Hi Guys!
I wrote a practice essay for year 11 English although I need help in identifying potential strengths and weaknesses. I would really like some constructive feedback!!
Thank you!
Sonnet
TOPIC:"The Crucible" explores how fear can tear apart the lives of individuals and society as a whole. To what extent do you agree?
In Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," the theme of fear takes centre stage as a compelling force that has the potential to tear apart not only the lives of individuals but also the very fabric of society itself. By employing an allegorical lens, Miller critiques the pervasive societal obsession with fear, exposing its ability to subvert a socially cohesive construct. Additionally, Miller highlights how fear when married with reputation conflicts individuals further highlighting that an imbalanced regime of power can also encourage societal strain. Allegorically linked to the infamous "red scare," wherein fear of communism reached a fever pitch, Miller reflects on heightened tensions that arose before his 1950s American audience. Thereby whilst Miller underlines fear as able to tear apart individuals and society he also suggests that fear alone is not the sole cause of conflict.
In exploring the notion of fear, Miller exposes how fear can catalyze the construction of a hysterical society disrupting cohesive construct. Miller replicates this through the intervention of Reverend Hale whose interposition in the witch trials symbolizes the escalation and arrival of fear through Salem. Consequently, Hale's exclamatory assertion that "the devil is alive in Salem!" exemplifies the intensification of fear beginning to overtake Salem society. As such, Miller personifies the "Devil" as the metaphorical entity encouraging collective paranoia amid Salem citizens who hold the hysterical belief that the marks of the devil are analogically "definite as stone". Accordingly, Miller interlinks the fear-stimulated hysteria as a vehicle of diminishing social cohesion. Miller's portrayal of Tituba in being a "Good Christian Woman" forcefully confessing to witchcraft exposes the mitigation of societal coherence supported by the irony of her vulnerable position as a "Negro Slave". Miller continues his projection of irony through the hysterical accusations on people like Goody Osborn who are prosecuted on the basis of not "know(ing) her commandments" which is seen as "proof, hard as rock". In this manner, Miller reveals how fear in encouraging social paranoia can interfere with a cohesive social construct as individuals are held accountable on questionable evidence based on social standings and conformance to Puritan values. Allegorically, Miller uses this to critique "The Red Scare" in which hysterical fear against communist ideals initiated societal chaos resulting in the unjust prosecution of innocent and vulnerable victims. Thus, Miller elucidates how the prevalence of fear can disrupt societal peace.
Furthermore, Miller explores the destructive power of fear on individual's lives, particularly amid the fear of preserving one's reputation. Throughout "The Crucible", Miller capitalizes on the motif of "name" which he synonymously uses to underscore reputation. In accentuating that individuals "cannot have another", Miller exposes the importance of preserving reputation which once tarnished cannot be replaced. Consequently, Miller interconnects the notion of reputation with the associated fear of losing it in critiquing the turmoil of his reputationally guarded characters. Miller initiates this through Elizabeth Proctor's character, who faces a conflict between protecting her husband's reputation and being loyal to him despite his involvement in "adultery." Miller's stage direction illustrating Elizabeth, "with a smile to keep her dignity" highlights her antagonistic conformance to the role of a wife despite her internalized strife of mistrust. The abstract noun of "dignity" suggests how Elizabeth's "smile" is motivated by the fear of societal reputation as an obedient wife which by confronting Proctor's infidelity would essentially be juxtaposed. Miller furthers Elizabeth's anxiety of preserving "name" amid her dishonest denial of "no sir" in confirming Proctor's crime of lechery upholding his reputation as a "goodly man". As such, in exposing how Elizabeth's denial catalyzed the prosecution of Proctor, Miller exposes how the fear of preserving reputation can initiate distortion in one's life. Ergo, Miller poses the capacity of reputational fear to interrupt the solace of one's life with internal turmoil, expression and truth being compromised.
Whilst Miller exposes how fear can holistically tear apart the lives of individuals and society, he equally underlines that conflict is escalated by the imbalance of power. Miller demonstrates this through the prevailing theocratical rule in Salem utilizing the character of Danforth to symbolically replicate this notion. Consequently, Danforth's binary opposition underscoring a "person is either with this court" or "againist it" highlights the absolutist nature of a theoretical rule which Miller uses to elucidate the consequential escalation of conflict. By projecting the prosecution of innocent victims like Proctor and Rebecca Nurse, Miller suggests the unrest an imbalanced regime of power can initiate where absolutism catalyzes the suppression of rational justice. Miller further articulates how a disparity of power distorts society amid the legal system's reliance on the unquestionable nature of spectral evidence. Miller exposes this through the characterization of Paris who showcases the connection between religious authority and political power in a theocratic society. Thus, Paris's dismissal of Nurse's "evidence" as a "clear attack upon the court" underscores how an imbalance of power can be weaponized to suppress the principles of truth and justice which are essential for a cohesive social construct. Furthermore, by labelling those who criticize Danforth's theocratic dominance as "discontents" lacking Christian virtues, Miller reveals how conflict is perpetuated through the manipulation of religious language and moral judgments. This tactic not only silences dissent but also fuels animosity and reinforces the power imbalance, exacerbating the intensity and destructiveness of the overall conflict. Contextually, Miller uses this to critique the power disparity in McCarthyism which in mitigating justice resulted in a socially strained society. As such, "In The Crucible", Miller conveys that the imbalance of power also causes social unrest instead of fear alone.
In conclusion, Miller confirms that fear is a destructive force heightening tension in the lives of both society and individuals, equally replicating that fear alone is not the sole cause of conflict. Miller projects that fear can interfere with a socially cohesive construct, and when attached to reputation can conflict the lives of individuals. However, Miller also exposes how a disparity of power can equally fuel societal disruption. As such, Miller warns his audience against fear's reckless force whilst suggesting that an imbalance of power can be equally disruptive.
