The Deterioration Of Salem During The Witch Trials Essays

The Deterioration of Salem During the Witch Trials The Deterioration of Salem During the Witch Trials The deterioration of Salem's social structure precipitated the murders of many innocent people. Arthur Miller's depiction of the Salem witch trials, The Crucible, deals with a community that starts out looking like it is tightly knit and church loving. It turns out that once Tituba starts pointing her finger at the witches, the community starts pointing their fingers at each other. Hysteria and hidden agendas break down the social structure and then everyone must protect themselves from the people that they thought were their friends. The church, legal system and the togetherness of the community died so that children could protect their families' social status. Being isolated from any other group of people with different beliefs created a church led Puritan society that was not able to accept a lot of change. The church was against the devil, at the same time it was against such things as dancing and other premature acts. The reputation of the family was very important to the members of the community. When the girls were caught dancing in the woods, they lied to protect not just themselves but the reputation of their families. They claimed that the devil took them over and influenced them to dance. The girls also said that they saw members of the town standing with the devil. A community living in a puritan society like Salem could easily go into a chaotic state and have a difficult time dealing with what they consider to be the largest form of evil. Salem's hysteria made the community lose faith in the spiritual beliefs that they were trying to strictly enforce. The church lost many of its parishioners because the interest of the town was now on Abigail because people wanted to know who was going to be named next. When the church was trying to excommunicate John Proctor, there were not enough people at church to do it. The people were getting misled so far as to leave a dagger stuck in the door of their minister's house: "Tonight, when I open my door to leave my house--a dagger clattered to the ground...There is danger for me."(128) were Parris' exact words. With the conveyer of God fearing for his life there was no longer anyone but Abigail to lead the community. The justice system is designed to protect the people that it serves but during the trials the accused witch had two choices, death or imprisonment. The punishment of death was given to all people that pleaded not guilty; the other punishment was to plead guilty and go to jail. John Proctor gave his view of the justice system when he said "I like not the smell of this 'authority' "(29). "And do you know that near to four hundred are in the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature?"(85) said Danforth, describing the number of people that were in jail on charges of witchcraft. There were so many people executed that Hale commented "there are orphans wandering from house to house; abandoned cattle bellow on the highroads, the stink of rotting crops hangs everywhere..."(130) Salem was turning into a ghost town. With Abigail controlling the community, the church no longer getting the whole town to prayer, and an unjust legal system, it is natural that the people were in a state of total chaos. The unexplained was caused by the devil, so some members of Salem used the unexplained to their advantage. Mrs. Putnam told the truth when she said, "There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!"(26) Mrs. Putnam did her share of spreading rumors after she heard that the girls were flying, so she asked Parris "How high did she (Abigail) fly, how high?"(11). These rumors happened because people did not want any blame put on to themselves. This 'passing the buck' made people start fighting with one another such as Corey charging Putnam of having his daughter accuse a resident of witchcraft in order to get Corey's land. Abigail used her power of getting people to listen to her to her advantage when she charged Proctor's spouse with being a witch so Abigail could live with John. This again proves that Abigail had control of the town and the unexplained turned neighbor against neighbor. The social breakdown in Salem was the major factor in the tragedy that took the lives of many innocent people. There was more than one tragedy in The Crucible. The first was the murdering of many innocent people, and

