Crucible Essays (458 words) - Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible

Crucible In Arthur Miller's, "The Crucible," many themes are expressed throughout the play. Themes are the undertone of the story. A theme of a book usually sets the mood and describes what is happening during the time that the story is written. "The Crucible" has many themes that show how everything was and how everyone acted in the year of 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts. Mass hysteria is the most obvious theme in the story. Mass hysteria is represented everywhere trouble was. One example is at the end of act one when the girls are screaming, crying, and starting to accuse people of being with the devil. When this happens, everyone gets scared and calls the marshal. The marshal begins to arrest people and brings them to court. The whole reason mass hysteria broke out is because of Abigail. One vengeful accusation from Abigail to her rival, Elizabeth Proctor, turns the whole village upside down. This confusion and madness is one of the main reasons so many lives were taken at the trials. This becomes a place where reasonable human beings can become released in an environment that allows little opportunity for relaxing. Another theme during the play is how much religion ruled these peoples lives. The court was the main ruling body of justice and was run by the church. The concept of justice in 1692 is shown when Arthur Miller dedicates the entire third act to the courtroom. Abigail pressures the girls to lie in court in order to accuse everyone that they didn't get along with of witchcraft. The separation of church and government didn't exist in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Theocracy meant that Massachusetts was to be governed by God's laws. But this mixing up of the laws of God and the laws of government set up the chaos of the Salem witch trials. Greed and revenge was another major aspect that was shown in the story. Several characters find profit in this mass hysteria and try to change some events for their own needs and well-being. Thomas Putnam gains land by having his daughter Ruth accuse his neighbors of witchcraft. Also, Abigail gets revenge on the Proctors when her affair with John has been turned off. Superstition was the biggest cause of these trials. There were no real witches in Salem. Without the superstitious belief in witchcraft, this tragedy would have never happened. Arthur Miller clearly explains the how people react to things they do not understand. These were examples why The Salem Witch Trials happened. The theme of the story keeps the plot going. Themes are one of the most important parts in a play. Arthur Miller gives good examples and explains what it was really like back in 1692 by showing how people acted. All these different moods and themes led up to the witch trials. If all these untrusting feelings, superstitions, and attitudes didn't exist the trials would have probably never existed.

How to Refer to Governmental Administrative Bodies

How to Refer to Governmental Administrative Bodies How to Refer to Governmental Administrative Bodies How to Refer to Governmental Administrative Bodies By Mark Nichol Nomenclature for US government entities can be complicated. Here are some guidelines about how to style names of administrative jurisdictions, departments, and agencies: Name Versions The formal style for Cabinet-level departments is â€Å"the Department of State,† for example, though journalistic style often up-ends this form as, for instance, â€Å"the State Department.† Informally, a department may simply be called â€Å"State† or â€Å"Interior† or â€Å"Justice.† Some departments are also recognized by their initials (DOJ for â€Å"Department of Justice,† for example), though abbreviations should be used only on second reference (an editing term that actually means â€Å"all subsequent references†), after the name is spelled out the first time it is used. Abbreviated forms of names should be preceded by the (â€Å"the DOJ,† for example), unless the abbreviation is an acronym (pronounced as a word), such as OSHA (the abbreviation for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration), which is pronounced â€Å"oh-shuh,† not â€Å"(the) oh-es-aitch-ay.† Be sure, too, that identification is unambiguous. Two Cabinet-level departments the Department of Education and the Department of Energy can be abbreviated DOE, so if both departments are mentioned in a particular article or book, it’s best not to use the abbreviation. Also, the designation US often precedes a department or agency name to distinguish it from a state-level entity of the same name or a similar foreign entity, whether such an entity is mentioned in the same piece of content or not. (Note that many publications and Web sites continue to use initial periods in US, but the latest edition of The Chicago Manual of Style advises that periods now be omitted from the abbreviation.) When an entity is referred to generically, even if the term is part of the entity’s name, the wording should, by definition, be lowercase: â€Å"the department,† â€Å"the bureau† (for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, for example), â€Å"the postal service† (in reference to the US Postal Service). Entities themselves often capitalize such shorthand, but that doesn’t mean you have to. Name Changes Beware of new nomenclature: The agency long known as the US Immigration and Naturalization Service was dismantled and most of its functions and responsibilities taken up by the newly created agency US Citizenship and Immigration Services in 2003. In nonfiction referring to immigration before that date, this information should be given to inform readers of the distinction; in fiction set before that year, the former agency, not its successor, should be mentioned in references to the US government’s immigration policies. Likewise, what has been known as the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (but is still abbreviated CDC) for twenty years has undergone half a dozen name changes since the Office of National Defense Malaria Control Activities was established in 1942. These are only two examples illustrating that writers should take care to identify government entities according to the historical context in which their articles and books take place. When it comes to identifying government entities, due diligent research to make sure your usage is accurate. Don’t let your writing be merely, as the saying goes, good enough for government work. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Spelling Test 160 Synonyms for â€Å"Trip†Double Possessive