For this blog entry you will need to use the handout we went over in class that summarizes the different psychological theories.
Pick one character or one part of Act 3.
Use one of the theories from the handout we went over in class to analyze that character or that scene. What insights do you gain by viewing that character or scene with this particular psychological lens? How can you explain the behaviors you observed or any characters' decisions? What are some questions that still remain for you?
Be sure to use specific ideas or parts of the theory as you discuss the character or scene you selected.
Be sure to analyze (pick apart) specific lines of dialogue from the play.
Don't forget to give your entry a title and include your name. And of course, proofread before publishing!
In the scene in which Abigail is in the court room with Danforth and Parris and Proctor and all the other men, she begins to lie to the court and accuse Mary Warren of haunting her. As she begins to do so, the other girls in the court room with her begin to do as she did and this frightened Mary Warren. This has to go along with the psychological factor of obedience and power. Abigail clearly had power over all the girls and the court room because she got Danforth to believe her. You begin to realize that Mary Warren is stronger than you think. She is able to lie to a court room with many knowledgeable people and get many people in trouble. She ended up getting Mary to begin not to confess about how they all have been lying, because Mary was terrified of Abigail. "looking about in the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold: I-I know not. A wind wind, a cold wind, has come. Her eyes fall on Mary Warren. Mary warren, terrified, pleading: Abby!" (pg 108). Abigail has coercive power. She is able to punish the girls if they don't do as she wants them too. The decisions made in this scene is all to keep that sense of power. They all want to keep they're name and title and the amount of power they have and will over power anyone who tries to take it away. I still wonder if Danforth will come to his senses and realize that the girls really are lying. I also wonder if Proctor's wife will go to jail for lying and if she really is pregnant.
ReplyDeleteThe girls do have some power over Danforth, Parris, and even Proctor because they are the ones who are accusing who is involved with witchcraft, and who is making them act and see weird things that aren't really there. But Abby does have the main power over them, everyone is so scared of Abby that they don't dare say that all of these is a lie. Until Mary Warren does, but goes back to Abby because she is so afraid of what Abby will do.
DeleteI like your idea here. I would also say as an example of Abigail's power how she starts to threaten Danforth in the court by saying that she might be able to see evil spirits around him if he didn't start to believe her story.
DeleteLiving is better...
ReplyDeleteIn the scene where Danforth has just told John Proctor that his wife is pregnant is very puzzling for everyone. Proctor believes that his wife will never lie, which means that Elizabeth is actually pregnant. On the other hand, Danforth thinks that Elizabeth has become pregnant at a most opportune time. I believe this goes with the psychoanalytic theory. Elizabeth might be hanged at any moment but she doesn't want to die. This is a life or death situation so she makes an excuse so she can live just a little bit longer. Danforth says, "I will let her be kept another month;" on page 92. I'm pretty sure everyone would lie if they could have one more month to live if they new they might die the next day. I'm not sure if Elizabeth is actually pregnant but it would be very fortunate if she was. I also wonder if Danforth will finally believe Proctor now since Hale has left the court.
I like the connection you made here with Elizabeth's "excuse". I would also like to point out that Elizabeth is saving the life of the child she is supposedly pregnant.
DeleteI also think Elizabeth told Danforth that she was pregnant so that Proctor would have more time to tell Danforth and the court the truth about the girls and about the affair with Abigail. If Proctor succeeded in telling the truth to the court and Danforth and they believed him, then maybe Elizabeth would be saved and she would not have to fake being pregnant.
Deletethis really is true because Proctor did everything in his power to prevent his wife from dying, no matter what it was. he made sure she would be alive for at least a month, and if she really was pregnant then she would be alive for a year. when the bottom of the pyramid is removed then all focus goes to regaining it,
DeleteLuke Kellish
ReplyDeleteAccording to Sigmund Freud, all decisions that we make in life are driven by two things, Life and Death. No matter how insignificant the decision, it's almost always heavily influenced on how it will effect our chance of survival. On page 118 in The Crucible, the scene is set with Mary Warren siding with John Proctor to rat out Abigail Williams and the other girls for lying about the whole witchcraft plot. When Judge Danforth begins to threaten the girls with whoever the convicted liar is with death by hanging, Mary Warren breaks first.
