The History of Sociology free essay sample

This paper traces the history of the development of the study of Sociology and examines the works of its founders , including Marx, Durkheim and Weber. This paper provides a complete overview of the development of the science of sociology. It focuses on three major players Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber and their influence on the early stages of the science. It shows how they they helped form the basis for the three general perspectives in sociology: conflict theory, functionalism, and interactionism. From the paper: It was Auguste Comte (1789-1857) who coined the term ?sociology.? He believed this new science should study the question of ?how is society possible (Bartek/Mullin14) He based his own science on the idea that society is composed of individuals in the same way as a line is composed of points. The focus must be on observations of society and the collections of those individuals. We will write a custom essay sample on The History of Sociology or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Because of Comte?s work, other sociologists began to study the changes in society.

8 Surprising Jobs That Earn 100K with Just a 2-Year Degree

8 Surprising Jobs That Earn 100K with Just a 2-Year Degree While some people may think a four-year degree is necessary to get a higher paying job, there are a number of professions where you can make around $100,000 per year with only a two-year degree. A traditional college degree is not necessary to get a good job and earn a high-paying salary. Radiation therapistHealth care jobs are a growing field and will continue to grow as baby boomers age and the population increases. An associate’s degree lets individuals work in a hospital setting or a cancer-treatment center where they monitor the equipment, record a patient’s reaction and provide documentation for the treatment session. pay can be up to around $100,000.Air traffic controllerArmed with an associate’s degree, air traffic controllers can make up to $122,000 per year. the primary duties of an air traffic controller are to manage the flights of planes flying into and out of the airport, with safety being the primary goal. although this can be a high-stress job, th e pay may make it worth considering.Executive pastry chefExecutive pastry chefs can work in a number of different places, from hotels to restaurants and even on cruise ships. It requires the equivalent of a two-year degree from either a technical or culinary school or a community college to be ready to work. Really good pastry chefs can make up to $102,000 a year. This, of course, is dependent on the city and location.Master plumberEveryone, at one time or another, needs a plumber, and that’s one of the reasons working as a master plumber pays up to $102,000 per year. One of the good things about being a plumber is that individuals can either work for a company or set up their own business. workers who enjoy working with their hands and don’t mind getting wet sometimes when working on or installing water lines and related systems and appliances, may be interested in this job. They can go to a technical school or community college to learn the skills to get licensed.Rea l estate salesBrokers in real estate sales jobs can earn hefty commissions that amount to much more than $100,000 each year. To become a real estate broker requires a high school education and long hours that can include holidays and weekends. There may also be periods with low to no income when no sales are made.Construction supervisorThose workers that have experience in the construction industry may work up to the job of supervisor. These jobs can pay up to $130,845 per year, and promotions are usually from within the company. A strong knowledge of the business, policies and values is necessary as well as the ability to be on call to complete projects and for emergencies.Court reporterAn individual who has an associate’s degree as a court reporter, which entails transcribing court proceedings, can make a good salary. Court reporter jobs pay up to $104,000 and will require a background check. Salary can be dependent on location. A busy courtroom in a large city will likely pay more than a smaller town.BartenderBartenders make a wide range in salary depending on the location and volume of clientele. While some restaurants, bars, and clubs may pay around $19,000, more upscale locations in large cities can pay over $100,000, including tips. while most bartending skills are learned on the job, there are some programs that teach bartending and offer certification in the safe serving of alcohol.Getting a high-paying job does not necessarily mean that a four-year college degree is necessary. Thejobnetwork can help you find the job you want by searching job listings for you and sending you jobs that fit your qualifications. all you do is fill out your job interests and skills and we do the rest. we notify you by email when matching jobs appear. sign up for job match alert to find the job that’s right for you.

Discuss how the father-daughter relationship is important in Essay

Discuss how the father-daughter relationship is important in Cinderella, how it's relevant - Essay Example This paper will focus primarily on the father-daughter relationship and its significance and relevance in different versions of Cinderella. For masses, the daughter-father relationship is almost absent in the story and one does not come across a direct evident relationship of the two in most of the versions. However, from a critical point of view, there exists somehow a negative relationship between the two (Neilsen, pp. 20-23), as most of the versions have shown an ignorant father who did not interfere when stepmother/s and stepsisters were mistreating Cinderella in the story. In one of the earliest versions of Cinderella, the father is shown as a widowed one who ends up marrying a woman who always mistreats Cinderella also known as Zezolla in some of the versions of this fairytale. This version has shown an absent relationship of father and daughter as the father is always silent when it comes to mistreatment of her daughter. Later on, Zezolla plots killing of her evil mother with the governess (Nielsen, pp. 22-25) and subsequently, father marries the governess who is shown as the worst stepmother resulting in harsher treatment for the Cinderella. Almost all versions of the story except the Disney’s film version, the father is portrayed as a cruel one who takes the side of the evil stepmother and forces Cinderella to perform all the nasty house chores while the stepmother and stepdaughters enjoy bounties of the world (Silvey, pp. 136-139). Some of the versions of Cinderella story have moved a line ahead by showing an incestuous father (Nielsen, pp. 25-28) that resulted in huge criticism from educators, as it portrayed a wrong image of fathers to children, especially daughters. To show incestuous intention of the father, Alan Dundes briefed one of the versions of Cinderella while saying: Usually the queen on her deathbed makes the king promise to marry only someone who

