The Boldness Of Courage Essays - Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible

The Boldness of Courage ?You're the Devil's man!? (118), Mary Warren cried out when she accused John Proctor of working for the devil. Courage is defined as mental or moral strength to face danger without fear. This is supported in Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Throughout the Salem witch trials in the 1600's, courage was that good people held in to, even through the toughest times. To illustrate this, an example of someone with courage is John Proctor. Proctor is a farmer with a wife, Elizabeth, and three young boys. He quietly suffers from guilt caused by an affair he had with a young woman named Abigail Williams. He is contrite and solicitous in his wife's presence, and he yearns to regain her respect. John shows his courage when he has to make a life and death decision to lie and say that he is involved in witchcraft, which will prevent his execution, or to deny being a witch and be hanged. Proctor, after being questioned by Judge Danforth about being involved in witchcraft, stated that he was. Danforth was then having Proctor sign a confession, but he argued with Danforth saying, ? I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be in public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name; God knows how black my sins are!? (142). When Danforth would not give up the argument with Proctor to sign the confession, he asked, ?Then explain to me, Mr. Proctor, why will you not let me have it? ? (143), Proctor answered, ? Because it is my name... Because I lie and sign myself to lies!... I have given you my soul; leave me my name!? (143). Danforth then explained to Proctor, if the confession was a lie, he would not accept it. Proctor, with his breast heaving and his eyes staring, he tore the confession and crumpled it up, while he wept in fury. Danforth then ordered for him to be hung ? high over the town ? (143). John Proctor showed courage for his friends and family and by doing it, helped put an end to the unfair courts of Salem. Another good example of with a good deal of courage is Giles Corey. Giles is a 83-year old landowner who is sturdy, mettlesome, and fiercely independent. He's unenlightened and pig-headed, but at the same time, warm-hearted and undaunted. He reveals himself to be a great man of awesome courage and will when he would not answer ?aye or nay to his indictment? (135). When Elizabeth Proctor was telling her husband, John, about it, she explained, ? great stones they lay upon his chest until he plead aye or nay. They say he give them two words. ? More weight', he says. And died. ? (135). Giles Corey's wife, Martha, and all of his friends, had already been convicted of witchcraft, so he had probably decided that he had nothing to live for. Giles humbly protested the one-sided courts by sacrificing himself as an example to his friends to stay strong and to not give up in what they believed is wrong. John Proctor could have easily used Giles Corey as an example, because Proctor learned of Giles' death before he had to make his decision of confessing or being executed. The next courageous person in The Crucible is Reverend John Hale. Reverend Hale is the church authority on demonology. He is summoned to Salem to find out if Reverend Parris' daughter Betty, who is suffering from an unexplained illness, has been hexed by witchcraft. Reverend Hale is proud of his scholarly expertise, and is glad to come to Salem to give his professional input on the situation. He displayed acts of courage when he got extremely frustrated about how unjust and ridiculous Danforth and the trials were, so he stood up and yelled, ? I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court! ? (120). Reverend Hale then comes back later to help those convicted by trying to persuade them to confess and live, rather than be hanged. By doing this, Reverend Hale shows great moral courage. He gives up everything he has worked for in his demonology career by going against the court, and trying to persuade innocent people to confess because he feels horribly responsible for bringing the hysteria to Salem. Reverend Hale is one of

