My English teacher grades pretty hard, so thorough criticism would be appreciated.
John Proctor - Crucible
Reverend Hooper - The Minister's Black Veil
Prompt:
Write an essay of at least 1200 words in which you compare one character from The Crucible with one character from another work we read in class. Make sure the comparison is meaningful in that any similarities or differences make each character's strengths and weaknesses more clear and intensify our understanding of a theme, motivation, or characterization.
Essay:
The Puritans focused much of their attention toward sin; nothing was private in a Puritan town.
In The Crucible, Arthur Miller presents the protagonist, John Proctor, as "powerful of body, even-tempered, and not easily led...respected and even feared in Salem" (Miller 1108). Proctor is undoubtedly a powerful member of the community, but he is guilty of adultery. Reverend Hooper from, The Minister's Black Veil, disguises himself with a black veil. Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Hooper as a man who didactically uses the veil to represent secret sin. Sin seems to be problematic for the both of them, but instead of denying it, Proctor and Hooper willingly embrace their sinful nature.
Since Elizabeth was cold to John, he committed adultery with Abagail. Proctor was ashamed of his wrongdoing; he tells Abby, "But I will cut off my hand before I'll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby" (Miller 1109). In order to maintain his goodness, he distances himself from Abby. The guilt and shame experienced by Proctor later prevented him from immediately testifying against Abby. In comparison, Reverend Hooper conceals his face with a black veil for unknown reasons. Since the reader is left to infer Hooper's justification for the veil, it is not known if he had a secret sin. One can assume secret sin is of great importance not only because of the sermon on secret sin, but also because of his commitment to the veil. Proctor and Hooper, at first, have differing methods of dealing with sin. Proctor is very assertive about his sin and states that he will never commit adultery with Abby again. As an authoritative figure in the community, he has no problem asserting his position on issues. Like Proctor, Hooper is also assertive about dealing with secret sin; he willingly addresses a sermon to the people about a matter which they would rather not hear about. However, he metaphorically demonstrates the manner in which people "veil" their sins from the world, rather than blatantly stating it. The reason that both Hooper and Proctor are both aware of their sins is because of the religious influence in their lives. The Puritan religion placed a heavy emphasis on sin, therefore inclining the community to focus on everybody's sins. Also, it seems that the first step for self improvement is acknowledging one's sins.
During the witch trial, Proctor finally confesses to adultery hoping he would discredit Abby. He also does not confess to witchcraft, despite the pressure from the court. Proctor embraces his sin, rather than hiding it. Even though Proctor is a powerful member of the community, he does not take any action until the court session. He knew if he confessed his sin, his name would be tarnished, but he still did so as an attempt to put the witch trials to a grinding halt. Miller develops Proctor's certainty and willingness to act throughout the story by increasing the urgency for action when Abby trail of lies grow. In, The Minister's Black Veil, it is still unknown why Hooper wears the veil. He still wears it to a funeral, wedding, and sermon. The people attempt to speculate the cause, " A few shook their sagacious heads, intimating that they could penetrate the mystery; while one or two affirmed that there was no mystery at all..." (Hawthorne 307). Hooper still hides himself away, but he is also taking action through the veil. The veil made the townspeople reluctantly remember their own secret sins. Hooper and Proctor are, evidently, aware of their own secret sins. But, they go about manifesting the issue of sin differently. Again, Proctor merely states that he slept with Abby, but Hooper says nothing and leaves the veil a mystery.
