Isaiah hodges

10/29/17
Period.3
Mr.Choi
No One is A Witch

The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young

girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several

local women of witchcraft. The salem witch trials all started because a group of girls claiming to

be possessed by the devil. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, the prospect of communist

subversion at home and abroad seemed frighteningly real to many people in the United States.

These fears came to defineand, in some cases, corrodethe eras political culture. McCarthyism,

name given to the period of time in American history that saw Wisconsin Sen. Joseph McCarthy

produce a series of investigations and hearings during the 1950s in an effort to expose supposed

communist infiltration of various areas of the U.S government. The term has since become a

byname for defamation of character or reputation by means of widely publicized indiscriminate

allegations, especially on the basis of unsubstantiated charges.

Authority entitles the highest enlightenment in this civilization where Reverends are able to

construct invalid arguments intentionally and the residents believe in the fallacies given.

Reverend Parris and Reverend Hale were 2 of the several characters who were of authority who

constructed such fallacious arguments. Innocent civilians were accused of witchcraft for

claims that do not contain proper evidence to entitle a proper conviction. This play called The
Crucible was written by Arthur Miller portraying the Salem Witch Trials of the late 1600s. The

ignorance demonstrated during the Salem Witch Trials is equivalent to the ignorance introduced

from McCarthyism; McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason

without proper regard for evidence. Communist and Witch reputation was immensely feared

during these time periods.

Although Reverend Parris was a very senile, paranoid, and suspicious demagogue one of

his primary flaws was being quite parsimonious. He deems his authority incomparable; There is

either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is burning!. The argument Parrs presents is a

Slippery Slope where the arguer claims a chain reaction will happen where the end result is

normally catastrophic if certain guidelines arent followed. Parris came to an absurd conclusion

that the church will burn like Hell without him and his authoritative power. His assumption

doesnt hold any solid evidence supporting his conclusion. As the plot enhances his

parsimonious behavior strikes once again when he intentionally lies about seeing naked dancing

in the woods, this was a form of dramatic irony due to the fact that the audience knows this is

false because he already exposed such to Abigail.

The Reverend was a stern yet practical man more interested in preserving the dignity and stature

of the court than in executing justice or behaving with any sense of fairness. He approaches the

witchcraft trials with a strict adherence to rules and law that obscure any sense of rationality, for

under his legal dictates an accusation of witchery entails a conviction. Parris uses uncertain

justifications to accusations that he never fully denies. He attacks John Proctors credibility to

heighten his own. Such a Christian that will not come to church but once in a month! (Miller
1295; ACT III). Reverend Parris attempts to question John Proctors religious practices to

discredit his character during his trial which is an Ad Hominem argument.

Reverend Hale comes to Salem on Reverend Parris' request to investigate supernatural

causes for Betty Parris' suspicious illness and thus instigates the rumors of witchcraft. Hale

approaches the situation precisely and intellectually, believing that he can define the supernatural

in definitive terms. Throughout the play Reverend Hale is the foil character to Reverend Parris,

his intellectual views bring out Reverend Parriss paranoia and powerlessness. Despite his early

enthusiasm for discerning the presence of witchcraft in Salem, Hale soon grows disillusioned

with the witchcraft accusations that abound and defends Proctor when he challenges Abigail.

You must pardon them, they will not budge. You misunderstand sir; I cannot pardon these

when 12 are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just.. Hale does this out of guilt, for he

fears that he may have caused the execution of innocent persons and Danforths

misinterpretation of his plea is a Strawman Fallacy.

Hale contains lots of confidence, His goal is light, goodness, and its preservation Miller

provides context that shows that Hale is confident and he wants to be the best witch hunter in the

town, his ultimate goal is to fight the Devil. Hale is perceived as an intellectual, strong

demagogue, You are a coward! Though you be ordained in gods own tears. You are a coward

now! (Miller 1286; ACT III). John Proctor attacks Reverend Hales character to discredit his

argument, this is an example of an Ad Hominem. What profit him to bleed? Shall the dust

praise him? Shall the worms declare his truth? (Miller 1334; ACT IV). Not only does this

diction show that Hale has changed but also feels guilty for killing innocent civilians. When

Proctor marches off to his martyrs death, Hale pleads to stop him because he infers that Proctor
is willing to hang because of pride.

One of the critical themes in The Crucible is the role that hysteria played in tearing apart

their community. Reverend Parris thrives on the hysteria, he strengthens his position within the

village, although temporarily, by making scapegoats of people like Proctor who question his

authority. The general moral from The Crucible is that the truth isnt always the pervading truth.

It's the way society perceives the truth which in this case is Salem, a small solitary and isolated

town, grown up to believe such lies as the truth, naive and knowing nothing else but those

'morals'. Reverend Parris was a very senile, paranoid, parsimonious, and suspicious demagogue.

While Reverend Hale must struggle with his disastrous involvement in the trials and the

subsequent results, even after he tries to sway the court to stop the madness. John finally reaches

his redemption at the close of the play while Hale, still trying to get Rebecca and John to give

false testimony, continues to compromise his theology and morality, even if it is to save their

lives. This is perhaps why the play remains so universal, everyone has personal demons and

humiliations. 21st century America is a country obsessed with fear, this fear has, like in Salem,

created critical issues in our society like police brutality.