The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay Example for Free

The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay In the past, present, and undoubtedly in the future, deceptive individuals take advantage of the anxieties and fears of society. When a societys insecurities are exposed and raw, a disconcerted mood spreads throughout the people. This contagion can engulf an entire population and become like a living entity, causing people to act rashly and hypocritically. Whether or not the fear is justified, a convincing individual can exploit a certain mentality called mob psychology. Mob psychology involves manipulating the hysteria of a crowd to fulfill ones desires. In Arthur Millers The Crucible, Abigail Williams and other characters spread a fear of witches in the Puritan town of Salem. The fear that they spread ends up permeating their community and dominating the lives of everyone in the town. The psychological phenomenon known as mass hysteria has an important effect on the events in The Crucible. The Crucible contains many important events that precede the madness that ensues by the end of the play. Abigail Williams, for instance, has a love affair with John Proctor, and wants Proctor to leave his wife Elizabeth for her. Another character with a hidden agenda is Mr. Thomas Putnam, who hopes to take over some of his neighbors land. To amplify the situation, a group of girls are questioned by ministers for performing witch-like rituals in the forest. A Puritan belief of the 17th century is that the devil and other demons live in the forest, and that witchcraft is performed there as well. Dissembling citizens begin to accuse others of witchcraft, with a very selfish motive. As John Proctor describes the  hysteria that ensues,vengeance is walking Salem (1079). The vengeance that Proctor is talking about is the motive for all the accusers. The accusers are able to get away with injustices in the court because the townspeople are extremely afraid of witchcraft, and thus are eager to annihilate any signs of it. The mass hysteria also has an incredible effect later in the play, when the witchcraft trials take place. Many people are being convicted with very  insubstantial testimony, and with no tangible evidence at all. This is because the people of the town have been surrounded by the witchcraft frenzy so much, that they ignore their conscience. They become infatuated with the existence of witches, and seek to eradicate them. Since the people of Salem are very vulnerable, It is not hard to see how many could have been led to believe that the time of confusion had been brought upon them by deep and darkling forces (1036). The Puritans believe that all evil and disorder is linked to the Devil. At the trial, even people as wise as Reverend Hale are confused as to what is the truth and what is false. This is an example of illusion vs. reality, because so many people are crying witch, that it becomes impossible to discern the people that have selfish intent from those that actually believe in witchcraft. The mass hysteria causes the citizens to assume the defendants are guilty before they are officially tried. Though the hysteria in the Salem witch trials takes place in 17th century Massachusetts, a more modern version of this psychological phenomenon takes place during the 1950s. The hearings of Senator Joe McCarthy also utilize mob psychology for the benefit of an individual. McCarthy uses the fear of an attack by the Communist Soviet Union to build up hype in order to develop his political career. This fear that, in America,  any man who is reactionary in his views is open to the charge of alliance with the Red hell (1052), is an example of the fears people have of Communist infiltration. The Red hell  mentioned by the narrator is the Communist Party, and during the 1950s, one would be tried for treason if he or she is accused of being affiliated with this unfavorable party. The reaction of the people to this hype is just as McCarthy expects. The people become frightened and the truth becomes hazy. As a mechanism of defense, people begin to scapegoat each other. When high officials are eventually accused, the entire idea is dropped, and the emotions return back to normal. This is a parallel to the part Rebecca Nurse has in The Crucible. She is a highly respected community figure, and when she is accused of witchcraft, people begin to reevaluate the validity of the claims. In other great literary works, the theme of mass hysteria is present to show the hypocritical side of society or in portraying effective ways of persuading a crowd. One such instance of persuasion is in William Shakespeares, Julius Caesar. The character Mark Antony speaks to the mourners at Caesars funeral, which are completely against him, and he turns the crowd entirely in his favor. Mark Antony uses verbal tools such as sarcasm and repetition to turn the crowd in his favor, so that he might have people help him retaliate against Caesars murderers. The phenomenon of mass hysteria strongly influences the events in literature, and parallels can be drawn between those events and modern events. The Crucible is a powerful example of mass hysteria invading a population like a rampant virus consuming its host.

