Conscience is the awareness of right and wrong. In the Crucible‚ the idea of conscience in strongly emphasized. Miller himself said‚ "No critic seemed to sense what I was after [which was] the conflict between a man’s raw deeds and his conception of himself; the question of whether conscience is in fact an organic part of the human being‚ and what happens when it is handed over not merely to the state or the mores of the time but to one’s friend or wife." The idea of conscience in the play The
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Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is a tale of hysteria and tragedy. According to Bonnet‚ The Crucible is a complex story with dual emphasis on the individual and on society. The article “Society vs. The Individual in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible” explains that constant shift between two very different ideas. The play is constantly switching between the two poles. Both society and the individual play distinct important roles in the play‚ but the two are also very intertwined‚ and to pull them apart
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To be an individual is more beneficial than conforming to society. Followers allow people to control themselves‚ but an individual stands for what he believes in. A major difference between a follower and an individual is conformity. Someone who conforms to society follows a group of people and is influenced by everything that group of people does. An individual who doesn’t conform to society is self reliant and courageous. In the article Self Reliance‚ the author writes‚ “It may be
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Abigail’s Conscience I can’t believe all of this has happened. I feel so guilty‚ but I don’t really care‚ I know I’m more important than any of those old people. Besides‚ John Proctor deserved it! How dare he use me just because he was lonely and having marital problems! I had all the rights to destroy his marriage. However‚ I can’t help but feeling awful when I think about those two boys that have no father anymore. Its all my fault! I started this nonsense of witchcraft just because I was scared
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The Individual and the Community In The Crucible What One Would do to get others on her side. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller‚ the characters in the play face different problems and accusations that they do not always know how to handle. One theme that sums up the play is the individual trying to destroy anyone who gets in the way of her acceptance in the community. Abigail‚ the niece of Reverend Parris‚ starts out motivated simply by clearing her name and being an accepted member of the
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plain. However‚ in our generation‚ individuals and nations possess weapons of far greater power than ever before. This raises the question as to whether the consciences of human beings can have any influence on the serious chaos that is developing‚ also whether a lack of conscience is a significant cause. It must be recognised that human civilisations have largely failed to have any conscience in the past. Religion‚ of whatever kind‚ should be a source of “conscience” among human beings; surely we
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Conscience Conscience is “the practical judgment of reason upon an individual act as good and to be performed‚ or as evil and to be avoided” (Glenn‚ 1930). Hence‚ an individual must prefer to do the right thing over the wrong thing in accordance with his moral or ethical conduct. The judgment is practical because it leads to a course of action. On the other hand‚ it is a judgment of reason because it derives from our understanding of what ought to be done as good and what ought to be avoided
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In The Crucible by Arthur Miller‚ John Proctor is a tragic hero with the flaw that is committing adultery with Abigail. He soon realizes all his mistakes and confess all his sin and meets a death. He represents his individual freedom more than anyone else throughout the book while the Salem court and the Puritan theocracy represent repression of individual freedom. The start of the witchcraft causes chaos to the town‚ church‚ and the court instead of bringing peace to a community. The Salem rules
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In the play Antigone by Sophocles‚ Antigone chooses to abide by the laws of the Gods rather than the precepts of the mortals. Although Antigone’s actions were rash and often disputable‚ she does the right thing by deciding to follow her individual conscience rather than obeying the laws of the state. Her decision to go against Creon’s decree in order to bury Polyneices leads to many unfortunate consequences. Although she is faced with death‚ imprisonment‚ and suicide‚ Antigone is not regretful. Her
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Individual moral integrity and the lack thereof are illustrated by Arthur Miller in his play‚ The Crucible. The fear of witchcraft engulfs the Puritanical society thus creating a mob rule. The fate of the town depends upon the morals of its people. John Proctor and Reverend Hale are key players in condemning the Witch Trials; ruling the mob are Abigail‚ Judge Danforth‚ and their followers. Even though the trials were intended to end when Salem was cleansed of the alleged witchcraft‚ it remained the
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