Power can be a very dangerous thing to have. While it is good to have power, you need to know how to use it and be able to control it. Power can easily blind someone’s views, enabling bias and unethical thinking to float to the surface. Similarly, Danforth’s was oriented toward preventing crises in Salem. He became a careless and unethical judge without a moral compass in pursuit of his goal. This shows how power can easily blind a person’s choices and views. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible highlights how Danforth’s goals were oriented toward preventing further crises in Salem. He became a lackadaisical judge without a moral compass in pursuit of his goal. This shows how people in positions of power lack ethical thinking and get blinded by their power. My first reason is how Danforth's rigid …show more content…
He claimed that twelve people had already been executed for the same crime these seven were charged with. Danforth thinks that if he were to pardon anyone now, it would cause people to doubt his judgment of the previous twelve; he would hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law. (105) Danforth refused to reconsider his decision. Danforth also claimed that he couldn’t pardon these seven people because he needed to enforce the law without mercy, and the twelve previous who faced the same accusations were killed. A level of unchecked authority is also shown by his refusal to pardon or postpone the executions in fear that his rulings would no longer be respected. Danforth prioritizes his reputation as a judge rather than the accused's lives at stake. By prioritizing his reputation over the accused, Danforth is undermining the integrity of Salem by disregarding fairness and truth, two key rules to abide by as a judge. His willingness to slaughter innocents reflects a broader acceptance of power over the people and corruption in
The authority figures on the side of the prosecution also abuse their power in The Crucible. Danforth, the judge, steps in and solidifies that he has the final say in any and all convictions. “The village expects to see [seven people] die this morning” and Danforth seeks to do exactly what the village wants to gain their favor (Miller 129). He will convict whoever he wants and not stop the hangings simply because “postponement now speaks a floundering on [his] part” (Miller 129).
In any community, the people rely on the power of law and justice to protect them. When the guardians of the law and order misuse their power it brings tragedy upon the town. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the inappropriate actions of the character of Judge Danforth, the voice of authority of the community leads to the tragedy of social disruption of the town accompanied by breakdown in communal solidarity.
Arthur Millers The Crucible possesses many examples of interesting character development. A character who one initially finds to be worthy of mercy or pity can easily become the last person deserving of sympathy. This relationship is not only formed between the reader and the characters, but between the characters and the scenario of the story itself. The victim may become the accuser, or the scholar may become the humanitarian. This manner of characterization is best shown in the relationship between Reverend John Hale and Deputy Governor Danforth. Each is objectified to the events in Salem as they come into the situation with no attachments to any of the other characters and are unfamiliar with any of their mannerisms or personalities. Hale is a well-read minister who relies upon his books. Danforth is a reputable judge who relies on consistent input and prodding. Both of these men enter the trials with very similar goals. The places they stand at the finish, however, could not be more different. This is due to the personal relationships and opinions Hale develops concerning Salem. Reverend Hale is a dynamic character who learns his role as a minister while Judge Danforth is a constant force who voices others opinions through his authority.
When one group or individual has so much power and influence to lead or sentence someone to death, then there is something to worry about. In The Crucible, Abigail has the quality of speaking and always being heard, "I saw Goody Sibber with the Devil!"(Miller 48) After she says this, Thomas Putnam immediately calls the marshal to hand out warrants to the accused. A functional society can't exist without a balance in power.
Judge Danforth is responsible because he is not concerned about justice, all he cares about is being correct about the witch trials. Lastly, Thomas Putnam is guilty of causing the witch trials because he was able to have people accuse other people so he could claim their land for himself. The witch trials were a senseless massacre and all because Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam were only concerned about themselves, not the innocent ones around them. Abigail Williams started the witch trials in Salem because she and a group of her friends wanted some attention from their town. Abigail thinks she is superior to some people, specifically Tituba, and has no problem accusing people she feels superior to.
Power and fear can affect people´s sense of what's wrong and what's right. In “the Crucible” by Miller, we can see how the trials affected every individual in a negative aspect. people suffered because of such power and unfairness the authority had. The witch trials affected a lot of individuals from an emotional aspect to a psychological trauma.
