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John Locke: The Enlightenment Period

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The Enlightenment period, also referred to as the Age of Reason, took place during the mid 17th century to the beginning of the 18th century. People of the Enlightenment period were convinced that human reason could discover the natural laws of the universe and determine the natural rights of mankind. An author of that time period who demonstrated these believes in his writing was Philosopher John Locke. John Locke was born on August 29, 1632, in England. He attended Westminster school and then continued his education at the University of Oxford. There Locke studied medicine and became a highly influential philosopher through his ability to express her logic in his writing. Some of his most famous concepts Locke composed were found in Chapter …show more content…

In the play hysteria and rumors flooded Salem, massachusetts leading a group of girls to accuse many innocent citizens of witchcraft and consorting with the devil. The church stepped in to restore order to the town. Similarly, in “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the setting is during the seventeenth century. In the novel a young woman, Hester Prynne must admit to the act of adultery she has committed and wear the scarlet letter “A” as a symbol for her sin. The novel is focused around the punishment for her sin and her secrecy. Both the play and the novel address the common theme of the effect of sin on man and the outcome of the main characters confessions. John Proctor in “The Crucible” suffered from the sin of adultery he committed. This sin creates an internal conflict Proctor struggles with throughout the play. He understands the outcome of exposing Abigail because it will also exposing himself of his wrong-doing. Hester Prynne in “ The Scarlet Letter” often has conflicted views with her daughter Pearl. In this conflicted relationship Hawthorne shows just how Hester 's sin (Pearl a representation of sin) will never go away. Just like how abigail is still tormenting Proctor after their affair. The principles explained by John Locke in his “Second Treatise of Government” are illustrated clearly by John Proctor and Hester Prynne, Characters who illustrate the coming

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In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, there exists a common theme of adultery, a sin according to the commandments of the Puritan church. The stories center around the adulterers- John Proctor in The Crucible, and Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. Both are members of early Puritan communities that are known for their very devout faith. Each character shows different reactions and feelings towards the sin, and each must face different consequences. A common theme that brings the two characters together is that they are given a chance to escape their sin and move on with their lives.

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As teens rebel against their mothers, so to did America rebel against the British during the 18th Century. However, also like children they followed their mother’s footsteps. Oliver Cromwell led a revolt against the Staurt monarchy and similarly colonists revolted against the British. During this time, an English philosopher named John Locke wrote works on political philosophies, mainly against the Stuarts. John Locke would have believed that the American colonists justified their resentments against the British especially, since the British stole their fundamental rights of liberty, property, and life.

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In Nathaniel Hawthorne 's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne gives birth to a daughter through an affair and makes an effort to lead a new life of repentance and self-respect. Meanwhile, Arthur Miller 's The Crucible, set in the same Puritan society of Salem, tells a dramatized story of the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail Williams, an intelligent and manipulative young woman, covets a married man, John Proctor, and tries to get his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, killed in the trials. To begin with, both Hester Prynne and Abigail Williams are beautiful, independent women who have a thirst for life and are driven by a noble emotion: love.

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The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play involving numerous conflicts and relationships between multiple characters with the setting of Salem, Massachusetts 1692 during the Witch Trials. The most prominent one of them all is between the protagonist, John Proctor, and the antagonist, Abigail Williams. Their relationship changes drastically throughout the four acts due to Abigail’s actions. This then leads to John Proctor becoming aware of her true personality and intentions. Before the play, John was on much better terms with Abigail, seeing as they had an affair, but in Act 1 those feelings seem to be a lot more muted.

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“The most perfect education, in my opinion,is…to enable the individual to attain such habits of virtue as well render [her] independent” (Doc D). The Enlightenment was a time period from the early 17th century to the late 18th century. There were many philosophers who contributed to making The Enlightenment. John Locke was a man who wanted freedom of government during 1690 (17th century) in England. He wanted this because he believed everyone was born with natural rights and the government should respect them and whoever didn’t, the people would have the right to impeach them.

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The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Crucible, by Arthur Miller , both share the theme of reputation and integrity. This book and play both take place in the life of Puritans. Hawthorne expresses him theme with symbols like the scarlet letter. Arthur expresses the theme within life situations that some puritans may have went through. The main character in The Scarlet Letter is Hester Prynne, she committed adultery and was part of her punishment was wearing the scarlet letter.

