...The Crucible This essay will discuss, explain and evaluate the main ideas, themes and interpretations of Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible. It will also explain and evaluate the language Arthur Miller uses and how it contributed to the overall success of the play. The Crucible is set in 1692 in the puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts, a theocratic society, where the laws of the land are laid down by the church. The main idea running throughout the play can be viewed as a direct comparison to McCarthyism which was happening in 1950’s America, in which members of the general public including public figures such as Arthur Miller were brought in and questioned over connections to communism. This can be seen as a direct comparison to people being brought into the Salem courts regarding connections with witchcraft. It was not until Miller saw this comparison that he then felt compelled to write The Crucible as he now felt he could get into the minds of those going through similar circumstances back in the Salem witch trials. Hysteria was the main cause of nineteen deaths in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, and countless ruined reputations on account of Joe McCarthy. Hysteria does not just appear out of nowhere though. There are driving forces such as revenge and abuse of power that bring about the irrational fear that can take over society. These are the issues expressed in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. The Crucible is paralleled directly to the Salem Witch Trials and indirectly...
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...Miller’s Universal Truths through the Characterization of Reverend John Hale Throughout The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the characterization of an archetypal hero, Reverend John Hale, to reveal how when arrogant and nationalistic pride becomes involved even the most intelligent and moral man’s moral compass can be distorted. This universal truth and Hale’s archetypal characteristics were revealed by Miller to reprehend those who fell into McCarthyism and the flaws in the American society in the nineteen-fifties, which were impacts of their blinded morals. To comprehend the idea of this specific universal truth, one first must understand Hale’s characterization through Aristotle’s archetypal hero traits. The first criteria, Noble...
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..."Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?" This was a common question heard during the 1950s in the age of what is known as McCarthyism, the name given to the time in American history during which Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy searched in an effort to expose supposed communist takeover in various areas of the U.S. government. Arthur Miller and Edward Murrow, two very well known Americans at the time, were very outspoken about how McCarthyism was affecting the nation. Edward Murrow, a journalist, used his straight forward speech to expose Joseph McCarthy and his deceptive ways. In the same way, Arthur Miller, a playwright, used his play The Crucible to attempt to expose McCarthy, but was missing the focus he needed to get his point...
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...The Crucible Essay In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, John Proctor ragins his sense of goodness by tearing up the confession that Danforth forces him to sign, but is Proctor’s act believable? His action of defying Danforth and the the others who so desperately wanted Proctor to sign the document are believable because of who the man that Proctor is even though some of his actions in the past may contradict the credibility of Proctor tearing up the document. John Proctor is an honest man who takes a big interest in always doing what is right even if it may have consequences for himself; he cares greatly for the people around him especially his family; Proctor stands up for what is right with bravery in every word that he uses when he says...
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...Cultural Repetition, Regression, and Variation Throughout history, the same events are repeated as groups of people deal with problems in their society. Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, was written when McCarthyism, which involved the persecution of suspected communists, was at a high. The play explores the seemingly timeless parallels of panicked groups hoping to protect themself and their own between the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Era trials that are still applicable today as the fight on terror advances. Notwithstanding the likeness between the three, anomalies appear that show growth or even regression in a culture do remain. Events such as unfair stereotyping, magnified paranoia, and targeting ideas through accusing people,...
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...Mean girls. Everybody knows one. They are the ones that take advantage of others, yet they get away with it. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Abigail Williams is one of those mean girls. The Crucible displays the chaos of the Salem Witch Trials, during which, an accusation meant time in jail and a trial. If the indicted person admitted to practicing witchcraft and repented, he or she was set free; but if the accused did not confess, that person lost their life. Abigail is one of the girls that charges many people of witchcraft, which leads many of those people to their hanging. She especially has it out for John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, because Abigail would love to replace her. Ever diabolical, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft...
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...Honor has governed society for hundreds of years, and has inspired men to do both great and terrible things. Men have gone to war in the name of honor, and killed to defend it, and evolving honor sometimes induces a change in societal structure. John Proctor from Arthur Miller’s Crucible and Will Kane from Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon exemplify honor’s ability to incite change. Both Proctor and Kane are portrayed as both honorable and influential men in their respective towns. Their actions motivated by their individual codes of honor allow Proctor and Kane to spark change their communities. Proctor’s honor leads him to sacrifice himself, inciting change in his community, and ending the Salem witch trials. Proctor’s code of honor is built around...
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...RENAISSANCE LEADERSHIP Transforming Leadership for the 21st Century J. Martin Hays and Choule Youn Kim THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Key Words: |Leadership |Management Education |Future Trends | |Leadership Development |The New Millennium |Leadership Competencies | ABSTRACT Conventional leaders and leadership of the past are insufficient to meet the demands of the 21st Century. As we enter the new millennium, our world is characterised by unprecedented complexity, paradox, and unpredictability. Change is rapid and relentless. Today’s leaders face demands unlike any ever before faced. Standard leadership approaches that have served us well throughout much of history are quickly becoming liabilities. Conventional wisdom regarding leadership and many of its habits must be unlearned. The strong, decisive, charismatic, and independent leader and leadership we have idealised, strived to be, depended upon, and longed for may prove counter-productive in the new millennium and undermine a sustainable future. The challenges and opportunities of the 21st Century call for a new type of leader and leadership, indeed an entirely new and different way of thinking about leadership and of developing future leaders. This paper explores the nature of the nascent millennium and the leader and leadership qualities and capabilities...
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...EXORBITANT PRIVILEGE EXORBITANT PRIVILEGE The Rise and Fall of the Dollar and the Future of the International Monetary System Barry Eichengreen Oxford University Press, Inc., publishes works that further Oxford University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Copyright © 2011 by Barry Eichengreen Published by Oxford University Press, Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 www.oup.com Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of Oxford University Press. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Eichengreen, Barry J. Exorbitant privilege : The Rise and Fall of the Dollar and the Future of the International Monetary System / Barry Eichengreen. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-19-975378-9 1. Money—United States—History—20th century. 2. Devaluation of currency—United States—History—21st century. 3. United States—Economic...
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