The Crucible Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Crucible - Essay Example Mostly, the little lies are used to spice up the story or achieve a certain effect among the audience. There are various reasons for which people do lie. In many cases the lies are propagated to save certain situations or protect certain interests the individual lying may have. In some instances, people have lied even under oath. This paper seeks to delve into the reasons as to why people lie, even under an oath In the 1953 play by Arthur Miller, The Crucible, he depicts the Salem Witch Trials. The trials are carried out in such a way that the villagers’ testimonies determine the fate of the accused. Several innocent people meet their deaths courtesy of the testimonies. On the other hand, some guilty characters escape death as the villagers’ testimonies save them. Clearly, an accused person’s life balances on what the mob has to say of him or her. For those who get saved yet are guilty, lies do it for them. The villagers simply have to lie on the truth about them for their lives to be saved. Some innocent characters are however not as lucky. The villagers’ false affirmation to their participation in witchcraft leads them to their death. The villagers actually lie big time depending on whom they want to save or crucify. The accused also resort to lying in order to save themselves. Extreme behaviors occur during this time when life or death is made by the differenc e between treachery and truthfulness. Apparently, fear appears to be the reason behind the lying. The characters Abigail William, Mary Warren and John Proctor are the most deceiving. Abigail goes to great lengths to deceive Salem’s townspeople for her selfish gains. Questioned about dancing in company of the other girls in the woods, she puts the blame on Tituba. She quips, â€Å"She made me do it! She made Betty do it!† (187). Apparently, she is willing to sacrifice Tituba’s life so that she can escape punishment. On the other hand, while Tituba

Pluralism vs. Elitism in Public Policy Making Essay

Pluralism vs. Elitism in Public Policy Making - Essay Example The elitist view of power, on the other hand states that â€Å"political power should be in the hands of a relatively small part of the general population that shares a common understanding about the fundamental issues facing society and government†3. Those who advocate the elitist view of power argue that the general public is best served when a basic consensus exists among a country’s top leaders regarding fundamental issues. â€Å"Although these leaders may disagree on minor issues, or even compete against one another for positions of authority in government, the fact that they share a common view on issues that might otherwise split the nation is regarded as an important foundation for governing†4. With the practice of democracy in the United States as the principal basis of such claims by pluralists and elitists, is it safe to say that equality under the law is enforced in the face of political, social, and religious diversity among men, and the conflicting interests of their representatives? The Dispersal of Power among Groups Pluralism gives stress on the role of interest groups in political agendas in the United States. ... They further emphasize that politics is not the central decision-making of a united public acting through the state, but the result of continuous competition, bargaining, and exchange among groups representing different interests. Pluralists accepted Schumpeter’s broad view that what separate democracies from non-democracies are the methods by which government officials are elected. Democracy, in the United States of America, is generally regarded as synonymous to political pluralism despite the rise of scholarly notions that say otherwise. For Weber, elite domination within the state apparatus was inevitable. As Weber himself puts it, â€Å"all ideas aiming at abolishing dominance of men over men are illusory†5. The crucial feature of the state is located within its roles as the major authoritative associated within a given territory. For the state to maintain its central position it has to claim a monopoly of the legitimate use of force. Domination, or as Weber termed it, â€Å"the authoritarian power of command† is a necessary and inevitable feature of this process. However, the concentration of both economic and political decision making in the hands of a central government bureaucracy is incompatible with democracy. Democracy requires limited government, individual freedom, and dispersal of power in society On September 17, 1787 the Constitution of the United States of America was approved and instituted the following fundamental principles: (1) standard sovereignty, or control by the people, (2) a republican government in which the people select representatives to make decisions for them, (3) limited government with written laws, separation of powers, with checks and balances among branches to prevent any one branch from gaining too much power, and