The Crucible Arthur Miller Essays - Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible

The Crucible Arthur Miller The Crucible Arthur Miller Introduction Arthur Miller was an American playwright who was born in 1915. He grew up in New York to a Jewish family. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1938 where he began to distinguish himself as a playwright. His first plays were Honors at Dawn (1936) and No Villain (1937) which won the University of Michigan Hopwood Awards. His Death of a Salesman won the Pulitzer prize in 1949. Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953 during the McCarthy period when Americans were accusing each other of Pro-Communist beliefs. Many of Miller's friends were being attacked as communists and in 1956, Miller himself was brought before the House of Un-American Activities Committee where he was found guilty of beliefs in communism. The verdict was reversed in 1957 in an appeals court. Miller married Marylin Monroe in 1956 but divorced her in 1961. The Crucible is set against the backdrop of the mad witch hunts of the Salem witch trials in the late 17th century. It is about a town, after accusations from a few girls, which begins a mad hunt for witches that did not exist. Many townspeople were hanged on charges of witchcraft. Miller brings out the absurdity of the incident with the theme of truth and righteousness. The theme is conveyed through the struggles of Miller's main character, John Proctor. Summary Act one begins with Reverend Parris praying over her daughter, Betty Parris, who lies unconscious on her bed. Through conversations between Reverend Parris and his niece Abigail Williams, and between several girls, the audience learns that these girls, including Abigail and Betty, were engaged in occultic activities in the forest lead by Tituba, Parris' slave from Barbados. Parris caught them and jumped from a bush startling the girls. Betty fainted and had not recovered. During this session, Abigail drank chicken blood to kill Elizabeth Proctor. She tells the girls that she will kill anyone who mutters a word about what happened. The townspeople do not know exactly what the girls were doing but there are rumors of witchcraft. John Proctor enters the room where Betty lies faint. Abigail is still in there and she tries to seduce him. Proctor is a farmer who has had an affair with Abigail a while ago, but now he wants to forget it. Reverend John Hale is summoned to look upon Betty and the research the incident. He is an expert in occultic phenomena and he is eager to show his knowledge. He questions Abigail who accuses Tituba as being a witch. Tituba, afraid of being hanged, confesses faith in God and accuses Goody Good and Goody Osborne of witchcraft. Abigail and Betty, who has woken up, claim to have been bewitched and confess faith in God. They name several other people whom they claim they saw with the Devil. Act two begins eight days after the discussion at Parris' house. Between act one and act two, Deputy Governor Dansforth came to Salem to oversee the court proceedings. Fourteen people have been arrested for witchcraft, and there is talk of hanging. Elizabeth Proctor asks John to go to the court and testify against Abigail and the other girls. John doesn't want to get involved. There is tension between Elizabeth and John since Elizabeth has not forgiven John for the affair. Marry Warren enters. She was in court testifying against the townspeople. She gives Elizabeth a doll which she has made in court. In the middle of their discussion, Hale enters to question John and Elizabeth, suspicious of witchcraft. Later, Giles Corey and Francis Nurse enter to seek advice after both their wives had been arrested. Next, the marshal arrives with a warrant for Elizabeth's arrest. Elizabeth was accused by Abigail for stabbing Abigail with a needle through a doll. John Proctor protests but Elizabeth is taken away in chains. Proctor demands Mary that she goes to court and testify against the girls. He vows that he will fight the proceedings, even if it means confessing his own adultery. Act three takes place in court. Francis Nurse, Giles Corey, and John Proctor present their case against the girls to Deputy Governor Dansforth and Judge Hathorne. Proctor presents a petition signed by 91 people testifying to the good character of their wives, and Dansforth issues warrants for the questioning of all of them. Corey charges Putnam on inciting his daughter to accuse Corey of witchcraft in order get his land. Corey has a witness but will not name him for fear of getting the man arrested. Corey is arrested because of contempt of the court. Proctor presents his case and

Child-Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Can the Development of Osteoporosis be Delayed or Avoided Through Physical Activity

