Please comment with a learning log on Arthur Miller's The Crucible and our overall understanding of The Transcendentalists (Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Emerson).
I am looking for you to answer questions such as:
- What is the allegory in The Crucible?
- What is the allegory in The Scarlet Letter?
- How do these works underscore the major tenets of Transcendentalist thought?
- Why is the appeal to fear so powerful in both of these works but also in contemporary society?
- What have you learned from Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Miller that you will take away from this class and remember?
I hope people remember that Emerson was a brilliant philosopher who believed in people's individualism and journey with God through their relationships with people and nature, not organized religion or politics. This is deep, but not so deep that you have nothing to contribute. Remember how the appeal to fear causes mass hysteria and suspicion in both the novel and the play? These authors were teaching people not to follow blindly but to form their own solid views based on fact--not rumor, opinion, or trends. Sorry this week was chaotic - we will review Monday. Our discussion derailed, so we need to circle back and discuss Self Reliance and The Crucible in more depth.
ReplyDelete1. The Crucible is a play set during the Salem witch trials in the 1600's, but it's an allegory for the McCarthy witch hunts in the early 1950's (the red scare). The Crucible is an allegory for society's response to panic and hysteria.
ReplyDelete2. In The Scarlet Letter the Puritans saw the world through allegory. Objects, such as the scaffold, were ritualistic symbols for concepts as sin and penitence.
3. Hester Prynne displays many acts of civil disobedience throughout the The Scarlet Letter, and Hawthorne often criticizes the Puritan society that punishes her so harshly.
4. Fear is so powerful because fear makes people do crazy things, like turning against friends and family to save yourself from the crime. This happens today too for example if someone in class stole something from the teacher the person who did it will blame it on someone else to save themselves from the punishment.
5. I will have a better understanding on what transcendentalists are and what fear can do to societies, and I learned a little bit more about symbolism.
Paige Furrie
1. The Crucible shows the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 in Massachusetts. During the 1950s the McCarthy communist hunts were going on. This was known as the "Red Scare."
ReplyDelete2. In the Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne shows the audience how myopic Puritans were in the late 16th and early 17th centuries were. The novel has a lot of symbolism that represents things during that time.
3. These works underscore the major tenets of Transcendentalist thought by talking about the connection with God and how society back then was very messed up.
4. Fear is so powerful because it causes people to do different things. In the Crucible, fear made many people suffer. In contemporary society fear causes many people to to make the wrong decisions.
5. From all these authors I have learned about many events that have happened in the past. I learned the true meaning of transcendentalism. I have also learned about good vs. evil and why fear is so powerful.
1. Although The Crucible is about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, it is an allegory to the Red Scare in the 1950s. Arthur Miller was showing the effects the McCarthy "witch hunts" could have.
ReplyDelete2. The allegory of the Scarlet Letter is trying to convey to readers the dangers of judging others and neglecting their own sins.
3. The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible were set in religious Puritan times. They relate to Transcendentalism through their connection with God and belief in people who know more than normal senses allow.
4. Appeal to fear is powerful because fear is an emotion that causes people to react without thinking. The people in both stories would sacrifice others to save themselves and this is often the case in contemporary situations. Fear makes people be careful with their actions.
5. I really liked Emerson's Self Reliance because it focused on being independent. Hawthorne taught me not to judge others, but instead get to know them. Miller shows that you should not believe everything you hear or get carried away with something just because everyone else is.
1. The Crucible is about the Salem Witch Trials from the 1600s. This play was meant to show what could potentially happen if the Red Scare got out of hand like it did in Salem.
ReplyDelete2. The allegory from The Scarlet Letter warns us to look at all the sins we have committed before we judge others.
3. The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter show examples of Transcendentalism. Hester Prynne showed civil disobedience by using good deeds to show the townspeople that they were wrong about her. Both works show that a relationship with God is important.
4. Fear is one of the most powerful things in society because it causes people to do things they normally would not do. People will do insane things to save their own skin; this includes throwing their own family and friends under the bus.
