From Reverend Hale to Danforth in response to his rulings

Dear Judge Danforth,

            Have you not been so daft this entire time? Those girls are speaking lies! These stories of witches and the Devil are all hogwash. How could petty teenagers fool such a respected judge? Do you realize the wrongdoing in your decisions? You have killed innocent men and women, actually men and women that were very pious and adored by the community. How could you be so foolish? To me, you are the only one showing signs of the Devil in Salem.

            All this chaos was due to vengeance. If you only took heed of what the men had to say or what the depositions wrote, there would not have been such a bedlam. You would have realized that Abigail Williams was a whore, or that Thomas Putnam was out to get Giles Corey’s land. If for once had you forgotten about yourself and your reputation, these realizations may have occurred.

            I am completely aware that my words in this letter will get me punished, but I do not care. You are not the judge of me or anyone else. Only God is. All those that have been killed will be brought to new life in the kingdom of Heaven. I only hope that God will shine his light upon you. Amen.

                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                Reverend Hale

From Abigail to Goody Proctor after the Lechery

Dear Goody Proctor,

            I have finally mustered the courage to speak to you. It is I, Abigail Williams. I hope this name does not make you crumple the letter immediately, for I have to bring up a matter of importance. I beseech you to forget about the past in order for you to take my words seriously.

            Your husband, John Proctor, was a good man. He loved you and cared for his family. That night that I lured him, I could sense the guilt from inside of him. Sadly, the desire at that moment caused him to forget the things he really cared for. After that night, the goodness of John Proctor was made evident, for he confessed the sin he committed. Every time John and I talked since that night, he showed complete disgust in me and always defended his true wife. I tried to lure him completely away, but he threatened to confess to the whole town of what we did. John stayed true to you, Goody Proctor. He always loved you. The Devil just tempted a good man. All humans are prone to make mistakes, and this was a mistake John made. You should not feel coldhearted towards him, for I know that John has a fiery passion for you in his heart. He could never feel the same for anyone else, especially for whore like me.

            All in all, I do not ask for your forgiveness for I do not deserve it, but I ask for you to forgive John. Please forget what he did before, for I know he only wants you.

                                                                                                  God bless,

                                                                                                  Abigail Williams

From Proctor (in heaven) to Abigail 1 Year Later

Dear Abigail,

            Remember me, John Proctor? Probably not, for I guess that you have moved onto another man, or should I say men. I am the one you infatuated, once loved. You broke my wife, Elizabeth, and I apart. All your love was mere pretense for you later framed and defamed me. Your actions brought upon my death.

            I have hopefully sparked a memory in your childish brain. I may have done lechery with you, yet God found a place for me in his kingdom. In the end, goodness won my heart. I realized that the Lord was the final judge of everything, no one else .  With this epiphany, I found God and allowed for Danforth to hang me. I died with darkness in my heart, yet awoke to a new light, the light of heaven.

            Though I still loathe you, I would like to give you my forgiveness. This concept may seem foreign to you for you are the Devil, but the goodness of God has motivated me to forget our differences and love the sinner. With my new understanding of Our Father, I have realized that we are all human, and He made us imperfect. I should not hate you, but the actions you have done.

            Abigail, I beg of you to leave your past behind and go onto the road to heaven. It is hard to forget what you did to me, but when God took me in his hands, I realized that evil would never overcome. God has opened my eyes, and he could do the same to yours. In heaven, everyone is equal. You do not have to worry about your reputation and never have to feel pride. Lying is not a necessity, something we both know you seem to worship. One just has to embrace God’s love and always try to share that love onto others. You once loved me Abigail; show me that it was true.

                                                                                                Proctor

Crucible Essay #1

Daryl Thomas

AP English: Mr. George

22 November 2008

“The Crucible”: Who is to blame?

Cause for a Crucible

            What is theocracy? It can be epitomized by the Salem of 1692. Rules and lifestyles were based on celestial values and the Bible; God judged everything. But, with the uprising of the witches, Salem headed towards chaos. The fate of the accused lay in the hands of Judge Thomas Danforth, making him the manifestation of God: “There is nothing but goodness in God, […] nor does anything that is evil come from him; he is not the author of sin, […] [and] strongly forbids it, under pain of his displeasure” (Gill, 93). God was the essence of goodness and justice, yet Judge Danforth succumbed to “his displeasure”, losing his reputation. He allowed his pride to determine the verdict and ended up killing innocent people. He held the highest status on the theocratic scale and used this as an appeasement for the fraud he felt in his “black heart” (Miller, 120). Though thinking he was powerful and wise, simple teenage girls were able to fool Danforth into playing the blame game. God would be ashamed to see Danforth as his representative. The judge had the power to stop this bedlam, but he did not due to his selfish intentions; Danforth had hold of the reigns, but steered the horse off course instead of stopping it.

