Sheeple and Its Impact on the Majority Sheeple is the act of doing something because it is easy or doing something for a person’s well-being. Throughout the play of The Crucible by Arthur Miller sheeple is displayed. The girls often follow Abigail blindly and do what she says because it is easy. The girls are easily manipulated like sheep while Abigail seems to be a leader in the group.In the real world and also the past sheeple has been displayed in a number of historical and present events. The German citizens during World War ll under Nazi rule showed sheeple. Also citizens in Pakistan under terrorist ruled regions during The Dark Decades were easy manipulated by al Qaeda. Many of the upper class during the French Revolution played a …show more content…
large part by doing nothing because it was easy to sit on the sidelines and watch the murder of many citizens. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller the children of Salem follow the antagonist Abigail, showing sheeple, much like the citizens of Germany during World War ll, the citizens of terrorist occupied countries and the upper class during the French Revolution. Sheeple can be very dangerous and contagious when fear is struck through easy manipulated people. The Crucible by Arthur Miller shows many instances of sheeple. One instance of sheeple is Abigail threatening the other girls not to tell anyone about the dancing. Abigail and the other girls are seen dancing in the woods but when questioned about it Abigail claims it was sport. When the girls are alone with Ruth, Abigail lashes out at the and states “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night, and I will bring a pointy-reckoning that will shudder you:(Miller 26). The girls are easily manipulated by this and know that if they tell, they will most likely be harmed and knowing this they take the easy way out and don’t do anything. The girls blindly follow the antagonist Abigail and she is set on the goal of not going down with the other girls as liars. Similarly the citizens of al Qaeda and other terrorist occupied places have done the same thing. The terrorists groups that have occupied places people live in are striking fear in its inhabitants. One American journalist said, “Saudi Arabia is a frightened monarchy, it’s beset by Sunni extremists from the Islamic State and Shiite extremists backed by Iran” (Ignatius). Saudi Arabia, Iran and Afghanistan citizens have all experience sheeple. Many citizens have moved or stayed in the area because it is easier. Many of them sit inside their homes and do not live their life because of the fear of dying or getting raped or shot by the occupying terrorist group. In the play there are many instances of sheeple commonly used by the other girls in the town.
When the girls are threatened by the townspeople about the dancing and if they conjured spirits they simply find a loophole in the situation. When all the townspeople are outside of Reverend Parris’s home Abigail feels some of the people are starting to be convinced that she is lying. She lashes out and says, “I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil. I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil” (Miller 54). Abigail sacrifices people’s names in the village to save herself and the other girls follow. The girls follow because none of them want to get caught and they are so far deep into a lie they know they would be punished if they confessed. Many German citizens during the second World War experienced this psychological behavior also. Many people overlooked the fact that their troops were killing millions of people everyday. Some had death camps very close to their homes and instead of doing something about they continued with their lives. The Nazi government tried to hide things from the people so people could get behind their cause: “Every-thing was to be kept as quiet as possible to allow the Nazis to consolidate power and win over the German people”(Santoro 1). The citizens of Nazi occupied Germany blindly followed their cause. Some not knowing about the violence and some knowing and not feeling like standing up because they felt no one would believe them or it would be easier to stay
quiet. While John is in the court fighting for his wife’s innocence the girls are called to the courtroom and told to tell the truth about if they are lying or not. Mary Warren is also giving a testimony on them and Abigail realizes that she might have been found out. Elizabeth is called to the courtroom and the judge tells Abigail, “If she tell me, child, it were for harlotry, may God spread His mercy on you” (Miller 114). The other girls know that if Abigail is convicted guilty they will be accused of lying also and be put in jail or even killed. When Elizabeth denies that Abigail is a harlet, the whole courtroom goes in to chaos. Abigail knowing that this is the most opportune moment she screams and claims Mary is sending a bird on her. The other girls follow and start to say the same thing as Abigail knowing it’s best if they just follow along. When the girls then run outside Mary realizes that she will be punished by John if she does not keep accusing Abigail. She runs to Abigail and says how John is a monster and takes the easy way out. Just as the girls take the easy way out often so has the upper class in the French Revolution. The French Revolution primarily started from heavy taxes but, historians believe it originated much earlier and soon built up. The upper class during the French Revolution had a very easy and rich life. Most people thought it was an easy life compared to the lower and middle class during this time period. When the government threw down taxes the middle and lower class rioted and was angry. The upper class sat and watched when they could have convinced the government officials to lower the tax. The upper class citizens chose not to help or try to convince a certain group that they were wrong. Much like the girls in Salem chose not to tell the truth and take the easy way out, out of fear or laziness.
Abigail and her friends start to accuse people in the town of witchcraft; by saying a person’s spirit attacked them. The people who were accused were usually the outcast of the town or someone Abigail and her friends
The people in Salem were ruled by the fear being killed. All the lying that occurred in Salem began the build of fear. Abigail is the main character that caused the lying. Her first lie starts in the beginning of the book after being caught dancing with other girls in the woods. Abigail herself feared the consequences she would face if the town found out about what happened in the forest. She made sure to threaten all the girls by saying “...Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you…” (Miller 20). Her threat established a fear into the girls’ heads that would prevent them from their normal action of telling the truth. Following this event Abigail must save her reputation, In order to do this she lies to Reverend Hale saying “She made me do it! She made Betty do it!”(Miller 43). Abigail's accusation toward Tituba also leads to the accusation of Sarah Good and Goody Osburn. The way Abigail acted was a result of fear, if she feared nothing bad would come from telling the truth then she wouldn't have lied. The girls may have set the wi...
