Second Quarter/Blog 4: The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Second Quarter/Blog 4: The Crucible by Arthur Miller

The last Act and ending of The Crucible can be best described as doom and gloom.  Many people have been hanged and others are to be hanged.  The town is falling apart.  The townspeople are a wreck.  Proctor and his wife are still in jail and the end centers around whether or not Proctor can be saved from death by confessing.  He confesses, but then refuses to sign a confession.  Therefore, he must die and he does.  I guess standing up for himself now is to be thought of as heroic, but I do not see him as a hero.  I think his situation and the rest of the accusations, trials, and hangings are tragic.  A lot of blood shed because of lies and paranoia.

So what did I come away with from reading this literary work?  Well, I looked up the word crucible.  It is defined as a pot or metal container in which metals or other substances are heated to high temperatures or melted.  Not sure that helps me understand what I read, but then I found that “crucible” could also refer to the literary technique in which characters are placed in an inescapable situation and are forced to change or make difficult decisions.  The characters in this book were definitely in an inescapable situation and forced to change or make difficult decisions.  And their decisions were life or death and most ended in death.  A very morbid plot.

If I go back to why I picked this book, it was because a friend said reading this changed their love of books.   I have say that I do not agree.  I was rather disappointed with the lack of plot and lack of suspense.  There is no witchcraft or spells or excitement at all.  Instead, it is full of false accusations and unfortunate circumstances.  Probably a lot of the interest in this book came from its intended parallel to McCarthyism, but that message was completely lost on me.  The good news is that it was short and once I made it past the first Act it was very easy to read, but unfortunately it did not change my feelings about reading.  I will keep trying.

Second Quarter/Blog 2: The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Second Quarter/Blog 2: The Crucible by Arthur Miller

I am now 30 pages into this book.  Usually it would not take very long to read 30 pages, but to get this far has taken me several hours during quite a few attempts.  There really is not much going on with the plot, but the descriptions of the few characters are lengthy and it’s hard to remember who is who even though there are not that many of them.  If I had not started a blog on this book, then I probably would not keep reading, but I am committed to finish the blogs.

This plot is pretty simple.  The story in the bedroom of a young girl named Betty Parris, age 10, who is sick in bed after “dancing in the forest.”  Her father is Reverend Parris and he is praying over her, but she is not moving or waking, but she is not dead.  The talk around the town is that Betty and her cousin Abigail Williams, age 17, were seen in the woods together, that they were naked, and that were seen flying over houses.  The people of Salem “believed that the virgin forest was the Devil’s last preserve, his home base and the citadel of his final stand.  To the best of their knowledge the American forest was the last place on earth that was not paying homage to God.”

Betty wakes up and talks to Abigail.  She says they drank blood and drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife.  Abigail tells her to stop saying this and not to tell anyone.  Betty collapses again.  People from around the town come by to see what is going on.  The rumors are rampant.  Reverend John Hale is called to ascertain witchcraft, as he is said to be a specialist.  Not much is happening yet.  I find it slow and painful to stay focused and interested.  I hope it gets better soon.     

Second Quarter/Blog 3: The Crucible by Arthur Miller

I finally made it through Act One and then made it quickly through Acts Two and Three.  Act One ends with Reverend Hale showing up to eliminate the evil spirits.  Before his entrance, there is a long discussion about good vs. evil and then a longer discussion about the political twist to equate political policy with moral right, and opposition to it with diabolical malevolence.  “Once such an equation is effectively made, society becomes a congerie of plots and counterplots, and the main role of government changes from that of arbiter to that of the scourge of God.”  Wow!!  I think this is really deep and beyond comprehension at this point in my short lived political life.  I feel very sheltered from the world of politics and cannot conceive of plots and counterplots.  So whatever messages that the writer is trying to convey are difficult for me to comprehend or relate to but they sound pretty deep.

Thankfully the story’s plot gets ramped up quite a bit.  There is huge roundup of girls in Salem who are thought to be witches.   They are arrested and brought to court.  The number goes from 13 to 39 and then more and more are accused, arrested, and confessing.  If they don’t confess then they are told they will be sentenced to hang.  So the plot thickens around whether or not they are telling the truth about witchcraft or confessing so they don’t have to die.  Then the additional plot is about the Proctors and whether or not Mary Warren (their servant) is telling the truth about the other girls having powers and whether or not the Proctors are liars too.  It’s really not complicated, but the web of misunderstandings and lies causes extreme conflict.  By the end of Act Three everyone in the town of Salem is either on trial for witchcraft or involved in the confusion.

There is only Act Four left to read.  I really can’t predict how this will end.  At this point everyone’s lives are turned upside down and the truth is not going to set anyone free.  The truth up to this point has caused more confusion and problems, so I can’t see a happy ending.  I hope I am wrong and they all realize there are no witches in Salem and all these girls can go back to a normal life, but I don’t think that is how this ends.    

