Timeless Theme Present in The Crucible Essay Example for Free

Timeless Theme Present in The Crucible Essay One timeless theme found in many pieces of literature is the abuse of power. Many people who are in power, abuse their power, and commonly become corrupt or unjust due to the power. The essence of human nature is to crave power. Along with this craving of power in some humans is the corruptness and injustice when one comes into power or on ones path to achieving power. This is a timeless theme, as power and human nature have always existed in mans history. This theme may be observed in Macbeth, a play written by William Shakespeare in the early quarter of the 17th century and set in the 11th century. This can also be observed in The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller in the 20th century, and taking place in the 17th century. In the beginning, Macbeth is a virtuous man, or at least interpreted as one by those who know him. He has been thinking of power, but has not yet made any decision upon it, and it is really just a thought, a dream even, in the back of his head, which he seems to have no real intention of pursuing. One may see how Macbeth is virtuous when an injured Captain is coming back from the front, and tells Duncan and Malcolm about the battle: And Fortune, on his damnà ¨d quarrel smiling, / Showed like a rebels whore: but all s to weak; / For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name), / Disdaining Fortune, with his brandished steel, / Which smoke with bloody execution, / Like Valours minion, carved out his passage, / Till he face the slave; Which neer shook hands, nor bade farewell to him, / Till he unseamed him from the nave to the chaps, / And fixed his head upon our battlements. (Act One, Scene II, l.14-24 Shakespeare) In this story told by the captain, Macbeth is a virtuous man. The Captain qualifies Macbeth as brave and even comments on how Macbeth deserves that name. This may be considered Macbeth initial and noble stage, before power corrupted him, to the point of committing numerous atrocities for the sake of power. Macbeth however is soon corrupted by the thought of achieving supreme power over Scotland, brought forth by the witches telling him that the crown would be his. The corruptness may be seen in Macbeth mostly seen in Macbeths path to  power. The thought of obtaining power has pushed Macbeth to contemplating murder much more than before, and he stacks up the reasons of why he should not kill Duncan against the reason to kill Duncan. One can see this in a monologue early in the book: [] First , as I am his kinsman and his subject, / Strong both against this deed; then as his host, / Who should against his murder shut the door, / Not bear the knife myself. [] hath been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels, trumpet tongued, against / The deep damnation of this taking-off; / [] To prick the sides of my intent, but only / Vaulting ambition, which oerleaps itself / And falls on the other - (Act One, Scene VII, l.1-28 Shakespeare) In this passage, one may understand that Macbeth realizes that the reasons not to kill are that Duncan is part of his family, that Duncan is a guest in his house, and that he is a subject of Duncan and therefore has sworn loyalty to Duncan. He then realizes that his only motive to kill Duncan is his vaulting ambition. This vaulting ambition corrupts him and seems to be enough to make him want to murder Duncan to obtain kingship, and to murder many more to keep it. Macbeths corruptness comes up many more times in the play. In order to keep his kingship, he also kills Banquo. He visits the witches again to know his fate, and they tell him to be careful of Macduff. On his return he learns news of Macduffs departure for England. In this passage, one may see how Macbeth resolves this dilemma: The castle of Macduff I will surprise, / Seize upon Fife; give th edge of the sword / His wife and babes, and all unfortunate souls / That trace him in his line. (Act four, Scene I, l.49-151 Shakespeare) This decision is an atrocious one, and is only being made in Macbeths confused fury to defend his throne. Power has corrupted Macbeth enough for him to want to hurt Macduff by any means, even if this does not benefit Macbeth other than to have Macduff suffer. This passage shows just how low Macbeth has sunk, and how twisted his actions have become since his initial stage. As one may now conclude, power strongly corrupts Macbeth. Originally he is a virtuous man, defending his homeland from rebels, yet he slowly gets transformed by power into a ravaging terror, destroying everything in his way. In The Crucible, power as a corrupting force may be seen through many characters. The girls in the Crucible tell many lies to become officials of the