Do we really believe that the two most powerful families in their society are going to set aside a 'disagreement' that makes their SERVANTS fight when they just cross each other on the street solely because two teenagers were being dramatic? DOUBTFUL!
The same theory can be applied to John Proctor's death in Arthur Miller's The Crucible. He originally makes the smart decision to confess. Yes, he will be convicted as a witch, and yes, everyone in town will know that he has practiced witchcraft, but he would be ALIVE! Even if we accept the fact that John Proctor is going to sacrifice his life to prove a point, there is no way that, in reality, his closest friends and family are delusional enough to let him die! You are telling me that John Proctor's wife, who gave up her morality to protect John, is going to let him die because "he have his goodness now. God forbid I [she] take if from him" (Miller 782,783). Forget Hale and Parris convincing Proctor to confess, Elizabeth would be writing his confession for him! Anyway, at this point, his death was going to be in vain, because at the rate things were going there was no coming back for the town of Salem. Salem will continue to accuse and hang more and more people. The only thing that would change is that John Proctor would be dead! An alive John Proctor can change a lot more in their town than a dead one can unless... he were to come back as a ghost!
I really liked the approach you took to your blog post Nithya! I especially liked the you connected past literature we have read (Romeo and Juliet) to The Crucible and John Proctor's death. Your reasoning in stating the unrealistic nature of the outcomes following the deaths was also well explained. I too have noticed that the tragedy behind the deaths of characters in literature and tv series can be more romanticized than realistic. Although I do have one question: what lessons do you think these tragic deaths display to young people?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Alexa! I think that a lot of these tragic deaths send off the completely wrong message to young kids. Many shows and plays portray the idea that the deaths of those characters helped solve all of their problems, which is not true at all. As more and more of these types of scenes are created, it could be sending many people the wrong image, especially when they are portrayed as the solution. These scenes should definitely be made more realistic in the future.
ReplyDeleteI liked the way you presented your argument! I found your informal approach to be very refreshing and easy to read. I also appreciated your use of other characters from writings to prove your point; everything from the famous play Romeo and Juliet to the ultra famous Harry Potter novel series. I will say that the use of too many strong words like "crazy" and "delusional" can blot out an argument with opinion rather than logic. It can also come across as slightly offensive to those who do not agree fully. Just be careful with the amount of exclamation marks and strong opinionated adjectives in your work; other than that, it was fantastic!
ReplyDeleteNithya, wonderful post! I think that the deaths of the people portray a negative image. When you said Hannah Baker it reminded me of how mad I was when i saw the show. I dont think that society should be telling people that death is the only way to go. When John Proctor decided to take his life, I think that it was the easiest and shameless way out. I think that it portrays the idea of giving up is the best way to go. I liked how you took a stance on the idea:)
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