Name: Elijah                                             Humanities

7th Grade                                                                         Comparative Essay

Outline for Crucible/McCarthy Comparative Essay

 

Theme: Hypocrisy

Paragraph #1: Introductory Paragraph (GIT)

 

Grabber Statement (G): Imagine if your role models, and the people who represented your entire life or religion, went against everything you stood for in a single moment. If they had promised many things, but then changed their ideas for the sole purpose of self gain, they would be hypocrites.

 

Introduction of Theme (I): Hypocrisy has been a driving factor in all of the persecution that has taken place from the Salem witch trials, to the Red Scare, to the present day. Hypocrisy is always been a get out of jail free card for those who are in power.

 

Thesis Statement (T): Hypocrisy has always been, and will always be eminent in society because it’s of natural human nature to lie to keep up your reputation.

 

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Paragraph #2: Crucible Thematic Connection

 

Topic Sentence (T): Hypocrisy is a major theme in the Crucible, and is shown through many characters. Those who are hypocritical misuse their power, and end up as the antagonists in the story.

 

Explanatory Sentence (E): Hypocrisy comes more from those in power, like Reverend Parris, or Deputy Governor Danforth, and sometimes others take notice of these things.

 

Evidence (E): In the play, John Proctor is quick to point out Parris’s hypocrisy. “But Parris came, and for twenty week he preach nothin’ but golden candlesticks until he had them. I think, sometimes, the man dreams cathedrals, not clapboard meetin’ houses,” Proctor says, (Miller, P. 89)

 

Analysis (A): This quote shows pure hypocrisy on account of Parris. The entire puritan religion is about being simple and honest. Meeting houses built by hand– bent wooden beams. That’s what they’re society is built of. But their minister, Reverend Parris is going against that. Literally the leader of the religion, Parris, is going against the founding principle religion by searching for wealth. This is only one of many examples of hypocrisy. Danforth and the Putnams are both hypocritical. Danforth condemns many, many people just to keep his reputation intact. Everybody is hypocritical but they take it to an extreme in the Crucible. When there’s hysteria, people act very differently. When people started accusing left and right, everybody went crazy. Hypocrisy can lead to greed, and scapegoating, and of course, that happened in the Crucible. Everything is connected.

 

Concluding/ Transition (C): History repeats itself. This was not the only time there was widespread hypocrisy.

 

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Paragraph #3: McCarthy/Red Scare Thematic Connection

 

Topic Sentence (T): Hypocrisy in the McCarthy Era was widespread because of leaders like Joseph McCarthy, who set an example for others, this led them to corruption, and scapegoating.

 

Explanatory Sentence (E): During the McCarthy era, the U.S. Senate was contradicting the Constitution of the United States. That’s like someone writing a how to book, and then saying that it doesn’t work. It’s complete hypocrisy. Many, many people were brought before congress, and forced to give names of other “communists.” If they didn’t testify, they were persecuted. This is a direct violation of the 5th amendment.

 

Evidence (E): “Nor shall in any criminal case to be a witness against himself.” (Constitution of the United States of America.)

 

Analysis (A): When the U.S. Senate contradicts the Constitution, it’s a prime example of hypocrisy because it’s basically their job to go by the Constitution. They’re tearing apart the system which they’re supposed to be maintaining. The charge was led by Joseph McCarthy, who falsely accused thousands of people, but it turned out was making all of it up. He was the biggest hypocrite of them all. McCarthy said to have a list of communists, but it turns out, there was never a list, and he was making it all up for attention. McCarthy hadn’t done anything really as a Senator since he had been elected. He wanted the spotlight, and he was willing to do whatever would get him center stage.

 

Concluding/ Transition (C): Even in our common day we have leaders like Joseph McCarthy.

 

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Paragraph #4: Modern Day Witch Hunt Thematic Connection

 

Topic Sentence (T): Donald Trump shows an enormous amount of hypocrisy, through his public policies and his private life, this results in doubt of the people, and corruption of the office.

 

Explanatory Sentence (E): Trump’s hypocrisy is most evident when he’s talking about the issues in the country. He often changes his opinion at times that seem a little too convenient for him.

 

Evidence (E): The New York Times notes his hypocrisy in an article about him. “If Mr. Trump favored such a hard line on immigration, the logic went, should he not then favor the deportation of his own wife, Melania, who was alleged to have worked while in the United States on a visitor’s visa? The charge of hypocrisy didn’t stick, not so much because it placed its proponents, unwittingly, in the distasteful position of advocating the deportation of someone for a long-ago and common transgression, but because Mr. Trump wasn’t just breaking the rules of political conduct: He was destroying them.” (The New York Times.)