court. Mary Warren, for example, evidence may be seen in a scene where Mary Warren is speaking with Parris and Elizabeth: Mary Warren: You must see, sir, its Gods work we do. So Ill be gone every day for some time. Im- I am an official of the court, they and I- She has been edging toward offstage Proctor: Ill official you! He strides to the mantel, takes down the whip hanging there. Marry Warren: Ill not stand whipping any more! (59 Miller) In this passage one may see that Mary Warren seems to believe that she has gained power in the court, and we discover later, that this power was gained through lies. Originally she was considered to be part of one of the lowest classes in the Crucibles hierarchy of society, however telling these lies and giving false evidence has promoted her directly to official of the court, which is much more honorable and important than being a servant. She has therefore gained power through her corrupt practice. Another character in The Crucible who is corrupt is Danforth. He is an example of a character that has power, but then uses it unjustly. For example, in the passage where he accuses Giles of contempt one may see Danforth being unjust: Giles: I will not give you no name. I mentioned my wifes name once and Ill burn in hell long enough for that. I stand mute. Danforth: In that case, I have no choice but to arrest you for contempt of this court, do you know that? Giles: This is a hearing; you cannot clap me for contempt of a hearing. Danforth: Oh, it is a proper lawyer! Do you wish me to declare the court in full session here? Or will you give me good reply? Giles, faltering: I cannot give you no name sir, I cannot. [] Proctor, breaking in: Your Honor- he has the story in confidence sir, and he- [] Hale: We cannot blink it more. There is a prodigious fear of this court in this country- [] Danforth: [] to Giles: You are under arrest in contempt of this court. (98 Miller) In this passage one may understand how corrupt and evil Danforth is, as he has been told something by Giles in confidence, and he turns this into Giles being arrested. Both Proctor and Hale, two characters who are portrayed as virtuous and fair, defend Giles, however Danforth goes in opposition and has Giles arrested. Another way one may interpret Danforths malice is by the terror of the court which Hale calls their attention to in this passage. Danforth obviously reigns in terror and only gets respected because people are afraid of being put in jail if they oppose him, as in Giles case. A third character in The Crucible who is also corrupt is Parris. He uses his power as preacher in attempts for personal financial gain. One may see this when Proctor, a virtuous and honorable character, is telling Hale about Parris: Since we built the church there were pewter candlesticks upon the alter. [] But Parris came, and for twenty week he preach nothin but golden candlestick until he had them. I labor the earth from dawn of day to blink of night, and I tell you true, when I look to heaven and see my money glaring at his elbows- it hurt my prayer sir, It hurt my prayer. (65 Miller) In this passage one may see how selfish Parris is, and how he abuses of his position to get what he wants. We may equally see Parris when he is speaking with Giles, Proctor and Putnam about the pay he should be receiving and many other financial affairs: Parris: The salary is sixty-six pound, Mr. Proctor! I am not some preaching farmer with a book under my arm; I am a graduate of Harvard College. Giles: Aye, and well instructed in arithmetic! Parris: [] I am not used to this poverty; I left a thrifty business in the Barbados to serve the Lord. (29 Miller) In this passage one can see how Parris is trying to use his position as preacher for financial gain. This is completely in opposition with what the religion is all about, and what a preacher is meant to be doing. He is therefore, also a corrupt character in The Crucible, as he is using his power for corrupt reasons which are in opposition with the message he is meant to be transmitting. As one may now conclude in The Crucible several characters are corrupt due to power, such as Mary Warren, Danforth and Parris just to name a few. Mary Warren is tells lies to move up in society, while Danforth is unjust with  his power, and Parris uses his power for financial gain. In conclusion, a timeless theme present in both The Crucible and Macbeth is that power corrupts. Power corrupts because it is in human nature to crave power, sometimes overly so which leads one to commit terrible acts. In addition to this craving for power, in some humans, is corruptness and abuse of the power. The Crucible and Macbeth were written and set in different time periods, yet the theme that power corrupts is recurrent and is therefore a timeless theme.