At the end of the play, Proctor has the option of either signing a false confession and live, or claim innocence and be hung. It is an extremely difficult choice for him to make; he wants to live, but he also wants to be viewed as "good" in God's eyes. He signs the confession, but then tears it to shreds. "Proctor: I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor...Elizabeth: He have his goodness now..." (Miller 1164). It is apparent that his motivation for tearing up the confession is to retain his goodness and keep his name. At the end of The Minister's Black Veil, Reverend Hooper is on his deathbed with his ex-fiancee, Elizabeth, and Reverend Clark. Both Elizabeth and Reverend Clark urge Hooper to remove the veil; Clark reasons, " And it is fitting that a man so given to prayer, of such a blameless example, holy in deed and though, so far as mortal judgement may pronounce; it is fitting that a father in the church should leave a shadow on his memory, that may seem to blacken a life so ure? I pray you, my venerable brother, let not this thing be!" (Hawthorne 313). Clark then proceeds to lift the veil, but Hooper does not allow him to. Clark asks what awful thing he had done that causes him to conceal himself. Hooper then rebuts, "Why do you tremble at me alone? Tremble also at each other!...I look around me, and, lo! On every visage a Black Veil!" (Hawthorne 313). This moment is the first in the story where Hooper strongly defends the veil and reveals the truth about secret sin. He is frustrated that the people of the town have refused to acknowledge their sins. Hooper embraces secret sin with the veil and does not act above it; he knows everyone has a "veil". When Proctor and Hooper are close to death, they are mostly unwavering with their viewpoints. Proctor had to resist the temptation of signing the confession, while Hooper resisted the temptation to take off the disturbing black veil.
As the result of living in a Puritan environment, Hooper and Proctor are very focused on sin. The Puritan society believed sin was very important and some people were predestined to go to hell. Also, they did not mind their own business. For that reason, the alleged news of "witchcraft" spread like wildfire. Even in the invasive society, secret sin still existed. Hooper addresses it in hopes of reminding them, "...that the Omniscient can detect them..." (Hawthorne 306), and their secret sin cannot go away by them hiding it. Interestingly enough, Hooper embraces that humans have a sinful nature, but he does not provide any solution or positive advice to resolve it. Proctor, on the other hand, is aware of the corruptness of the church and the court, so he, along with Giles Corey, attempts to bring justice to the court. Miller's characterization of Proctor as the "Tragic Hero", attributes to his confession to adultery in order to bring justice. Hawthorne does not develop Reverend Hooper as a hero or a villian, but as a mysterious character. Since his motives are unknown, the reader cannot certainly know the character as a hero. But he is not a villian either; "Among all its bad influences, the black veil had the one desirable effect, of making its wearer a very efficient clergyman." (Hawthorne 312). Proctor, evidently, is the tragic hero of the Crucible, but what role does Reverend Hooper embody?
John Proctor - Crucible
Reverend Hooper - The Minister's Black Veil
Prompt:
Write an essay of at least 1200 words in which you compare one character from The Crucible with one character from another work we read in class. Make sure the comparison is meaningful in that any similarities or differences make each character's strengths and weaknesses more clear and intensify our understanding of a theme, motivation, or characterization.
Essay:
The Puritans focused much of their attention toward sin; nothing was private in a Puritan town.
In The Crucible, Arthur Miller presents the protagonist, John Proctor, as "powerful of body, even-tempered, and not easily led...respected and even feared in Salem" (Miller 1108). Proctor is undoubtedly a powerful member of the community, but he is guilty of adultery. Reverend Hooper from, The Minister's Black Veil, disguises himself with a black veil. Nathaniel Hawthorne portrays Hooper as a man who didactically uses the veil to represent secret sin. Sin seems to be problematic for the both of them, but instead of denying it, Proctor and Hooper willingly embrace their sinful nature.
Since Elizabeth was cold to John, he committed adultery with Abagail. Proctor was ashamed of his wrongdoing; he tells Abby, "But I will cut off my hand before I'll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby" (Miller 1109). In order to maintain his goodness, he distances himself from Abby. The guilt and shame experienced by Proctor later prevented him from immediately testifying against Abby. In comparison, Reverend Hooper conceals his face with a black veil for unknown reasons. Since the reader is left to infer Hooper's justification for the veil, it is not known if he had a secret sin. One can assume secret sin is of great importance not only because of the sermon on secret sin, but also because of his commitment to the veil. Proctor and Hooper, at first, have differing methods of dealing with sin. Proctor is very assertive about his sin and states that he will never commit adultery with Abby again. As an authoritative figure in the community, he has no problem asserting his position on issues. Like Proctor, Hooper is also assertive about dealing with secret sin; he willingly addresses a sermon to the people about a matter which they would rather not hear about. However, he metaphorically demonstrates the manner in which people "veil" their sins from the world, rather than blatantly stating it. The reason that both Hooper and Proctor are both aware of their sins is because of the religious influence in their lives. The Puritan religion placed a heavy emphasis on sin, therefore inclining the community to focus on everybody's sins. Also, it seems that the first step for self improvement is acknowledging one's sins.