            "Mr. Hale, as God have not empowered me like Joshua to stop this sun from rising, so I cannot withhold from them the perfection of their punishment" (130). Danforth took advantage of the power God supposedly gave him. He compared himself to the biblical figure of Joshua, who led God's people to conquer the Promised Land. He believed it was his duty to punish the accused because God told him to, just as Joshua was told to punish the Canaanites. Danforth felt his power was unlimited. The people were to look to him as the final judge, as if he were God. If the accused were guilty in his eyes, then they would be guilty in everyone else’s eyes:  "But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between" (94). God could only have this kind of power, no human being could handle it, for all humans are imperfect and can fall for evil. In this case, Danforth fell for pride.

            C.S. Lewis described pride as “the complete anti-God state of mind” (Lewis, 122). As Judge Danforth entered the story, he was assertive with his power, bolstered by stating his accomplishments. When Proctor and other men went to plea for their wives’ lives, Danforth only wondered if they were questioning his authority:  “Do you know who I am, Mr. Nurse? […] And do you know that near to four hundred are in the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature? […] And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?” (Miller, 87). With such love for his reputation, Danforth was cautious that his actions did not mar his prestige. This led to the death of many innocent people: "You misunderstand, sir; I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just" (129). For having final say about the fate of the accused and being the voice of God, Danforth's thinking here was absurd. He said that it would only be fair to kill the remaining witches because many were already hung. He did not take heed of any breakthroughs in the evidence or the depositions, for his vision was clouded by pride. If he did not kill the rest of them, many in Salem would look down on him; he was trying to save his own name instead of upholding justice. Since Danforth’s judgment was impaired by pride, he needed the help of others to make decisions for him, others being the unreliable and duplicitous witnesses.

            "In an ordinary crime, how does one defend the accused? One calls up witnesses to prove his innocence. But witchcraft is [...] an invisible crime, is it not? Therefore, who may possibly be witness to it? The witch and the victim. None other" (100).  To base his decision solely upon the witnesses was a very foolish move.  Abigail Williams and the other girls were not to be trusted. Though the Devil may not have actually been wandering Salem, he was represented by Abigail, “for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). She lied once and would not stop lying to save herself, while the other girls just tagged along. Once again, Danforth was an idiot, this time for listening to Abigail. She was the witness, the angel of light; he had to believe. Of course, Danforth did not have “the slightest reason to suspect that the children may be deceiving [him]” (Miller, 91). A judge of his caliber, or if he so claimed to be, should have taken this into consideration. It seemed as if Danforth did not even consider the accused innocent until proven guilty, but the proof was there, the accusations of Abigail and the other girls. Danforth really dug himself a hole here by believing them. He could have stopped their little blame game by considering what Proctor and others had to say. Unfortunately, he fell for the Devil’s cunning.

            No matter what anyone did, Judge Danforth had final say, and with this power, he judged incorrectly. He felt that he was on the same level with God. As this pride filled him, it harmed his thought process and decision-making. As his mind was blurred, Abigail and the girls easily tricked him into believing their words and accusations. For these reasons, Judge Danforth was to blame for all the mess in Salem. He let the reigns of the horse slip out of his hands.

Works Cited:

Gill, John The Body of Doctrinal Divinity The Baptist Standard Bearer, Inc., 2001.

Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity London: Macmillan Publishers, 1952.

Miller, Arthur. “The Crucible” New York, NY: Penguin Group, 1952.

 The Bible: Authorized King James Version Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1998

Crucible HW p.128-145 Giles is my boy.

"You misunderstand, sir; I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just" (129) Judge Danforth

For having final say on the Salem Witch Trials and being the voice of God in this matter, Danforth's thinking here is absurd. He says that it is not just if he does not kill those who are still accused, for it would be unfair to those who have already been killed. Just because others have been killed does not mean he has to kill the rest of the accused, especially after finding a breakthrough in the evidence. He is just trying to save shame from marring his name.  This continues the whole "importance of reputation" theme.