A Child Called It By Dave Pelzer :: essays research papers

A Child Called â€Å"It† 1. In the book, the father tries to help the son in the beginning but then throughout the book he stops trying to help and listens to the mother. If I had been in this same situation, I would have helped get the child away from his mother because nobody should have to live like that. The father was tired of having to watch his son get abused so eventually he just left and didn’t do anything. David thought that his father would help him but he did not. 2. When David, was stabbed he went to his father for help. His father just told him to go back and to do the dishwasher. Father said that he would not tell David’s mother that he told but he should get back to work. 3. The abuse that I thought was the most difficult was the gas chamber. He had to sit in the bathroom with the ammonia and it was really hard for him to breathe. The only reason he survived was because there was a vent in the bathroom. I think that I could have also survived this because I am good at getting myself out of bad situations. I can think quickly. 4. I think I probably would have given up when the mother stabbed me. I think it would have been too painful for me to care anymore. I would have suffered too much. 5. I think that the difference between 30 years ago and now is that it could be stopped now. David could have been taken from his mother to live somewhere else because she was not a fit parent. He could have lived with his father. 6. I think that his mother just randomly decided to abuse David. Since she was an alcoholic she did not always realize what she was doing to him. She also probably didn’t want to do all the things around the house and thought it was too much to do so she had David do all the chores. She punished him by doing dreadful things. 7. When the mother wanted David to lye on the stove and burn, David decided to see if he could trick her. He watched the clock and decided to see how long he could keep her from making him get on the stove until his brothers got home. He succeeded and from then on he decided that he would not give up and he would always try to outsmart his mother.

Declining Morality Essay

Teen pregnancy is occurring everywhere. Profanity has greatly increased in the entertainment industry. Dances are becoming more vulgar and are teaching small children bad habits. Out-of-wedlock births now seem to be common and, therefore, less frowned upon than before. One of the most important challenges to humanity today is obviously our drastic decline in morality. Some may say our morals are even being completely redefined. At this rate, will our generation’s children grow up in an even worse environment than our current situation? One of the most influential causes for society’s decreasing morality is today’s music. Children as young as three years of age are learning such profane language from listening to lyrics without parental supervision and repeating them for their friends to hear. Drug and alcohol abuse, premarital sex, and violence are being especially promoted in current rap music. The dances associated with such songs also suggest these ideas. There should already be a limit to what youth are allowed to hear, and with lack of this supervision along with increasing vulgarity, kids are trying to grow up much too fast. This can connect to the increasing teen pregnancy rate. Marriage used to be morally required in order to reproduce and raise children. Out-of-wedlock births are becoming more popular. This can be linked to dysfunctional families and children being raised without both parents present. Therefore, the youth do not always receive the deserving attention and support needed to lead a successful life. Increasing divorce rates and custody battles also contribute to this issue. All in all, today’s youth are not thriving as they should be. Yet, this is not only effecting young people but also our society as a whole. Morality’s downfall has become an austere issue that must be addressed to the public. If failed to be brought to attention soon, the adolescents of today could possibly wreak havoc on later society.