Factors and criteria of choice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Factors and criteria of choice - Essay Example It has happened in 14 years that the mobile phone giant Nokia is not toping the annual cell phone sales chart, whereas it is Samsung which has replaced Nokia and has become the world’s number one mobile phone selling brand in the world (LAM). The technology advances on everyday basis. New features are added everyday in mobile phones to make them more attractive. The total revenue generate annually by the mobile company is $100 billion. However the profitably of the mobile phones companies depend on their ability to develop more innovative product, with offering higher quality and affordability to the consumers. This research paper highlights the features that the mobile phones need, in order to maintain their present and future position in the mobile phone market. Explanation The advancements in technology have helped in the development of several significant and useful features in the mobile phones. These features provided by the mobile phone companies’ help in deciding that which phones will occupy the market share. The mobile phone tour guide present in some of the phones help people in finding a place. This can be a useful feature for tourist who visits other places. This phone technology is more appropriate than the paper guide. Near field communication technology allows the mobile phone to connect to other wireless device present at some distance and transfer data, which ranges from pictures and songs to payment and other important information. Phones embedded with NFC chips can be used as electronic identity cards or debit cards. The phones with NFC chips can be quite effective in futures. The NFC devices manufactures must work in collaboration with VISA to come up with technology that would make life easier for customers. Mobiles programmed to allow users to download different application are the one that users prefer the most. These application may consist of Skype which allow users to make call to other people having Skype application in their phones, present anywhere in the world. The phones supporting downloadable application also support large amount of data as the size of the application can be as large as 550 KB (Sen). Camera is the key factor that costumers consider while purchasing a mobile phone. Phone with the ability of capturing pictures; occupy almost 40 percent of the market share. However the camera feature of mobile phone is not enough for customers. They want camera with high definition and several other features that are present in advance digital cameras. The mobile market is now saturated with camera phones, people nowadays prefer to have a picture capturing device in their pockets. The other significant feature that people prefer in camera phones include 3G network. This advance form of network s upport the highly advance feature of mobile phones providing more storage to the customers. The 3G networks not only allow the users to captures memorable moments but it also allow users to share it with their family and friends. Other important characteristics of the 3G networks includes the transmission of data at 38 K bps, improving image quality up to 330,000 pixels and it allows the internal storage of mobile phone to grow so that the users can save a dozen photos at a single time (Garside and Arthur). The major complaints that are faced by the telephone companies are mostly related

