Four Hundred Words free essay sample

At the beginning, its blank. The black cursor winks at you innocently from the far left of the page, and you stare back, motionless, as you gather your thoughts, packing the days events into midnight-colored suitcases and hiding them in the recesses of your mind, to be found and examined later. Breathing in deeply, you close your eyes for a moment, the fluorescence of the screen burning the inside of your eyelids. This pain is so familiar to us, the digital generation, that it is almost a pleasure. Moisture blurs your vision, but you blink away your bodys feeble attempt to protect your retina from the harsh light emanating from the man-made square of plastic and metal in front of you. Arching your fingers, you place them on the keyboard exactly where you used to see your mom put hers – left pinky on A, ring finger on S, middle on D, pointer on F, then skip over to J, and so on. We will write a custom essay sample on Four Hundred Words or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page You sit, momentarily unable to recall what you are supposed to be writing about, digits hovering as gracefully as a pianists over the square black buttons. Your brain draws a blank, but then colors it in with memories, and you remember your task: the essay. Four hundred to eight hundred words, the bold typeface had boasted, and creativity is encouraged. You stare at the slip of paper on which it is written, the assignment that holds the key to your release from the expected humdrum curriculum of the not-so-honorable English course you will be thrust into if you do not type at least four hundred words. Pausing, you muse at the curiousness of your previous thought. It seems odd that four hundred words could mean the difference between a diploma and an honors diploma, the difference between a mother and father and a proud mother and father, the difference between a curriculum and a rigorous curriculum. It doesnt seem right that four hundred words could cause such a ripple in your life. However, you know that four hundred words will get you the things you want (rigorous curriculum, proud parents, honors diploma), so you will your hands to move, force your fingers down on the keys, and type three words before deleting them and starting over. It has to be good. Maybe not perfect, but as close to it as you can get. You dont know what youre going to say. Youve contemplated this paper for a long time, procrastinating until theres a weight on your chest that you know can only be lifted by the writing of four hundred words. A variety of topics are flitting around your brain: the standard persuasive paper, stating the â€Å"whys† of your argument to be in the class; the half-formed idea of some sort of great journey upon which you would gain the privilege to be in English III; or maybe you should write something to spice up the endeavor, something that rhymes or is written entirely as an alliteration. However, persuasive papers are, in your opinion, atrocious and sure to be massively overdone by the hopeful future members of the class. The journey, though entertaining in concept, is still quite fuzzy in plot and general message, and the paper of alliterations sounds like a dreadfully tedious task that will lead to an almost inevitably mediocre result. You erase the entirety of what you have typed and open a new Word document for good measure. Turning from the computer, you gaze around the room, letting everything drift from your mind. Your chest expands and contracts with a sigh. Now, you arch your fingers over the keyboard once again and decide to begin your much-deliberated paper by describing the state of your psyche: At the beginning, its blank †¦.