During the witch trial, Proctor finally confesses to adultery hoping he would discredit Abby. He also does not confess to witchcraft, despite the pressure from the court. Proctor embraces his sin, rather than hiding it. Even though Proctor is a powerful member of the community, he does not take any action until the court session. He knew if he confessed his sin, his name would be tarnished, but he still did so as an attempt to put the witch trials to a grinding halt. Miller develops Proctor's certainty and willingness to act throughout the story by increasing the urgency for action when Abby trail of lies grow. In, The Minister's Black Veil, it is still unknown why Hooper wears the veil. He still wears it to a funeral, wedding, and sermon. The people attempt to speculate the cause, " A few shook their sagacious heads, intimating that they could penetrate the mystery; while one or two affirmed that there was no mystery at all..." (Hawthorne 307). Hooper still hides himself away, but he is also taking action through the veil. The veil made the townspeople reluctantly remember their own secret sins. Hooper and Proctor are, evidently, aware of their own secret sins. But, they go about manifesting the issue of sin differently. Again, Proctor merely states that he slept with Abby, but Hooper says nothing and leaves the veil a mystery.
At the end of the play, Proctor has the option of either signing a false confession and live, or claim innocence and be hung. It is an extremely difficult choice for him to make; he wants to live, but he also wants to be viewed as "good" in God's eyes. He signs the confession, but then tears it to shreds. "Proctor: I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor...Elizabeth: He have his goodness now..." (Miller 1164). It is apparent that his motivation for tearing up the confession is to retain his goodness and keep his name. At the end of The Minister's Black Veil, Reverend Hooper is on his deathbed with his ex-fiancee, Elizabeth, and Reverend Clark. Both Elizabeth and Reverend Clark urge Hooper to remove the veil; Clark reasons, " And it is fitting that a man so given to prayer, of such a blameless example, holy in deed and though, so far as mortal judgement may pronounce; it is fitting that a father in the church should leave a shadow on his memory, that may seem to blacken a life so ure? I pray you, my venerable brother, let not this thing be!" (Hawthorne 313). Clark then proceeds to lift the veil, but Hooper does not allow him to. Clark asks what awful thing he had done that causes him to conceal himself. Hooper then rebuts, "Why do you tremble at me alone? Tremble also at each other!...I look around me, and, lo! On every visage a Black Veil!" (Hawthorne 313). This moment is the first in the story where Hooper strongly defends the veil and reveals the truth about secret sin. He is frustrated that the people of the town have refused to acknowledge their sins. Hooper embraces secret sin with the veil and does not act above it; he knows everyone has a "veil". When Proctor and Hooper are close to death, they are mostly unwavering with their viewpoints. Proctor had to resist the temptation of signing the confession, while Hooper resisted the temptation to take off the disturbing black veil.
As the result of living in a Puritan environment, Hooper and Proctor are very focused on sin. The Puritan society believed sin was very important and some people were predestined to go to hell. Also, they did not mind their own business. For that reason, the alleged news of "witchcraft" spread like wildfire. Even in the invasive society, secret sin still existed. Hooper addresses it in hopes of reminding them, "...that the Omniscient can detect them..." (Hawthorne 306), and their secret sin cannot go away by them hiding it. Interestingly enough, Hooper embraces that humans have a sinful nature, but he does not provide any solution or positive advice to resolve it. Proctor, on the other hand, is aware of the corruptness of the church and the court, so he, along with Giles Corey, attempts to bring justice to the court. Miller's characterization of Proctor as the "Tragic Hero", attributes to his confession to adultery in order to bring justice. Hawthorne does not develop Reverend Hooper as a hero or a villian, but as a mysterious character. Since his motives are unknown, the reader cannot certainly know the character as a hero. But he is not a villian either; "Among all its bad influences, the black veil had the one desirable effect, of making its wearer a very efficient clergyman." (Hawthorne 312). Proctor, evidently, is the tragic hero of the Crucible, but what role does Reverend Hooper embody?
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