The Tragedy of John Proctor?

     What is a tragedy?(s) As Aristotle once said, “Tragedy results when the protagonist, or tragic hero, casts aside prudent human behavior, creates a state of disorder, and reaps the consequences that then bring a return to order…” He may have been referring to ancient Greek tragedies, but his statements also apply to modern literature. One example of a modern tragedy is Arther Miller’s The Crucible. The entire format of this play follows that of Aristotle’s definition of a tragedy. In the play, the protagonist, John Proctor, commits the hamartia of adultery. This action is his first step, though more are to come, of casting aside human wisdom.(cx) Also in this play, his lover and a group of teenage girls accuse many people of Salem of the crime of witchcraft. John knows that the girls are lying, yet he holds the truth for fear of revealing his hidden truth. He struggles internally throughout the play, and he feels as if he is torn. (cd-cx)His emotion, combined with Arther Miller’s brilliant writing pull the audience out of their seats into 1690’s Salem. John finally makes the decision to put a stop to his nemesis’s scheme to ruin the town. Her hubris must be destroyed. He brings his servant to court to testify that the girls are lying in order to save his wife, friends, and ultimately the town. The situation spins out of proportion, and leaves John convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to hang. The entire town is in a state of ate. On the day of his execution, many plead with him to lie to the court so that he won’t be hanged. He in fact does try this, but he fails and decides to hang with his friends, who will die like saints, in arte. His death resolves the play and brings about a feeling of dissoi logoi. The audience feels a pain and relief at the same time. The end is like a rain that washes the earth, yet also leaves it soggy. Some lessons learned in this tale are that it is always better to reveal the truth and that no good thing can come from bad. Aristotle may have been describing famous tragedies of ancient times, yet his words remain in the literature of the day.(cd)

"The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"

   In the 1950s, McCarthyism swept the nation. McCarthyism is a term used to describe the American fear of communist spies during the Cold War. Joseph McCarthy started this movement; he tried to raise American awareness of Russians and even went so far as to accuse many famous actors and directors of communism. He had no evidence for these ludicrous claims, yet many of the victims were "black listed" and could not find work. This era has many parallels with the Salem witch trials of the 1690s. During that time, many people were wrongfully accused of witchcraft due to paranoia and revenge.
   In the Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," a meteor flies across a street and its power goes out. Even the cars, radios, and lawn mowers lose power. The people of the neighborhood become paranoid after a young man tells a story of a comic book that is similar to the events taking place. This symbolizes the rising, witch fear of the Puritans and the McCarthyism fear of spies. The boy explains that aliens in the comic book didn't allow anyone to leave except the disquised aliens, and this sends the neighborhood into high alert.They turn on each other, which directly parallels the situation in both 1950s and 1690s. In all these cases, people point fingers at others that they know. In the Twilight Zone, a character named Charlie becomes the McCarthy and blames many different people. Eventually, his paranoia leads him to kill one of his neighbors. By the end of the episode, the entire neighborhood is in a state of extreme panic. We learn that aliens were the cause of the power shortages; however, they were not in the town, but watching. The aliens make the comment that humans are our own most dangerous enemy. In the conclusion, a direct line is shown to the 50s by saying that weapons are not always bombs, explosions, and fallout, but thoughts and attitudes. Our prejudice can kill, our suspicion destroy, and our thoughtless search for a scape goat can create a fall out for our children and children yet unborn. This statement ties together all three of the examples. In each case the people destroy themselves without weapons of destruction, but with their minds and accusations.

The Best Part of "Believe" is the ''Lie''

    Lying is a skill that can be found in both sexes, all races, and every age group. It is part of the human condition. We all have lied. I have lied for various reasons, the prominent one being to stay out of trouble. I'm not, however, proud of this fact. Lying is like a black hole sucking you in and reshaping you until you don't know what you are anymore. To lie seems like the easier way out sometimes than to tell the truth, but in reality the opposite is true. When a person lies, he or she must remember the lie, not reform any part of it, and be able to have a certain amount of acting skills to pull it off. If any one detail of a lie changes, it will be uncovered an d brought to light. To tell the truth might have certain consequences at he present, but the person telling the truth will only have to remember what happened, not a fictional story. I have been punished for dishonesty before and it was much more severe than if I would have told the truth. Also, a hidden punishment for lying is the disappointment and distrust I received after the unveiling of the truth.
 People lie for various reasons. One of which is to keep out of trouble. It may seem tantalizing as a child to tell your mother you only had one cookie when you actually had ten, but there will be harsh effects from this. Also, lying to make things seem more important is a major reason people lie. An example of this is someone stating that they had ten phone calls wen they only had four. This lie may not seem like a big deal, it enhances the story, but it is still a lie. One of the last reasons people lie is to start conflict with an enemy. Yes, rumors are mostly lies made up to make people feel better about themselves while making others feel terrible.
    I have been the victim of malicious rumors before. It is not a warm feeling. When I was in middle school and I heard a rumor about myself, I would drive myself crazy trying to figure out who started it and how it came to be. It can be a very hurtful thing that can ruin reputations, friendships, and even lives. However, now that I've experienced my fair share of rumors, I've learned to shuck them off and not even try and figure them out. This lack of interest takes the power away from the rumor starter and puts it into my hands. Though I can never stop a rumor someone else starts, I try every day to keep what come forth from my mouth as pure and truthful as possible.