The Crucible By Arthur Miller - 1470 Words

â€Å"I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!† (Miller 45). In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, residents of Salem habitually ‘cry witch’, driven by dismay, suspicion, and retribution. Under a strict theocracy, where the court’s ruling and religious beliefs are exclusively bound to one another, death is practically inevitable for those branded as witches, their names perpetually tarnished. From atop his high horse, one may look upon The Crucible and harshly judge the irrational actions of Salem’s community; however, human emotion drove these injudicious acts, the very raw emotion that often overpowers logic in today’s society. Though theocracy has dissolved in America, one can never†¦show more content†¦Fear that witches were truly among the community of Salem, performing dark magic and wreaking havoc, propelled witch hunters to raid the town. Paranoia. The declarati on of Salem’s most admired individuals to have been involved in witchcraft gave residents the excuse to suspect any soul of wrongdoing. Vengeance. Jealousy and dislike spurred citizens to accuse their foes, utilizing witchcraft to justify their personal vendetta. When Salem’s women were stigmatized as witches, two groups were born. Those who believed in the children’s witchcraft allegations, acting primarily on emotion, and those who declared the children of pretense, acting predominantly on logic. However, the group motivated by fear, paranoia, and vengeance greatly outnumbered those driven by logic in both strength and size. Thus this group, experiencing a psychological phenomenon called groupthink, can be held accountable for the execrable Salem witch trials. Irving Janis, a social psychologist, studied how social behavior is influenced in group settings. In 1972, he coined the name ‘groupthink’ to describe observed behavioral changes in individuals belonging to groups. Groupthink is characterized by a group’s pursuit for unity, often resulting in individual members disregarding or altering their own beliefs to coincide with the majority, or group’s, beliefs. This disregard or altercation ensures that the group stays unified; however, results in the group committing illogical actions without considering

Media and Its Effects on Gender Stereotypes Essay

In addressing the question it is first necessary to understand what is meant by mass media. The Collins English Dictionary defines mass media as the means of communication that reach large numbers of people in a short time, such as television, newspapers, magazines, and radio (Collins English Dictionary 5th edition, 2000, pp 957). This therefore suggests that any medium that conveys information to the people is categorised as mass media. By looking at two forms of media, this essay will examine how much the media can be charged with causing and further exaggerating gender-based stereotypes in society. The forms of the media in which this essay will examine will be advertising, in†¦show more content†¦These are as Ferguson sees more like instructions than messages. Instructions that tell women how to live, how to think and act towards themselves, men, children and other key relationships within society such as bosses and colleagues within the workplace. These messages given b y the womens magazines could be a key factor in the rise of eating disorders amongst young women as well as other behaviour patterns of individuals. In her study Ferguson points out this cult of femininity is exclusive to womens magazines, as the magazines available to men do not tell men how to be a man. The magazines assume that men know all they need to know about their masculinity as though masculinity is an innate tendency. However three years after Fergusons study George Melly whilst writing a review for an advertising trade magazine, he saw a new use of sex (Melly,1986 cited in Hall 1997, pp293) and men had become passive sex objects (Melly,1986 cited in Hall 1997, pp293) an example of this was the Levi Strauss Jeans advert in which actor Nick Camen undressed down to his boxer shorts at a laundrette in an erotic manner, with the light emphasising his muscle toned body. In the way this was portrayed it had been described as fetishizing and narcissistic (Mort,1988Show MoreRelatedEssay about Gender Based Stereotype in the Media1723 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The media plays an extremely important and arguably the most powerful role in shaping the perception individuals and members of the public holds towards themselves and their surroundings. This therefore makes it extremely difficult for one to maintain his/her unique self identity or perception of others without the influence of the media. People will define themselves and others based on the messages insinuated by the media. The problem hence emerges when the media insinuate the wrongRead MoreThe Negative Effect Of Stereotypes1613 Words   |  7 PagesThe Negative Effect of Stereotypes in Comedy We all laugh at the things we see in the media that are perceived as funny; whether it be appropriate or offensive. One of the most popular subjects that comedians and comedy shows rely on is stereotypes. Stereotypes play a large role in society and the everyday lives of individuals. These stereotypes have resulted in blurred assumptions of others based on what we see and hear in the media. The use of stereotypes in comedy to make something funny has aRead MoreComparison of Turkeys in the Kitchen and You Just Walk on By Essays1640 Words   |  7 PagesIn the essays, â€Å"Turkeys in the Kitchen† by Dave Barry, and â€Å"Just Walk on By† by Brent Staples, they argue the theme of gender, and racial stereotypes that have been present in our world from the very beginning. Barry suggests through a sarcastic and humors tone that gender stereotypes have been present since before the start of time; he uses a highly conversational style to prove this, as well as narrates to giv e the reader a better understanding of exactly what he’s talking about. Staples, on theRead MoreMedia Portrayal Of Gender Stereotypes1268 Words   |  6 Pages Gender stereotyping is usually used in media to improve character traits and create humorous circumstances. When stereotypes are present in popular television shows, audience assume those messages of gender, making it difficult to counter stereotypical behavior. This paper emphasis on gender roles in popular media and it’s important for analysts and educators to identify stereotypical interpretations. Using feminist theory, media depictions can be understood and studiedRead MoreGender Roles And Issues Regarding Feminisms And Masculinity939 Words   |  4 PagesGender in Popular Culture Gender is very crucial element in the American popular culture. What comes in mind when we talk about gender in the American popular culture so many questions go through the mind. The questions will go back to the gender roles and issues concerning feminisms and masculinity. 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Thought Fox Free Essays