1984 Study Guide

1984 Study Guide George Orwells 1984 is such an influential novel that you neednt have read it to notice its effect. With its chilling examination of totalitarian regimes, 1984 changed the language we use to discuss those very regimes. Popular terms like Big Brother, Orwellian, or Newspeak were all originated by Orwell in 1984. The novel was Orwell’s attempt to highlight what he saw as an existential threat posed by authoritarian leaders like Joseph Stalin. It remains a vital commentary on the techniques of brutal totalitarian regimes and only becomes more prescient and applicable as technology catches up with its nightmarish vision. Fast Facts: 1984 Author: George OrwellPublisher: Secker and WarburgYear Published: 1949Genre: Science fictionType of Work: NovelOriginal Language: EnglishThemes: Totalitarianism, destruction of the self, control of informationCharacters: Winston Smith, Julia, O’Brien, Syme, Mr. CharringtonNotable Adaptations: A film adaptation released in 1984 starred John Hurt as Winston and Richard Burton, in his last role, as O’Brien.Fun Fact: Because of his socialist politics and connections to the Communist Party, Orwell himself was under government surveillance for years. Plot Summary Winston Smith lives in what is known as Airstrip One, formerly Britain, a province of a large nation-state known as Oceania. Posters everywhere declare BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU, and Thought Police could be anywhere, watching for signs of Thoughtcrime. Smith works at the Ministry of Truth changing historical texts to match the current propaganda being distributed by the government. Winston longs to rebel, but confines his rebellion to keeping a forbidden journal, which he writes in a corner of his apartment hidden from the two-way television screen on his wall. At work, Winston meets a woman named Julia and begins a forbidden love affair, meeting her in a room he rents above a shop in the midst of the non-party population, known as proles. At work, Winston suspects that his superior, a man named O’Brien, is involved with a resistance movement called The Brotherhood, led by a mysterious man named Emmanuel Goldstein. Winston’s suspicions are confirmed when O’Brien invites him and Julia to join The Brotherhood, but this turns out to be a ruse and the pair are arrested. Winston is brutally tortured. He slowly gives up all outward resistance, but preserves what he believes is an inner core of his true self symbolized by his feelings for Julia. In the end he is confronted by his worst fear, a terror of rats, and betrays Julia by begging his torturers to do it to her instead. Broken, Winston is returned to public life a true believer. Major Characters Winston Smith. A 39-year old man who works for the Ministry of Truth. Winston romanticizes the lives of the non-Party proles and indulges in daydreams in which they rise up and spark a revolution. Winston rebels in his private thoughts and in small actions that seem relatively safe, like his journal-keeping. His torture and destruction at the end of the novel is tragic because of the sheer lack of necessity; Winston was being manipulated from the very beginning and never posed any true threat. Julia. Similarly to Winston, Julia is outwardly a dutiful Party member, but inwardly seeks to rebel. Unlike Winston, Julia’s motivations for rebellion stem from her own desires; she wishes to pursue pleasure and leisure. O’Brien. Literally everything the reader is told about O’Brien in the first half of the story is revealed to be untrue. He is Winston’s superior at the Ministry of Truth, but he is also a member of the Thought Police. O’Brien therefore represents the Party perfectly: He is changeable as needed, weaponizes information or the lack of it, and ultimately serves solely to perpetuate power and snuff out resistance of any kind. Syme. A colleague of Winston’s, working on a Newspeak dictionary. Winston perceives Syme’s intelligence and predicts that he will disappear as a result of it, a prediction that quickly comes true. Mr. Charrington. A kindly old man who helps Winston rebel, and is later revealed as a member of the Thought Police. Major Themes Totalitarianism. Orwell argues that in a one-party political state where all other parties are outlawed, perpetuation of power becomes the sole purpose of the State. Towards this end, a totalitarian state will restrict freedom increasingly until the only freedom that remains is freedom of private thought- and the State will then attempt to restrict this as well. Control of Information. Orwell argues in the novel that the lack of access to information and the corruption of information makes meaningful resistance to the Party impossible. Orwell foresaw the rise of fake news decades before it was named. Destruction of the Self. The ultimate goal of all totalitarian regimes in Orwell’s opinion. Only by replacing individual desires with a template created by the State can true control be asserted. Literary Style Orwell writes in plain, largely unadorned language and a neutral tone, which evokes the crushing despair and dullness of Winston’s existence. He also ties the point of view tightly to Winston, forcing the reader to accept what Winston tells them much as Winston accepts what he is told, all of which is ultimately revealed as a lie. About the Author Born in 1903 in India, George Orwell was an incredibly influential writer, best-known for his novels Animal Farm and 1984, as well as essays on various topics covering politics, history, and social justice. Many of the concepts Orwell introduced in his writing have become part of pop culture, such as the phrase Big Brother is Watching You and the use of the descriptor Orwellian to indicate an oppressive surveillance state.