5. I understand the role of transcendentalists better after we have read Emerson and the other transcendentalists. I also realize how powerful the appeal to fear can be.
-Aaron Love
1. The Crucible is about the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. People were executed due to a group of girls. The allegory of The Crucible is representing how the court would do anything to have what they want heard.
ReplyDelete2. The allegory of The Scarlet Letter is trying to have others realize in depth how it is to be judged and how ignorant people may be to blame others for things that they have done also directly or indirectly.
3. The Crucible and The Scarlet letter underscore the major tenets of Transcendentalist thought by showing the connection or relation to God yet showing the complexity of the situation and how cruel people were.
4. The appeal to fear is so powerful in The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter but also in contemporary society because fear causes you to do certain things that you might not really want to do. If a person commits a wrong decision then they have fear of getting in trouble and will do just about anything to not get caught.
5. Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Miller were all great transcendentalist. They stood up for what they believed in and did not change their minds for any reason.
-Ellizon Torres
1. The allegory in The Crucible was set during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, but was directed to those affiliated with the Red Scare during 1953. Miller wanted his audience to learn from the mistakes of the Puritans by thinking for themselves more, and following others less.
ReplyDelete2. In The Scarlet Letter the allegory is to not judge others because their sin is different from yours. Since we are all sinners, it is hypocritical to look down upon anothers sin.
3. These works underscore the major tenets of Transcendentalist thought since various examples are shown which portray the importance of being an independent thinker, not following the beliefs of others, not conforming to society, and maintaining a connection with God.
4. Fear is a leading force in both novels because fear forces people to do things they normally wouldn't do in an effort to save themselves. When people feel endangered they tend to act irrationally. This is found in contemporary society as well because although times have changed, the nature of humans have not.
5. I have learned from these authors a lot about what Transcedentalism really is, and why it's important to create your own path rather than following anothers. I've learned a lot about the Puritan mindset and what happened during these historical eras. I have also learned that no one is fully good or fully evil, therefore it is hypocritical to judge others.
-Ana Mitchell
1. The allegory, or lesson taught, in The Crucible was set in the late 1600s during the Salem Witch Trials. It was written however in the mid 1900s to warn the people participating in the McCarthy witch hunts of the negative effect that could come from this. Arthur Miller wanted his audience to realize the mistakes that previously occurred and to not let them happen again.
ReplyDelete2. The allegory in The Scarlet Letter is set in the 1600s in a Puritan community. It conveys the message that it is not okay to judge others for their sin because you have also sinned. In other words The Scarlet Letter sends a warning of the hypocrisy that can occur in everyday life.
3. The ideas of a Transcendentalist revolve around being independent and self reliant. Both The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter show the importance of not conforming to society and having your own beliefs.
4. Fear is such a powerful factor in both of these works because fear causes us humans to act differently than our normal selves. This still occurs in our society today because humans have in no way changed. Just like we discussed in class our way of living may have changed, but our mindsets have not.
5. From all of these great authors I have learned the importance of standing up for what you believe in no matter who is for you or against you. I think this is important and will help me in and out of this class because all of these men used writing to help them state their opinions. They found a creative way to express their views, not a violent one and not one that caused them to stand in front of people and worry about how they were going to be perceived.
1. In The Crucible, the allegory was that it was set during the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600s but was directed towards the people in the Red Scare of the 1950s. Arthur Miller wanted the people to realize what happened in hopes of preventing it.
ReplyDelete2. The allegory in the Scarlet Letter it that we should not judge others for their sins because we all sin and fall short of the glory of God.
3. These two works underscore the major tenets of Transcedentalist thoughts because they all show examples of being independent in your thoughts. They also show relationships with God as well as how unfair society can be.
4. Fear is so powerful because it causes a unique reaction to do anything to save ourselves. It causes an adrenaline rush to act without thinking of the consequences. In these two works, the people did anything just to save themselves out of fear. This often happens in modern society. People will do anything to give the blame to someone else.