Second Quarter/Blog 1: The Crucible by Arthur Miller

The Crucible was first produced as a play in the 1950s.  I selected this book for a few reasons: (1) a friend of mine told me she read this book and it changed her way of thinking about books, reading, and literature in general; (2) the story is about the Salem witch trials and stories about witches sounds interesting; (3) I thought it would be interesting to read a play with its different format; and (4) the book is short, only 145 pages.  I really have never likes reading so I thought maybe I will be changed like my friend and become a better reader.  If I don’t like the book, then at least it’s short and about witchcraft and something that really happened. 

After reading the introduction, I am confused.  It says that the setting is 17^th Century Salem, Massachusetts, but it was written in 1950s, during a time of war and hysteria over communism.  So, the play was designed to be a contemporary parallel to McCarthyism.  I looked up McCarthyism (phrase coined in the 1950s).  A United States Senator, Joseph McCarthy, was the person behind the term.  Wikipedia states that: “McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. It also means the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism.’ 

The Crucible’s plot will compare America’s heightened fears of espionage and communist influence to America’s heightened fears of witches and warlocks and more generally an intolerance for people with different beliefs.  I think this part sounds a little too deep.  I was hoping to read about witchcraft and hangings rather than a history lesson.  But I am keeping an open mind because the theme of intolerance for people who are different will be something I can relate to and could be relevant for any time.

Scarlett Letter: Blog 3

           Reverend Dimmesdale (father of Pearl) is revealed to the reader and continues to be tortured by Roger Chillingworth.  Rev. D is suffering physically and mentally from the sin and secrecy.  He continues to give sermons and serve the town.  He is thought to suffer from a terrible illness and keeps his hand over his heart.  He is heartbroken.  He should have revealed his love for Hester and set his pain free.  I understand that he is a priest and would lose his vocation which probably makes the decision harder and more stressful.  He is undeniably in turmoil. 

           The book then advances seven years.  Hester is doing well.  She helps the poor.  She is admired and the "A" no longer causes people to shun her but instead they see the "A" as Able.   So, seven years have passed and Hester has not talked to Rev. D.  She has seen him and watched him suffer because of Roger.  Hester feels she owes it to Rev. D to make him aware of who Roger really is and his evil plot.  The book says that Hester feels that she has a link to Rev. D because "the mutual crime" has lasted through time.  I don't think the book had to tell the reader this.  Certainly the story plays out without spelling it out.  But I think it is more than their mutual crime.  I think Hester and Rev. D love each other.  That Hester thought she could save him from the torture if no one knew, but she sees that Roger is destroying him and she wants to save him.  So, she tells him and they decide to runaway together (with Pearl) to Europe.  They have plans to leave by boat after the Election Day celebration (when Rev. D will give his final sermon).  But on election day, in front of everyone, Rev D. confesses his sin, reveals his chest which is branded with an "A" and then dies on the scaffold.  Very dramatic!!! 

           The conclusion tells you what happens to Hester and Pearl (and Roger).  I won't spoil it, but it's not a happily ever after ending (obviously, Rev. D died), but it's not a horror story ending either (not everyone dies).  But the last chapter makes you think about sinners and what happens when you harbor your sin and what happens when you admit your sins.  And how others react and deal with their sins and the sins of others.  The message I received was: accepting and acknowledging your sins is much healthier than hiding and running from them.  I definitely recommend reading this book.   

Scarlett letter: Blog #2

I am now more than halfway into the text of The Scarlet Letter.  According to the author, wearing the "A" was a living sermon against sin.  Hester was sparred death because her husband had gone out to sea making the adulterous behavior less offensive because he is thought to be dead.  But he returns (showed up at the scaffold and then went to see Hester in prison) and now posing as a doctor of medicine and going by the name Roger Chillingworth).  He tells Hester that they wronged each other.  His wrong was making her marry him when she did not love him and then deserting her.  And although he does not want to hurt her, he is determined to figure out who the father is and reveal him.  I find this strange because if he realizes he did wrong by Hester, then why does he care who the father is and vow to expose him.  He says that few things are hidden "from the man who devotes himself earnestly and unreservedly to the solution of a mystery."  Sooner or later, he is going to uncover the father.  He says that he will read it on his heart and he will let him live but he will seek to ruin his soul.  Sounds like a horror movie to me, definitely not a romance.

