Paper From Ages Ago

Paper From Ages Ago

It can be very challenging for a leader of a community to go against the thinking or wishes of their following or community, especially when they are living during tumultuous times. During a time like this, the leader only wishes for calmness, and will do anything he or she can to settle everything down. Sometimes the leader is blinded from the truth and only sees what his or her citizen’s see, even if what is seen is a lie. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is a play based on the Salem witch trials that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in the seventeenth century. Women who resided in Salem were accused of partnering with the devil and were executed by the court. Pontius Pilate’s letter to Julius Caesar explains why Pilate crucified Jesus Christ. In both, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, and Pontius Pilate’s letter to Julius Caesar, leaders are blinded by the truth and as a result, innocent men and women die. There are many similarities that can be found in both The Crucible and Pontius Pilate’s letter as well as similarities in the sentiments of Pilate, Reverend Hale, and Judge Danforth.
The letter Pontius Pilate sends to Julius Caesar explains why Pilate crucified Jesus Christ; he was pressured into conducting the crucifixion by the public, even though he did not think it was right. He says, “…at length by the will of the people a bitter punishment has been inflicted, myself being in a sort unwilling and rather afraid.” Here, Pilate states that he was sucked into giving a punishment that the people wanted him to give and not what he thought was right. Similarly, in The Crucible, the powerful men in Salem, specifically Reverend Hale and Judge Danforth give in to what the community wants, the deaths of the women who are thought to work with the devil, instead of do what they think is right. Another similarity is the nature of the people that were killed. Jesus Christ, the man that Pilate killed, was died because of issues regarding...