5. Throughout the transcendentalist unit I have learned about being yourself. I admired Hester Prynne a lot because she did not let her mistakes hinder her. I learned a lot about history and how times have changed but human nature has not. The lessons I learned while studying trancendentalist will be used throughout my everyday life.
1. The Crucible was about the Salem witch trials symbolizing "The Red Scare" in the 1950's. It symbolizes it because of the way things were getting out of hand about something that they were against.
ReplyDelete2.The Scarlet letter's main message was that if you overcome the judgement of other over your own sin you can essentially do anything. It is this because it changed the way people viewed the scarlet a from adultery to able.
3. These works show the connection of the major tenets of Transcendentalist thought through main or important characters in each work. An example of this would be Hester in The Scarlet letter. She showed major tenets like being your own mentor, living life to the fullest, individualism, and being one with god not the church.
4. Fear is so powerful in both of these works because is it shows what a simple emotion can do to people. People act so selfish it situations like these, they do things for the better of themselves and do nothing for others. These act is found it contemporary society because it shows that things around us have advanced and evolved but we essentially, have not emotionally and spiritually.
5.The things i have learned from these authors about their mindset of others will stick with me throughout my life. They taught me not to worry about what others are thinking of you now and how the judgement of others can be hurtful at times but if you stick to yourself and what you believe in you can succeed. This is actually helping me now because this winter i decided not to play basketball and now all of Sanford is judging me for this decision.
1. The Crucible was written in the 1900’s during the Red Scare. Miller’s attempt in writing this play was to try to expose to his audience that what they were doing will end up consuming their lives and that in the end, it is a worthless task.
ReplyDelete2. The allegory in The Scarlet Letter is that Hawthorne is trying to expose the hypocrisy among the Christian community. In his novel, the characters were so judgmental of Hester and in our day and age, Christians are still judgmental of others when in reality, they are still sinners.
3. These works relate to transcendentalism because they were set in the puritan times when religion was supposed to be booming. However, these were very corrupt times. The characters had to rely on their own beliefs and break free from the views of everyone else which is what transcendentalists believed.
4. The appeal to fear in one of the most powerful things in our society. When someone is fearful of something or someone, it can often consume all of their thoughts and take over their life. This is relevant in these works, as well as our lives. Unfortunately, we cannot eliminate fear so easily. We must face our fears head on, no matter how difficult that may be.
5. I have learned a lot about these authors that will help me later in life. I learned from Emerson, especially, that it is most important to stand up for what I believe in, even if I am standing alone. It is important to form my own opinions about issues in society and stand by my decisions 100%.
-Madeline Lutz
1. The allegory in The Crucible is that a society should never let their fears transform in to “witch hunts.” This was important during the Red Scare because society was letting their fear of communism evolve into modern day witch hunts where they accused people of being communists.
ReplyDelete2. The allegory in The Scarlet Letter is that people should not be so quick to judge and prosecute others if they would not do the same to themselves. Hawthorne was trying to expose the hypocrisy in Puritan Society and he accomplished that by teaching this lesson to his readers.
3. These works underscore the major tenets of Transcendentalist thought in multiple ways. A main tenet of transcendentalism was “thou shalt not conform.” The Crucible was a great example of this because many of the people in that town just conformed instead of speaking up and saying those people are innocent and because of that many innocent people got hanged. Another big tenet that is supported in The Crucible is “society corrupts an individual’s inherent goodness.” Many people were persuaded to lie and admit to something they did not do just so they could end their suffering. I think that the tenet “nature is sacred” was expressed in The Scarlet Letter because when Hester was in the forest that was the only time she felt truly happy and free. The tenet “be one with God, not the church” is expressed in both books because in both of the stories the people strayed from God and was more focused on the image of the Church.
4. The appeal to fear is so powerful in both of these works because in both towns they were worried about their society becoming corrupt but by worrying so much they caused corruption themselves. I think that the appeal to fear in both of these works and in contemporary society is so powerful because it makes people afraid of corruption and hysteria in their society and if they will become a victim to it.
