The Complaints against King George III

Casey Darbonne

Mrs. McGowan

English III

22 September 2016

The Complaints against King George III

• ·         “For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:” King George III closed off the Boston Port which stopped trade with other countries. I selected this grievance because the people needed goods from other countries to have basic needs. It relates to today’s world because if we didn’t have trade from other countries then we wouldn’t have clothes, some raw materials, and some food items like rice.
• ·         “For imposing taxes on us without our Consent:” King George III created taxes that were not disclosed with the Colonist representatives. I selected this grievance because it was unfair to the people to have surprised taxes out of nowhere. This relates to the real world because if we had increased taxes, then our goods would be more expensive. Our jobs would also still pay the same amount of money which would make the amount of income per household decrease because of taxes.
• ·         “For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:” King George III did not give the people trials and many were convicted guilty because their case was not heard. This was also unfair to the people who were convicted of a crime because their side of the story was not heard they were charged as guilty even if they were innocent. This relates to the world today because some cases are closed with the wrong person convicted, however because of the Declaration of Independence that number of unfair cases had decreased dramatically.
• ·         “For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:” People who were accused of small crimes would sometimes for taken away to be tried. I chose this grievance because King George III punished the people who maybe stole with an unneeded consequence. The people who should have been taken away was the people were charged with murder or something big like that. This relates to the world today because some people are charged with little crimes, however end up with a big consequence. For example, the people who smoked marijuana are sometimes charged with months of jail time. However a person who raped someone could get away with a few weeks of jail.
• ·         “For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:” The King took away the people’s rights, most useful laws, and altered the forms of government. This is the most important grievance of all because the people are born with their rights as a citizen, however the King took those away. This relates to the world today because now, people have freedom and rights of their own. However, without them, people would be stripped of their humanity because freedom is what makes a person unique.
• ·         “For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with Power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.” King George III abolished laws, suspended legislature, and took himself responsible for handling the legislature. I chose this grievance because the Legislature has the power to make laws for the country, but the King took it from the people and decided to make laws of his own which hurt the country even more. Today, without the Legislature in our own hands, our country would be overrun by British control and people would not have rights or freedom of any kind.
• ·          “He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.” The King burnt down the towns of the colonists which essentially destroyed the lives of the people because their homes were gone and their rights were taken away. This was the second most important grievance because the King should care about his people, however he felt the exact opposite and killed some of the Colonist. This relates to the world today because if the President of the United States went to its people’s houses to burn them, then our country would have no one to rely on to fix the problem. Instead, the people would have to petition, just like they did with the Declaration of Independence.
• ·         “He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy of the Head of a civilized nation.” King George III hired foreign troops to fight against the colonists. Again, this was important because the U.S. had no one they could trust and rely on to fix the problem except for themselves. So they country as a whole came together and agreed on the Declaration of Independence. This relates to the world today because foreign troops still continue to attack our country, however they are not hired by the President. If they were, then we would have to elect a new President and hope that he/she can handle the problem in their own hands.
• ·         “He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.” The King wanted the Indians to attack the colonists no matter what age, sex, or condition the person was in. This was a shocking grievance to me because the King would intentionally hire the people that the U.S. took their land from to go and attack the Colonists no matter the person. This grievance is truly gruesome to think about because he would slaughter the U.S. just for power and control. This relates to the world today because without the Declaration, then the U.S. could potentially still be in war with Britain and still be in British control. Now that the U.S. has its own control and freedom, the people are happier and have more control over their own lives.
• ·         “He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.” The King has refused to obey the laws of the country. This was also an important grievance because the King who took over thee control of the Legislature wont obey his own laws. This was completely unfair to the people because they had to obey the laws, however the King did not. This relates to the world today because now everyone in the country is expected to obey the laws, even though this may not happen one hundred percent of the time, the President of the United States obeys and respects his own laws.

This document establishes a sense of identity because the U.S. finally understands that it has power to overrule the King and that it has power to create its own laws. The United States understands that those rules and regulations were unjust to the country and to its people. They also know that the King would have to overlook this document because it is the whole country against one person, so the whole would have to win. The United States has established its sense of self by understanding that the people in it have power and control over their lives, even if all they have to do is agree to the Declaration of Independence. 

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Casey Darbonne 

Mrs. McGowan

English III

14 September 2016

Crucible Blog Post

RI.11-12.3, 1 – Explain how the opening scene is a catalyst for at least three major events in the play. Be sure to evidence from the text to support the events- The opening scene of The Crucible leads to the major event of Betty Paris’s unconscious state. At the beginning of the play, Abigail Williams drinks chicken blood in order for John Proctor’s wife to die so Abigail could be with John. “Abigail defiantly grabs the rooster from Tituba and violently thrashes it against the kettle, catching blood in her palm and raising it to her lips.” (Miller, Act I).  After doing so, Betty Paris becomes paralyzed and by morning, she lays unconscious. Then, Doctor Griggs examines Betty and finds that he has no cure for her unconscious state and Ann Putnam accuses the Devil for taking hold of Betty. This causes the whole town to become hysterical.

 The opening scene also plays a role in Tituba’s condemnation. In the opening scene of The Crucible, the teenage girls begin to dance naked in the woods. “Hale: Someone called the Devil in that forest! Who was it led you to dance around the fire? You can save yourselves if you tell me who it was. Was there one among you who drank from the kettle? Was there perhaps a casting of spells? Was there!

