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The fifteenth century was a gruesome era in world history. Church and state were not separated which caused many problems because the Church officials were often corrupt. The story of Joan of Arc, portrayed by George Bernard Shaw, impeccably reflects the Church of the 1400’s. Joan, a French native, fought for her country and won many battles against England. But Joan’s imminent demise came knocking at her door when she was captured by the English. She was charged with heresy because the armor she wore was deemed for men only but she justified her actions by stating that God told her to do it. Today, Joan of Arc would be diagnosed schizophrenic because of the voices in her head but she would still be respected for serving in the military. But in the fifteenth century, she was labeled as nothing more than a deviant. She was tried and the Inquisitor characterized her as a beast that will harm society. Through his sophistic reasoning, loaded diction, and appeals to pathos and ethos, the Inquisitor coaxed the court into believing Joan was a threat to society and she had to pay the ultimate price. Throughout his monologue, the Inquisitor uses sophistic reasoning to entice the court into finding Joan guilty. The Inquisitor argues that women who “put on the dress of a man [will be followed by] bands of wild women who refuse to wear any clothes at all.” Although the Inquisitor never gives plausible reasoning to connect the two ideas, naked women running around town sounds like anarchy to the people of the court so they quickly accept his reasoning simply because they want to preserve the balance in society. He then says that heresy “begins with polygamy and ends with incest.” Again, the Inquisitor never shows the link between heresy, p... ... middle of paper ... ...uation. The life of Joan of Arc tells an unforgettable story that defines history. The sovereignty of the church and unequal women’s rights are only two important aspects of the story. Joan’s life should not be the only examines part though. The Inquisitor and his audience should also be considered because they entail an important lesson. The Inquisitor represents a manipulating person who used sophistic reasoning and appeals to pathos and ethos to toy with his audience. The audience represent the average, ignorant, gullible person. Because the audience was not objective and skeptical, an innocent woman lost her life. This story should not be seen as a story. It should be seen as a meaningful allegory. An allegory that teaches people not to be so naive and ignorant. An allegory that teaches people to never reach conclusions without hearing both sides of the story.

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