"Mr. Hale, as God have not empowered me like Joshua to stop this sun from rising, so I cannot withhold from them the perfection of their punishment" (130) Judge Danforth

Danforth seems to take advantage of the power God has supposedly "put upon him". He compares himself to the biblical figure of Joshua, who led God's people to conquer the Promised Land. Personally, Danforth has not shown any sort of leadership. He may be assertive of his power, but this does not mean he is a good leader. He judges only with the concern that nothing taints his name. He believes he has to punish the accused because God told him to, just as Joshua was told to do to the Canaanites. This time in biblical history does show a "bad" God who ordered the genocide of a whole people just so the Israelites could have their land. This connects to Danforth who orders the death of the accused witches just to protect his own name. Knowing God to be the essence of goodness, I feel that the actions of Judge Danforth are then despicable.  

Questions:

1) Would Proctor have gone ahead with the confession if Rebecca Nurse did not get into his head?

2) Is Elizabeth still angry at John for his lechery?

Crucible HW p.113-127

"I may shut my conscience to it no more- private vengeance is working through this testimony!" (114) Reverend Hale

This is the finalization  of the characterization shift of Reverend Hale. He has left the notions he had before, and completely moves away from the reputation-minded Hale to the sensible Hale. He finally tells the truth about his feelings on the issue going on, and from his perspective can also see that all these accusations were created through vengeance. This is the second time that the idea of vengeance running through Salem has been brought up since Proctor says, "vengeance is walking Salem" (77). The Proctors and now Hale seem the be the only voice of reason throughout the play.

"For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud- God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!" (120) John Proctor

This is Proctor's last shot at trying to knock some sense into the "superiority". They have remained blind on the possibility that all this witchcraft and accusations may be false. Mary Warren and the girls have completely turned them away from this idea by acting abnormal and crazy to pretend some Devilish spirit is in their presence. Mary confesses that John is a witch himself who has controlled her all this time. However, all of this is blatantly untrue, but the dull-witted judges now fully believe Proctor is a liar. This being said, there seems to be no more hope in Salem. Proctor has done all he can and believes God will eventually punish them for their wrongdoing.

Questions:

1) What happens to Hale in the end?

2) Will the judges continue to fall for Abigail's actions?

Crucible HW p.98-113

"In an ordinary crime, how does one defend the accused? One calls up witnesses to prove his innocence. But witchcraft is... an invisible crime, is it not? Therefore, who may possibly be witness to it? The witch and the victim. None other" (100) Danforth

This quote reveals two things: the difficulty of convincing that witchcraft is not about and the stupidity of the judges for not thinking that the witnesses may be lying. Judge Danforth had final say on the accusations. This being said, it would be hard for one to convince an old reputation-minded judge to refute his own thinking. Judge Danforth is only looking to assert his power and gain fame. Another thing is that he does not even think about the girls lying. A judge of his caliber, or if he so claims to be, should have put this into consideration.

"There might also be a dragon with five legs in my house, but no one has ever seen it" (104) Proctor

Again, the stupidity of the authorities is unbelievable. How could they not think that all the evidence is fake or unreasonable? This quote also proves once again that Proctor is one of the only sensible people in Salem at this time. Salem is supposed to be a pious town, so why do they not consider as their first thought that one is innocent and once proven guilty, at least consider the evidence faulty? Salem seriously needs to wake up and smell the coffee.

Questions:

1)  Will Judge Danforth begin to consider the falsity of witchcraft?

2) Will Mary Warren crack under all the pressure she is in?

Crucible HW p.83-98

"Excellency, he claims hard evidence for his wife's defense. I think that in all justice you must--" (86) Reverend Hale

This quote is a turning point in the characterization of Reverend Hale. Before, Hale had all the evidence, being the one person that knew "everything" about witchcraft. After feeling guilty about the accusations towards Elizabeth Proctor, Hale realizes witchcraft may not be the problem. The effect of this is shown when Giles has evidence that his wife is not a witch. He wants Judge Danforth to consider the evidence as said in the quote above.

