We deceive others because we think it serves our purpose in some way. Some lies may be harmless, may be made on impulse as a defensive mechanism, well other lies are meant for harm or to extract power over others.
Blatant lies are woven in every word Abigail uttered in Act 1 of the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. She lies easily, without compunction or care for the truth or other people’s well-being, and can keep the lies going. This characteristic was first shown when she was trying to explain the activities done in the woods.
“Uncle, we did dance; let you tell them I confessed it – and I’ll be whipped if I must be. But they’re speakin’ of witchcraft. Betty’s not witched” (Act 1, p. 9).
When her lies don’t fully cover her tracks, she immediately comes up with new lies, and people believed her. Just within Act 1, her story changed from “we were just dancing” to “Tituba sent her spirit on me and bewitched us”, and everyone buys it. Abigail blaming on Tituba deliberately creates an out for her on the sins she conjured. Her story also got everyone believing in witchcraft, and while her words contradict to what she was initially said as the act goes on, everyone was all too busy expressing their anger to see reasons. Witchcraft, once a theory, suddenly became the center of attention, all because of Abigail’s blatant lies.
In the book Animal Farm by George Orwell, the pig, Napoleon, also uses manipulation and deception from the very beginning. He utilizes the excuse of bringing Animalism (the dream of the Old Major) to deliberately brainwash other animals as he exerts more control over them. A good example is the disappearance of milk and apple. These foods are considered luxuries for the animals now that humans left. The pigs, however, manage to convince other animals that these items only reserved for the pigs.
“ ‘Comrades!’ he cried. ‘You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object in taking these things is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brain workers. The whole management and organization of this farm depend on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for YOUR sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples.’ “(3.14)
He made other animals believe he genuinely cares about their welfare, that if the pigs are well-fed, all animals benefits too. Napoleon also made it sound like the pigs are doing a moral deed, sacrificing themselves for the greater good. And all animals comply without any suspicion, some even felt thankful for the pigs. Only Snowball, that one pig that genuinely wants to improve all animal’s living condition, challenges against Napoleon. But he was soon kicked out of the farm, with everyone believing him as a traitor.
“Comrades,” [Squealer] said, “I trust that every animal here appreciates the sacrifice that Comrade Napoleon has made in taking this extra labor upon himself. Do not imagine, comrades, that leadership is a pleasure! … Suppose you had decided to follow Snowball, with his moonshine of windmills– Snowball, who, as we now know, was no better than a criminal?” (5.19)
Abigail lied to get out of trouble; Napoleon lied to exert control on others. Both of their lies only got more exaggerate as story progress, but everyone around them believes it.
Shmoop Editorial Team. “Animal Farm Lies and Deceit Quotes Page 1.” Shmoop, Shmoop University, 11 Nov. 2008, www.shmoop.com/animal-farm/lies-deceit-quotes.html.
Hi Michelle :))
nice introduction to get the audiences intrigued and maybe even relating to them, as we might do these things ourselves! Then, good job briefly introducing who you are going to talk about, you are trying to attract the audience. Gives direct evidence from the book and also correct citation. Giving direct evidence makes it easier to see the connections visually. Detailed comparison to “Animal Farm”, with a semi TIEA format. A question for you is that have you noticed any differences between the parts you have chosen from the Animal Farm from the parts you chose from the Crucible? The last paragraph ties it back to the claim you have chosen, which makes it very clear for the audience to understand. GOOD JOB!!!
I got to say, Michelle’s introductory sentence is solid and interesting, which makes it very attracting. She sums up the whole post in one sentence, then explains using examples from different pieces of text, this allows me to clearly know what she is trying to express. What was also interesting was that she decided to do a comparison to a different book, which was new. Also by substantially using evidence, there is literally nothing I could say to counter her ideas. Overall, her post is very organized, different ideas go in a different paragraph, making the post look clean and easy to understand.
Hi Michelle,
Your introduction is a great hook and it cuts right into the main topic – lies. Also, you connected this with the other novel, Animal Farm, which was brilliant. I also believe that Animal Farm is a great example of this. However, I believe that the pigs are not lying to cover up the truth, but they are lying to gain the benefits (benefits because of lying), but in Crucible, instead of gaining the benefits, they are lying to try to save their own lives. Do you agree with my point?
Overall, it was really creative to relate one book with another book, and you also included a lot of quotes and examples from the book to make it more persuasive. I really enjoyed reading your blog post.
Have a great day! Sandy.