Friday, October 31, 2008

Integrity in The Crucible

Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is about a Salem Massattechussetts village in 1692. In 1692, many people in Salem, the Puritans religion is hyporcritical and auspicious, and it test Peoples’ Integrity. In The Crucible, Miller is saying integrity should be kept, and people should stand up for their beliefs, even if it means the loss of their basic rights. This is clearly seen in the decisions made by John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, and Giles Corey.
To begin with, a person who stands up and decides to die for what they believe in has good morals and integrity. John proctor does exactly so. John Proctor is a good man with good morals He is willing to die for his wife and friends. Even though he broke integrity and cheated on his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, with Abigail Williams. “I have known her, sir. I have known her” pg (220). By standing up and admitting the truth, he kept his integrity. He stuck to his word and decided he wasn’t going to give up. “I have confessed myself! Is there no good Penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name; god knows how black my sins are! It is enough” (pg.239). After asking for forgiveness, he became very fitful then as the trial went on, he did not stop trying to do what’s right and fighting for what he believed in.
Another character that shows integrity in this play is Giles Corey. Giles Kept his mouth shut. He didn’t want to speak and end up being the one who ends up giving away peoples names. Giles Corey is a good man who thinks before he does anything. Giles does not name names. “I can not give you his name” and if he named those names , it would be detrimental to his friends life. At the same time he would not let the judges hang anyone who was innocent, and Giles would still not speek. “I will not give you no names. I mentioned my wife’s name once and I’ll burn in hell long enough for that. I stand mute”. At the end of john proctors Trial, Elizabeth Told john that Giles was pressed to death because he was silent. So Giles Corey died for all of the innocent people who were called witches. This makes Giles Cory a very philanthropic person. Corey also saved names that wornt spoken. He showed good integrity by doing so.
The third character in this play is Elizabeth Proctor. She would not speek. She wanted to save her husbands name. So Elizabeth Proctor lied to the judges. When judge Danforth asked “To Your knowledge, has John Proctor ever committed the crime of Letchery? Answer my question! Is your husband a Lecher?” Elizabeth replied faintly “no sir”. (223) when this happened john was surprised that she lied. She thought she was doing the right thing, Elizabeth thought it was more important to stand by her husband, and prove how much she loves him.
All in all, many people in Salem Massattechussetts, the Puritans religion is hypercritical and it test Peoples Integrity. It is very unequivocal that, this writer learned that, integrity should be kept, and people should stand up for their beliefs, even if it means the loss of their basic rights.



Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Susan B. Anthony The American Civil Rights Leader

Susan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. Susan B Anyhony travled the United States and Europe and gave 75 to 100 speeches per year on womens rights for 45 years.

In 1851, on a street in Seneca Falls, Anthony was introduced to Elizabeth Cady Stanton by mutual acquaintance, as well as fellow feminist Amelia Bloomer. Susan B. Anthony joined Elizabeth Cady staton in organizing the first women's state temperance society in America after being refused admission to a previous convention on account of her sex, in 1851. Together, the two women traversed the United States giving speeches and attempting to persuade the government that society should treat men and women equally.

The first American women's rights convention took place on July 19 and July 20, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York. Susan B. Anthony took the opportunity to attend and support the women's rights convention held in Syracuse, New York, in 1852. At this time Susan B. Anthony began to gain widespread notoriety as a powerful public advocate of women's rights and as a new and stirring voice for change.
Through Susan B. Anthony's work, many professional fields became open to women by the end of the nineteenth century. At the time of her death in 1906, only four states, Wyoming, Colorado, Idaho, and Utah, had granted suffrage to women. But her fight had carried on, and in 1920 Congress adopted the Nineteenth Amendment, finally giving women throughout America the right to vote.