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.
Obedience has always been a trait present in every aspect of society. Parents have practiced enforcing discipline in their homes where children learn obedience from age one. Instructors have found it difficult to teach a lesson unless their students submit to their authority. Even after the adolescent years, law enforcement officers and governmental officials have expected citizens to uphold the law and abide by the standards set in society. Few will understand, however, that although these requirements for obedience provide positive results for development, there are also dangers to enforcing this important trait. Obedience to authority can be either profitable or perilous depending on who the individual in command is. In the film, The Crucible,
At the end of act one, Abigail and the girls, who confessed to witnessing and being victims of witchcrafts, have established themselves as saints within the community. While Salem is corrupt and the community was fill with suspicion, a saint is the greatest and safest role to be seen; Abigail and the girls are now at the top of the hierarchy and no one within the community can speak against them or harm them because Abigail’s solitary power protects them. To establish her hierarchy, Abigail threatens the girls: “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you” (Miller 19). Abigail exerts her power to control these girls through threat, and letting the girls know that she is in-charge and to maintain that leadership, she will harm them. Confirming Abigail’s exertion of solitary power and corruption is James H. Read. According to James H. Read, “Hobbes subjects internalize a certain “picture” of that power and of their own roles and obligations” (507).Abigail internalizes power as dominating and controlling others weaker than her. Additionally, Abigail’s corruption is so deep that she demonstrates her hierarchy with Mary Warren. When Mary Warren began to tell the truth about the witch accusations,
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.
As the town uncovers the antics of the girls and are outraged, the girls start to cry out names of others they have supposedly seen with the Devil in order to save themselves. Therefore, the audience perceives that the affair between John and Abigail is the instigator of all the hysteria surrounding the witch trials, signifying the consequences of a small human error. The affair also caused Elizabeth to distrust John, who for seven months was trying to get into her good graces and is tired of her suspicion. He bluntly tells her "... I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you.
At the start of the play Reverend Hale and Parris confront Abigail for dancing in the woods. Abigail knows that dancing in the woods is a very critical offense in their society and after being questioned
After Abigail Williams and the girls are discovered dancing in the forest by Reverend Parris, there are rumours of witchcraft among them, when Betty Parris and Ruth Putnam are found "witched". Once the girls discover this, they become more and more frightened of being accused of witchcraft. Abigail is the first to "admit" to seeing the devil, and all the other girls join in, so the blame will not be placed on them. "I saw Sarah Good with the Devil. I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil. I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil."
It was easier for them to blame the devil for the problems of society than fix the problems of their own strict way of life. So the girls involved with Abigail, like Mercy Lewis and Mary Warren, named many people in the town as witches. These people were put in jail and would be hanged if they did not confess to the crime of devil worship or witchcraft. Another part of the developing plot is that John Proctor knows Abigail and her friends are lying, but he is afraid to say anything because eight months before he had an affair with Abigail and did not want to be seen by the town as a lecher, which means wife cheater. So, Mr. Proctor has to fight with himself to come out and tell the truth, or his wife might die because of Abigail saying she was a witch.
Abigail is wicked and confident and is not afraid to take control of situations. This is shown when she is with Parris, Abigail is respectful on the surface but she hides her resentment and disrespect. She talks back to defend her name and in Act One, she suggests to Parris," Uncle, the rumour of witchcraft is all about; I think you'd best go down and deny it yourself." She is also aggressive and forceful, the other girls are afraid of her. When Mary Warren suggested that they should confess to dancing in the woods. Abigail threatens them,."..I have seen some reddish work done at night and i can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!"
Both the struggles of young women to conform to standards set by their societies and the struggles of all people to uphold their reputations—in the Puritan culture and today’s world—are prominent issues displayed in The Crucible and Conversion. These societal standards put unjust pressure on women to appear “perfect.” Whether it is as an ideal Puritan, a loyal friend, or a prepared college girl, everyone wants to have a pristine reputation. Conformity is often seen as a way to be perfect and obtain a perfect reputation, when in reality, it is not. Seen mostly in young women in The Crucible, conformity plays a role in causing the problems which eventually result in multiple deaths. In the Puritan society, everyone knew everything about the
... like either, she lied to get what she wanted and she expected people to believe anything she says. While Mary Warren was in court Danforth asked Abby if the “witches” were an illusion in her head, Abby immediately got mad and told Danforth, “Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits?” (Act III pg 108). Abigail took offense when Danforth asked her if she was making up the “witch” stories because Mary Warren told them in court that she had not seen any “spirits” and that it was her imagination, so to avoid getting in trouble she told Danforth that the power of hell could be in him too. Abigail showed in this scene that if she did not get what she wanted from someone, or they turned on her then she will turn everyone against that person. Abby realizes how much power she has and uses it to her benefit.
Abigail’s selfish nature is prominent throughout the entire play through her actions and speech inside and outside the court. In Act 1, the adults in Salem continue to question numerous girls about the dancing that was seen by Reverend Parris.
The Crucible is a play which brings to our attention many timeless issues. The nature of good and evil, power and its corruption, honour and integrity and our tendency to create scapegoats for all manner of problems are all brought up through the course of the play - sometimes in very dramatic fashion.