John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a very powerful and well-known play that tells the story of the terrifying witch trials that arose in Salem in the year of 1692. One of the main characters of this play is John Proctor, a married farmer with three children. We know that he doesn’t like the reverend Parris, his third son isn’t baptized, he doesn’t attend church regularly, and he doesn’t quite remember all of the Ten Commandments from the Bible. Besides all of that, he’d also committed adultery against his wife Elizabeth by lusting after Abigail and having an affair with her.

Do I think he’s a hero? Yes.

He’s definitely not perfect. He’s made some pretty big mistakes in his life, he has a tense relationship with Elizabeth, and he’s not viewed as a very religious man by the people in Salem. Even though he’s cut off his relationship with Abigail, he still beats himself up about his past and can’t seem to let it go. But you don’t need to be flawless to be a hero.

John Proctor genuinely loved Elizabeth, and he fought to get her out of jail. He tried to start over with his wife by cutting out Abigail and apologizing. He went to Salem to tell the judges and leaders of the court the truth of what really happened- even though it meant facing Abigail and skeptical people of power. He confessed of his adultery, even though it meant he would get in trouble for it, in order to try to get the truth out in the open.

In the end, he had to choose between lying and living or staying true to himself and dying. He chose the latter. And although it might seem like a foolish choice to some, or a stupidly rebellious decision to others, I believe that it was heroic. It’s a terribly difficult choice to make, and it’s easy to just do what is required in order to save your own life. John Proctor, however, did what he thought was right and what he thought was best, even though it cost him his life. He died for what he believed in, and dying for your beliefs is no light matter.

In conclusion, although John Proctor hadn’t always been a “good man,” he fought to make things right and he died for what he believed in. I believe that he is a hero.

There Goes the Neighborhood

Life is good. Life is normal. Everything seems pretty okay. Then next thing you know, these strange people show up on your land with their large ships, foreign language, and shiny treasures. What do you do?

I wouldn’t exactly welcome them with open arms.

We all wonder, what did the natives feel when Christopher Columbus and his men kind of just, well, appeared on their island? Obviously shock, probably a lot of curiosity. But whatever they felt, they still welcomed Columbus and his men and treated them with kindness. Yet Columbus manipulated them and viewed their trust worthless. He planned for them to be slaves, to be overtaken easily and converted to Christianity. And as for the land, well, Columbus was just going to take it for Spain, because why not?

Yes, it’s easy to point the finger at Columbus. But let’s take the focus off of him for a moment, and think about the natives. Their culture valued trust and friendship, so it made sense for them to welcome these mysterious strangers. However, it wouldn’t have hurt to have been a bit more cautious and protective. You don’t know these people, or their intentions. Maybe it’d be smart to keep your guard up. Just saying.

The natives and settlers had major conflicts, we all know that. But that was so fifteenth century, right? Well… Think about today. There are still racial conflicts, right?

Sadly, the answer is yes. Different races are well, different, and sometimes conflicts arise because of those differences. People don’t understand each other, or are ignorant and insensitive, tensions form and feelings are hurt. Despite the sayings that declare that everyone is equal and that no one should be discriminated, sometimes it sure doesn’t feel that way. What matters, however, is how you react to all of this. How do you treat others who seem “different” than you? Do you understand their differences and embrace them for who they are, or ignorantly make some rash judgment based on who you think they are? And I’m not just talking about race anymore.

I mean, this isn’t the fifteenth century anymore, so it’s okay to not fear for our lives when we meet someone who’s different than us. What I’m saying is, don’t be afraid to meet people who don’t share the same interests as you, or befriend someone who has some different views and takes from what you think. Give them a chance, and you just might be surprised of what you might learn from them.

Cliché? Maybe. But maybe there’s some truth to it as well. 

Me

Talk about myself? Alright then, here goes nothing.

My name’s Lawrie (I hope you’ve gathered that much), and I’m a sophomore at Whitney Young high school. I was born in Chicago, grew up there for most of my life as well. People always ask me if I came from China. Sorry, but no. It’d be cool if I could say yes, but then I’d be lying. My parents think I do too much of that already (they’re wrong though).

I was adopted when I was eight, after a series of unfortunate and rather complicated events that would probably take up a whole novel. I’ll write a novel someday about it, since I like writing novels. I’ve written quite a few fictional novels just for the fun of it, since I’m weird like that, but I don’t like writing nonfiction. However, my family and friends keep on bugging me about it and telling me I “have to have to have to” put my story into words, so I guess I’ll do it one day, when I actually have time and am running on an adequate amount of sleep. Looks like that won’t be anytime soon.

Yeah, sleep. I really like sleeping, but then again, who doesn’t? I also like reading, and as I’ve mentioned earlier, writing. I like being with friends, especially the ones that you can be yourself around them. You can trust them with your secrets, burst out in random songs, annoy the heck out of them, act extra dramatic, crash their houses, steal their food, and, well, the list goes on.

Similar to many people out there in the world, I like music. I enjoy playing the piano, but more than that, I like to just enjoy listening to music. Soaking in the organized sounds set in time (that’s how someone in my band class defined music, I think that’s pretty good, since at least for me music is hard to put into a few words) is a hobby of mine. I like to listen to a variety of music, but one of my favorites is just listening to film scores. Don’t give me a weird look- I love music from movies. They’re great for the imagination, and they also do crazy things to your emotion. They’re dramatic, and I love drama.

Well, I guess that's enough about me for now, so, later!