Midterm Essay on Truth
Eli Tanenbaum
Ms. Anderson
English 3H, Set 4
22 January 2013
Midterm Essay Sometimes the truth has the ability to imprison one’s self; other times it can set one free. Either way, the truth is something that can decide one’s fate. Society often decides what is true and what is false; however, sometimes these truths are indeed a lie. In order to come to the realization that what was once perceived true is actually a lie, one must embark on a trek to discover the genuine truth. As evidenced by Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, and Billy Collins’ poem “Introduction to Poetry”, it is one’s responsibility to seek his or her own truth and therefore control his or her own destiny. Guy Montag lives in a society where the majority accepts a lie as the truth. Montag and others are taught to believe that books cause harm and desolation to the people around them, and should therefore be banned from society. After his wife Mildred’s attempted suicide, Montag realizes that although people in his society are alive, they are not truly living. He assumes that in the absence of books, his society has become completely absent of emotion and he yearns to discover why. Through this journey, Montag encounters an old English professor by the name of Faber who explains that it is not books that Montag desires, but the important qualities that they teach instead. He learns that books allow people to obtain information, express emotion, and think freely. After uncovering the truth, Montag then decides that it is his destiny to restore these necessary qualities, and bring life to a seemingly dead society. The idea of witchcraft has consumed the minds of the people in the town of Salem, and while some decide to fall victim to the mind control of society, others attempt to remain truthful to their moral beliefs. As the accusations of witchcraft escalate, some people in Salem fail to seek the courage that it takes to remain truthful. These people
Ms. Anderson
English 3H, Set 4
22 January 2013
Midterm Essay Sometimes the truth has the ability to imprison one’s self; other times it can set one free. Either way, the truth is something that can decide one’s fate. Society often decides what is true and what is false; however, sometimes these truths are indeed a lie. In order to come to the realization that what was once perceived true is actually a lie, one must embark on a trek to discover the genuine truth. As evidenced by Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, and Billy Collins’ poem “Introduction to Poetry”, it is one’s responsibility to seek his or her own truth and therefore control his or her own destiny. Guy Montag lives in a society where the majority accepts a lie as the truth. Montag and others are taught to believe that books cause harm and desolation to the people around them, and should therefore be banned from society. After his wife Mildred’s attempted suicide, Montag realizes that although people in his society are alive, they are not truly living. He assumes that in the absence of books, his society has become completely absent of emotion and he yearns to discover why. Through this journey, Montag encounters an old English professor by the name of Faber who explains that it is not books that Montag desires, but the important qualities that they teach instead. He learns that books allow people to obtain information, express emotion, and think freely. After uncovering the truth, Montag then decides that it is his destiny to restore these necessary qualities, and bring life to a seemingly dead society. The idea of witchcraft has consumed the minds of the people in the town of Salem, and while some decide to fall victim to the mind control of society, others attempt to remain truthful to their moral beliefs. As the accusations of witchcraft escalate, some people in Salem fail to seek the courage that it takes to remain truthful. These people