John Proctor And Atticus Finch example essay topic

"Courage is measured by an individual's willingness to continue fighting even when the likelihood of victory is small". It is a person's mental or moral strength to resist extreme difficulty. It is the strength of mind that makes one able to meet danger and difficulties with firmness. This withstanding opposition to defeat allows a person to persevere although the probability of triumph is unfavorable. Arthur Miller's The Crucible and Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird justify this statement. Arthur Miller exemplifies this definition of courage by the use of characterization.

In Act of the play, the odds against Proctor are overwhelming. If he loses the case, he and all the people who support him will be destroyed. For Proctor to save his wife and friends, he must convince the court that everything it has done so far is wrong. Proctor is willing to risk everything, including his good name and even his life, to bring out the truth. Throughout this act, Parris and Cheever act as impediments to John. Cheever, to deface the reputation of John, mentions that Proctor ripped the warrant when Elizabeth was arrested and that he plows on Sundays.

Parris, in addition, says that Proctor "comes to church but once a month!" However, this does not hamper Proctor ashe persists to bring out the truth. Another obstacle that Proctor must surpass occurs when Abigail and the girls feign that Mary Warren sends out her spirit reinforcing the notion that Mary is a witch. In response, Proctor confesses his lechery to weaken the perception of the saintly image of Abigail and to reveal her motive. By avowing his affair with Abigail, Proctor illustrates his perseverance to save the lives of his wife and friends. The setting of The Crucible is another element to justify the definition of courage.

The play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, thirty years after the colony was established. It was a period of political and religious turmoil. The Puritans settled thereto seek religious freedom and to "purify" the teachings and ceremonies of the Church of England. The Puritans believed in strict reinforcement of the laws they found in the Bible. They accepted little challenge to their religious beliefs, and were intolerant to other Christian denominations. Paradoxically, their fanatic zeal led them to exercise the exact kind of repression on others that they had fled England to escape.

In addition, under the Puritan court, the pressure to confess and atone for one's sins was immense. Innocent individuals with nothing to confess were subsequently often led to admit to crimes which they did not commit. However, those who defended the words of the accused may have been charged as accomplices. In To Kill a Mockingbird, Arthur Miller utilizes characterization to delineate the epitome of courage, Atticus Finch.

Although he is called a "nigger-lover", Atticus defends Tom solely on the basis of justice and does not allow the color of Tom's skin to prejudice him against Tom's case. The odds are against Tom because May ella Ewell, a white woman, has charged him, a black man, with rape. Nevertheless, Atticus refuses to become intimated, and he defends the young black man. Atticus is a studious man whose behavior is governed by reason.

Once he decides that a given course of action is right, he perseveres regardless of threats or criticisms. The setting and point of view are other literary elements that advocate my analysis. Arthur Miller's novel takes place in May comb, Alabama, during the early 1930's. It was period of great social change, a time that has a significant influence on the plot.

During this time a system of segregation was in force. Blacks and whites were forbidden to mix in schools or use the same restrooms or water fountains. Many kinds of jobs were unavailable to black men, nor were they allowed to serve on juries. Any person whether black or white who challenged the system of segregation publicly would have been in serious danger of being killed by pro segregation fanatics. In addition, this novel is told as a first person narrative through the eyes of Scout.

Scout as a young girl, however, is too young to be aware of all the complexities in the world around her. As a result of Arthur's Miller use of a naive narrator, Atticus' courage is more evident to the reader. The injustice of the trial and conviction take on an added degree of incongruity simply because it is presented from the innocent mind of a young girl. In conclusion, John Proctor and Atticus Finch are paragons of courage. John Proctor risked everything, including his life, to save the lives of his wife and friends.

Atticus Finch, a man who represents idealism and justice, did not allow a partial society to impede him from what he thought was just. Both characters exhibited a withstanding opposition to defeat which allowed.