5. I have learned that you should be yourself and stay strong in your beliefs. You should express your beliefs even if they go against what other people think. I have also learned that you should not judge other people so harshly for their beliefs and actions.
The Crucible, a playwright about the Salem witch trials in which individuals were hanged based on testimonies by young, naïve, girls who suspected these people solely to preserve their own lives or if they were on their bad side. This was an allegory to convey a message to all those involved in the “witch hunt” during the 1950’s Red Scare. Throughout this time America feared that we would shift to communism, as a result political figures would be on the lookout for people with communist views or tendencies and accuse them of such actions. The allegorical point in relation to this mass hysteria was to the hunters and the hunted to show how fallible such accusations were and how they could be seriously detrimental to the accused careers’.
ReplyDeleteThis idea is comparable to The Scarlet Letter were Hawthorne, like Miller, conveys the power of innuendo. The allegory in The Scarlett Letter was that everyone is flawed and sinful. Individuals need not to highlight one particular flaw and use it to define that person’s life. On the other hand, we should also embrace our flaws and accept that they are a natural part of life, instead of letting them rule our lives.
These works and allegorical attempts to make life better underscore the transcendental tenets of Emerson’s self-reliance theory, as well as independence, intellectualism, and making the world a better place for all. These works outline the importance of taking responsibility for your own actions and using logical approaches to make a beneficial change within in yourself that ultimately improves your own life. They show the corruption of the government and how one should not fully invest their trust in the government for that exact reason.
Fear, along with money, is the ultimate motivators. Preserving one’s own life is one of the most powerful innate abilities we have. Fear inflicts a sense of self preservation. It would make logical sense for this tactic to be used to persuade individuals to receive the intended result. Whether it is getting a congregation to turn from their “wicked ways”, or get a false confession, fear accomplishes this task in most cases. This also true on contemporary society.
I’ve learned the true meaning of self-reliance and self responsibility. Though judgment is involuntary sometimes, I’ve learned to seek more information about a subject or person before categorizing them as something. I’ve learned to embrace my flaws and become less focused on others opinions. I’ve learned these simple ideas through the transcendental works of Emerson, Thoreau, Miller, and Hawthorne.
1. The Crucible shows the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 in the Massachusetts colony.During the 1950s the communist hunts were going on,which were known as the "Red Scare."
ReplyDelete2. In the Scarlet Letter Hawthorne uses symbolism to show that all sin is equal.
3. These works show the connection of the major tenets of Transcendentalist in the scarlet letter Hester refused to leave because she was in love, but knowing her love would never publicly love her Hester had to to be self reliant. Nature also served as a place of peace in Scarlet Letter because that is where Hester and her lover would go to be together."Society corrupts an individual's inherent goodness" this is made true in The Crucible people were forced to admit to thing they had never had a part oh. Being one with God and not the church shows up in both the book and movie.
4. Fear is powerful because it can make you do thing you would never think of doing, like admitting to a crime you hadn't done much like the confessions given in The Crucible. In contemporary society fear is now been given a new name "peer pressure" people for some reason feel that they are required to do something because that's what everyone is doing. In the crucible Abigail made the girls promise not to tell or she would kill them they fell in line, but they were still in trouble so when Tituba "saw the devil" they claimed to have saw him as well.
5. From all these authors I have learned that no one is truly good or evil every good person has done something wrong and every evil or wicked person has or once had and opportunity to be good.
1. The Crucible shows us the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, showing a near repetition of it in the 1950's Communist(the new witch) hunt.
ReplyDelete2. The Scarlet Letter is showing us the "Utopian" Puritan society. Hawthorne's allegory of a society then 200 years younger was to point out the hypocrisy that was prevalent in the Puritans and Hawthorne's contemporary societies.
3. The two works, The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, underscore Transcendentalism by using worshipers of a church (not God, see number seven on the tenets) to point out faults either in a person and a group. More or less, the societies in both books become hive-minded in their hunts (see number three on the tenets) and tried to force conformity and everyone in both Puritan Salem and Boston (number two).