Mary Warren starts raising her pointing finger toward Abigail.

Abigail: Not I! It wasn’t me. I swear it!

Hale: These two children may be dying! Who?

Abigail: Tituba!” (Miller, Act I).

Even though Abigail Williams was the one who began this crisis in the first place, she decided to blame Tituba for it instead, causing Tituba to be condemned to the Devil. Because Tituba confessed for making deals with the Devil, she was thrown in jail and condemned to the Devil.

The third major event that took place off of the beginning scene was the hanging of John Proctor. First, Abigail lied about drinking the chicken blood because she didn’t want to be charged of witchcraft and she didn’t want anyone to know that she and John Proctor had an affair. Then Abigail accuses Mary Warren of witchcraft, which makes John Proctor confess of his dealings with the Devil because the whole town is accusing the wrong people. By the town accusing the wrong people, this makes John Proctor grow tired of defending his innocence and confesses to dealing with the Devil. “Danforth: I’ll have nothing from you, Mr. Hale! (To Proctor) Will you confess yourself befouled with Hell or do you keep that black allegiance yet? What say you!

Proctor: (Looks out on the breathless crowd) I say you are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore! I say God is dead!” (Miller, Act III)

Because of the town’s mass hysteria, that caused many innocent people’s lives to end. Furthermore, the opening scene is a catalyst for Betty Paris’s unconscious state, Tituba’s life to be thrown in jail and condemned, and John Proctor’s death.

RI.11-12.6, 1 – Explain how the author has use rhetoric in the play to develop his clear argument (appeals - logos, pathos, ethos; rhetorical devices: visit http://www.flashcardmachine.com/machine/?topic_id=2282658&source=pub.pub_details for a solid review of topics you could elaborate on in your post. Please note the text evidence and HOW the author used this evidence to develop rhetoric for his argument in the play.

The author uses pathos in the play to appeal to the reader’s emotions. He uses this so the reader can understand that killing people out of fear causes bad things to happen and causes innocent lives to be lost.

“Sewall: I beseech you, Thomas, it must end now. It has struck the people very hard that so many will not confess. There is a faction here, Thomas, feeding on that news. They are sick of hanging.

Danforth: I tell you Samuel, I shall not rest until every inch of this province belongs again to God.”(Miller, Act II). In this quote, pathos plays a role in the hysteria theme because the town cannot keep killing people based off of inaccurate suspicions. Pathos exists in this play so the readers can see what the town is doing wrong, however the townspeople do not see their acts appalling because of the mass hysteria.

The author uses ethos in the play to prove that Abigail Williams is not a reliable source.

“Danforth:-Did you see Goody Proctor’s spirit and did she stab you as you have charged?

Abigail: Goody Proctor sent her spirit and it stabbed me.” (Miller, Act III).

In this quote, Abigail Williams is lying because she wants to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft so Abby could be with John. In this case, ethos was used to show the reader that not everyone can be reliable and trustworthy. Because Abigail was not a reliable source, this caused Elizabeth Proctor to be hung.

The author uses logos in the play to show that the majority of the characters did not have logic. In this time period, hysteria overruled logic, which caused a snowball effect to happen because once one person was accused of witchcraft, most of the town was too.

“Danforth: In ordinary crime, witnesses are called to prove guilt or innocence. But witchcraft is an invisible crime; therefore who may witness it? The witch and, of course, the victim. Now we cannot expect the witch to accuse herself, can we? Therefore, we may only rely upon her victims! - And the children certainly testify! Therefore, what is left for a lawyer to bring out?” (Miller, Act III)

In this quote, Judge Danforth believes that his logic makes sense, however he has no actual proof that witchcraft is really happening in the town. Logos was used in this quote because Judge Danforth’s logic did not make sense because, in the send, he was accusing the wrong people. So, hysteria overruled logic because Danforth was accusing people based on the town’s fears of witchcraft.

RI.11-12.2, 1 – What truth is the author attempting to reveal with his play? Cite evidence from the text to support your analysis: The truth that the author is attempting to reveal is that killing people out of fear, will not solve a problem. In this instance, the townspeople are scared that the Devil has come to Salem, so they hang innocent people thinking that killing them would return the Devil back to Hell. “Ann Putnam: It’s the Devil, isn’t it; the Devil is taking hold of them.

Griggs: Oh, Goody Putnam, I know not…” (Miller, Act I).

In the end, however the townspeople end up killing innocent people because of their fear, which is proved to be irrational because the Devil is not actually in Salem.

RI/RL.11-12.2 Thematic Unit Connection, consider these lines from the text:

PROCTOR, with a cry of his whole soul: Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!

How does Proctor’s sense of self impact him personally, and in turn, his family and the community of Salem?

Proctor’s sense of self impacts him personally because it gets him hung in the end. He cared about his reputation so much that when he was accused of witchcraft, he did not try hard or long enough to defend his name. Instead, he confessed to witchcraft and when he was tried one more time at court, he confessed again because he didn’t want the townspeople to think that he was lying the second time. Eventually it impacted his family and the community of Salem because Elizabeth Proctor was hung and the community began to believe that witchcraft was real because so many confessed to having deals with the Devil.