"I'll not hang with you! I love God, I love God."
When things start to get chaotic, John Proctor pushes Mary Warren to tell the truth, but instead pushes her back to her breaking point. Mary Warren acknowledges that even though it's the truth, siding with Proctor has a higher chance of getting her killed. Mary Warren switches sides and again agrees with Abigail. Although this will with no doubt cost some people's lives, Mary Warren doesn't care, because she's preserved her own.
Also the sense of power came back to Mary Warren because things for her started to look bleak because all of the girls were turning against her. She became the obedience when John Proctor made her confess the truth to the court and everyone else. When that didn't work, she joined along with the girls once again when they were pretending to see a bird attacking them. She then gained back that power and turned against John Proctor. So Mary Warren then became the power.
DeleteThis is a very good point. Mary Warren does break first, but in her defense she is still fairly young. She seemed to be siding with Proctor in the beginning but then things started to go out of hand. I think she thought she had a better chance of not hanging by siding with the girls again.
DeleteInteresting take
DeleteIn the scene where Proctor had just confessed that he had and affair with Abigail, what Abigail does goes right along with the psychological theory of obedience and power. Abigail screams and looks very fearful of a bird she says she sees and starts to point at the ceiling. As she does this all of the girls follow along pointing at the ceiling. I believe that all of the girls are just copying everything Abigail does because they feel as if Abigail has power over them and she is their leader so they must do as she says and does. The girls also follow right along with Abigail when she starts to mimic everything that Mary Warren says acting like Mary is the one who is controlling her. "Now staring full front as though hypnotized, and mimicking the exact tone of Mary Warren's cry" (115). Abigail being the leading speaker for the girls, I think, is why the girls are influenced by her actions and are always following her lead. Aside from this part in the act, I wonder about Elizabeth and if she is really pregnant, or just trying to get out of being hanged for the meantime?
ReplyDeleteAbby definitely has complete control over the girls. I like how you used the bird example and how everybody started mimicking what she was doing. Going along with your ending question, John Proctor states that his wife "never lies", however; she blatantly lied in the court which proves his statement wrong. I wonder if Elizabeth knew she would survive if she had claimed she was pregnant. If she is lying about that, though, her punishment will be extremely severe.
DeleteMichael, I perceived Abigail's screaming was to get her out of trouble and mess up all the evidence that John Proctor was trying to give. Certainly the girls were just copying her because she has a lot of power though.
DeleteI agree 100% with this because everytime something happens int he court room its usually that starts the reaction and everyone else follow her lead pretty much
DeleteIn the court room Abigail had a considerable amount of power, though she had no legal ability to get her way. The other girls were afraid so they followed her lead. She was able to manipulate the girls and convince the court that anyone she didn't like was a witch. Judge Hawthorn however had real power. It was his ability to condemn or set free anyone he chose to, and it was his word that sent people to their deaths. Seeing as both these powerful characters were working to condemn witches, characters such as John and Giles had less impact on the proceedings, even though they had logical explanations.
ReplyDeleteAnd the ones with the least amount of power, aka the ones who are accused of witchcraft, have little to no impact on the proceedings whatsoever no matter what they say.
DeleteDanforth says "...witchcraft...an invisible crime, is it not? Therefore, who may possibly be witness to it? The witch and the victim. None other..." Abigail has power because she is a "victim" of witchcraft, and she is a witness because only the victims can see the "evil" spells of the witches. So people believe whatever Abigail says because she is a victim.
DeleteThe girls may be afraid of Abby and how much power she has over them and others, but the girls also have power of people in the court room, since the girls and Abby are the ones accusing people of witchcraft.
DeleteI completely agree with this. Anyone who actually thought rationally was either accused of being a witch, or someone close to them was. Other people, such as Mr. Putnam, use the power of the girls to gain land. He would accuse his neighbors and claim their land as his.