In Act 2 Scene 2 Danforth was the epitome of a tyrant because he gave warrants to the people that signed a petition to help and he imprisoned Corey Giles in an attempt to get information on an informant. However Corey said he knew his rights and Danforth is not allowed to arrest during a hearing, but Danforth arbitrarily, “declare[ed] the court in session.” (60) This was to try to scare Corey by insinuating that now that this is an official session you will either tell me what I want to know or you will be arrested for going against me. This shows that the justice system in Salem is faulty and is not actually for the people, which means the people now have no one to turn to for help. Corey Giles background in law allowed him not to be scared Danforth, but instead challenge him with things common men wouldn’t know to argue. However, when challenged Danforth retaliated unfairly, thus causing him to proceed with an unreasonable power to arrest Corey for being against the
The issues of power, that Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, portrays are concerned with, who has the power, the shifts of power that take place and how power can consume people and try to abuse it, for either vengeance, jealously, material gain or sexual desire.
American author, John Steinbeck once said, “Power does not corrupt. Fear corrupts - perhaps the fear of loss of power”. As seen in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, people of authority can feel pressured to go along with actions or make decisions they know are wrong because they fear losing their power and influence in society. They also tend to let to their opinions and motives impact their work and responsibility to make good decisions. The Crucible demonstrates how people of authority, like Parris and Danforth, try to use good judgement to make fair decisions, but are often influenced by their own personal opinions whether they realize it or not.
The absolute power of aristocracies is a scourge on society that corrupts minds and imposes too much of an impact on the lives of the majority. At the time when Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible, society was subject to McCarthyism, the unquestionable authoritative force that could and did ruin the lives of those suspected of communism. Yet, of these people who suffered the brunt of punishment from authority, a numerous percentage of them displayed hypocrisy in accusing others out of survival. In The Crucible, Miller reflects this idea of hypocrisy in an environment where unquestionable authority reigns. His work displays the essentiality in rising out of such an insincere state and acting upon what
Explore Miller’s dramatic presentation and development of the theme of power and authority. Even though The Crucible is not historically correct, nor is it a perfect allegory for anti-Communism, or as a faithful account of the Salem trials, it still stands out as a powerful and timeless depiction of how intolerance, hysteria, power and authority is able to tear a community apart. The most important of these is the nature of power, authority and its costly, and overwhelming results. “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or against it,” says Danforth conceitedly. With this antithesis, Miller sums up the attitude of the authorities towards the witch trials that if one goes against the judgement of the court
...w. Ultimately all order is lost and cannot be redeemed by the high court because Danforth “cannot pardon when twelve are already hanged for the same crime” (4.129) Chaos wins the battle against order and thus breaking the power of theocracy in Salem.
The Crucible is a play with many underlying messages and themes. One of which is the idea of power. Power is a very important term in this play in that whoever holds the power, holds the fates of others. The hysteria within Salem has directly effected society. Everything has turned upside down and has gotten distorted. Arthur Miller is telling us that all the power in Salem is given to those who are corrupt and their abuse of it is directly shown through: the actions of Abigail throughout the play, the corruption and desires of Parris, as well as the witch trials held by Judge Danforth.
The desire for power and authority has always been a part of the human nature. Today’s society most often use power to dominate one another and fulfill one’s personal intentions, which can affect other people in many ways. Having power and authority is truly gratifying but it is terrifying if abused and used for selfish acts. The play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller is an example to illustrate the consequences of abuse of power. The characters Abigail Williams, Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris use their power over society by manipulating people and using their authority to fulfill their personal intentions, like material gain, vengeance, maintaining social status and reputation, and attention, which eventually lead into a mass hysteria.
What is a gang? Well according to most gang members, they aren’t a gang, they are a family. Now according to Oxford Dictionaries, a gang is “an organized group of criminals (gangs, n.d.).” Now gangs are known to be violent and having no mercy for others. When a gang is thought of, most people think of either some type of biker gang, or maybe even a gang from the “hood”. Now a group of friends hanging out in school doesn’t seem to differ too much from a gang from just looking at them. This is because they all share the same interest, and they all seem to wear similar clothing. So what is the difference between a gang? A gang differs in the degree of violence that they are ready to commit. Now there are three different types of gangs