Way Abigail Gains Power example essay topic

Conflict is about power; it results from struggles to maintain or gain power The need for power is a reality of life; to use or abuse, to claim or deny, own or disown. However the struggle many go through to gain that feeling of control and power can lead to inner turmoil and conflict between others and one self. Set in the times of the tragic witch trials The Crucible is a drama that shows power resting on moral, legal and religious dynamics that lead to inner, social and religious conflicts. Marking Time an ABC miniseries explores the inner conflict of Hal as he struggles to maintain his power by being with a group he does not really fit into, it also shows how the youth of society challenge authority which leads to social conflict between the two groups.

Lord of the Flies a novel by William Golding about the savageness in all innocence and explores the concept of fighting for power to gain status and attitude. Power can be gained, won and fought for but the struggle for it can cause inner, social and religious conflict is explored in all three texts some the concept more clearer than others. Arthur Miller explores characters that manifest social and religious conflict initiated by the struggle to maintain and gain power from authority in a set community, Salem. Miller portrays the priests and judges in the crucible as that certain type of people that others will always be up against. During the Salem witch trials religion was very powerful and overruled many other things, so as a result of this, as shown in the crucible, the ministers and authority of the town were very powerful. Parris being a strong religious leader in Salem felt that no matter what, his authority needed to be kept.

Parris believed that the church is the authority of all people in the town. Since he was a Reverend, he considered himself an authoritative figure and by commanding people he maintained his power. Parris challenges John Proctor's love for god when he says he has failed to "plough on Sundays", but Proctor perceives Parris as a mercenary hypocrite "distressed by golden candle sticks". Social conflict weaved with some religious conflict is portrayed in this scene and Proctor's outburst of "it hurt my prayer" shows the depth of his emotional feelings against Parris. Proctor does not like authority, and since Parris talks as though he is an imposing figure, Proctor has an issue with this.

Parris demands that the people of Salem be obedient to the church and to him. He says that if they are not obedient, then they will "burn in hell". He does not leave much room for people to live their lives other than by what the church dictates and this creates social and religious tension between the authority of the town and the people. The ministers use the court and legal systems to gain power "how dare you come raring into this court", using the court environment to gain and feel power. Marking Time has the struggle for power but it's not as evident as The Crucible as it clearly doesn't show it. Hal's suffers a lot of inner conflict from the fact he does not fit in with his "gang".

He tries to gain power in his society by hanging around a group of friends considered to be "cool" and the people that do activities that include getting drunk and smoking illegal drugs. Shown by the effective voice over of Hal, we can see he faces great inner conflict as he does things "he does not really want to do" as its his only way of gaining power. The younger people in the society try and gain power by changeling the authority by breaking the rules. This is shown when they take drugs and burn a car on an open golf course. They also challenge authority and gain power as a result when they kill an elderly resident's cat, and when empathy is shown in this scene this shows the power they have gained. This is one difference to the crucible, changeling or going against authority in the times of the crucible could have you hung and it was hard to get away with it, but in marking time the young people seem to get away with it.

Gaining power, whether it be for revenge or just for the sensation, can make someone commit things that's not usually their set character. Abigail's obsession for John compels her to seek demonic power to get him away from his wife. She is clearly exposed as a bad character in The Crucible she tells lies, influence rs other girls and the entire town, and in the end sends nineteen innocent people to their deaths. Miller shows us how much power a sole individual can have when that person defines the ideologies or beliefs by which they live. Abigail was motivated by lustful vengeance, she wanted Proctor back and this made her want power. Proctor clearly not wanting her back "I will cut off my hand before a reach for you again" motivates Abigail in wanting more power.

Getting attention is one way Abigail gains power or feels powerful, Miller user's dramatic impact were Abigail goes into hysterical outbursts. The yellow bird incident in the courtroom is a clear example of Abigail user's attention to gain power over the situation. This need for power causes conflict between Abigail and many other character especially Proctor. From the outset of the play Mary Warren is perceived to be a timid and weakest character as shown when Proctor sends her home and she responds with "I'm just going home', no arguing, giving into the power of Proctor.

Latter on, she argues with Proctor and Elizabeth and demands roughly "I will not be ordered to bed no more Mr. Proctor, I'm 18 and a woman however single". This shows the under the strong influence of Abigail Mary begins to break this self induced mold of having no power and does what she wants, making her fight for power. Mary Warren like the other girls in the town gets caught up in this whole hysteria of getting attention and power through faking and obstinately continuing with their "witch trials". This leads to inner turmoil within Mary Warren as she has to come to the decision when told to tell the truth in the court to do what she knows is right and probably die for it, or to return to her old ways.

Both girls loved the desire power and control power gave them and did all they could to attain it. In the novel Lord of the Flies there is a struggle for power and the consequences and conflicts caused by this struggle is clearly shown. Jacks method of gaining the attention of the other boys on island was to show his power over Ralph, the born leader and protagonist in the story. Jack also has a fear, being alone on the island, with other kids and of the apparent beast residing on the island. This is similar to in the crucible, both Mary Warren and Abigail want power to overrule the other girls and also because of fear of the "witch hunts". The girls in Salem do the "fake" witch hunts for the thrill and desire for power, in the same way after the boar hunt, the boys' reenactment of the chase provides a further reminder of the connection between the thrill of the hunt and the desire for power.

He achieved this power by his obsession for hunting and killing. "Killing" symbolizes power here, as when Jack kills the beast he gains power. Golding show's this through the boar hunt and the game the boys play afterward providing stark reminders of the power of the human instinct toward savagery. Both Ralph and Jack wanting power create conflict between both and escalates into a real struggle for power, as Jack's need for violence and savagery almost completely replaces Ralph's disciplined community in the boys' conception of their lives on the island. As a power struggle in a savage group, the conflict between Ralph and Jack manifests itself not as a competition to prove who would be the better leader but instead as a competition of sheer strength and courage. After this incident we can see continual conflict between Ralph and Jack.

We can see this when Jack proclaims that Ralph, "Isn't a proper chief". Golding is trying to show both boys are fighting for power and recognition. Its shows conflict caused when dealing with two individuals trying to gain control over land through two different personalities. t The nature of conflict arises from an individuals need to gain and maintain power. The crucible shows the extent to which individuals go to gain power; Parris keeps his power by strengthening his authority and Abigail and Marry Warren by getting attention. Youngsters in Marking Time, use challenging authority to gain power in themselves and the society whilst Lord of the flies is the struggle between two individuals to gain power for leadership.

Power can be gained and even fought for, but it creates tension between people and conflict internally, religious and socially arises. The Conflict represented I this te.