DeleteI agree with this, because some of the people that were accused where just there at the wrong time or had grudges with the wrong people and they couldn really do anything once accued to prove that they werent witches.
DeleteSigmund Freud suggests two ideas that motivates life and death decisions. Everything we do is caused by some kind of emotion. Certain things involving life or death can increase these emotions which then increase our actions for survival. In the Crucible, Mary Warren is a lot smarter then she seems. She comes off as immature and impish, but she knows how to take care of herself. When Abigail and the girls stared to go against Mary Warren, she realized she was going to be accused as a witch, and or even get into trouble for lying. She then started to turn things onto John Proctor when she knew her life was in danger. So now no justice is going to be served because of her. This shows how emotions play a big role on everyday actions especially in situations of life and death.
ReplyDeleteMary Warren also knew that if she told the truth about Abigail and the other girls that they would find her so she kept quiet for awhile to keep herself safe from the girls and Abigail. Mary Warren was scared and did not want the spotlight to be on herself so she did whatever she could to get herself out of trouble and to get the spotlight off of her.
DeleteI really think Jonathan did a good just of connecting his idea to a theory. I agree with him that people do everything based off of emotion and survival. He never sidetracked from his idea, he staid on point. I liked how he describes how Abby plays these girls, and how eventually Mary Warren figures out that if she wants to survive she needs to play some people too.
DeleteI agree completely because the theory says that people with do whatever they have to to stay alive. Mary Warren didnt hesitate to make the court room go against John Proctor when she thought her ow life was in danger. I feel like this also goes along with the Humanistic theory because it says people are aways driven to achieve their maximum potential and always will do so unless obstacles are placed in the way, in this case the obstacle is safety. I feel like Mary Warren would have done the right thing if she didnt think her life was on the line.
DeleteThere are many instances in which characters in The Crucible make decisions that influence whether or not they will live or die. One occasion where this theory is supported is when Elizabeth claims that she is pregnant. We had no knowledge of her pregnancy before she was accused, but now that she is in jail and about to hang, she mysteriously becomes pregnant. This makes you think if she is really pregnant or if she is just attempting to not have herself hanged.
ReplyDeleteAnother spot in Act 3 where a character makes a decision to save their own life is when Marry Warren decides to abandon John Proctor and his accusations on Abigal and the girls, and starts to side with the girls again. She does not really side with the girls because she is still being called a witch by the girls, but she does attempt to throw John Proctor under the bus and says that she was forced into saying that the trials were fake. Marty Warren made a decision that she would rather live in jail, then be hanged because she was a witch, which is why she left John Proctor's side and joined the girls'.
The development with Elizabeth and her sudden announcement that she is pregnant really connects with Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytic theory. Which says that we as humans base all of our actions on the need/desire for survival. Perhaps Elizabeth isn't actually pregnant. She's desperate to keep herself alive. She will do anything and everything in her ability to stay alive.
DeleteThe psychoanalytic theory says that we make decisions based on two ideas: life and death. Every thought we have is based on us thinking about how it will help us live and prevent us from dying. This theory can be seen through the character John Proctor in act 3 when he does the right thing in order to save his wife's life. John has gone a considerable amount of time disregarding the fact that he should tell the court judges that he and Abigail had an affair. Abigail is accusing his wife of being a witch to kill her and end up being with John. After John's attempt to submit a list of people's names who say his wife is a good person and using Marry Warren's testimony fail, he finally comes out and says to the court that he had an affair with Abigail and that all the girls are pretending to see spirits to kill off towns members out of vengeance. This is a milestone and proves the psychoanalytic theory because adultery was frowned upon in puritan society and John made the decision to come out with his confession because his wife's life was at stake. This will help his life as well because he needs his wife to help raise his their three kids on the farm they own.
ReplyDeleteThis is very true. I also did the psychoanalytic theory. I think you could have made your blog a little better by adding the part where Elizabeth says that she is pregnant. This could add another reason for the life and death situation for the same person you are talking about.
DeleteI like the way you worded this. Everything you said is very true and are very good points.
DeleteI agree, admitting to adultery in Puritan society is problem the last thing in the world he would want to do, but was forced by it because it was the only way to save him and his wife lives. A way to make this stronger would had to explain how these actions relate to that psychology theory.
DeleteWhile reading the Crucible I thought about the psychology theory, obedience and power, specifically coercive power. I feel like Abigail has coercive power, not that she has the "right" to punish anyone but she definitely has a hold over the other girls by using fear. She told them how if they told the truth she would sneak into their houses at night and kill them why they were sleeping. I think that's why all of the girls go along with Abigail because they dear if they don't maybe Abigail will point her finger at them or worse. Abigail is like the leader of all the girls and whatever she does they imitate, I think they want to be on her good side because they've seen her turn people against other people and they want to be safe from Abigail's wrath.
ReplyDeleteI agree with how Maddie says that Abby is the leader of the group, and how whatever she does the girls will follow. She technically could have done any topic under Obedience and Power but she chose coercive. She made that one work because she gave an example from the text that supported her idea. She stays on topic and I agree that Abby has power over every one by punishment.
DeleteJohn Proctor Through the Eyes of a Psychologist by Metin Ozisik
ReplyDeleteAbraham Maslow created the pyramid called the Hierarchy of Needs (1970) which shows that humans have specific needs and if those needs are not met than that person has a lower focus of needs than someone who has more needs fulfilled. The person that has more needs fulfilled will have different needs or objectives that will be higher on the Hierarchy of Needs.
At the end of Act 3 John Proctor has given the judges all of his evidence and they still do not believe him. They actually accuse him of working for the devil. John Proctor goes off on them when he says "I say god is dead!...I hear the boot of lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud-God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!" What John Proctor is saying is that because Danforth and Hawthorn are knowingly refusing to see the truth they are just as bad as John for not telling of his affair with Abigail, so they are at fault and they will all "burn " for it. This speech that John Proctor gives relates to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs because John Proctor realizes that the judges aren't going to listen to him and he basically gives up all hope that people aren't going to die and that this issue will be resolved. Before this even happens, John Proctor has higher needs because he doesn't want to go to Salem when his wife tells him to, then he goes because she is arrested, then he tells the court that Mary Warren is lying. Each time his needs get lower and lower. It goes from protecting himself to protecting his wife to not caring at all because he figures he is going to be killed anyway. He insults the judges in front of everyone because his needs are nonexistent at that point.
Metein, I think that you have a good idea about the hierarchy of needs and you take some very vivid points strait from the book and really explain how john proctor is acting.
DeleteI think you have the basic idea of the theory. I do believe that his needs do decrease because he thinks that there is no hope anymore. Although, you could have changed the part about his needs going into Salem. His needs were very high because he wanted to save his wife.
DeleteThe development with John Proctor and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a good connection. In order for John Proctor to develop his esteem and respecting needs from the town, he must first rediscover the love and affection needs he once had with his wife. When Abigail accuses Elizabeth of being a witch, John's whole safety needs and security necessities are thrown out the window. He doesn't go to Salem to win back his wife's love, he goes to save her.
DeleteThis connection is good, but the point should have gone further into John and Elizabeth Proctor losing their Safety Needs they must first establish this. They totally forget about their love life for a moment and establish preserving their lives.
Metin, I agree that Proctor has fallen from Esteem needs, because of him trying to keep the respect of the town all the way down to safety needs. However I don't think "his needs are nonexistent at that point" is true. I think Proctor insulting the judges is like a Hail Mary for survival. Him saying stuff like the Devil face is in them all and that they will burn together is him trying to make the town open their eyes to the evilness of this. Proctor is trying a last ditch effort to make everyone relies how crazy this all is. I do not think he is just yelling at them because he thinks it is all over for him and is just releasing all his frustration. I think he may believe he has some hope.
DeleteMike Capoccia
ReplyDeleteLooking at this scene through a psychoanalytic view really puts this into an interesting perspective. John proctor had finally revealed his secret affair with Abagail that he has been hiding for a substantial amount of time now. This makes him completely vulnerable now and just by admitting this, it brings down his social status within Salem as a whole. Sigmund Freud suggests that two ideas drive us and that is life and death and john proctor shows this by having the fear that his wife Elizabeth might get hanged if he doesn't save her and even the thing that he is most ashamed about which is the affair, he will admit it knowing that he will save a life. In that court room john proctor had become another man by showing this side of him that was not like anything that has been seen before by this character. He usually tries to be constantly upstanding and tough but he is begging but only because he wants to save his wife's life.
Mike, you should talk more about the psychoanalytic theory and how it ties in to John Proctor's actions in this scene. Talk about how John Proctor acts at the end of Act 3.
DeleteI really agree with what mike is saying, I think the theory that life and death drives us is perfect to describe John proctor. Because his wife was begging him to go talk to the court in the beginning of all of this and he didnt actually do anything until her life was in danger
DeleteMary Warren bends to Abbys will
ReplyDeleteThe scene in Act three where Mary Warren switches from John Proctors side is a big turning point in the book. The girls start repeating everything Mary says until she breaks and switches to their side. She says to Proctor “you’re the Devil’s man!” which surprised me greatly. It makes sense why she chose to go along with the group instead of standing alone with proctor, I mean obviously I don’t agree with it but it makes sense. From a psychological standpoint it makes complete sense. It’s easier to conform because it’s scary to go against the group, it’s almost safer in a sense. When people think about going against society we become fearful and anxious. Mary Warrens actions were caused because the fear of being hanged, or the fear of Abby.
Noelle Marsan
I completely agree. To be honest, if I were Mary Warren, I would do the exact same thing. It is safer to be a part of the group of girls that everybody fears, because you would not want to be a target. By deliberately going against what they're saying, it would in turn make you a sitting duck.
DeleteI agree with this because Mary had Abigail going against her which meant that all the other girls were also against her so she did not have the power to win that battle so she decided to just go along with the group because it puts her in a more comfortable place.
DeleteI agree with what Noel said. Even though it wasn't the right thing to do, it made complete sense to me. It was either she turn on John Procter and save her life, or continue being honest and die, because it was obvious which side the Judge was on, and he wasn't going to change that. If I was in Mary Warrens shoes I probably would have done the same thing.
DeleteI'm redoing it..
DeleteMary Warren bending to Abigail
In act three Mary Warren switches from supporting John Proctor, to Abby and the girls. She finally snaps after the girls keep repeating everything she says. She yells at John Proctor "you're the devils man". I really surprised me that she did this, because she had already gone to the court with John. One Psychological theory says that the thing that shapes our actions is the thought of life and death. Many people have grudges against John Proctor, and it is easier to go with a group anyway. The judges were biased to the girls being right so she was probably not going to change their opinions. Death is a prominent theme of the book because many people are getting hanged, so it makes sense she was doing what she thought was safest.
Noelle Marsan
I totally agree with this statement, and in the Psychological reading it even said when there was a right and wrong answer, people tended to side with the group rather than stand alone and stand up for what was literally right.
DeleteMary Warren also made this decision, as you had mentioned, about life or death. Even though this decision will cost other people's lives, she preserved her own.
"The Better Ones"
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Act 3 and looking at it each character with a psychoanalytic view; it allows you to see an explanation of why a character reacts a certain way. Danforth fits under the Obedience and Power but specifically Legitimate Power because he is the judge of the court. He is the “power granted by some authority.” In Act 3, Mr. Proctor comes with Mary Warren to tell Danforth and the court the truth about all the girls’ accusations of witchcraft. Proctor tries to give valid evidence against the girls’ and Mr. Hale begins to worry because he fears that what Proctor says is the truth. Hale says “…I’ll not conceal it, my hand shakes yet as with a wound! I pray you, sir, this argument let lawyers present to you.” Danforth says “…I have been thirty-two year at the bar, sir, and I should be confounded where I called upon to defend these people. Let you consider now…” Danforth is saying that even if Hale, an expert in witchcraft, starts to believe Mr. Proctor and Mary Warren, he will not because he is the judge and has all the power. Even though Hale is powerful in this town, he has little influence on Danforth. Danforth is old and is considered wise in Salem. People of Salem trust his judgments and his decisions which give him more influence over others. Danforth says “…One calls up witnesses to prove his innocence. But witchcraft is ipso facto, on its face and by its nature, an invisible crime, is it not? Therefore, who may possible by a witness to it? The witch is the victim. None other... Therefore, what is left for a lawyer to bring out? I think I have made my point. Have I not? In this dialogue, Danforth is worried that Proctors evidence is true and tries to make sense of everything and convince himself that he does not believe Proctor has evidence because he is the head of the court and if he tries to make sense of things, people will believe him because he has power.
This argument makes a lot of sense. I never thought about it.. I hate the fact that he is so biased towards the girls. he takes everything they say as fact. this is something that is sooo wrong for the head of the court to do. it is unfair for everyone else.
DeleteKelli Hayden-
ReplyDeleteIn act 3, you can see Abigail fits under Obedience and Power but specifically coercive power because she seems to have power over all the girls. The girls are afraid that if they go against Abby then Abby will punish them. For example, when Marry Warren had decided to go against Abby and tell the court that all the girls have been lying about the witchery, she started to tell the court the truth, but then a very mean look from Abby and Abby started saying that Mary was lying. She then turns against Mr. Proctor saying " You're the Devil's man!". She then rushes to Abby and says " Abby, Abby,I'll never hurt you more!". Abby has this control over the girls that even if the girls try and tell the truth, Abby seems to pull them back in.
Abigail also shows her power in this scene when all of the girls follow right along with her when she starts to mimic everything that Mary says, acting like Mary is controlling her. The girls seem as though they are afraid to go against anything that Abigail does.
DeleteThis also goes along with Sigmund Freud's theory of Psychoanalytic ideas. Abigail makes these decisions of lying to save her life. She knows if she tells the truth she will be killed. Life and death situations cause people to make drastic decisions good or bad, in their benefit or someone else's, to make sure they stay alive. In Abigail's situation she would go as far as throwing innocent people in jail and to their death.
DeleteI think this specific power really fits Abbys character, you see it another time when Betty points out how Abby drank chicken blood and all the girls were shocked, Abby tells them she will kill them if they say a word about it and all of the girls keep quiet. She uses the power to punish them to keep control.
DeleteI saw this differently and that abby i think cares for the girls and that they really don't have anything to worry about. This fear is redundant throughout the play and makes it unbelievable.
DeleteDuring the scene in the courtroom in which Elizabeth is brought in to be questioned, John Proctor still doesn't bring up his affair that he had had with Abigail. The only thing that could possibly save his wife and other accused witches in Salem. This sort of goes along with Sigmund Freud's theory of psychoanalytic Theory. Which states that there are two basic ideal that which drive and motivate humans. life, and death. In other words, Freud's theory says that all human actions and emotions are based on "one of two goals". To help us survive, or to prevent our own destruction. John Proctor cannot confess to lechery because it is in his own best interest to keep himself and his dignity alive. Even if it puts his own wife's life and many innocent people's lives in harms way.
ReplyDeleteBut if John Proctor wanted to protect his own life, why would he laugh maniacally and claim to see lucifer right in front of everybody? That seems like a large contradiction...Still, I can see what you mean.
DeleteLater in the Act, he does eventually confess to it. No one believes him and they brought John Proctor's wife, Elizabeth, in, to ask her if the affair was true. Elizabeth says that the affair is a lie. Elizabeth does not follow the Psychoanalytical Theory here, because she risks her life in order to save John's good name.
DeleteTyler Newell-
ReplyDeleteOut of all the characters in Act 3, Mary Warren is a good example of fitting Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Normally, she's on stage 3- Fitting in and acceptance. She's trying to fit into Salem, and is able to do this when she joins the girls in testifying against witches in Court. in Act 3, suddenly abigail is threatenning Mary Warren, and she drops down to stage 2- Safety Needs. She turns against John Proctor and pretends to see the devil again to protect herself. She can't focus on doing the right thing because she believes her life is in danger. Many characters fit Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, but Mary Warren seems to be the best example.
