It is often surprising to realize the uncanny similarities in the creative writings of seemingly opposite cultures. In "The Crucible,, by Arthur Miller, the characters are indulged in their Puritan lifestyle, behaviors and thinking patterns. Yet their struggles are curiously similar to concerns and difficulties evidenced in our own popular culture. Songwriter Billy Joel explores fear, hatred and the ease with which some people go along with the crowd in his song, "An Innocent Man". In the early lines of the piece, Billy Joel writes: "If there's a chance of it opening up, they hear a voice in the hall outside, and hope that it just passes by." This is sort of a metaphor for Parris in," The Crucible" and how he blinks when something goes wrong, hoping it will just go away. Further along in an Innocent Man", Joel sings, "Some people find that it's easier to hate, than to wait anymore." The apparent tendency to hate and fear is a common theme in the Salem Puritan society of "The Crucible". Lastly, Billy Joel writes, "Some people hope for a miracle cure, some people just accept the world as the way it is, but I"m not willing to lay down and die." This part of the song reminds me of the Republican and Democratic parties and how we voted for the republicans to fight back against the terrorists in the Middle East.
The second part of the first verse is a metaphor for Parris and how he just hopes that his problems will go away. In the beginning of the play Parris finds his daughter and niece along with many other girls from the town in the woods dancing around a crock-pot. He tries to look past it and believe that it never happened. Parris does this with many situations in the book. When he finds out that Abigail was fried from the Proctor house. Parris tries to believe that it never happened so that he can go on with his priestly duties. Then after his daughter goes into a trance to disprove the town's thoughts of witchcraft he called for reverend Hale.
It is clear that many Puritans aspirations were, indeed, fulfilled, yet some were not. ... Puritans were very intellectual beings. ... Reason played a huge part in Puritan opinions. ... Puritans wished to maintain order in their colony. ... Puritans became the mold of religious liberty. ...
Works of the Puritans Most people think of the Puritans as simple people who have been passed by today's technological advances. ... The basic ideas and ways of the Puritan life can be seen from their numerous writings; these writings can be a hidden pathway into the every day life of a puritan. Jonathan Edwards was a shining example of the Puritan way of life. ... The end goal of the Puritans was of course to make it into heaven. ... The Puritan people lived almost entirely on the worship of God. ...
It was what the Puritans believed in as well as the villagers of Salem. The Puritans were very dedicated to their religious beliefs, and to the Puritans witchcraft was considered both a sin and a crime. The main reason why the witch trials occurred was because the Puritans goal in life was to purify the organization of their church. ... Nevertheless, the Puritans seemed to be a religious cult that put fear into the people of Salem. The extent that the Puritans had gone for the sake of religion is unbelievable....
The Puritans wanted to pray to their own church. ... One of the beliefs of the Puritans was the devil, whom they feared. Witches and the devil's servants were always battling the Puritans. ... The Puritans didn't like the way the English created new taxes, and Puritans saw this as taking away their independence. ... This is a distinguishing mark of Puritan culture. ...
Puritan child rearing practices are very diverse from modern childhood. ... The Puritans were very much a community in every way. The Puritans fundamentally lived in the community, church, and family. ... It is very imperative to try to comprehend the way the Puritans lived their lives. ... The Puritan children were educated and they did have morals and values. ...
The Puritans traveled from England to America in the early 1600s. The Puritans that founded Salem, Massachusetts left England in 1608. ... The Puritans believed in preaching not rituals. ... Puritans lived in fear of an eternity in hell, the Puritans projection of a bad life here on Earth. ... Their behavior was not at all what you would think a Puritans behavior should be. ...
Passionate Puritan laymen received savage punishments. ... The Puritans were "non-separating Congregationalists." ... Their religious principles set them apart as Puritans. ... The Puritans were not a small group of people. ... Most of the Puritans settled in the New England area. ...
All people practicing witchcraft were condemned by the Puritans. In Puritans pursued themselves to be more pure with God. ... The Puritans believed that their duty in life was to praise God. ... The Puritans learned a broad amount of right from wrong. ... Witchcraft was unacceptable to the Puritan's beliefs. ...
The Puritans also held a strong social order. ... The roles were very similar to those of the Puritans. ... Education was also important in Puritan's life. ... The Puritans were also driven by capitalism. ... The Puritans also had an impact of Individualism. ...