Nature, Divinity, and Teaching in Renaissance Essay Example

Nature, Divinity, and Teaching in Renaissance Essay Example Nature, Divinity, and Teaching in Renaissance Essay Nature, Divinity, and Teaching in Renaissance Essay Essay Topic: Poes Poetry All three of these literary works have something in common something that allows the reader to see that this Renaissance era literary works has a divine essence that honors the author ND the work itself. This divine essence that is clearly found in these three works is a natural element. It is something that Just is it is something that cannot be explained in an earthly manner, but in a heavenly one. In his work, The Defense of Poesy, which closely emulates the 19th century work The Defense of Poetry by Percy Abysses Shelley, Sir Phillip Sidney contemplates the importance of poetry and the poet. At the beginning of this work, Sidney Is asserting the Idea of honoring the poet, and compares them to the ancients. Sidney writes, Among the Romans a poet was called bates, which Is as much as a diviner, foreseer, r prophet, as by his conjoined words Vatican and Vatican is manifest: so heavenly a title did that excellent people bestow upon this heart-ravishing knowledge (955). This is a perfect description of poetry that Sidney provides for the reader as he compares the poet to a prophet. Its a heavenly title that the ancients gave to their poets. Sidney is attempting to give a good name to the poets that are beginning to make names for themselves during the Renaissance era. Sidney will continue to discuss the divine elements of poetry and the poet throughout this prose work. One of the arguments against poets of this time was that their works were Immoral. If its not the Bible, then anything else, including the poetry of the time, was considered unworthy and corrupt. Sidney argues this point though, and makes several points throughout this essay that poetry has Its own delve qualities to It that make It significant and Important. Sidney writes that some works Seem to have some divine force in it (956). He continues on into the next paragraph to point out an extremely relevant and strong argument about the Bible and poetry: poetry cant be immoral if there is poetry in the Bible. Sidney writes, And may not I presume a little further, to show the reasonableness of this word bates, and say that the holy Davits Psalms are a divine poem (956). Sir Philip Sidney continues to write about the divine nature of the significance of poetry throughout his essay. To make his strong arguments come across to any poetic non-believers who read this work Sidney will continue to use religion as an example to make his point. Sidney explains that there are two kinds of nature: one created by God and the other created by the poet (which we can explain as the poets Imagination). Sidney writes, Only the poet, dealings to be tied to any such subjection, lifted up with the vigor of his own attention, doth grow in effect another nature Torts sun as never were In nature (Y/). I Nils nature Tanat Slangy Is discussing has free range. The imagination of the poet is unlimited. It is not confined by what nature provides. There are no boundaries. Sidney continues, Neither let it be deemed to saucy a comparison to balance the highest point of mans wit with the efficacy of nature; but rather give right honor to the heavenly Maker of that maker, ho having made man to His own likeness, set him beyond and over all the works of that second nature (957). The importance of poetry and the poet is clear in this work by Sir Philip Sidney as he writes, Poesy therefore is an art of imitation, for so Aristotle termite it in the word mimesis that is to say, a representing, counterfeiting, or figuring forth to speak metaphorically, a speaking picture with this end, to teach and delight (958). This is, essentially, how Sidney defines poetry. In his poem Wyatt restate here, that quick could never rest Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey honors Sir Thomas Wyatt the Elder as a poet with a variety of talents who served his country greatly through verse. As his contemporary, Surrey noticed that Wyatt was a great poet and even compared him to Chaucer. Just as Sidney represented poetry as a divine thing, Surrey describes the heavenly gifts that Wyatt had as a poet (2). There is a significant stanza that should be pointed out here. We can see that Surrey had a high standing for Wyatt and that this can be seen as a way of honoring all poets. An eye whose Judgment none affect could blind, Friends to allure and foes to reconcile, Whose piercing look did represent a mind With virtue fraught, repose ©d, void of guile. 21-24) Not only did Surrey see that Wyatt had virtue, but that he also was teaching through poetry. Surrey writes of Wyatt, A hand that taught what might be said in rhyme (13). We can see the connection between this poem and The Defense of Poesy. Poetry has an important Job to do for the readers that is to teach. Surrey recognized that Wyatt was using his poetry to teach the reader. Another important stanza in this poem that should be pointed out describes the fact that there is a nature that is heavily involved with the art and significance of poetry. Surrey writes: A valiant corpse where force and beauty met, Happy alas, too happy, but for foes; Lived and ran the race that Nature set, Of manhoods shape, where she the mold did lose. (29-32) Nature is capitalized and that seems to be considerable in order for Surrey to make the point that there is something else out there that makes poetry appear to be a divine art form that has significance and meaning to these poets of the Renaissance era. They are beginning to realize Just how significant and important their works are ND how significant and important they will remain. In the pastoral narrative poem by Edmund Spencer, The Shepherds Calendar, it is clear once more that poetry and prose has a significance and importance to it that is set up by nature and divine qualities, and that there is something to be learned from these art forms. Spencer sets up an argument early on in this work as he writes, the perfect pattern of a Poet Facially having been in all ages, and even amongst ten most Troubadours always AT singular account Ana nor, Ana Delve Inane so worthy and commendable an rate: or rather no rate, but a divine gift and heavenly instinct not to bee gotten by laborer and learning but adorned with both (709). Here is a third example of how poetry and prose is significant by claiming it to be a divine gift and heavenly instinct that is to be learned and worked for. Later on in the poem, Surrey offers another example of the divine qualities of this art form. He writes: O peerless Poesy, where is then thy place? If nor in Princes palace thou doe sit: (And yet is Princes palace the most fit) Nee Brest of bakers birth doth thee embrace, Then make thee wings of thing aspiring wit, And, whence thou camas, flee backed to heaven apace. 79-84) Not only is heaven a place where Poesy belongs, but it also belongs, according to Spencer, in a palace. It is royal and patriotic as well as divine and heavenly. Each of these three works of arts bring together nature, divinity, and teaching to show to the reader the significance that the literary works of this time were beginning to have upon the readers. Each author gets the same point across through each of their works of arts. Poesy has its own form of nature, Poesy has a divine quality to it, and Poesy should be a way to teach the readers that these works of art are natural and Just as divine as anything heavenly.