Better to join in with humanity than to set ourselves apart.

Use this quotation to be the focus for an essay on the topic of belonging. In your response, you must refer to your prescribed text and TWO related texts of your own choosing. If you have studied poetry, at least two poems must be discussed. Pema Chodron once said Better to join in with humanity than to set ourselves apart, showing how it is easier to join a group and subscribe to its values rather than stand alone from it and accept ones own morals. Whilst this may be the case, the effects of this belonging may be ruinous, compromising not only a community, but also an individuals sense of personal integrity. This idea is prominently put forth in Arthur Millers The Crucible and the Four Corners investigation into the doping scandal of cyclist Lance Armstrong named The World According to Lance where both the composers depict how the pressure to belong, and the subsequent conforming can lead to irreparable damage. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller represents the community of Salem as being extremely forceful in its values and customs, making sure all of its members associate with the village and its theocracy. Miller portrays this forced religious belonging through his depictions of the accusations and the trials that follow them. The youre either with us or against attitude undertaken by the villagers is what underlines this forced sense of belonging, as people submit to the hysteria raised by the apparent existence of witchcraft. This is shown when Danforth says: a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it in response to John Proctors apparent attempts to overthrow the court. This attitude is mirrored in the accusations from various townspeople who are forced to name someone as a witch, for they will swear to anything before theyll hang showing how this conformity has been forced upon them by the overhanging threat of death. The acceptance by the villagers of these accusations shows how it conforming can be the easier than attempting to reassert their own personal morals. Miller shows these events to be a catalyst for the unlawful deaths that transpire throughout the play, as well as being the reason for the village being in ruins by the plays end: there are orphans wandering from house to house; abandoned cattle bellow on the highroads, the stink of rotting crops hang everywhere Also, the court itself a symbol of righteousness and logic disintegrates, shown not only by Hales departure, but also by Proctors perception that A fire, a fire is burning. As he uses a metaphor of fire to imply that the people of the court will burn in Hell. Miller structures this scene to end climactically (with many of the characters shouting and in a frenzy), which stresses the disarray that the forced belonging has thrown the village into. Miller contrasts this acceptance and belonging and its ruinous affects with John Proctors devotion to his personal integrity and his good name. Proctor fights an upward battle during the play against the village and its beliefs, first shown through his dismissal of Reverend Parris, as he sees no light of God in that man and instead of attending Mass on Sunday, he plows, ignoring any religious commandment as he feels that Parris hardly ever mention[s] God anymore. Miller shows how this attempt to abide by personal convictions can be difficult, as Proctor is forced to sacrifice his life for his own name. Millers structure of the final act epitomises this, as, like all the other acts, the act ends in a swell of emotional turmoil, as characterized by John Proctors almost frantic speech about preserving his good name: Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! The dramatic repetition of because helps emphasize Proctors unwillingness to belong and conform by signing t he deposition, and instead the stage directions state that he [tears the paper and crumples it] with this violent action showing the turmoil that Proctor has been plunged in to. The description of his body language and behaviour also shows how he stands up by himself, but does so with great difficult y, as Millers directions say: [His breast heaving, his eyes staring he is weeping in fury, but erect] showing how despite the great strain upon him, he still chooses to set [himself] apart. Miller also contrasts the effects of doing so to the ruinous results of choosing to conform to a set of societal values. In the end, having preserved his good name, Proctors wife recognizes that: He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him! showing how despite the difficulty of setting himself apart, it has allowed him to maintain a sense of personal dignity. The Four Corners report on the doping scandal of cycling legend Lance Armstrong entitled The World According to Lance also carries the same message of the ease of conformity and belonging whilst showing its overtly ruining effects, and how the legend of a global sporting [has] been destroyed so comprehensively. The transcript shows how Armstrong and his colleagues choose to belong to thi s doping circle as [theyve] got to perform and realize that if they wanted results there was only one road to take, with the metaphor of the road emphasizing the finality of their decision to go into this venture together. The fact that he was full of enthusiasm but limited in his all-round ability The same youre

By Linming Ho

Better to join in with humanity than to set ourselves apart. Use this quotation to be the focus for an essay on the topic of belonging. In your response, you must refer to your prescribed text and TWO related texts of your own choosing. If you have studied poetry, at least two poems must be discussed. either with us or against us mentality is demonstrated in the transcript, as the investigation shows that a team masseuse, Emma OReilly, was labelled a traitor by Lance Armstrong and was told that shed never work in the business again when she was confronted over her possible revelation of the doping scandal. This threat shows how it is sometimes easier to belong and accept the values of your group, despite its fallacies. The investigation contrasts this with the views of the people testifying against Armstrong and his colleagues, who attempt to repair a sport which had been irreparably damaged with corruption and with the doping. Rider Joerg Jaksche, like Proctor in The Crucible, dislikes the hypocrisy in the sport of cycling, and sets himself apart with his testimony, using the metaphor of a deceases body, a dead body to describe the scandal, and how it stinks a little bit as time goes by, to show his distaste for the use of performance enhancing drugs. The feeling of personal integrity from telling the truth is shown by the metaphor of a weight lifted, which demonstrates how they have regained their dignity by setting themselves apart and not belonging to their corrupt team. The people testifying against Armstrong also place enormous emphasis on the symbol of the truth (mirroring Proctors obsessive devotion to his good name) as they weigh it against the symbol of the corrupt athlete, saying: What Lance n ever had was the truth, which is more powerful than the corrupt athlete, showing how the athlete, degraded by the belonging of the drug ring, is not at potent as personal integrity and honesty. This shows how setting themselves apart, whilst more difficult than being in unity, has preserved their sense of morality. In conclusion, the two texts, The Crucible and The World According to Lance show how whilst it is easier to belong and join a community or team, setting ones self apart from the pack can hel p preserve a sense of personal integrity and dignity.

By Linming Ho