Homes in the Planned Community of Celebration

What Is Chinas CCTV New Year’s Gala

Since 1983, Chinese families have sat down to wrap dumplings and watch CCTV’s New Year’s Gala on television on Chinese New Years Eve. It’s a Chinese New Year’s Eve tradition that nearly every family in China participates in to ring in the New Year. What Is the CCTV New Year’s Gala Like? The New Year’s Gala features a variety of skits and performances. While the performers change annually, the format of the show is mostly consistent, with some of the most popular performers returning year after year. The show has also made celebrities out of first-time performers. The show features four CCTV hosts who introduce the various acts and participate in some skits and xiangsheng acts. A typical CCTV New Year’s Gala includes: Skits (Ã¥ ° Ã¥â€œ ): Short, comedic skits that revolve around New Year’s interactions and convey positive messages, such as respect for the elderly.Xiangsheng (ç› ¸Ã¥ £ °): Xiangsheng, or crosstalk, is a popular form of Chinese comedic dialogue.Song and dance (æ ­Å'舞): From classical and folk songs to pop, most music genres are included in the show. Some acts mix song and dance, while others feature solo singers or dance troupes. Traditional songs from every Chinese minority are also featured in the CCTV New Year’s Gala.Acrobatics (æ â€šÃ¦Å â‚¬): China is famous for its acrobats, whose gymnastic feats are annually included on the show.Magic tricks (é ­â€Ã¦Å" ¯): Mostly performed by foreign magicians, some acts feature magic tricks.Chinese opera (æˆ Ã¥â€° §): Chinese opera is a short segment in the show and features several opera styles, including Peking opera, Yue opera, Henan opera, and Sichuan opera.Countdown to the New Year: Just before midnight, th e hosts lead a countdown to midnight. A bell is rung at the stroke of midnight.Can’t Forget Tonight (éš ¾Ã¥ ¿ËœÃ¤ »Å Ã¥ ® µ): This closing song is sung at the end of every CCTV New Year’s Gala show. The show is not complete without some political element that often includes photo montages of Communist Party members, including Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping, set to patriotic music. During the night, there are hotlines for viewers to call in and place their votes for their favorite acts. The top acts, based on votes, are featured the CCTV Lantern Gala, which airs 15 days after New Years on the Lantern Festival. Who Performs on the New Year’s Gala? While the performers change annually, the format of the show is mostly consistent year after year, with some of the most popular performers returning every year. Some unknown performers have become overnight celebrities in China after appearing on the show: Dashan (Ã¥ ¤ §Ã¥ ± ±): Canadian Mark Roswell is a performer and television host who rose to fame after performing in fluent Mandarin in a xiangsheng skit on the gala in 1988.Fan Wei (èÅ'Æ'ä ¼Å¸): A sitcom and movie actor, Fan has performed skits on the gala every year since 1995.Feng Gong (å† ¯Ã¥ · ©): An actor who regularly performs xiangsheng on the gala.Peng Liyuan (Ã¥ ½ ­Ã¤ ¸ ½Ã¥ ªâ€º): One of Chinas most beloved folk singers, Peng appeared regularly until 2007.Song Dandan (Ã¥ ®â€¹Ã¤ ¸ ¹Ã¤ ¸ ¹): A comedic actress who became a household name after her performance in a skit on the 1989 gala show. She has appeared every year since 1989.Song Zuying (Ã¥ ®â€¹Ã§ ¥â€"è‹ ±): A Chinese singer who has performed at the gala for several years.Zhao Benshan (è µ µÃ¦Å" ¬Ã¥ ± ±): A sitcom actor, Zhao has performed skits on the gala every year since 1987, except in 1994. How Many People Watch the New Year’s Gala? Over 700 million people watch the CCTV New Year’s Gala, making it the most watched show in China. Where Can You Watch It? The show airs live 8 pm on December 31 and ends at 12:30 pm on January 1 on CCTV-1. The ​CCTV New Year’s Gala is also shown on satellite channels, CCTV-4, CCTV-9, CCTV-E, CCTV-F, and CCTV-HD.

