To Preserve and Exercise Power

ยุ่นอยากบอกว่า...เวลาที่เราเรียนอะไรแล้วเราชอบ..มันจะมีแรงผลักดันให้เราสร้างผลงานของเราเอง...อย่าง writing นี้ เป็นอะไรที่ยุ่นเขียนจากความรู้สึกชอบในการอ่านหนังสือเล่มนี้ เรามีความเห็นในมุมมองของเรา....และเราก้อทำการค้นคว้าเตรียมตัวในการสอบของเราเอง...ซึ่งใช้เวลาไม่น้อย ตั้งแต่บ่ายโมงถึงห้าโมงเย็นในวันอาทิตย์..แต่สี่ชั่วโมงที่ค้นคว้านั้น...มีความสุขนะ...และมีพลังในการทำงานโดยไม่เหนื่อยเลย...ยุ่นว่านี่แหละคือการเรียนหนังสือที่ถูกต้อง...คิดว่าหากทอมได้อ่านแล้ว เค้าน่าจะรู้ว่าเรา in กับ The Crucible แค่ไหน...เพื่อนๆลองสัมผัสดูนะ...

และนี่ก้อคือ Writing ที่ทอมให้สอบ ยุ่นเลือกคำถามที่ว่า :

Write an essay explaining three reasons why you either liked or disliked this play?

และนี่ก้อคือคำตอบของยุ่น:

The fact that people are tragic victims of a testing of government’s authority is true in any society and at any time in human history. “The Crucible” is a mirror that Arthur Miller uses to reflect the anticommunist hysteria inspired by Senator Joseph McCarthy’s “witch-hunts” in the United States in 1953. I like this classic play; Miller shows us three different relationships in the society: a relationship between husband and wife in their family, a relationship between townspeople and neighbors in their village, and a relationship between the government and people in their country.


The bond linking John and Elizabeth Proctor is John's faith in his wife's virtue. John has a hidden sin that he has had an affair with Abigail when she was a servant in his house. John feels guilty about it. However, when Elizabeth wants him to have a public confession, he hesitates to reveal it because of his reputation. Finally, he exposes his relationship with Abigail in the court, and he knows that it’s too late to stop Abigail and the girls from their lies, so he is arrested and accused of being a witch. Although he has a chance to save his life, he chooses to die and feels he has finally purged his guilt for his failure to stop the trials when he had a chance. As his wife says, “‘He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!’” John needs Elizabeth's love and forgiveness. The love and faith that he gives to his wife makes him a principled man and eventually makes his decision to be an honest father of his sons.


Taking others’ benefits and being honest to their neighbors are two contrasting connections of the townspeople in Salem. They accept and become active in the hysterical climate, so everyone lives in fear and under pressure. This also gives a chance to some greedy, cunning and power-hungry people like Abigail, Parris and Putnum who use the religious conviction to scapegoat and take revenge their enemies for their own benefits. On the other hand, many innocent poeple are very brave to die for the truth and they don’t accuse others. John Proctor is the tragic hero who is offered the opportunity to make a public confession, but he refuses to give the false confession that would dishonor his friends. He’s a person of great integrity and chooses to protect his name rather than live with a lie for the rest of his life. Luckily, there are many principled people like Proctor who sacrifice their lives that lead to the revolution in many countries in the world.


It's a very strict alliance between the court and townspeople in "The Crucible" which is set in a theocratic society. Everything and everyone belongs to either God or the Devil. The court that conducts the witch trials belongs to God and uses their power to judge people in the way they want, without any hard evidence to prove the guilt. People like Danforth and Hathorne, who have the highest authority in the society, use the state power to pressure, force and scapegoat the innocent people such as John Proctor or Giles Corey who go against the court and become enemies of the court. Finally, they are accused of being witches and are executed. This is the way that many governments in many countries want their people to live in terror so the governments can have a political control of their people.

"The Crucible" is a tragic and allergorical play which gives posterity one of the most dreadful lessons in human history. Although this is a real event that happened more than three hundred years ago, it still happens many times over in human history such as the McCarthyism in the United States or anticommunist mania in many countries in the world. Sometimes the government's policies, unjust trials, and some sly people in the society can make all the society chaotic; everyone lives in horror and suspicion, and innocents' lives are destroyed. Then it is discovered that the government only wants to preserve and exercise their power to people. This kind of event still happens but in different situations as long as humans are humans.


และคะแนนก้อถูกส่งกลับมาแล้ว...ทอมรู้สึกประทับใจในการเขียน writing เรื่องนี้ของนักเรียนมาก....ในส่วนของยุ่น ทอมเขียนสั้นๆว่า " Excellent Writing , Suwannee! " ให้คะแนน 18/20 ยุ่นรู้สึกดีใจจัง..ครั้งก่อนที่เรียน Eng 11...ทอมให้ 14 / 20 แปลว่าเราก้อมีพัฒนาการนะเนี่ย !!!