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QCE English Questions Thread
tiredandstressed:
Points of discussion for you to start off with:
The Salem witch trials: the Salem witch trials and executions came about as the result of a combination of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children, all of which unfolded in a vacuum of political authority.
McCarthyism: is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason, without any proper regard for evidence.
Miller presents a patriarchal society, dominated by religion. Women were stripped to mere child-bearers, and their main role was to raise children. Moreover, black women were at the bottom of the social hierarchy, many were treated as 'maids' due to their race and sex. Thereby, females possessed no power no influence in the male-dominated society.
The Salem witch trials provided an opportunity for these young girls to be free from repression and posses the power to determine who is killed. Moreover, males who had power lost their authority and status by the false accusations made the young girls.
Abigail acquring powerThe witch trials in Salem Massachusetts in 1692 provided power for individuals who were previously vulnerable. Abigail, a powerless orphan, is given great amounts of power and authority, allowing her the ability to condemn people to hang. When she claims that “Goody Booth is with the devil” her ploy is to shift the accusation of witchcraft from her to Goody Booth. Her accusation entitles her to authorise who is hanged and who is not when previously she was a mere female, unmarried orphan due to the repressive patriarchal society in which she lived. In court Abigail acquired the ability to refuse to answer a question. Even challenging Danforth “If I must answer that, I will leave,” as a result, Abigail fights her right to privacy which she could not have done before the witch trails. Miller uses Abigail to highlight that in times of madness, the weak can triumph. He makes a direct link between the mass hysteria of Salem 1692 and McCarthyism in America during the 1950’s. He warns the audience that those who accuse others of being communists, witches or anything else, could be the individuals who previously exhibited no power at all. Similarly, in the end of Act III Mary Warren is close to being arrested until she claims that Proctor “[is] the Devil’s man”. This accusation saved the powerless Mary Warren, and the power she had acquired resulted in the previously powerful Proctor to be arrested, and eventually hung. Therefore, Miller is suggesting that hysteria can spark the empowerment of powerless individuals.
Proctor's demise & eventual deathYet, the witch trails meant that individuals with power, become powerless. John Proctor is stripped of all his power through the witch trails. In the end of Act III Proctor is arrested after confessing “I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat” this is where it is evident when he starts to lose his power. Despite being a man, in the patriarchal society, Proctor was treated more poorly than the girls, this shift in power resulted in Proctor’s death. Here, Miller suggests that in times of madness, people with power can lose that power, due to people willing to exploit others and their own power. Miller, uses Proctor, who believed the only way to overthrow Abigail was with honesty and integrity. Ultimately, it was his integrity and that of Rebecca Nurse and the others who chose not to lie that lead to Abigail’s undoing and the end of the witch hunt. Similarly, Reverend Hale, a respected expert, is treated with less respect despite his reputation. In the beginning of the play Hale is presented to be a saviour due to him having his books that were “weighted with authority”. His possession and understanding of the books provided him authority and respect from the society. Yet, by the end of Act III Hale had lost his power when he “…quit the court”. Unlike Danforth, Hale had a conscious and was completely aware of the lies and deception in Salem and decided to leave in an attempt to prevent the chaos to continue. Yet, the judges and law enforcers choose to listen to the lying girls over the reputable Hale, evidently this suggests that Hale had lost all his power as an expert in “…finding the devil”.
hashy1231:
--- Quote from: Bri MT on February 08, 2021, 08:05:08 am ---Hey,
If you haven't already, I would recommend you look into why the Crucible was written by Miller (it was very intentionally written as an allegory for real world events). When they're asking you about connecting literary and non-literary texts, that's referring to the Crucible (literary) and the Four Corners episode (non-literary). One way you can break down power in terms of brainstorming is looking at the different characters and asking yourself what power they have (& why) and how do they use it (& why). Consider what Miller was trying to say about how power functions in society.
I hope this helps :)
--- End quote ---
Thanks for the help that makes it clear.
Since you are an admin I just wanted to ask is it allowed for me to post a draft for feedback thanks a lot.
s110820:
--- Quote from: hashy1231 on February 08, 2021, 06:16:04 pm ---
Thanks for the help that makes it clear.
Since you are an admin I just wanted to ask is it allowed for me to post a draft for feedback thanks a lot.
--- End quote ---
Hey hashy1231,
As a moderator for the QCE English and History boards I can confirm that you’re definitely allowed to post a draft for feedback! Please do so in the QCE Marking and Feedback section :)
Have a great week and kind regards,
Darcy Dillon.
hashy1231:
Hey guys sorry for hassling but just got another question. For my assignment I have chosen to use fear as the main theme which I will be exploring. My question is does anyone know how fear is represented in Riot and Revenge and any examples?
Thanks A Lot for any help!
hermannm21:
Hey Everyone,
I was just looking for some feedback on this paragraph I have written for my comparison of The Crucible and In the Name of the Father analytical essay. Any feedback on content or grammar would be greatly appreciated.
My draft feedback said that I lacked information on the cultural assumptions, so this is the paragraph I have written to try and address this.
The events at the time of the legal proceedings provoked the hysterical environment that influenced the legal proceedings. At the time prior to the Guildford pub bombing, the Irish Republican Army had been launching an array of terrorist attacks against England. The threat of the IRA at the time “struck deep into the British people’s sense of security”, placing immense pressure on the legal system. The film uses archival footage, footage of the real events occurring, to further portray the hysterical environment. Furthermore, the British government was losing the control of their people, causing panic within the members of the government, as was the case for Inspector Dixon. As well as this, the introduction of the Terrorism Act, provided Dixon with “quite extraordinary powers of democracy”. Likewise, in “The Crucible”, the Puritan beliefs of the townspeople lead to the convictions based on spectral evidence. In this Puritan society, governed by religious doctorination, the beliefs of supernatural beings were a reality. As a result, the threat of witchcraft applied increased pressure for the legal system to act. In both legal systems, the events and beliefs at the time contributed to the mass hysteria in the environment.
Thanks for the help
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