4. Fear is a strong provoker, it can force people to act irrationally; however, if you can predict how people will react, you can limit their options. Much like how Tituba was accused, then beaten for a confession, the prospect of death can scare people, and, like Tituba, can bring them to lie if it will remove that immediate horror. Contemporary horror comes along with things such as terrorism, starvation, social alienation. More or less the same things that have scared people for the previous epochs.
5. From the four authors, one thing that I could take from them is the idea of to not conform and to embrace my identity. Coming to terms with this really succeeds in fulfilling my person philosophies and that of Transcendentalism.
1.The Crucible is about the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. People were executed because of the lies of a group of girls. The allegory of The Crucible is representing how the court would do anything to have what they want heard.
ReplyDelete2. The allegory of The Scarlet Letter is trying to have others realize how it is to be judged and how people blame others for things that they have done.
3. The Crucible and The Scarlet letter show the major tenets of Transcendentalist by showing the connection or relation to God yet showing how cruel the people were.
4. The appeal to fear is so powerful in The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter but also in the modern world because fear causes you to do certain things that you might not really want to do. If a person does something they shouldnt have done then they have fear of getting in trouble and try to cover it up with lies or actions.
5. All of these authors were all great transcendentalist. They all kept believing in their own beliefs and stood up for them. For what they done they inspired me to believe in what I want to believe in and never give up and I wont ever forget that.
-Tyler Farley
1. The Crucible uses the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 to show a connection with The McCarthy witch hunt during the 1900s. It shows how society responds to things they do not consider normal.
ReplyDelete2. Allegory in The Scarlet Letter is to point out hypocrisy in the Christian community during Hawthorne's time, by using the Puritan society in the book as an example.
3. The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter both use tenets of Transcendentalist thoughts by showing that a relationship with God is important.
4. The appeal of fear is so important in both of these works because fears is one of the most powerful things in society. Fear causes people to make decisions based on what they fear. Fear can effect your thoughts and your actions, fear is one of the hardest things to overcome. Your fears play a huge role in your life and what you chose to do.
5. Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, nd Miller have taught me to have my own opinions. They have taught me to stand strong in what I believe in and try not to let others influence me. I will take what I learned from them and use it later in life.
-Erin Pickens
End of submission - all others will be late
ReplyDelete1.The Crucible is about the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. People were executed because of the lies of some girls. The allegory of The Crucible is representing how the court would do anything to have what they want heard.
ReplyDelete2. The allegory of The Scarlet Letter is trying to have others realize how it is to be judged and how people blame others for things that they have done.
3. The Crucible and The Scarlet letter show the major tenets of Transcendentalist by showing the relation to God yet showing how cruel the people were.
4. The appeal to fear is so powerful in The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter but also in the modern world because fear causes you to do certain things that you might not really want to do. If a person does something they shouldnt have done then they have fear of getting in trouble and try to cover it up with lies or actions. It is easy to use fear to get what you want.
5. All of these authors were all great transcendentalist. They believed what they wanted and stood up for what they believed in. Always be yourself.
-Nicholas McCullen
1. The allegory in The Crucible is the Red Scare of the 1950's. It was set during the Salem Witch Trials during the 1690's and Arthur Miller shows how the "witch hunts" of McCarthy effected innocent people.
ReplyDelete2. The allegory in The Scarlett Letter is how people judge others, but don't look at themselves. They think they do nothing wrong, yet their sins are worse.
3. These works underscore the major tenets of Transcendentalist because they show how society corrupts goodness. They also show the connections with God.
4. Fear is powerful because it makes one do whatever they have to, to make the fear go away. Also the Puritans used their sermons to put fear in peoples eyes, to convey them to do something.
5. From Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Miller I have learned to always be myself, never judge others for their sins, don't blame innocent people for my own mistakes, and to speak what I believe.
- Cullen Boyette