NSA and Edward Snowden Essay examples - 1326 Words

Privacy has endured throughout human history as the pillar upon which our authentic nature rests. Yet, in an age darkened by the looming shadow of terrorism, another force threatens to dominate the skyline and obscure the light of liberty behind promises of safety and security: government surveillance. As an employee of the NSA, Edward Snowden broke his vow of secrecy to inform the public of our government’s furtive surveillance acts, but does this render him traitorous? To answer this, we must first ask ourselves, traitorous to whom? When the very institution established to protect our fundamental liberties intrudes on our privacy from behind a veil of secrecy, should such informed individuals resign from judicious autonomy and†¦show more content†¦While working for the NSA, Snowden became aware of their extensive trespasses against the privacy of U.S. and international citizens alike. Upon considering the extent of these trespasses, Snowden felt that it was his moral duty, as he stated, â€Å"to inform the public as to that which is done in their name and that which is done against them†. His provided information showed the use of Internet surveillance programs, and the evaluation of phone records in the form of â€Å"metadata†. Many argue that Snowden’s leaking of information has hindered our government’s ability to intercept terrorist plots, by informing the world of the NSA’s capabilities, and therefore allowing terrorist groups to plot attacks beyond the reach of U.S. surveillance. In light of this, Snowden’s leak has indeed made us more vulnerable to terrorist attacks, but does this justify the NSA’s chosen use of power? Since Snowden’s revelations, it has become evident that the NSA consistently uses their surveillance abilities to unjustified ends. One function of the NSA’s electronic data analysis is to find targets for the military’s Joint Special Operation s Command to strike with lethal drone attacks. Many innocent civilians in middle-eastern countries have lost their lives as a result of this military sect’s reliance on the NSA’s data, rather than human correspondence. According to an anonymous former drone-operator, the victims of these attacks â€Å"might have been terrorists, or they could have beenShow MoreRelatedNsa Spying Scandal : Edward Snowden715 Words   |  3 Pagesregarding the NSA spying scandal1. Pandemonium struck once a man leaked to the world that the NSA was spying on people through their electronics. The people could only imagine what kind of information had been seen by the government. However, this was being done to protect them from terroristic threats. Honestly, there is no legitimate reason to be afraid of this. The NSA should be allowed to spy on the technology and social media of American citizens. The person who revealed the NSA spying scandalRead MoreEdward Snowden and the NSA Leaks Essay1727 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Edward Snowden and the NSA Leaks Part 1: Objective Summary On June 6th of 2013 The Guardian reported on a classified U.S. surveillance network called PRISM. This information was given to them by former Booz Allen Hamilton employee Edward Snowden. Snowden obtained this information by secretly gathering files and documents regarding the program and others while working for the government contracted Booz Allen Hamilton in Hawaii. On May 20 2013, Snowden had traveled to Hong Kong to meet with GlennRead MoreThe NSA Surveillance Constitutionality: Edward Snowden974 Words   |  4 PagesJune 6, 2013 the details of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance activities where given by Edward Snowden to the public; raising concerns of Americans about their privacy. Edward Snowden, a former employee of the NSA, gave the alarming details of surveillance programs in his interview on how the NSA accesses our emails, calls, internet activity, and anything else that is related to technology. In this system of surveillance the NSA can gather data from companies and tap the cables that areRead MoreThe Nsa Secret Documents By Edward Snowden2494 Words   |  10 PagesWith the release of the NSA secret documents by Edward Snowden in 2013, a once dystopian concept came to the forefront of American politics: government surveillance. Snowden unveiled the existence of PRISM, a program which allowed the US governmen t to read massive volumes of private information shared between citizens. The government exploited legislation meant to combat terrorism in the post-September 11th era. The media’s immediate reaction in discussing the National Security Agency was to compareRead MoreNo Place At Hide : Edward Snowden, The Nsa, And The U.s. Surveillance State987 Words   |  4 Pages I read No Place To Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State by Glenn Greenwald. The book takes a first-person look into the NSA scandal and Edward Snowden from one of the journalists who met with Snowden to release classified U.S. documents. The book serves a purpose that is to justify the release of classified documents by Mr. Snowden as well as to cut through the misconceptions that surrounded the scandal from someone who had seen the truth first hand. The book centersRead MoreEthics of Edward Snowden Essay1006 Words   |  5 Pageswrong. For example Edward Snowden, a 30 year old man was born in North Carolina in 1983 (Edward snowden.biography, 2013, para. 1). Edward Snowden was a security guard that worked for the National Security Agency (NSA), after three months Edward Snowden started to collect NSA files and fled to Hong Kong and leaked the files. China started to print out report of the files that Edward Snowden has leaked to China about the NSA spying on U.S citizens. The reason that Edward Snowden left the United StatesRead MoreEdward Snowden694 Words   |  3 PagesEdward Snowden’s actions are Justifiable because he shines light on what the government has been doing and he feels that the people have a right to know. This paper will contain what has been happening in the Snowden case and some reasons to why Snowden did what he did and why it was justifiable and how it did in a way enhance democracy in the United States. Snowden believed that by releasing this information he is doing the right thing, he also believed that people had a right to knowRead MoreAnalysis Of The Documentary Citizenfour An Hbo Documentary, Directed By Laura Poitras1109 Words   |  5 PagesThe NSA or National Security Agency denied accusations of spying on Americans for years. It was’t until 2013 when ex-NSA worker, Edward Snowden, released secret information entailing the real activities of the NSA, involving access to virtually any American’s private life. In Citizenfour, an HBO documentary, directed by Laura Poitras, Edward Snowden contacts Laura under code name, Citizenfour, to share his knowledge on the truth behind government spying. Laura ended up meeting up with Snowden andRead MoreIt is reasonable to argue that, governmental institutions or people with authority are subject to600 Words   |  3 Pagesconstitutional rights. Over the last year, Edward Snowden, has made headline news for leaking sensitive governmental information to the press. Edward Snowden is a 29-year-old high school drop-out, who w as a tech specialist for the National Security Association. Snowden had discovered and later exposed the NSA for monitoring the nations e-mails, phone calls, and internet searches. As the allegations spread like wild fire, Edward Snowden sought asylum in Russia for one year. Snowden had a valid and justifiable reasonRead MorePreserving Liberty1743 Words   |  7 Pageswords, the artist has declared Edward Snowden and Julian Assange heroes. While plenty government officials condemn the actions of these demonized â€Å"hacktivists,† reconsider the summer of 2013, when Americans sat aghast in their living rooms as reporters broke stories of the mass surveillance of American citizens through the collection of phone records and user data from major American companies (i.e. Apple, Verizon, Facebook, and Google) by the National Security Agency (NSA) (Scherer and Shuster). In