"But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between" (94) Judge Danforth

This just proved how pathetic the decision making during the Witch Trials was. If it made sense to Danforth, the judge of the court, then you were free. Remember that Salem is plagued by vengeance, in which case, this type of judicial system is improper. Danforth may even have some bias himself, so his decisions could not be the lone guideline to determine a witch or not, no matter what his reputation states. This is unfair to those being accused.

1) Has Reverend Parris become the new Reverend Hale?

2) Will the evidence of the husbands be put into consideration?

Crucible HW p.68-83

"Question Abigail Williams about the Gospel, not myself!" (70) Elizabeth Proctor

Once again, the whole blame game continues. Elizabeth has been accused of witchcraft and authorities have come to take her away. Elizabeth tries to show them she is a good Christian, yet they cannot falter to the truth she is saying. They had to listen to the "court". Seeing no other options left, she accuses Abigail, the girl who her husband cheated on with, as a witch to turn the blame. Abigail was her accuser, so Elizabeth decides to accuse her back. This idea of vengeance is created, which leads to the second quote.

"I'll tell you what's walking- vengeance is walking Salem" (77) John Proctor

This idea of witchcraft is all made up. In the midst of all the chaos, vengeance lies as the reason for all the hate and accusations. Three prominent examples of vengeance being created are through Nurse versus Putnam about the choosing of the minister, Abigail and Elizabeth over John, and Martha Corey and Walcott over pigs.

Questions:

1) Did Abigail and Mary work together to accuse Elizabeth?

2) Does Proctor really care for his wife?

Crucible HW p.49-67

"John- grant me this. You have a faulty understanding of young girls. There is a promise made in any bed-" (61) Elizabeth

Clearly, Elizabeth still holds something against John. He had cheated on Abigail, and Elizabeth has not forgotten this, no matter what John did, even if he owned up to the adultery. She feels that Abigail is trying to hurt her by accusing her she is a witch. Abigail supposedly wants to get rid of her and take her place as John's partner. This defines the hate Elizabeth has for Abigail. John just wants her to forget about it and appreciate his honesty. Their relationship somewhat defines Salem and their relationship with God. Everyone seems so pious, yet they hide their sins from others and keep to themselves to not be judged by others of Salem and God. When the truth is out or a lie is spread, this causes chaos, especially in a strict pious community or a strict Christian relationship.

"Nonsense! Mister, I have myself examined Tituba, Sarah Good, and numerous others that have confessed to dealing with the Devil. They have confessed it." (68) Hale

This quote questions the legitimacy of Hale's practice. He says the courts have strong proof, and their proof is the examinations of Hale. How could they even believe him? Hale just talked about things others normally did not in their society, so he was treated as special or superior. His word was credible proof. This is pathetic.

Questions:

1) Is Hale legit?

2) Is John Proctor a good Christian?

Crucible Character List p.36-48

 means new person or an addition to previous characterizations

Reverend Hale- from Beverly, feels superior to those unknowledgeable of his subject, feels he is "with the best minds of Europe" (36), wants to preserve goodness and God

Rev. Parris-  priest living in Salem, mean, no care for children,  cares for his position and reputation, does not want ppl to think he is connected with the Devil 

Putnam- child sick, wants help from Hale, wanted Bayley as minister

Ms. Putnam- child sick, lost seven kids during childbirth, doesn't like Rebecca

Rebecca Nurse- judgmental, her family was against having Putnam's choice of Bayley as minister, Putnams don't like her

Giles Corey- "No one has ever been blamed for so much" (40), crank, nuisance, but innocent and brave, wife reading Devilish books, he can't pray when she reads

John Proctor- rebellious, "John Proctor would rebel against (the two-man patrol)" (5)  farmer, does not believe in witches, authoritative -> "I've heard you to be a sensible man, Mr. Hale. I hope you'll leave some of it in Salem" (37) 

Betty Parris-  daughter of Rev. Parris  "His daughter, Betty Parris, aged ten, is lying on the bed, inert"(3)  Hale tries to help her, tried to jump out of window, Devil might be in her, admits to many women being involved with the Devil

Abigail- danced with other girls supposedly as Tituba called upon the dead, they drank blood, acts innocently, says it was Tituba's fault, accuses others of working with Devil

Tituba- black servant of Parris, loves Betty, loves God, accused of conjuring dead and working with Devil, denies the Devil and confesses to other "white" women working with Devil

Crucible HW p.36-48

"I must tell you all that I shall not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no bruise of hell upon" (38) -Reverend Hale

The fantasy of witchcraft is evident through Reverend Hale's statement. This quote is a sort of liability agreement from Hale. If he is wrong in his actions, then he should not be blamed. The people have to be ready for any conclusion he comes to. Hale is just proving that he does not want people to know that he is telling lies. This manifests the falsity of Hale's occupation and the idea  of witchcraft.

