Critical lens
Critical Lens Essay
Quote: The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience”–J.F.Clarke
J.F. Clarke once said, “The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience.” I think that what Clarke meant is that people who listen to their heart, people who do what they know or believe to be right, even if everyone else is or would be against them for it, are the bravest people of all. I agree with this quote because it’s usually hard to do the right thing, especially if one has no support. Two books that show this are Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Lightning by Dean Koontz. In The Crucible, this quote can be seen as true with the character of John Proctor. The story starts with people being accused of committing witchcraft. Many of these people are women. One of these women is Elizabeth Proctor who is John’s wife. She was accused by Abigail Williams, their former servant and the girl with whom Proctor had an affair. Abigail did this because she wanted to get rid of Elizabeth and be with John Proctor. John went to court to try and free his wife. However at court, Proctor ended up confessing his sin of lechery. Proctor had a high name in the village and was greatly respected so the judge and others couldn’t believe it when he confessed. Confessing had cost Proctor his pride. It left him feeling broken. Then, he is accused of being a witch by Mary Warren. At the end of the story, Proctor is given a chance to save himself. By saying that he is a witch and giving other names, he could have saved himself, even though he would have to lie. By sticking to the truth and saying that he is not a witch, he would hang. Proctor is a person with a lot of pride and couldn’t lie. He would rather hang than tell a lie and live. For him, it is morally wrong. He says, that he can’t teach his son to be men or give them a good example if he lies. Telling the truth was morally correct and he stuck with it, even though it
Quote: The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience”–J.F.Clarke
J.F. Clarke once said, “The bravest of individuals is the one who obeys his or her conscience.” I think that what Clarke meant is that people who listen to their heart, people who do what they know or believe to be right, even if everyone else is or would be against them for it, are the bravest people of all. I agree with this quote because it’s usually hard to do the right thing, especially if one has no support. Two books that show this are Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Lightning by Dean Koontz. In The Crucible, this quote can be seen as true with the character of John Proctor. The story starts with people being accused of committing witchcraft. Many of these people are women. One of these women is Elizabeth Proctor who is John’s wife. She was accused by Abigail Williams, their former servant and the girl with whom Proctor had an affair. Abigail did this because she wanted to get rid of Elizabeth and be with John Proctor. John went to court to try and free his wife. However at court, Proctor ended up confessing his sin of lechery. Proctor had a high name in the village and was greatly respected so the judge and others couldn’t believe it when he confessed. Confessing had cost Proctor his pride. It left him feeling broken. Then, he is accused of being a witch by Mary Warren. At the end of the story, Proctor is given a chance to save himself. By saying that he is a witch and giving other names, he could have saved himself, even though he would have to lie. By sticking to the truth and saying that he is not a witch, he would hang. Proctor is a person with a lot of pride and couldn’t lie. He would rather hang than tell a lie and live. For him, it is morally wrong. He says, that he can’t teach his son to be men or give them a good example if he lies. Telling the truth was morally correct and he stuck with it, even though it