Trevor Novak 3/12/2014 Research Paper Clarence Thomas was a judge and lawyer, and it was very difficult for him to become both of these. Clarence is still important today because he is one of the Supreme Court Judges and is the second black judge to ever be elected judge. Clarence Thomas was born June 23, 1948. He was not born in a hospital, but at home by a mid-wife. Clarence was only two when his dad left him and divorced his mom, Leola Thomas. Leola was only eighteen when Clarence was born
Self-Inflicted Pain in The Crucible There is an old saying that goes: "we are our own worst enemies." In relation to The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, it corresponds to the characters in the play perfectly. John Proctor, a historical figure in the play, is "his own worst enemy" in every aspect. Proctor's extreme honesty and exuberant dignity comes back at the end of the play to haunt him, which directly leads to his tragic death. Proctor's honesty ironically is one of the
The Crucible – Inner Conflicts Fear, resulting in chaos, and overturned lives affected the personal decisions of John Proctor, thus creating inner conflicts, as well as desperation in the story. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, John Proctor's stand in a society where opinion drove fate created ignominy towards him and his beliefs. At first he hid his horrible sin inside, fearing the consequences. When he finally did, he was placed in a tangled labyrinth of feelings as to what his next action
Abigail Williams: “I am but God's finger, John. If he would condemn Elizabeth, she will be condemned.” This quote is from the mouth of Abigail, the leader of the girls involved at the center of the plot. She is talking with John, and trying to rationalize the things that the girls are doing. Proctor knows what is at the heart of the matter as Abigail is merely trying to get rid of his wife so that they can be together, something that he no longer wants. This situation shows the reader that Abigail
What is the effect on the audience of John Proctors decision in act 4? How does miller build up tension and drama in this section? How is it still relevant to a modern audience? This essay is on the main importance of John Proctors decision and how Miller builds up a sense of tension (and also drama) throughout Act 4. I will also mention how relevant the play is in modern day times by discussing McCarthyism. Firstly, John Proctors decision in this section is quite simple, sign the agreement
town of who was really loyal and who was not, even though it was a hoax. When Abigail started to pretend that Mary Warren was sending out her spirit to attack her Danforth cried out “‘Mary Warren, do you witch her? I say to you, do you send your spirit out?’” It was the first explanation for what was going on in the court room and Danforth jumped on it like it was treasure for the taking. Even though these girls were obviously pretending, it was unheard of that someone would falsify information to
first starts out with Betty not waking up, then Abigail Williams acusing practically everyone in Salem about being witches and it moves up from there eventually leading to Proctors fait. When Reverend Hale has come to inquire at the Proctor house, John defends Rebecca Nurse by exclaiming, "It's hard to think so pious a woman may be secretly the Devil's bitch after seventy years of such good prayer" (1276). This quote really stands out because how proctor describes his wife as being "Pious", to be
Corey free Parris demands that all those on the list be called in for questioning. pg93 Danforth, glancing at the list: How many names are here? Frances: Ninety-one, Your Excellency. Parris, sweating: These people should be summoned. Danforth looks up at him questioningly. For questioning. Parris: This is a clear attack upon the court! Parris also attacks Mary Warren harshly when she changes sides to help John Proctor clear his wife's name. Once Mary claims she fainted at will he tries to make her
and blossomed into an unprecedented hysteria. Accusations became widespread, and, since confession was the only way to avoid a hanging, confessions became widespread as well. When only a small group of stubborn resisters were left, the main character John Proctor had to make a difficult decision on whether he should confess or hang, and ends up hanging along with a few others to help save the integrity of their community. In his play The Crucible, Arthur Miller demonstrates that while some may view
times of importance. John proctor holds his moral standpoint and does not falter into the temptations of selfishness, while Elizabeth would describe honor as how a person lives their lives. Some can even describe honor as what is most important in life; family. Giles believed that his life was the ultimate object he could sacrifice to maintain his family’s happiness. However honor can be defined, one thing is certain; Everyone has some degree of honor in their lives. John Proctor was a man who