So, we know what is going to happen. Hester's long lost thought to be dead husband is going to figure out who the father is and torture him.  This seems odd to me.  It seems like he does not love Hester because reveling the father will only make the people more enraged, so why not leave the father alone.  Hester does not want to expose him, so why is he determined to do so?  Jealousy?  Revenge on the one who got away with the crime?  Or maybe he's just evil?  Some people love making other people miserable.  They are fulfilled by the misfortunes of others.  This is a terrible character flaw.  Although I do not think it is fair for Hester to suffer alone and the father to "get away" with his participation in this, I do not think it should be someone else who makes it their mission to solve the mystery and bring more humiliation to this situation.  I guess if I think of it like a crime (as that is what it was considered in 17th century America), then Hester's husband is uncovering a criminal. . .I guess that makes more sense on why he is doing it.

Meanwhile, Hester’s child, Pearl is growing up.  She is described as angelic, full of life, intelligent, strange, and elfish.  I think she sounds awesome.  She is full of life and of course she is odd.  She is recluse from society.  She has only her mom and when around others, they point at her, run from her, and isolate her.  I think it’s a miracle she is not a demon.  This really could be a horror film. So I will read on about how the father will be uncovered and tortured and how Hester and Pearl will continue to be demonized and mistreated.  Good stuff.  

Scarlet Letter post #1

My American Literature "free read" for this quarter is The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.  The setting is the mid-17th century (1642 to 1649) in a Puritan colony on the edge of an untamed forest still inhabited by Native Americans.  Sounds like classic American Literature to me.  Published in 1850, this 150 year old story is famous, at least I have heard of it and seen clips of movies, and the plot seems pretty simple, so I am excited to finally read it and see what all the hype is really about.  I am only a few chapters into it and it starts right into the essence of what, when, where and who.  No mystery about why it's entitled the Scarlett Letter.  I like that.  Although the sentences are flowery and filled with vocabulary words, you can't get lost or confused.  That's another plus for me when it comes to reading.  It has my attention and I am not lost.  This says a lot for me, as I have never been much of reader.  But so far, I am all in.

The Introduction states that this story is timeless and the characters face the same moral struggles as readers in the 21st century.  I don't think that is true from how I see America today.  If Miley Cyrus is any indication, America has accepted just about every possible behavior out there.  In fact, today's society thrives and begs for sensational stories and glamorizes issues of morality; personal freedom; and public life.  The thought of someone being demonized and punished in front of their community seems so far from reality.  Gay love, teenage pregnancy, alcohol and drug abuse are all part of everyday life.  Acceptance is here.  I can't think of anything or anyone who would be jailed, branded, humiliated, demonized, and abandoned like Hester Prynne.  Rather society would put her on the cover of magazines and You Tube and make money selling her story.  Her Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts would be liked and followed.  There would probably be a marketing opportunity to sell crimson A's with gold threading.  University of Alabama would love it.  

I just don't envision that the modern reader is going to see themselves as a victim anymore.  Sin and guilt are yesterday's worries.  Rather, I see Hester's story as the way it was and no longer is.  But I think this is good thing, to a certain extent.  Seems our society could use a lesson on morality and less personal freedom, but then there would be an outcry of rights.     

What defines me? Why it defines me? And more

Emory Ellis

Mr.McElveen

English 2 American Literature

14/8/13

What defines me? Why does it define me? And more

Almost everything that I have encountered ends up having a significant meaning in my life or in my heart. Knowing where the important ideas or objects fall and how I fell about them is something different. Being a little OCD and having lots of different involvements and experiences I have come up with symbols for what objects mean to me personally. I have many parts of my life that fall under many different categories (most of with are spiritual, or include my loved one), but I decided to list a few symbols in my life and what they mean to me. I have mostly faith related symbols, a family related symbol, and just something I require in my every day life as well.

The most important attachment in my life are my beliefs.  To most people a cross is just a symbol of Jesus, or the method of crucifying people in Calvary, Jerusalem around 4 B.C. To others it is a symbol of just another faith or religion, just like the Star of David or the crescent moon and star for Islam. Yes, the cross is a symbol of Christianity, and that is one of the reasons I see into the cross specifically instead of another entity. Having my beliefs being the most important part of my life, religion is as well (as I have previously explained). I have become one of roughly 2.18 billion Christians around the world, and I always have been involved in the church. My father belongs to the St. James Episcopal Church, and my Mom with Trinity. This has given me the ability to attend almost every Sunday. Being a Christian I have become fond of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, and try to be more like Jesus every day in any way I am able to. Whenever I see a cross it is a huge reminder of where I have come from and that I cannot change that even if I wanted to. Especially on rough days or when I am upset or emotionally unstable, seeing a cross helps me remember that God is there almost like a crutch to lean on.  I have gone through some difficult times and knowing that I have the holy trinity right next to me in the form of a cross around my neck or wrist. I use to have a cross necklace that held tightly to my neck really helped me in middle school. As crazy Christian as I sound having a helping had of those too lines crossing over each other has always been there for me, and I know that they always will be.