decriminilization of marijuana Essay -- legal cannabis

Every year our government spends more than nineteen billion dollars to eradicate it’s use in the United States. About seventeen thousand people were arrested last year because of it. We spend twenty thousand dollars a year per inmate to hold these jailbirds captive. Who are these dangerous criminals you ask? Stoners.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One argument against the decriminalization of marijuana is why would we want to introduce another intoxicant into our society when alcohol and cigarette smoking is already so damaging? Marijuana is far less harmful to the body than cigarettes. Not to mention while it may be potentially habit forming, it is not addictive. When comparing marijuana to alcohol the differences are obvious. I would much rather be in an argument with guy that has been smoking joints all night than some dude who has spent all night pounding shots of tequila. Alcohol can alter a persons common sense. Despite this, our government trusts us with the burden of drinking responsibly.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Over seventeen thousand arrests are made regarding cannabis a year. Almost ninety percent of these arrests are for simple possession, not trafficking or sale. This is an inappropriate use of valuable law enforcement resources that should be focused on more serious and violent crimes. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have a midnight toker for a neighbor than a midnight stalker. The spending of government money needs to be reevaluated. Our government needs to take a step back and admit they were mistaken to think they could successfully discontinue the use of marijuana. â€Å"You cannot have illegal what a significant segment of the population in any society is committed to doing. You simply cannot arrest, prosecute, and punish such a large number of people, particularly in a democracy† (Incardi 285). Ultimately it is not the role of the government to tell it’s adult citizens what risks to take. Bicycles kill ten thousand people a year and yet no one is proposing to make them illegal.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are benefits of legalizing marijuana, both for the government and society. One of these is that the marijuana market could be government run. The black market would be abolished, saving lives and redirecting the profits from the drug dealers’ Escalade’s new rims to the be... ...ortant. It is time we allow the many health benefits of marijuana to be utilized by those who need them. It is time we realize there are different cost effective, environment friendly and efficient ways of producing many of our most used products. All we can do is hope our government comes to its senses soon. Works Cited Page Baxter, J.W. Growing Industrial Hemp In Ontario. 27 November 2004. http://www.gov.on.ca/OMAFRA/english/crops/facts/00-067.htm Gray, Judge James P. Why Our Drug Laws Have Failed and What We Can Do About It. Philadelphia: Temple UP, 2001. HempNation. 27 November 2004. http://hempnation.com/ Incardi, James A Handbook of Drug Control in the United States. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1990. Marijuana: Fact and Fiction. 27 November 2004. http://marijuana.drug-culture.com NORML National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. 27 November 2004. http://www.norml.org/ Scannel, Kate. Bush’s Painful Obsession With Medicinal Pot. American Alliance for   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Medicinal Cannabis, The Oakland Tribune 27 November 2004.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.letfreedomgrow.com