Child-Survivors of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Can the Development of Osteoporosis be Delayed or Avoided Through Physical Activity Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), a hematological cancer most-commonly diagnosed in children and young adults, is characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and maturation arrest of the lymphoid progenitor cells found in bone marrow (resulting in an excess of malignant cells). ALL is the most frequent childhood malignancy, with 2000-2500 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year and representing almost one-third of all pediatric cancers. Its peak-incidence is found in patients 2-5 years old. The cause of ALL is still unknown, although there are a small number of cases associated with inherited genetic syndromes (eMedicine 2003). Several specialists have studied the possible connection between ALL and development of osteopenia and osteoporosis later in life, and have concluded that while there appears to be a connection between the two, more research must be done to identify precise mechanisms, and also to determine whether or not this is truly a long-term concern or merel y one which disappears once the patient has recovered. Leukemia, meaning â€Å"white blood†, is a disease marked by an increased number of circulating white blood cells (Snively Beshear 1972). Acute leukemias are classified according to the patient and which cell types are involved. Most pediatric leukemias are lymphoblastic and begin in clusters of lymphocytes within bone marrow, stem cells or other lymphoid tissues (Robbins Angell 1976). The etiology of leukemia remains unidentified, however, some have postulated that it may be the result of a virus. Due to an overall cure-rate of almost 80%, it has become increasingly important to examine the consequences of the disease and its treatments in its survivors. Symptoms of ALL comprise fatigue, due largely to anemia; fever, as a secondary infection to neutropenia; and bleeding due to thrombocytopenia, including petechiae, ecchymoses, epistaxis and gingival bleeding. In certain cases, secondary complications may include lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly and kidney enlargement. There is also a relatively high risk of bone infiltration, marrow expansion, subperiosteal infiltration and bone necrosis; important factors to consider when theorizing a connection between ALL and higher risk of osteoporosis (Beck 1973). Decreased bone mineral density (BMD) may result from the leukemic process itself, ectopic production of parathyroid hormone, paracrine secretion of lymphokines and decreased physical activity. Treatment of ALL largely includes corticosteroids, methotrexate and radiotherapy (cranial irradiation), and many have hypothesized that alterations in bone mass density may be linked to these methods; it has been widely speculated that treatment of ALL can have negative effects on bone formation and remodeling. Children, the most common patients with ALL, are especially at risk of developing osteoporosis and growth retardation because they may be subject to alterations in bone development during the precise time when building is at its peak (van der Sluis ). Bone metabolism is a continuous process of modeling and remodeling, with a yearly replacement rate of 10% (Haddy et al. 2001). Osteoporosis is a metabolic disease of the bones, characterized by structural degeneration of bone tissue and steady decrease in bone mass, which causes bones to become weak and more susceptible to fractures; â€Å"osteo† translates to bone and â€Å"porosis† means porous (Leroux 2001). Osteoporosis is a major health threat for over 44 million people in the U.S., 68% of whom are women; 10 million of these individuals actually have the disease (80% afflicted are women) and 34 million have low bone mass (National Institutes of Health, 2002), a condition known as osteopenia. Osteoporosis is responsible for more than 1.5 million fractures each year in the U.S. and the most common sites of fracture are hip, spine, wrist and ribs. Similar statistics are found in Canada, where 1.4 million people are affected by osteoporosis (350 000 of those reside in Quebec) (Leroux 2001). Although more research is required to determine the precise relationship between ALL and osteopenia, the precursor of osteoporosis (Haddy et al. 2001), the mechanisms can be theorized and the next portion of this paper will examine this possible connection. Children and adolescents are especially vulnerable to alterations in BMD since this is the time when peak bone mass is built (Haddy et. al. 2001), and since 90% of peak bone density is achieved by the age of 30, it is believed that increased physical activity levels for young people could help prevent bone disorders such as osteopenia and osteoporosis (Eliakim Beyth 2003). Musculoskeletal disorders are common complications of ALL and its treatment, and children diagnosed with ALL have already been found to have decreased BMD at the time of diagnosis. A number of research groups have examined the possible connection between ALL and development of osteoporosis and, although some studies have shown these effects to be temporary, there seems to be a positive correlation between ALL and decreased BMD. While no clear resolution has been reached as to whether or not these effects endure long-term (post-remission), all seem to agree that the suspected physiological mechanisms make sense. Bone metabolism is a constant cycle and consists of 80% cortical bone (the dense outer protective portion) and 20% cancellous or trabecular bone (the spongy inner portion). As mentioned, ALL patients are especially susceptible to hampered bone formation due to the disease itself (because of leukemic invasion) and to its treatment, which includes corticosteroids, methotrexate therapy, local and cranial irradiation, and deficiency of various hormones. These individuals also tend to have limited exercise capacity, and tend to inactivity; these limitations a re likely due to cancer-related fatigue, and some suffer from nutritional deficiencies including: calcium, vitamin D and magnesium metabolism (Haddy et al. 2001). Limited research has been performed regarding long-term effects of radiotherapy, but a clear correlation appears to exist between reductions in BMD and increased fragility, and dose-level of radiotherapy (Hopewell, 2003).