Bullying Interactions

Question: According to Bradshaw, Sawyer, and OBrennan (2007), over 70% of teachers have witnessed bullying in their school. Since this study, the incidents of negative peer-to- peer interactions has only increased. List three evidence-based intervention strategies designed to improve peer-to-peer relationships, and discuss how you can incorporate these strategies into your current or future classroom. Answer: The term bullying stands for any form of repeated physical, verbal or emotional harassment of the so called positional subordinate. It is an everyday social problem can be witnessed in schools, workplaces or communal gatherings and even online. Three defining aspects of this form of abuse are- repetition of the event, misuse of positional advantage and discrimination and the characteristic intention to harm. Bullying can be conventional or of pseudo characteristics, hidden bullying involves natures, such as social isolation. According to US research one of each four students has been victim of any form of bullying. Bullying often result in shocking mental outputs, including anxiety, trauma, depression that might to serious mental complexities and psychosis. Victims lose their self esteem and often have tendencies to isolate themselves. Kids refuse to go to schools and elders prevent themselves from social activities (Urdang, 2013). Self isolation often complex the mental situation further. The tendency to pick on others often starts at middle primary or the first high school year as a mental response to cope up with the stress associated with the changing study and institutional demands. To prevent bullying the authority must encourage and motivate students towards the aspects of cultural and relationship values, using aggressive behaviour against bullying often result a reverse form of bullying. The communication with both the victim and bully is very important. The counselling should explain that such behaviour is not appreciated and focus on relationship values based on equality (Kuykendall, 2012). To prevent bullying positive and constructive approaches are advised. References Urdang, E. (2013). Bullying: A Guide to Research, Intervention, and Prevention. Social Work Education, 32(6), 835-836. Kuykendall, S. (2012). Bullying. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood.