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Examples Of Fear In The Crucible

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Recommended: Examples of fear/hysteria in the crucible

Luke J. Williams
Ansley Black
English III Period. 3
4 May 2023
CAN WE CHOOSE TO NOT FEAR? The human mind has many systems to protect itself. Although fear is the most pertinent system in the human mind to avoid being vulnerable; this is illustrated best in the play written by Arthur Miller, The Crucible. In the Crucible many characters are jaded, rude, or just plain evil. Arthur Miller uses fear to make this clear. Whether they run from, hide from, or fight against what is happening in Salem, it all boils down to each character's response to fear. The reason this play feels so real is in one part due to the fact the characters are real, and two how real fear is depicted in the play. Although Fear is just an emotion. As shown in the Crucible, …show more content…

For example during WW1 many allies had irrational fears of Asians merely because of their looks. Treating them differently, whether it be by avoiding them, deporting them, or killing them. As said by Max Everest-Phillips in The Pre-War Fear of Japanese Espionage: Its impact and Legacy “every Japanese is a potential intelligence officer for Japan, but unfortunately it is not practicable to substantiate that belief by quoting incidents in support” the quote pretty much means you can’t assume everyone who is Japanese is a spy because you found a few Japanese spies. Or rather you can’t make assumptions based on faulty evidence and by making those assumptions you are responding the wrong way to fear. Instead of looking at just the data you need to look at the reasoning in the facts and understand if someone looks like something, there is a chance they may not be that thing. The best example of this “wrong response” to fear in literature is in the crucible. Although there are many characters who respond poorly to fear in the crucible Abigail Williams is the worst one. “I am but God’s finger, John. If he would condemn Elizabeth, she will be condemned” Throughout the story of The Crucible Abigail fears a lot, when she fears she will get caught she runs away, when she fears she will be shunned at the forest she blames Tituba. But everytime Abigail is faced with fear she responds by being even more nasty by choosing the most evil possible option. Therefore, Abigail Williams is the perfect example of the “bad response” to

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