Just like the cross, the dove also has a very deep place in my heart and mind. A dove is, by definition, a stocky seed or fruit eating bird of the pigeon family, with a small head, short legs, and a cooing voice.  To me doves are graceful biblical creatures that come into peoples lives holding an oil branch representing the Holy Spirit. I have never seen a dove with an oil branch other than in pictures, but I have seen pure white doves just like the bible describes and they are breath taking, beautiful creatures from God sent to earth. In the Bible itself the dove represents divineness and purity as it does to me. The dove is an important part of my life, because just like the soap when I think or see of a dove I feel clean and pure. I fell like I have been accepted by god and I am apart of him and he is apart of me. I first really starting relating to doves and the symbol doves give when I was young. I would always stare at the stain glass in awe by all of the stories and colors that were shown. Having such a mesmerizing image of this white being with the green branch surrounded by bits and pieces of color really made an impact in my mind. Now that I am older I know the meaning behind the dove and I can relate to it on more then one level.

Another Christian symbol that has more personal meaning instead of family meaning is a butterfly. Yes it is a pretty, colorful, and patterned flying insect, but to me it has become an important and spiritually significant portion of my life. It mainly became an important part of me in early 2013 at my first Happening (happening 70) when I went to a spiritual “senior high retreat” or a high school weekend away from home. I had been to weekend retreats like this one before, but they were more “friend” based and helping people with what they are going through with faith, and not of a spiritual weekend that taught you how to help yourself with God more with beliefs and spiritual empowerment.  At my first Happening, as it is every year, the main symbol was a butterfly. The first night they tell a story of a caterpillar and his specific touching story of becoming a butterfly after realizing that you do not need to follow the group when you can learn to become your own person. Odiously, people go through changes in their life, but the thought of what he goes through is very eye opening. They close the first talk with telling everyone that hopefully they will see how they can learn to not follow the characteristic of a difficult high school life, but that they can find God over the weekend and have him lead the way. Not changing their personalities into someone they are not, but changing the way people think about their Christian faith and kept it in their everyday life, and also because so people are, but not to be ashamed of expressing their beliefs and faith. As the weekend went on and people continued to connect everything to butterflies and this has stuck in my head as a weekend I could never forget all about butterflies.

August 23 through august 25 I returned to the Solomon Center for another happening experience where I gave an original version of my favorite talk from my last visit. It is called the mask talk where I ask everyone to take off their personal mask and be themselves for the weekend and maybe the rest of their lives. Most people wear masks especially in middle school and high school. I think that this is a big idea to discus with most uprising high scholars and people that have been in high school that want to change their experience in high school through God, because what is going on in their life is not ideal. Another reason a mask means so much to me is drama and arts aspect of it. There is such a passion and creativity that can be found on a stage. Being one of the thespians at episcopal, I understand that acting is no easy chore and neither is another preforming art. The people that wear mask everyday is not acting its pretending. To me there is a difference.  Acting is digging into someone else’s shoes and really relating to them and portrays who they are. Pretending is being a fake and not true to someone’s self or those around them. The felling I get when I go on stage is amazing, and there is no other word to explain it. The tingle that goes up my legs into my torso when I exclaim the first words in front of a crowd, or when I am waiting to go on stage with butterflies in my stomach. Weather I am speaking publicly or acting, dancing or singing, playing an instrument or maybe more than one talent at a time. It is just a way of life for people that no one can a person cannot describe. There is no word found for it.  I usually do back stage or behind the scenes work, because I know that when something needs to happen not everyone is willing to donate time for no “credit”. Usually the people on stage need the limelight, some do not and just go for the love, but while I love recognition as much as the next person but I am okay with it.

Just like acting singing and making music is just as important. Listening to your favorite song is one activity, but doing so in the winter with the comforts of your own house and a nice crackling fire in the fireplace is another. Most people see them as a different cheaper way to obtain energy in a home, or a pretty flame that takes effort to make. To me it means way more. It means love, affection, the warm fuzzy feeling someone gets when they know somebody else loves them, and the fire that has been said to me in my own heart. I love being confortable, and the childhood memories that I associate with a fireplace. Fireplaces also remind me of Christmas witch is another reason and we use to light it Christmas night and spend family time around the fire. The flames help me remember my family and the times we have spent together around the fireplace and around each other. The fire in my heart is such a good example because anyone who has seen a fire before knows that there are always embers and little pieces flying out from the logs just like me. I do everything out of love and try to for the good of others, but sometimes something just pops out and it is not the love and kindness I aim for. I recollect getting burned one winter morning because I was sitting to close and I got a singed on the leg by a free floating ember.

            Knowing the love of Christianity and religion as well of preforming arts and my family, having them all come together to form myself, and realizing what they mean in my life is huge to me. I do not hide behind a mask made my stereotypes and social media and I can be my self with no worry about what everyone thinks of me. I can be a creative spiritual human with realization that people believe in other ideas, but I can still have connections with them in other ways.