Fox: What do you mean? Starting with an interpretation of â€Å"The Burnt Fox,† and going on to an analysis of the poem, aim to figure out what exactly might be the relation of poem to dream, dream to poem. Refer closely to both, quote, and analyze what you have quoted, in support of your argument. In the year of 1952, Ted Hughes was a second year student at Cambridge University. We will write a custom essay sample on Thought Fox or any similar topic only for you Order Now For the first two years of his schooling he studied English in hopes to become a poet. However during his time there he had a profound experience. For quite some time Hughes was working on a paper over the lasting contributions of Samuel Johnson but had only ever been able to wright one sentence. The night before the paper was due for his English teacher he gave up and went to sleep. That night he had a very graphic and disturbing dream about a fox. In his dream he was still sitting at his desk trying to write his paper. He looks over at the door and a fox face peers. The fox stands about five or six feet of the ground on two legs and is as large as a human. However, one of the more disturbing parts of the fox is that it is burnt and â€Å"smoldering all over as if it just escaped from a furnace† (Rees 2009; 3). The fox walks over to Hughes and puts its paw, which looks like a human hand at this point, on the blank page. He smears blood on the page and says, â€Å"You are killing us†. Hughes studied English in school so he could become a poet or creative writer. However, his studies never seemed to be geared in such a manner. The burnt fox dream here is a cry for help. Hughes seems to be splitting his own self by not being able to do what it is he loves. The strict writing style that’s expected of him is not in his true nature. The fox, his inner self, in the dream is dying because Hughes’ has to stifle or suppress his real identity. The stereotypical archetype of the fox is wit. Wit and knowledge are closely related. Here the fox is clearly burring, representing the destruction of knowledge. Through the further examination of the Thought Fox, the poem he wrote after his dream, we can see that it is very closely related to the dream through deep symbolism. After this dream Hughes changed his study major to anthropology and archeology. This important change in his life sparks this poem. In the first sentence he sets the time at midnight. This word is very powerful. Midnight is a time that’s neither night nor day. It’s a transition period, which is important to this poem as there is a transition being made in the author life. The next line reads something else is alive. I feel like this is playing on something that is distantly known to Hughes. Perhaps it could be the creativity that he knows he possesses but that he has lost somewhere. In the end of the first stanza he talks about the blank page where his fingers move. Here I feel it doesn’t represent anything but, it is more of the literal blank page that he was trying to write his English paper on. At the beginning of the second stanza the poem starts to become not only personally deep but also slightly dark. There are two pieces of symbolism here that invoke a strong emotional response. He see(s) no stars through the window. This is a metaphor for a lack of hope. Stars give off light and light can be easily seen as hope. Hughes is thoroughly crushed by the pressure of the essay he’s been struggling with. The window is the reader’s way of seeing into Hughes’ more personal self and deepest feelings. If we go through the window, at first we can only see the darkness of his loneliness, which he explains throughout the rest of the second stanza. Next we see a fox. Hughes thought it was very important to understand nature if we wanted to understand ourselves. He even wrote a whole series of poems on animals. All of which have extraordinarily spiritual meanings that relate to everyday human life. The image of a fox’s nose touches twig, leaf is presented to us. This is a beautiful scene that can only take place in nature. Hughes is trying to reconnect with his spirit animal, the fox, by connecting with nature. He is trying to find his primordial self; his true nature. This true nature is his creativity. Then it’s almost as if he has connected when he expresses that the moment is viewed through the fox’s eyes: two eyes serve a moment that now, and again now, and now. The word snow is seen again for the second time in the beginning of the forth stanza. Here it can be interpreted in two ways. On one hand we can view the fox literally as it sets neat prints into snow as he walks or on the other hand the snow could be seen as the blank page he’s trying to work on. After this entence though, the poem gets even blacker again. Hughes uses a lot of words in the next three lines such as lame, shadow, hollow, lags, and stump. These words all have a negative connotation that come with them. There is an immense amount of struggle and pain that the author is dealing with. However after the fox leads the readers through the forest the pain and evil of the darkness seem to leave. Itâ €™s almost as if we, the readers, have come upon a literal clearing in the fifth stanza. It seems to be viewed through the eye of the fox again with extreme pleasure. Words like greenness and brilliance can be easily categorized as something that is seen in a positive light. There are contrasting feelings in stanza four and five. As Hughes moves form one view to the other we can see the deep spiritual transition from anger and sadness to happiness and relief. It’s almost as the fox has been the guide in the journey to an enlightening experience. From here we can determine that it is not a literal clearing we’ve come to but a clarity in the since of a new state of mind. Hughes has realized that his current studies are crushing him and he knows he has to change. However in the last four lines there is a clear warning that is given by the Burnt Fox. The poem seems as if it were to end in a joyous manner. However, the Burnt Fox sneaks, as foxes often do, into the hole of the head, back into his thoughts and create the since of doom again. There is now the same lack of light from the stars, the same lack of hope. The sharp hot stink of the fox is a strong reminder that he must change his life before he destroys himself. The poem ends with the page is printed. Printing ink on a page is a very permanent action. So permanent that it could symbolize the sealing of one’s fate. If Hughes didn’t change the current suppression of his inner self he could permanently damage himself. Hughes’ work is very symbolic and can be interpreted in many ways. When comparing the Burnt fox to the Thought fox many connections can be made. The readers can clearly see the pain Hughes was hiding. It is very important as we move through our lives that we stay true to our inner nature if we wish to be happy. How to cite Thought Fox, Papers