Answer Why Does Elizabeth Want John to Go to Salem

Answer Why Does Elizabeth Want John to Go to Salem SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Many readers have the same question about Act 2 of The Crucible:why does Elizabeth want John to go to Salem?This article provides both short and long answers to this question. It should help you to understand the reasoning behind her request, why it changes slightly over the course of the act, and how it connects to the lingering tension in their marriage. Why Is This Question Tricky? This question addresses an important but somewhat confusing aspect of the plot in Act 2. John and Elizabeth Proctor have several one-on-one conversations in this act that introduce the audience to the issues in their marriage that have arisen as a result of John's affair. Elizabeth asks John to go to Salem twice, changing her request slightly when she learns additional information about the court proceedings from Mary. Her first request is driven by an urgent concern for the others who have been accused, but her second request is an even more dire plea as she realizes that she herself is in danger from the trials. We'll look at what the different requests are and why Elizabeths makes them from both a practical and psychological standpoint. Short Answer Elizabeth initially wants John to go to Salem so he can testify that Abigail told him Betty’s illness had nothing to do with witchcraft. When Elizabeth finds out from Mary that she was accused in court, however, she decides she wants John to speak with Abigail directly. She says he must tell Abigail that they will never enter into a romatic relationship again. Elizabeth hopes this will dissuade Abigail from making additional false accusations designed to remove her from the picture. Elizabeth's hope is that John will be willing to set the record straight, first on an official level and then on a personal level.This is the only way he can prove his loyalty to her over Abigail.As she says, â€Å"I will be your only wife, or no wife at all!† (pg. 59) For Elizabeth, this is about more than just protecting herself from accusations. It symbolizes John's renewed commitment to their marriage and the final nail in the coffin for his infatuation with Abigail. Long Answer Elizabeth Proctor first urges John Proctor to go to Salem so he can testify that Abigail and the other girls are frauds.John knows this to be a fact because when he and Abigail spoke alone in Act 1, Abigail scoffed at the suggestion that Betty’s illness had anything to do with witchcraft. Here’s the exact exchange between John and Abigail (on page 20): PROCTOR: The road past my house is a pilgrimage to Salem all morning. The town’s mumbling witchcraft. ABIGAIL: Oh, posh! We were dancin’ in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us. She took fright, is all. John is hesitant to go into town and produce this evidence because he’s not sure he will be believed. It’s his word against Abigail's. He says, â€Å"If the girl’s a saint now, I think it is not so easy to prove she’s fraud, and the town gone so silly. She told it to me in a room alone - I have no proof for it† (pg. 51). Elizabeth is frustrated because she believes that some of his reluctance really stems from the fact that he still has feelings for Abigail.She says, â€Å"John, if it were not Abigail that you must go to hurt, would you falter now? I think not† (pg. 52).Her trust in him is shaken by the fact that he spoke with Abigail alone, a detail that he kept to himself until now.Elizabeth needs John to give his testimony discrediting Abigail to prove that he has moved on from her and his loyalties aren’t divided (and because it’s the honest thing to do). After Mary Warren reveals that Elizabeth was accused briefly during that day’s trial, Elizabeth’s request regarding John’s visit to Salem changes.She sees that the situation is more dire than they originally thought; her life may actually be in danger because of Abigail’s vendetta against her.She now wants John to go to Salem so he can speak with Abigail and tell her that the two of them will never end up together under any circumstances.She knows that Abigail wants her out of the picture so that she can take her place as John’s wife.If Abigail hears directly from John that this will never happen, she might be persuaded to give up her charade. Elizabeth urges, â€Å"Whatever promise she may sense - break it, John, break it† (pg. 59). She understands that thehysteria surrounding the trials has grown to a point where addressing the root of the problem (Abigail) may be more effective than attempting to convince the court officials that the girls are lying. Also, if John speaks to Abigail himself, Abigail won't be able to mistake his intentions in the future. If he's willing to do this, it will prove to Elizabeth that he really is done with the affair psychologically as well as physically. The psychological wounds of John's affair run deeper than his romatically obtuse brain can comprehend. Summary: Why Does Elizabeth Want John to Go to Salem? Ok, let's recap the answer to this question with some snappy bullet points: Elizabeth originally wants John to go to Salem so he can tell the court that he knows the girls are lying. Then, when she finds out she was accused in court, she wants him to go to Salem to speak directly with Abigail. Elizabeth makes these requests with an eye towards correcting injustice and saving her own life. However, she also has a more emotional motive, which is to force John to show his loyalty to her and fully renounce his connection to Abigail. What's Next? Want more details about what exactly happens in Act 2 of The Crucible? Check out our full summary of Act 2, including key quotes and thematic analysis. We've also written in-depth analyses that focus on the main characters of the play. Read a complete breakdown of John Proctor's relationships, motivations, and personality traits. Looking for some good quotes to include in your essay for English class? We have a full list of the most important quotes in The Crucible along with explanations of their thematic relevance. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: