The Power of Greed A study from CBS News in 2014 found that, in the US alone, 78% of people believe that greed is good or that people who are greedy are more likely to make it far in life. The implications of so many people thinking this way are frightening, as this mindset suggests a societal endorsement of selfishness and unethical behavior as means to success. Greed, which is an innate human trait, has long been recognized as a force capable of compelling individuals towards various actions, often with detrimental effects. Through an examination of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," it becomes evident how greed for land, power, and love drives characters to accuse their neighbors of witchcraft, leading to social and moral chaos. Similarly, the …show more content…
Historically, there has never been a shortage of dictators whose insatiable greed for power and control led to untold suffering and devastation. Adolf Hitler, the infamous dictator of Nazi Germany, stands as one of the most prominent and chilling embodiments of this phenomenon. Driven by an insatiable thirst for power and supremacy, Hitler's greed for territorial expansion and ideological domination precipitated the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust. As a young boy, Hitler didn’t grow up wealthy or privileged. He was born to Alois Hitler and his 3rd wife, Klara Pölzl. He was the fourth of six children, and was regularly beaten by his father. In an article by Krysia Diver published in The Guardian, his half-brother and half-sister, Alois and Angela Hitler, write in their joint memoir “Fearing that the father could no longer control himself in his unbridled rage, she [Adolf's mother] decides to put an end to the beating. She goes up to the attic, covers Adolf who is lying on the floor, but cannot deflect the father's final blow. Without a sound, she absorbs it. a
Is there any idea worth more than a human life? In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor decides that he has nothing left to live for, and therefore becomes a martyr. The question for him or one in his position would be whether or not there exist causes worth dying for and if his position is one such case. There is no principle worth more than a person’s life and therefore principles worth dying for, only principles worth living for.
his heart. She even tries to put a hex on his wife, Elizabeth Procter. When
In The Crucible, there are many examples that ambition can corrupt even the most steady and kind, through the use of characters such as Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Hale and John Proctor as well as others. Rev. Hale, as an example, came to Salem with an ambition to rid the town of witchcraft, but at the same time disregarded the fact of the matter, innocent people are being put to death for the sake of reputation. As Hale says in Arthur Millers' The Crucible, book/movie/play,
The Crucible – Characters and Changes & nbsp; Change is good for the future. " We hear the catchy phrase everywhere. From company slogans to motivational speeches, our world seems to impose this idea that change is always a good thing. Assuming that the change is for the better, it is probably a true statement in most cases. The root of this idea seems to come from the notion that we are dissatisfied with the state that we are in, so, in order to create a more enjoyable environment, we adjust.
The deterioration of Salem's social structure precipitated the murders of many innocent people. Arthur Miller's depiction of the Salem witch trials, The Crucible, deals with a community that starts out looking like it is tightly knit and church loving. It turns out that once Tituba starts pointing her finger at the witches, the community starts pointing their fingers at each other. Hysteria and hidden agendas break down the social structure and then everyone must protect themselves from the people that they thought were their friends. The togetherness of the community, the church and legal system died so that the children could protect their families' social status.
Great events, whether they are beneficial or tragic ones, bring change in a person. These scenarios can give one an entirely new perspective on life, and turn around his way of thinking. Events such as the Salem Witch Trials show the people involved what they could not see before. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Hale, and John Proctor gain valuable insight into themselves, as well as others.
During the Holocaust, around six million Jews were murdered due to Hitler’s plan to rid Germany of “heterogeneous people” in Germany, as stated in the novel, Life and Death in the Third Reich by Peter Fritzsche. Shortly following a period of suffering, Hitler began leading Germany in 1930 to start the period of his rule, the Third Reich. Over time, his power and support from the country increased until he had full control over his people. Starting from saying “Heil Hitler!” the people of the German empire were cleverly forced into following Hitler through terror and threat. He had a group of leaders, the SS, who were Nazis that willingly took any task given, including the mass murder of millions of Jews due to his belief that they were enemies to Germany. German citizens were talked into participating or believing in the most extreme of things, like violent pogroms, deportations, attacks, and executions. Through the novel’s perspicacity of the Third Reich, readers can see how Hitler’s reign was a controversial time period summed up by courage, extremity, and most important of all, loyalty.
Greed and envy are two of the seven deadly sins in the Christian world that adherents must dispel from their lives. This fact makes it all the more ironic when many Christians during the Salem witch trials display these two offenses in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. One reason explaining the prevalence of sin in a society that thinks of itself as pure is that leaders demonstrate that they care more about actions rather than pureness of thought. For example, clergymen who feature themselves in the play, like Parris and Hale, often measure a person’s connection with the divine through the number of times he or she attends church. In actuality, according to many prominent officials of the Christian Church, that connection can only be achieved
The Crucible – Human Nature Human nature was fully to blame for the disaster which took place in Salem in 1692. Human nature is what your character is made of in trying situations, and in 1692 scientific knowledge was extremely poor by today's standards and so all reoccurring problems were blamed on an evil force, whether it be the devil or witches or anything the imagination could conjure, hence human nature was being tested regularly. The decisions people made were critical to the disaster's progression, in today's scene in would have been dismissed within minutes, but the paranoia floating around in the town kept the ball rolling. People were so terrified of the thought of evil that any suggestion of it would create a preordained judgement in the mind of anyone, especially those who made judgement of the accused. To get to the supposed
The Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice Thesis Statement: The purpose is to educate and display to the reader the hysteria and injustice that can come from a group of people that thinks it's doing the "right" thing for society in relation to The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I. Introduction: The play is based on the real life witch hunts that occurred in the late 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. It shows the people's fear of what they felt was the Devil's work and shows how a small group of powerful people wrongly accused and killed many people out of this fear and ignorance.
“Well, all the plays that I was trying to write were plays that would grab an audience by the throat and not release them, rather than presenting an emotion which you could observe and walk away from.” by Arthur Miller. All great works provide a way to reach in and grab the audience through the reoccurring themes like, greed, jealousy, reputation and hypocrisy. Arthur Miller had one of those great works and it was called “The Crucible”. The play was based off of the witch trials that happened in Salem in the year of 1962. Some of the characters were actual characters involved in the witch trials. Arthur Miller wrote this play during the time of the “Red Scare”. Miller wrote The Crucible because he wanted to turn the The Salem Witch Trials into
Corruption and Broken Community: The Result of Religion as Proven by Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Sierra Hall Department of English, Kearney High School ENG 101: AP Literature and Composition Mrs. Brodine April 23rd, 2024 Corruption and Broken Community: The Result of Religion as Proven by Arthur Miller’s The Crucible Religion has been a prominent figure throughout history for centuries. However, religion also has been the root of distrust, paranoia, death, and destruction, as proven by the Salem Witch trials. Although intended to benefit the community and bring people together, corruption and distrust caused by religion are present and often are the reason communities are torn apart. The aftermath of religion once given power is fatal.
Examining the historical course of Western Civilization reveals a troubling pattern: the unchecked consolidation of power in the hands of leaders like Hitler. In Nazi Germany, no strong system existed there to scrutinize or challenge Hitler's actions, allowing him to employ authority without accountability. Primo Levi carefully dissects this phenomenon, illuminating the mechanisms through which Hitler exerted control with alarming exemption from punishment. Levi's analysis underscores the systemic failure to control unchecked power, a recurring theme throughout history. Furthermore, Levi draws parallels between Hitler's regime and earlier manifestations of unchecked authority in Western Civilization, notably absolute monarchy.
The Crucible Critique The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, was performed at Broken Arrow High School in the high school’s black box. The performance was directed by Jana Ellis, and performed by BAHS Tiger Theatre. The cast consisted of Triston Sutterfield, Lauren Young, Chyna Mayer, Phoenix Swords, Ari Wilson, Trevor Phillips, Dru Denny, Claire Keller, Alexa Edison, Sophia Krist, Torri Jordan, Daniel Scout, Maddie Barnes, Sammy Ricketts, Cailee, Bearden, Julian Valles, Camaro English, Caleb Ricketts, Logan Wieberdink, Riley Pritzlaff, Aatif Khan, and Angie Alvarez. The performance was given on Friday, May 5th, 2017.
The corrupting influence of power is explored in The Crucible by the actions of individuals who possess it or seek to abuse it. These individuals act for their own benefit and in turn destroy their community. Power acts as a catalyst in a society which is vulnerable to mass hysteria and causes individuals to favor unjust trials for personal gain. Arthur Miller explores this message in The Crucible by showing how power destroys a society through its own members and causes the unjust death of many