"And then he come one stormy night to me, and he say, 'Look! I have white people belong to me.' And I look-- and there was Goody Good" (47) -Tituba

Even in 1692, color was an issue. Tituba, a black slave,  was telling Reverend Hale about her interaction with the Devil. It seems as if the blame for all the illnesses shifts from Reverend Parris, to Abigail, and finally to Tituba. This finger-pointing continues as Tituba blames it on a bunch of other women, who were "white". She does not want her own kind being punished, for they were hurt enough. She shifts the blame to many other white women, and Abigail follows in her lead.

Questions:

1) Are Tituba and Abigail lying about the other women being involved just to save themselves?

2) Does Reverend Hale really have any experiences of interacting with the Devil, or is he just lying about his past for fame?

Crucible HW p.20-36

"These people had no ritual for the washing away of sins. It is another trait we inherited from them, and it has helped to discipline us as well as to breed hypocrisy among us" (20).

This quote is key for during the whole witch crisis, sinners, or suspected sinners, had no way of being forgiven of their sins. They were just hung by their accusers. Since they knew sinning would bring them to their end, many from Salem led spurious lives. Others would know them for one thing, yet the sinner actually hid his true sinful identity. This life of hypocrisy would lead to suspicion, which brought upon the abominable accusations of witchcraft to everyday social conventions. Hiding sin or wrongdoing would lead one to their death. 

"the Devil may become evident as a weapon, a weapon designed and used time and time again in every age to whip men into a surrender to a particular church or church-state"(33).

From 1692 to 2008, people are always inclined to do the "right" thing or do what is "good". Good is considered to be worthy of God, whereas evil or bad is favored by the Devil. Salem was a tight-knit community that lived by one standard, a very religious-based one. For everyone in Salem, their standard  was "right". If one person went out of line, they were considered an angel from the Devil and became an outcast. This was what became of the "witches". This idea of the Devil and his evil was used as a "weapon" to set aside those who were not part of the norm. 

Questions:

1) How do all of the characters connect under the choosing of the ministry between Bayley and Parris?

2) Though the community is very pious, why is there no consistency in the pulpit of the ministry?

Crucible HW Macda's B-Day p.8-20

"But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it" -Rev Parris (10).

 

- Reverend Parris is more worried about his reputation and position rather than his daughter's health. 

-Is only urgent for information in order to be ready to take on those who are going to attack his reputation

Does Rev. Parris care more for his daughter Betty or for his reputation?

"You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor's wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!" -Betty Parris (19)

 

-Betty tells the truth about the night before, that Abigail drank blood to conjure a charm that would kill Mrs. Proctor

-this also foreshadows that Abigail is probably going to be a suspected witch

-Abby seemed like a nice girl before, but now that we know the truth, she is actually bad, and we can see this when she threatens the other girls to not give any more info about that night

Why  did Abigail want to kill Proctor's wife?

Crucible Classwork

Rev. Parris-  priest living in Salem, mean, no care for children 

"He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to his side" (3)

Betty Parris- daughter of Rev. Parris 

"His daughter, Betty Parris, aged ten, is lying on the bed, inert"(3)

John Proctor- rebellious

"John Proctor would rebel against (the two-man patrol)" (5)

Martha Corey- suspected "witch" 

"Martha laid herself down on his chest and 'nearly suffocated him'" (7)

The Crucible talks about the town of Salem, where its people just want everything to be normal. Their standards of normal are for everyone to be pious and communal. If one did not follow these common measures, then one would be shunned. The overture states that there would be a two-man patrol looking out for anything out of the ordinary. This is going to be important when the suspicion of witches occurs.

To wrap that up, one key quote to remember from the overture is that "the people of Salem developed a theocracy, a combine of state and religious power whose function was to keep the community together, and to prevent any kind of disunity that might open it to destruction by material or ideological enemies" (7). They were to be one community that followed the rules of the state and the Church. If they went out of the line, the individual would be hurt, and so would the community.