Examples Of Trump's Speech In The Crucible

Political representations suppress individuality through deliberate acts of manipulation and are fuelled by the never-ending pursuit of power and self-satisfaction. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (1953) is a dramatic exploration of an allegory of social morality which is in conflict with the law. It starkly portrays the repressive culture of fear and hysteria that gripped America during the Salem witch trials of 1692. Likewise, The New York Times, Highlights of Trump’s Inaugural Speech Video, expresses the manipulation of true motivations through the showcase of moments of the entire speech, that held great importance towards his actual motivations and the true outlook of America. Both representations of politics focus on essential themes including

the dichotomy of good and evil and power of the theocracy.

Miller attempts to encapsulate the fault within the political system that attempts to manipulate the truth in order to maintain power. The society is led by religious influences who are primarily focused on achieving self-satisfaction and preoccupied with their own concerns. One such character is Reverend Parris who, despite reciting prayers at his daughter’s bedside, is filled with fear at the thought of scandals affecting his family, “for (his) ministry’s at stake…for (he) dare not be taken unaware when (he) go before them down there.” The assonance of ‘a’ combined with Parris’s angry tone, establishes the theocratic attitude adopted to defer from the truth for self-gain, causing the audience to speculate on motivations of religious leaders and question the truth behind manipulated situations and their representations. More importantly, Parris’ continual use of the language of hysteria especially towards the end of the play, where his speech changes and becomes disjointed whilst admitting Abigail’s disappearance and stating, “I am penniless,” emphasises Parris’s materialistic concerns and total disregard for the safety of others. Parallel to Parris’s characterisation, Donald Trump expresses fear similar to that in Miller’s allegory. Hence, the audience is reminded about the dangers of selfishness during a pursuit for power that might lead to disastrous endings. Thus, the carefully crafted acts of manipulation are evident of Parris’s attempts at increasing power within society.

Correspondingly, Highlights of Trump’s Inaugural Speech is an overview of the president’s speech to the people of America, implicitly emphasising on the key points of improvement for the country.

However, through this particular representation, Trump manipulates the understanding of the people so that he can attain power similar to Reverend Parris. From the very beginning, Trump practices inclusive language in order to shift everyone’s attention towards himself whist stating, “ we, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people.” His hopeful message appeals to all and supports a positive tone. He continuously emphasises how his ‘rule’ will benefit the country, “Jan. 20, 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.” He is optimistic about his time in parliament especially by involving the people of America in making decisions. This echoes the affirmations made by Parris during his ministership, accentuating the similarities between the two individuals and their schemes of pursuing power. Furthermore, Trump stresses the difference between himself and his predecessors, “the forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.” The repetition of forgotten, juxtaposes the previous governments’ methods and his own. Donald Trump sows affirmation that he is launching solutions to the current challenges faced by America and allowing his

position to be elevated to appeal to the people of America.
The Crucible is an allegory of the 1692 Salem witch trials that resulted from the conflict between those that are good versus the evil attempting to manipulate to represent themselves as ‘good’ and appear conformed to society’s beliefs. Abigail Williams, niece of Reverend Parris, instigates and leads the hysterical pack of young girls who committed a manipulative act of witchcraft. Despite declaring, “my name is good in the village,” Abigail threatens to bring a “pointy reckoning” if the girls betray her in their joint manipulative act. Thus, Abigail’s strategic acts benefit her and evoke paranoia and hysteria in the theocratic town, that is riddled with flaws and lacks logic. Her motives are unclear to society until John Proctor confesses her true character. Proctor is a strong character who is defined as the ideal tragic hero. He attempts to comply to the rules of the strict society in order to cement himself within the status quo. Likewise, Miller represents the figure of moral integrity through Proctor in order to condemn McCarthyism and the illogical communism accusations that divided a nation. Through the stage directions describing Proctor’s pain and suffering, [His breast heaving, his eyes staring, Proctor tears the paper and crumples it, and his weeping in fury, but erect] is conveyed further justifying Miller purpose of condemnation. Here, the audience is able to practically distinguish between the good and bad. Therefore, Miller uses powerful representations to enable audiences to observe the acts that are conducted in order to gain power.

The representation of politics as it manipulates and imposes its political motives on society, brings out the best or worst in humanity.

Trump’s inaugural speech indicates how individuals are manipulated in order to affect their personal political views. First, he presents a picture of a bleak America, emphasising, “the crime and the gangs and the drugs that have stolen too many lives and robbed our country of so much unrealized potential. This American carnage stops right here, stops right now.” However, the repetition of right focuses the audience’s attention towards a change and not on the carnage, which elevates his own character. The appeal of emotions through ethos establishes that his solutions are an effective remedy to stop this carnage. He then instils the responders with hope, “from this day forward, it's going to be only America first. America first.” The insistent tone, emphasising “America first,” serves to uplift the anaphora of the promises he is making to the citizens of America. He repeatedly stipulates, “I will fight for you with every breath in my body, and I will never, ever let you down,” further acknowledging his own motivations and personal agenda whilst in office. Abigail also attempts to showcase her religious façade, similar to Trump, to increase her standing in society. Hence, the political motives impounded, upstage the worst in

humanity.

All in all, both texts relay the crucial manipulation of perspectives that impact on the representation of certain acts to a very high extent. Evidently, The Crucible expresses the high extents some individuals reach in order for self-gain, only to result in a loss of their own individuality and humanity. New York Times Highlights of Trump’s Inaugural Speech Video, represents manipulation of the audience’s perceptions in order to achieve acts of power. Both texts comment on the representations that are ultimately manipulative to a high extent.