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Throughout time, the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, and the book, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, have been regarded as two of the most reputable works of literature in their eloquent uses of similar themes that describe the human tendencies that can be found in historical events and characteristics of Puritan society. The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, makes a connection to the times “Red Scare” to the parallel of the Salem witch hunts of the 1680s. In the book, the Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne tell the tragic story of sin of Heater Prime and the Puritan society in which she lived view of her crime. Similar themes, such as sin, repentance, and forgiveness, and different things that these themes affect or are affected

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The Virtue of Hester Prynne In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s highly acclaimed novel, The Scarlet Letter, a Puritan town’s reaction is described after Hester Prynne raises a scandal that goes against the town’s religious views. The Puritans believe the Bible should be translated into their life and that God should be the center of it. Many of them think of Hester as a sinful woman without virtue. They treat her as an outcast and consider that she is somehow affiliated with the Devil.

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The Enlightenment took place during the 17th and 18th Century in Europe. It was a time in which philosophes questioned social norms and found their voice. These three philosophes argued that all individuals both men and women should have more freedom. The Enlightenment was a time period in which people questioned the government, religion, and gender. John Locke, one of the four philosophes was a huge figure in the Enlightenment as he questioned the ways of the government and how it run.

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“The Crucible” is a novel by Arthur Miller that focuses on what fear and ignorance can do in society. This book is a tragic tale in which the other woman, Abigail Williams, seeks vengeance when her lover, John Proctor, turns from her and back to his wife, Elizabeth. Abigail is the most responsible for the deaths that occurred during this time because she was the ringleader of all the young girls during this witchcraft escapade. Although she is guilty for these crimes, she does not feel remorse for it, except perhaps her lover getting caught in the crossfire. Reverend John Hale, the self proclaimed witch expert, feels the most guilt due to the fact that he was the one who signed off on the death warrants.

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Imagine living in a place where one small sin could define who you are for the rest of your life. That is what happened in The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850. The novel is set in a seventeenth-century Puritan community in Boston, Massachusetts. A young woman by the name of Hester Prynne commits a small act of adultery and is shamed for the rest of her life, by wearing a scarlet letter “A” on her breast. The book is centered around the theme of justice and judgement.

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The Enlightenment was a time period in which people began to embrace individuality and many Enlightenment thinkers arose. The Enlightenment was a movement that was highly based upon reason and logic. It occurred around the mid-1700’s and helped develop a new way of life. John Locke was an influential thinker during this time. John Locke is a french philosopher and writer who developed Natural Rights.

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John Locke was a philosopher and political scientist. He had many interests and produced a number of writings that influenced future leaders. One of these leaders was Thomas Jefferson, who was involved with the aid of America and the act gaining independence from Britain. The Declaration of Independence and Locke’s views on government contain many similar aspects. These ideas includes the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (natural rights); the protection that is provided by the government for these rights; and the altering or abolishment of government if it fails to provide and protect the rights of the people.

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Introductory Paragraph (description of theory) John Locke (29 August 1632 – 28 October 1704) is a English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of the Enlightenment thinkers and known as the "Father of Classical Liberalism”. Locke got a scholarship to Oxford University where he spent 30 years at Oxford, studying, tutoring, and writing. He wrote influential political science and philosophy. Locke 's famous theory had to do with the Social Contract theory. The Social Contract covers the origin of government and how much authority a state should have over an individual.

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936 Words | 4 Pages

In the “Scarlet Letter,” Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays hypocrisy of the Puritan society, where the protagonist Hester Prynne face many consequences of her actions and the how she tries to redeem herself to the society. During the seventeenth puritans believe that it is their mission to punish the ones who do not follow God’s word and it is their job to stop those from sinning. Therefore, the hypercritical puritan society punishes Hester harshly for committing adultery, but in Hester’s mind, she believes that what she did was not a sin but acts of love for her man. Eventually, she redeems herself by turning her crime into an advantage to help those in need, yet the Puritan society still view her as a “naughty bagger.” (Hawthorne 78)

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