we need to look at how harshly John Proctor comes about to be judged by his wife and himself. Another key idea to explore is how Judge Danforth does not seem very fair in making judgements, as he believes he is honest and scrupulous whereas he is a strong believer of theocracy and his view of justice is warped. Another of the writer’s concerns is how a society ensures justice and fairness when it believes that its fundamental beliefs are under attack. John Proctor is at first one of the
in his play, The Crucible. The aforementioned definitions play a large part in The Crucible's symbolism, characters, and plot. "A place or situation . . . " is the definition mostly used in the play's plot. The change of the village is shown when Danforth states that ". . . a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time, now, a precise time--we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the
To be seen and not heard; a quality shared by the inanimate object, and the conventional woman. Society has conformed women into accessories, and therefore, literature has followed suit. Inherent in this ideology, are many base traits attributed to women. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible exploits these traditional feminine characteristics to aid the female character in her role of complimenting the male. When observing something from an alternate perspective it can take on a whole new meaning. Studying
Hunt, Is it Justified? (An Essay on the Crucible) I write in response to your column regarding Judge Danforth’s actions during the witch trials in Salem. Surprisingly, you praised Judge Danforth for his “impartiality and tact” during this tragic set of trials. You could not be farther from the truth. Judge Danforth abused his judicial power, throughout the trials, to the fullest of his abilities. His abuses range from berating and coercing witness into saying what he wants them go, to blatantly ignoring
government during the time of this play is a theocracy—a government of God, run by the town’s minister. This means that the people cannot elect their own leaders. In The Crucible, the minister of the town is Reverend Samuel Parris. Mr. Herrick says to Danforth, “Mr. Parris command me, sir. I cannot deny him.” This shows that he, Mr. Parris, holds a definite authority over Mr. Herrick. In this theocracy, the people have to obey the minister and his appointed colleagues no matter what. The townspeople will
rules of daily life and allows the acting out of every dark desire and hateful urge under the charade of righteousness. In “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, the hysteria due to the paranoia of witchcraft causes Abigail to lie in order to save herself, Danforth to ruin the community, and Proctor to be convicted of witchery. The hysteria surrounding the witchtrials causes Abigail to lie in order to save herself. She is affected by the hysteria because she does not want to exposed as a liar. She forgets about
on the true story of the city, displays the importance of reputation, hysteria, and intolerance through the actions of many characters in the play. Perhaps the most prominent is Danforth’s actions making way for a prominent theme of intolerance. Danforth, the deputy governor of the state and the judge presiding at the witch trials, is hypocritical while believing the action he is taking is for the common good of the people. Although these actions in no way resemble the common good, Danforth’s tyrannous
town of Salem, as written by Arthur Miller’s crucible, Judge Danforth reveals the opinions of the court promoting the infallibility of the court. He touts an idea that if one is not aligned with the court they are then against it. The use of court to display this message is symbolic of the overall beliefs of the society displayed in the novel, as the court often represents the fundamental values within a society. In this moment Danforth reveals that true effect fear has on this society, the people
the Salem witch trials. In The Crucible, the theme of hypocrisy plagues the pages and the three characters that exemplify this theme the most are Danforth, Paris, and Mary Warren. One character that seemed to fall into the social trap of hypocrisy is Judge Danforth. When questioning Mary Warren about her sudden decision to tell the truth, Danforth ridicules Mary when saying, "How were you instructed in your life? Do you not know that God damns all liars?" (94). The Judge sees himself as part
play Miller makes them dramatically superb so that the "No,sir" by Elizabeth that decides the outcome of dozens of lives and of her own and her husband’s, John Proctor is also the climax of the most effective build-up of suspense in the play. The effectivness of these scenes is also enhanced by powerful characters such as John Proctor and Danforth who display such intensity in their emotions and actions that the audience can not help but be moved. But most of all, these scenes show Miller’s theatrical