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Power as Poison in The Crucible

 

            "The highest mode of corruption is the abuse of power", Auliq Ice. The concept of evil is taught and shaped by one's desire to gain power and control. Power has the ability to twist people into ugly and inhumane creatures. One person holding too much power is a scary reality, especially when they are influenced by strong emotions like greed or jealousy. And an even scarier reality is when people give into spiteful authority and accept it silently. This can be seen taking place in the highly acclaimed play, The Crucible, which is based on historically accurate events and is written by Arthur Miller. In this play, when a few people start accusing others of witchcraft, it sparks an uproar in the Town of Salem. Friends turn into enemies, and enemies come together against friends. The true consequences of abusing one's authorities and the corruption of power come to life. For instance, abusing one's power and authority for their own personal greed makes for an unstable and dishonest community. Also, authoritative figures that abuse their power to take revenge on long-term enemies can lead to the persecution of innocent people. When people abuse their authoritative responsibilities for their own good, it results in the downfall of the community as a whole. .
             When one abuses their own authority because they are blinded by greed, it harms the people of society directly. For example, Thomas Putnam, a rich villager in Salem takes advantage of the crazy mayhem that witchcraft had bestowed upon the people and begins accusing anyone who poses a threat to him while alive. Giles Corey realizes this and tries to warn the court of his evil doings, "I have evidence for the court! Thomas Putnam is reaching out for land." (Miller 84). Thomas Putnam specifically accuses his neighbour, George Jacobs, of witchcraft because he knows that as soon as a man is found guilty and hung, their property and land are instantly auctioned off to the public.


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