While it is true that taking care of oneself and loved ones should be a top priority, the examples of "The Crucible" and "Good Night, and Good Luck" demonstrate the importance of striking a balance between personal well-being and standing up for important principles. In "The Crucible", the character Abigail Williams illustrates her character's desire to protect her reputation, even if it means falsely accusing innocent people of witchcraft and causing harm to many. Her statement "My name is good in the village! I will not have it said my name is soiled!" demonstrates her willingness to sacrifice the truth and the well-being of others to maintain her reputation. This quote highlights how easily personal gain can be prioritized over principles …show more content…
This quote highlights how prioritizing personal gain over important principles can be detrimental to society as a whole. Also as J. Ronald Oakley wrote in his essay, “The Great Fear,” "McCarthy, however, had no social or economic program and did not seek control of the military or government. He was not a fanatic or fascist, and he never tried to organize or lead any movement. As historian Richard Hofstadter later wrote in his The Paranoid Style in American Politics, the slovenly senator "could barely organize his files, much less a movement’"(207, the great fear). This quote can be used to argue that McCarthy's actions were not based on any serious political agenda or principles, but rather on personal ambition and a desire to exploit the fears and anxieties of the American people for his gain. It can be used to argue that McCarthy's actions were not worth risking one's life or quality of life for, as they were not based on any important principles or goals, but rather on personal ambition and manipulation. These examples show that while personal well-being is important, it should not be put above principles such as truth and
McCarthyism was a made up theory that only caused hysteria and had no real benefit to the United States. Government officials and people in power did not agree with McCarthy’s actions. The hunt for communists was like an impossible witch hunt. The lives of many were flipped upside down because of the accusations made by Joseph McCarthy. Government officials and people in power did not agree with McCarthy’s actions.
Senator Joseph McCarthy was a far right politcian that thought any american, rich, poor, democrat, rebublican, conservative, liberal and hollywood elites that didn’t agree with his views were communists. Joseph McCarthy let everyone know that there was communism in a local newspaper that the state department was infested with communists. McCarthy rhethoric it repeats to a massive audience in the coming months as he grew the power in fame as a Senator, people believed him just as the very same of The Crucibles they all beleved the one girl and accuse half the town for being witches. Joseph McCarthy was a witch hunter because he believed they are a communist if a person was on a payphone he would accuse for being a communist and they you are
Because McCarthy is a liar and a bully, surrounded by yes-men, recklessly calling his opponents traitors, he commands great power for a time. He destroys others with lies, and then is himself destroyed by the truth.
Preserving Reputations in The Crucible Many characters in The Crucible are concerned about their reputation. The one that stands out the most is Abigail Williams. She does whatever is necessary to ensure her name is not associated with bad things. The first time this occurs is in Act I when she is talking with John Proctor about his wife, Elizabeth.
The Crucible reminds us that the abuse of trust and good standing to trick people into false beliefs, often leads to tragedy. Abigail Williams is the best example of this. Miss Williams wasn’t the most respected girl, but she was a young woman, and therefore held to a high standard. When Abigail was caught doing “witchcraft” in the woods, she used that standard to lie,and blame other girls for consorting with the devil and tricking her. Such as in Act 1 when she shouts at Tituba "She made me do it!
In the Crucible, Abigail Williams can be described as a deceitful and cunning character who thought of the idea that she could lie her way through life without facing any consequences. Never looked at as a dangerous character by her community, Abigail figured she could avoid getting in trouble by making up stories to cover up her
Throughout Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the characters are portrayed to be good citizens and how important it is for them to keep a good name. A good reputation is hard to achieve but even harder to maintain. Judge Danforth wants to be known as a righteous man, as well as john proctor, who strongly fights for his beliefs and others. Abigail is known for believing nothing was beyond her grasp. Reverend Paris is puritan minister, who lives by bible and it teaching.
In the play, while some characters' concern about their reputation can be seen as selfish, Miller shows that worry about one's name can actually be selfless. Throughout the crucible Abigail is trying to gain a good reputation in the town. In act one parris asks Abigail if she has a good reputation in Salem and she responds to Paris by saying “why,I am sure it is, sir. There will be no blush about my name” (miller 11).
A Good Name The central theme of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is having a good name. The author gives a brilliant example of the hysteria surrounding witchcraft with young girls in Boston, Massachusetts. Abigail Williams is one of these young girls who is involved in this event, she is one of the first to beginning accusing other young women of witchcraft. A good name is so powerful in the play, the majority of the characters are vastly affected by the consequences of their reputation, depending on if their name is seen as good or bad.
In the beginning, the American public was quick to latch to anything they could, and McCarthyism was the new thing that everyone supported. No one wanted to be a communist or have them in America. But as time went on, McCarthy’s claims slowly proved unsupported. He neglected to show anyone the list of names he claimed he had of communists working in our government. Even his colleagues and closest friends desired to see the list, but he denied their requests.
McCarthy manipulated the media, told outrageous stories about the communist conspiracy in the United States, and used his power and America’s fear to besmirch any opponents as “communist sympathizers” to make sure he remained at the top. Actually, most conservative members of Congress supported McCarthy because it helped them gain votes during elections. The majority of McCarthy 's movement attacked liberals and members of the Democratic Party and this aided anyone who was not part of those topics and organizations. Then McCarthy began to target the Army because they wouldn’t favor David Schine, one of his former investigators, who had been drafted in. “Senator Joseph McCarthy began hearings investigating the United States Army, which he charged with being ‘soft’ on communism.
Abigail defies all judgements against innocence as she is the driven evil force in The Crucible. Arthur Miller shows Abigail Williams to instinctively defend herself, as it is the humane reaction when accused of wrongdoing. It is common to tell a lie but, the intention of sabotage is a different story. Abigail had many tricks up her sleeve to manipulate the court. Her purpose to convince the town of her innocence was one of many.
McCarthy created the uproar of having a ‘witch hunt’ on communists in America. His influence on the people gave him credibility when he accused those innocent people. “He cited 81 cases that day. He skipped several numbers, and for some cases repeated the same flimsy information. He proved nothing, but the Senate called for a full investigation.”(ushistory.org).
Abigail Williams is not your typical teenage girl. She is a girl that will drink blood to kill someone, accuse people of witchcraft, and have a affair. By looking at The Crucible, one can see that Abigail Williams develops the theme of reputation, which is important because people who fear losing their reputation spread hysteria. Protecting her reputation motivates Abigail Williams to accuse others of being a witch.
Arthur Miller used his storytelling to discretely show the US leadership that decisions made in fear were dangerous. Miller in his story had a quote about how “Until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven.” stating the the Americans may like how the situation is being dealt with but it will eventually cause terrible trouble. McCarthy was making decisions made in fear and it was hurting the US and in fact made it so that if Miller wrote his opinion without hiding it behind a story he too would have been punished and arrested. It can be assured that Miller would have just written his opinion in its raw form if McCarthyism wasn’t a factor.