The theory created by Sigmund Freud called Psychoanalytic Theory is when people will do anything to prolong their lives. Everything they do, every emotion they have helps drive their desire to stay alive. Abigail Williams is feared by everybody in town. They think that if they cross her wrongly, she will either accuse them, and then eventually be murdered.She has a hold on the town, and she targets everybody. She can, in a sense, do whatever or say whatever she wants and the town will believe her. People will in return, do whatever they can to prevent the wrath of Abigail Williams.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis also goes along with that power and obedience psychological theory with Abigail. She has the power to basically send someone to their death. She also leads the rest of the girls in doing so, so they won't die themselves. As long as Abigail keeps lying and having that power to do what ever she wants to people, she cant be stopped.
DeleteIn act 3, the character Abigail manipulates the girls in the court room to copy what Mary Warden says to make everyone think they have been hypnotized. They are doing this because they feel threatened by Abigail and think that she will do something to them if they go against what she says or disobeys her. This is an example of Obedience and Power because the girls view Abigail as someone with more power than them, so they give her respect and do what she says.
ReplyDeleteagreed
DeleteJohn Proctor has drastically fallen in Abraham Maslow Hierarchy of Needs. He has gone from esteem needs because of him doing anything he can to delay the town finding out about his affair. All the way down to the pyramid to safety needs because now he is just trying to stay alive in my opinion. I think Proctor saying stuff like "I see his filthy face! And it is my face and yours, Danforth!" and "You know in all your black hearts that this be fraud". Is a desperate attempt to try to make the town relies that this is not right. Drastic times means drastic measures so Proctor use very extreme language to get his point across. Saying that "God is dead" and saying that he hears the fire of Hell is very powerful and heavy language. He is hoping that this will make them open their eyes and maybe could put an end to the witch hunt.
ReplyDeletePsychoanalytic Theory
ReplyDeletePsychoanalytic Theory is when people make decisions off of life or death. I think that a good example of pyschoanalytic theory is when Danforth goes and talks to John Proctor about his wife, Elizabeth. This is when Danforth tells Proctor that Elizabeth is pregnant and wants to know if she is telling the truth. John Proctor is shocked, but tells Danforth that it must be true because his wife would never lie. Danforth doubts both of them, but says that he will give her one month time, and if she has not yet begun to show then she is obviously lying. This is a good example because although Elizabeth is known for being an honest woman, she is going to be excecuted, and what a perfect way to prolong it then saving herself in the only way she can think of.
Sigmund Freud suggests two ideas that drive us: Life and Death According to Psychoanalytic theory, everything we do, every thought we have, every emotion we experience has one of two goals: to help us to survive or to prevent our destruction.
ReplyDeleteWhen John Proctor decides to admit that he is a witch, Danforth has Rebecca Nurse come out, and says to her, that she should follow his lead and confess, and she is shocked that he would event consider confessing and playing apart in a child's game. Eventually he decides other wise and ends up ripping up his statement. Bringing about both of their deaths.
Then there were those people, that confessed just to save their lives and prevent their demise. By participating in a lie, that ultimately blackened there names.
One theory states that there are several different types of power. There is legitamate power where an individual can make a decision for others and have it be law, there is power in the sense that if a person is well liked their word carries more weight than that of somebody who is not so well respected. There is expert power where somebody who knows a lot about a certain subject has more influence than somebody who does not have those skills. In The Crucible, Judge daanforth had legitimate power. if somebody was on trial it was his word that decided e
ReplyDeletewhether or not they would live. ultimatly it was this power that lead to so many deaths. Mr. Hale had expert power. if it were not for his opinions regarding the presence of witchcraft in salem then there never would have been any trials. Parris had no true power but his word did mean something seeing as he was the minister. all of these powers lead to the deaths of several characters.