Attribution Theory Definition

Attribution Theory Definition Attribution theory is concerned with how people interpret events and relate them to their thinking and behavior. It's a cognitive perception which affects their motivation. This theory was first proposed in a book called, The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations by Fritz Heider in 1958. According to Heider, men behave as amateur scientists in social situations. He also said that, we generally explain behavior in two ways; either we attribute the behavior to a person or a situation. Attribution literally means a grant of responsibility. Albeit, the theory was first proposed by Heider (1958), later Edward E.Jones (1972) and Harold Kelley (1967) developed a theoretical structure, which is now seen as an epitome of social psychology. The theory divides the behavior attributes into two parts, external or internal factors. Internal attribution: When an internal attribution is made, the cause of the given behavior is within the person, i. e. the variables whic h make a person responsible like attitude, aptitude, character and personality. External attribution: When an external attribution is made, the cause of the given behavior is assigned to the situation in which the behavior was seen.The person responsible for the behavior may assign the causality to the environment or weather. In 1967, Kelley tried to explain the way people perceive internal and external attribution. He tried this, postulating the principle of co-variation. This model was known as Covariation Model. The basic principle of the covariation model states that the effect is attributed to one of the causes which co-varies over time. It also means that the behavior at various occasions varies. The covariation model considers three major types of information to make an attribution decision and to observe a person's behavior.The three types of information are: Consensus information: This responds to the fact, how people with similar stimuli behave in similar situations. If mo st people behave alike, i. e. their reactions are shared by many, the consensus is high. But, if no one or only a few people share the reactions, the consensus is low. Distinctiveness information: This is about, how a person responds to different situations. There exists a very low distinctiveness if the person reacts similarly in all or most of the situations.However, if a person reacts differently in different situations, it is said that the distinctiveness is high. Consistency information: If the response of a person to different stimulus and in varied situations remains the same, then the consistency is high. But Kelly's covariation model has some limitations. The most prominent being that, it fails to distinguish between the intentional and unintentional behavior. Read more at Buzzle:  http://www. buzzle. com/articles/attribution-theory-of-social-psychology. html Kelley's Covariation Model Kelley’s (1967) covariation model is the best known attribution theory.He develo ped a logical model for judging whether a particular action should be attributed to some characteristic (internal) of the person or the environment (external). The term covariation simply means  that a person has information from multiple observations, at different times and situations, and can perceive the covariation of an observed effect and its causes. He argues that in trying to discover the causes of behavior people act like scientists. More specifically they take into account three kinds of evidence. Kelley believed that there were three types of causal information which influenced our judgments.Low factors = dispositional (internal) attributions. * Consensus: the extent to which other people behave in the same way in a similar situation. E. g. Alison smokes a cigarette when she goes out for a meal with her friend. If her friend smokes, her behavior is high in consensus. If only Alison smokes it is low. * Distinctiveness: the extent to which the person behaves in the same w ay in similar situations. If Alison only smokes when she is out with friends, her behavior is high in distinctiveness. If she smokes at any time or place, distinctiveness is low. Consistency: the extent to which the person behaves like this every time the situation occurs. If Alison only smokes when she is out with friends, consistency is high. If she only smoke on one special occasion, consistency is low. Let’s look at an example  to help understand his particular attribution theory. Our subject is called Tom. His behavior is laughter. Tom is laughing at a comedian. 1. Consensus: Everybody in the audience is laughing. Consensus is high. If only Tom is laughing consensus is low. 2. Distinctiveness: Tom only laughs at this comedian. Distinctiveness is high.If Tom laughs at everything distinctiveness is low. 3. Consistency: Tom always laughs at this comedian. Consistency is high. Tom rarely laughs at this comedian consistency is low. Now, if everybody laughs at this comedian, if they don’t laugh at the comedian who follows and if this comedian always raises a laugh then we would make an external attribution, i. e. we assume that Tom is laughing because the comedian is very funny. On the other hand, if Tom is the only person who laughs at this comedian, if Tom laughs at all comedians and if Tom always laughs at the comedian then we would make an internal attribution, i. . we assume that Tom is laughing because he is the kind of person who laughs a lot. So what we’ve got here is people attributing causality on the basis of correlation. That is to say, we see that two things go together and we therefore assume that one causes the other. One problem however is that we may not have enough information to make that kind of judgment. For example, if we don’t know Tom that well we wouldn’t necessarily have the information to know if his behavior is consistent over time. So what do we do then?According to Kelley we fall back on past ex perience and look for either 1) Multiple necessary causes. For example, we see an athlete win a marathon and we reason that she must be very fit, highly motivated, have trained hard etc. and that she must have all of these to win 2) Multiple sufficient causes. For example, we see an athlete fail a drug test and we reason that she may be trying to cheat, or have taken a banned substance by accident or been tricked into taking it by her coach. Any one reason would be sufficient.

Advocating Elderly Americans Essay - 2589 Words

The elderly in America have many needs that can range from transportation, a little more money, and even just a little companionship but one of their major needs is advocacy. They need someone to stand up and fight with them for what the need. The elderly of today did so much for this country such things as fight both world wars and the Korean Conflict, they fought for equality, and the escalated this country to the greatness we have today. So what is an advocate? Advocate is a person or group that represents a common interest and goes to great lengths to see that their cause is not neglected. So why does our elderly need advocates? Our elderly need advocates for various reasons. They need someone to fight with congress over†¦show more content†¦Another service offered is protection against abuse and neglect. Many people such as family, friends, neighbors, and strangers who are scam artist, robbers, and murders can abuse the elderly. They also can be neglect by the same peop le but there is one more person on this list that is themselves. An older person can often neglect themselves because they don’t have the money to pay for extra bills and proper healthcare or they may even feel that those things are just a part of aging. The Office for the Aging receive many calls from concerned family members and friends of elderly that they feel that that person is being neglected or abused. The office then will investigate and review the situation and decide the proper course of action. They also provide financial counseling on things like taxes, bills, balancing a checkbook, and budgeting. Financial counselors will sit down with an older person either in their office or at the home of the elderly person discuss the best option and how to go about following through with the plan. 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