in the American Revolution and became a unified country. Since that moment, the United States has been continuously expanding its borders. The Northwest Territory was gained as a result of the American Revolution, the Louisiana Territory was purchased from France, and the lands of California, New Mexico, and Texas were gained after the Mexican-American War. All of these gained lands helped expand the borders of the United States and develop the country into a global force. Expansion into the western lands of the United States became a growing trend in the early 19th century and continued to gain popularity amongst Americans. These lands promised a new start for some people, and for others, an opportunity for great wealth. Western expansion also created conflict between Americans. Competition for the best land, debates over slavery, and conflicts with Indians began to emerge with the increased expansion. The benefits and conflicts associated with western expansion defined the area and its role in America.
Oppression; an extended treatment of cruelty or injustice towards an individual or a group of people. If looked for, it can be found in every society expressed in a number of different ways. Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, puts it in a way that is easy to understand. "It is still impossible for man to organize his social life without repressions." This is evident in his play, The Crucible, demonstrating that within a society, oppression will always be present due to personal motives, disputes and misuses of power, as well as distorted religious beliefs.
Coined in 1845 by journalist John L. O'sullivan the term Manifest Destiny outlined the idea that it was America's God given right to spread to the western territory bought in the Louisiana Purchase and beyond. Already swept up in the excitement of expansion, the people of America took up the term quickly, using it as yet another incentive to populate new lands in pursuit of riches. Manifest Destiny was used often to give reason to the nation’s imperialistic activities of conquering the west, including its justification for the war against Mexico in 1845- 1848. (Acuna 222, 226). America's desire for economic power and military prowess, as well as her wish to keep up with ever-expanding technology pushed her people west, with O'sullivan's Manifest
The last few decades of the 1800’s were times of expansion for the United States. The U.S. morphed from the state of being an owned colony to one that possessed colonies. The driving motive for expansion was both economic and political as the U.S. sought to keep up with the other leaders of the world by looking for new opportunities beyond the continental land.
The departure from previous expansionism (up to 1880) developed alongside the tremendous changes and amplifications of United States power (in government, economics, and military.) The growth in strength and size of the United States navy gave the country many more opportunities to grow, explore, and expand both in size and money. The better range and build of ships allowed the U.S. to enter the Far East, lands of the Philippines and China, all to increase trade and to create an influx of commerce. Because of the huge production of agricultural goods and the need for outputs and markets for these goods, the United States needed to find other places for shipping, trading, buying, and selling, and these areas of interest were just the place. The idea of Manifest Destiny and placing faith in God also allowed the United States to expand farther out into what once were unattainable lands. Document C, written by Mahan the naval writer, explains the three necessary obligations of sea power, as well as expressing the extreme importance of the navy during late 1800’s expansionism. During this time period and before, it was believed that whoever retained control of the seas would maintain control over the lands. Additionally, the speech by Senator Albert Beveridge (Document E) further states the importance of the U.S. expanding into the Pacific Ocean (especially the Phillipines) and trading with eastern countries: “the pacific is the ocean of the commerce of the future...the power that rules the Pacific is the power that rules the world… forever be the American Republic.
Though it doesn’t justify the actions that took place, it’s important to know why the US had this desire to expand. What exactly is manifest destiny? It was a term used during the 19th century to justify America’s desire to expand ultimately reaching from coast to coast. It stimulated Americans and gave them a new sense of purpose, or national destiny. By midcentury, the population had grown from 5 million in 1800 to over 23 million. In order to accommodate this increase in population, America needed more land. Between 1820 and 1850, nearly 4 million Americans made the trek across the country to the western frontier where land was cheap, even free in some cases. People were looking for opportunities to make a living on their own and having land of their own gave them the opportunity to do so.