 

Analysis (A): Trump has condemned many immigrants in this country, when his own wife is an immigrant. The difference is that his wife is rich and white. The people he’s persecuting tend to be from Latin America, or the Middle East. This is just plain racist. Trump has also accused many many people of being hypocrites, but he himself is a hypocrite. That’s hypocrisy on it’s own. It’s a paradox. Trump has many, many instances of hypocrisy, he hates immigrants but his wife is an immigrant. He tweeted before the election about how awful the electoral college was, but he pulled ahead in the polls, and suddenly it’s genius. This shows a lot of hypocrisy from our president. People overlooked his hypocrisy, and voted for him. Now we have a sexist, racist, bigot as our president. Trump is so unintelligent that he says things that he contradicts over and over again. He’s changed his views on almost all of his issues. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but he always seems to change his opinions at times where it would really save his face. He has no respect for anything but his reputation.

 

Concluding/ Transition (C): Hypocrisy is a theme in our world and will always be a theme. No matter how much we learn, history repeats himself.

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Paragraph #5: Concluding Paragraph (ROC)

 

Reflection on Thesis (R): Throughout all of history, hypocrisy has been a driving factor in all of the wrong decisions we’ve made, because people tend to contradict their core beliefs for self gain.

 

Overview of Main Points (O): In the Crucible, Danforth condemns countless innocent people because he can’t admit he was wrong, even when he knows. McCarthy completely tattered the constitution just to get attention. Trump “hates all immigrants”, but his own wife is an immigrant.

 

Concluding Idea (C): Hypocrisy is always on our shoulder whispering in our ears, but it will fall off when we learn to work together instead of only working for ourselves. If we learn to do that, all of our lives will be much better. Could we have a world without hypocrisy?

 

Name: Elijah Meltzer                                                                               March 2017

Humanities                                                Africans in NY: Creative Narrative Assignment

 

Third Time’s a Charm

 

It’s unfair. It’s simply unfair that we’re trapped here after being plucked from our own homes in Angola where we were living peaceful lives. Now, we are to be slaves in New Amsterdam for the Dutch. I remember sitting alongside many people who were dear to me, only to watch them hurl themselves over the bow of the ship, to get out of their cruel fate. Going through the Middle Passage was the worst thing I can remember. There was no room and we were all huddled up together in a miniscule space. I was one of the lucky ones, and was near the door so I got enough food to keep me alive. I’m afraid I can’t say the same for some of my friends. Between starving, disease, and suicide, so many died before even entering slavery. When we finally got to New Amsterdam, I was shoved up onto an auction table with my hands tied behind my back, and sold to Mr. Jacob Reigner. Mr. Regnier was not a nice man, not even close. But he did appreciate my hard work and my strength. He knew I was very helpful which made him treat me with much more respect. Of course that doesn’t mean much when it comes from Mr. Reigner. We have to stay strong in order to survive in this world.

 

One day, a couple of years after I made it to New Amsterdam, I got really fed up. A group of my friends got together and devised a plan. A plan to get back at all of those people who oppressed us. A plan of revenge. A plan of triumph. A plan of conquest. We gathered together all of the weapons we could. We set a fire on Kip Street and hid in the bushes. All of them white folks went out in a hurry running, and screaming, trying to put the fire out. We ambushed them with all of our weapons. We killed nine people. Fire and blood was everywhere. It soaked through the cobblestones as the weight of our actions sank in. There was a brief pause as we looked around at each other, and at the ghostly white dead bodies on the ground. We ran like hell with screams of horror lofting behind us. I went straight to my home. Well, it was more of a house than a home. A home is where you’re happy, where you’re safe, and this place is neither of those. No this place is a house. My home is in Angola, my home is far from here. Now I was taken to court for this. I was charged with murder. But Mr. Regnier knew he needed me, so he testified on my behalf. I was found not guilty. But the Attorney General had an old grudge against Mr. Regnier. He tried me again, but again Mr. Regnier aided me and I was found not guilty. But the Attorney General persisted. He was a devious man, and he charged me with a different crime. Because I had been charged with murder before, this next crime already was weighted against me. I was found guilty and sent to be hanged. Luckily the Royal Governor Hunter stepped in. He knew the Attorney General was only using me as a way to get back at Regnier. He then issued a reprieve for me. I was not hanged, and went back to Mr. Regnier. He died later that year. He set me half free. Then I went to the Land of the Blacks, and was a buffer for the Dutch. For people like me, any small victory is a massive triumph.