EDIT: Ignore this thread please, apparently I had the wrong idea about how explicitly I needed to refer to the Crucible.
Hi everyone, I have my context SAC next week, and would really appreciate some feedback. Thanks in advance.
"The most significant divisions in any community are not caused by moral conflict, but by animosities, insecurity and greed.”
Statement of Explanation
I chose to write a creative piece in the form of a 3rd-person omniscient narrative detailing the causes of a fictional war in an unspecified kingdom. It is written in a style aimed at an adult audience, and focuses on people who use the King, driven by greed and animosity. The King is highly insecure, and is vulnerable to manipulation. Though initially, he does not see the consequences of his actions, he later experiences moral conflict upon seeing the devastation wrought upon his kingdom by the war which he sanctioned. Despite this, his insecurity overcomes his conscience, and he chooses not to admit his wrongs, though he has the power to end the war. Doing so would come at the cost of his crown and reputation, and he does not have courage enough to do that. I drew inspiration from some of Oscar Wilde’s short stories and at times, the vocabulary used reflects this. I also chose to reflect some ideas explored in the short plays Le Medecin Volant (The Flying Doctor) and La Jalousie de Barbouille (The Jealous Husband) by Molière. Though not necessarily referencing specific characters within the Crucible, I wanted to explore what happens when people harness the misfortune of others unscrupulously for their own means.
The Young King’s Folly
It has not always been like this. There was once peace in this land, though peace is now naught but a faded memory. The fields bore a bountiful harvest, though they now lay barren, and carefree children once giggled and ran through vibrant orchards, where the trees now stand withered and grey. The children do not smile anymore; they cannot remember how to. They cannot recall the warm satisfaction brought by a full belly, or the taste of chocolate. They know only that they must work, so that they can eat, and they can live. Above all, they hate the war, and hate the King who started it. They know not who that King was, nor why the war began. They cannot remember a time before the war.
It was not meant to be like this. The King was a fresh-faced youth, teeming with innocent enthusiasm and a sincere determination to bring prosperity to his people. Earnest though he was, the young King was cocooned in his naivety. In his insecurity, he fell victim to those who sought to manipulate him. The boy did not see the gleam of resentment in his brother’s eyes at his coronation, nor the green tinge of envy that coloured the cheeks of the gentry when they smiled, bowing stiffly and deeply. He did not hear the hypocrisy in the grovelling priest’s doctrine, nor the cold ambition in his young Queen’s shrill laughter. Constantly aiming to please, the young King soaked up the grave words of his advisors like a sponge.
They all agreed, the kingdom must go to war, and the King nodded complacently. He signed the decree and did not think twice about it, for he trusted the wisdom of his court over his own judgement. And so, the destruction began.
In the cathedral, the priests denounced the sovereigns of neighbouring kingdoms as agents of the Devil, and praised the young King for his foresight in challenging them upon the battlefield. But the more they preached of evil, the more he doubted his own righteousness. The King’s young bride revelled, knowing that she was free to indulge her whims and fraternise with whomever she pleased while her husband was preoccupied, and the King smiled to see her in good cheer, though he felt himself become disengaged with her. The Dukes and Earls of the court sought to gain a position of command within the Army’s ranks, so as to improve their House’s standing within the social order. The King’s heart was gladdened to see their willingness to fight for him, but was alarmed by the rising number of assassinations occurring as the nobility fought amongst themselves for power. He could not understand the lengths that they were willing to go to for their own profit.
Everyone beamed at the King, lauding his wisdom and savouring their ill-gotten gains. But the King was troubled by the hunger he could see in the faces of the proletariat, and after searching his heart, he could not find any justification for the war for which he was responsible. He could no longer believe that he was fighting for a worthy cause, despite the oily compliments and reassurances that were bestowed upon him by the lords and ladies of the court. The young King knew that the war was wrong, and wished that he had the strength of character to end it, but nothing could vindicate him now. The decision to go to war had been made, and the great King would be made a fool if he were to admit his wrongdoing. With great effort, he ignored his conscience and continued to lead his people in battle against his new enemies, but in his heart, he knew that he’d already been made a fool.
The King’s brother, the Prince, had long sought to usurp his throne, and saw the war as an opportunity to turn the people away from the beloved young King. His vision was so clouded by his rancor that he failed to see that war would ravage the kingdom and deplete the wealth which he lusted after. So as the war harried the kingdom, the Prince rejoiced in the chaos, and his ego fed on the unrest of the bourgeoisie. As dissatisfaction swelled throughout the nation, the Prince rallied the nobility under the promise of power and money. He publicly decried the King for bringing desolation into the once-thriving land, and led the peasants out of the slums in a revolution which culminated in the Prince himself publicly executing the King. With tears brimming in his eyes, the young King stepped onto the raised platform and surveyed his dominion. He blinked the tears away and saw what his insecurity had given rise to. He surrendered himself to his fate, knowing that the people would not rest until peace was restored. With the wisdom of a man about to die, he saw that in time, they would overthrow his brother too, and continue to point the finger of blame at the upperclassmen, for their hatred of the sovereignty had flourished, and would continue to grow, until it culminated in an upheaval of the monarchy. ‘Please understand, I never meant for it to be like this’ he said, and with a sad smile, the King was hanged like a common thief.
The crowd gave a roar of satisfaction, and began to dissipate. Within the seething mass of faces, only one was not cheering at the King’s death. An old man, his skin greyed and weathered by the years, saw before him the radiant child who had been welcomed warmly to the throne by his subjects. He remembered the kingdom as it was; a thriving hub of commerce and culture, united under the faded banner which now hung limp above the palace, casting it’s shadow over the crowd. He saw the malevolence and greed that had torn apart a peaceful civilisation for what it was, and understood. He grieved, yearning for the time before the war.
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