Lactic Acid And Fatigue Health And Social Care Essay

Lactic Acid And Fatigue Health And Social Care Essay A large portion of the population, including athletes and coaches in this current era still believes that the limitations of exercise performance is due to lactic acid build up causing fatigue. It is a stubborn myth that stood through the test of time. This is a relatively  old school of thought  that has its roots in the work of Fletcher K [1]. Lactic acid was regarded as an end metabolite of glycolysis and elevates as an exercise intensify where oxygen availability decreases[2]. It was Brooks GA that started the Lactate revolution. He presented the lactate shuttle hypothesis in his work in 1986[3]. It was due to this hypothesis that scientists, even in present day, question the mechanisms of lactate or lactic acid in the body and its involvement in fatigue. This report will delve into studies within the recent decade, touching on conflicting ideas pertaining to lactic acid and its involvement in fatigue. I will further break down lactic acid into its biochemical components, lactate and hydrogen ion, and discuss studies which have contradicting beliefs on these components implication with fatigue. Finally, I will highlight on recent articles that has even challenged the underlying mechanism behind fatigue. Lactic Acid as a whole? Lactic acid was considered a metabolic waste. It is a by-product of glycolysis in the conversion of glucose to pyruvate. It was blamed for the burning sensation felt during and after performing a high intensity exercise which would then finally cause fatigue. However, the idea of lactic acid causing muscle fatigue has been challenged since the 1980s. For example, human deficient in the enzyme myophosphorylase showed faster muscle fatigue eventhough they are incapable of breaking down glycogen and accumulate lactic acid[4]. Studies on single muscle fibres showed constant rate of fatigue eventhough its pH was intentionally lowered[5]. It is seen today that many studies have challenged one anothers idea. It is important to consider all options before finally cementing a theory. Firstly, it would be unfair to blame lactic acid as a whole when it literally does not exist in this neutral construct[6, 7]. It expresses as hydrogen ions (H+) and lactate ions in the body [7, 8]. Several studies have and should continue separating these 2 entities and experimented on them separately to find its link with fatigue as either one, both or none of them could be the cause of fatigue. So is lactate the real culprit? It was long written in literature that lactate is known as a metabolic waste product. However, lactate is far from being a useless product. There has been growing number of evidence of the beneficial properties of lactate and this has tested the universality of the hypothesis linking muscular fatigue with lactate production. Lactate, being produced when glucose breaks down to pyruvate [9], allows continuation of glycolysis by generating the NAD+ needed in glycolysis[10] thus preserving exercise performance and delaying fatigue. With the presence of oxygen, lactate can be converted to pyruvate which could be converted to glucose. This process is called Cori cycle[11]. It can then be utilized or stored as glycogen, according to the bodys need at that point of time[11]. This makes lactate a good source of energy. Lactate could be cleared by oxidation in the muscle fibre it was produced. Oxidation of that particular lactate could also happen in other muscle fibres as the lactate is being transported. Those lactate not oxidized will diffuse into the blood veins and transported to the liver[12].Lactate is favoured by the brain and used extensively as a source of fuel[13]. Lactate was known to contribute to fatigue. Many studies nowadays shows otherwise, in fact, it has been studied that lactate may delay the onset of acidosis mainly via H+ reduction. In this review[14] and study by Robergs R.A[15] (supported by S.E Allen[16]), H+ were found to be carried out from cells by transporters and also be consumed by lactate. However, this statement has been challenged by Lindinger M.I., stating that Roberg ignored that lactate is an anion. Its increase would therefore reduce Na anions and thus increase H+ to maintain electroneutrality[7]. Although Lindinger might be correct, there are more studies supporting the opposite notion. A solid ground breaking revolution should occur when lactate is being administered to athletes via energy drinks, however many are still in the dark in recognizing lactates true potential. A study showed that lactate is utilized more efficiently with a greater extent compared to glucose or fructose and also enhances high intensity performance[17]. To further add value to lactate, it is found that performance decrement has no correlation with lactate production[18]. It is clear from the whole list of resources in literature that lactate is not a bad metabolic waste product and is actually beneficial in more ways than one, especially in delaying the onset of fatigue. Therefore, accusing lactic acid to be the culprit of fatigue would indirectly blame lactate, which is not acceptable when it is a beneficial component in exercise performance. So it must be Acidosis! It is clear among literature that acidosis has been under the limelight for causing fatigue. The lowering of pH in the muscle has been accused of causing the burning sensation and the decreasing muscle efficiency that comes with fatigue[19]. In 2003 a review by L. B. Gladden [20] states that RH Fitts [21]has evidence of a whole list of experiments suggesting that acidosis can have negative detrimental effects on muscle function by 1-reducing the transition of the cross-bridge from the low- to the high-force state, 2-inhibiting maximal shortening velocity, 3-inhibiting myofibrillar ATPase, 4-inhibiting glycolytic rate, 5-reducing crossbridge activation by competitively inhibiting Ca2+  binding to troponin C, and 6-reducing Ca2+  re-uptake by inhibiting the sarcoplasmic ATPase (leading to subsequent reduction of Ca2+  release). This may sound contradicting as there are resources saying that acidosis do not cause fatigue. However, it is important to know that the experiments explained by RH Fitts[21], are done in vitro and when the experiments are redone at temperature closer to those experienced physiologically, the said negative effect of acidosis diminishes[20]. In the recent years, experiments have been showing that acidosis has been far from being the cause of fatigue. Neilsen explained that muscle contraction causes acidosis, loss of intracellular K+ and extracellular K+ build up[22]. High extracellular K+  leads to loss of contraction force therefore fatigue[23]. It was found that acidification nullify the effects of the extracellular K+ that are linked with fatigue[22]. This is further supported by other studies[24-26] on the fact that acidosis has protective capabilities against muscle fatigue. Gathering all the resources, it would be safe and logical to say that since acidosis delays fatigue, alkalosis (the opposite of acidosis) should have an opposite effect thus cause fatigue faster. However, this was proven wrong in many studies [27-30]. Taking time to look at the whole picture of the studies, studies regarding alkalosis were done as a whole body model experiment (in vivo). Looking back, the experiments done on acidosis were not done as a whole-body experiment. Instead, it was done on single muscle fibre in in vitro situations. Studies from the past showed that acidosis can contribute to fatigue in intact human body or animal [31-33]. To integrate the studies from isolated muscle model with accordance to whole-body exercise, Cairns hypothesised that acidosis may improve performance in isolated muscle, high blood plasma acidosis may cause a reduction in central nervous systems drive to the muscle thus causing fatigue[6]. Another limitation that may affect experiments is that fast twitch muscles are more susceptible to acidosis[6] therefore experiments on a single muscle fibre as seen in a lot of studies regarding acidosis, might not give an accurate holistic overview of the reaction of a whole muscular body. Also H+ might interact with other unknown cellular changes in the body therefore slightly discrediting isolated muscle fibre experiments with comparison to whole body experiments. Overall, acidosis has been thought to be the main contributor to fatigue. However, recent studies in the last decade have been trying to contest the statement. In my opinion, it is rather early to disregard acidosis as the cause of fatigue, as in vitro studies are only suggestive. Future studies should take into account acidosis as a whole body experiment (in vivo) where hormonal and other physiological interactions are possible. If there are claims of acidosis not causing fatigue, then what does cause fatigue? So in substitution of the uprising hypothesis that elevated H+ is not the main cause of fatigue, there have been many competitors to claim its place. Supported by a study, Westerblad have been claiming that inorganic phosphate has the main role in fatigue[34]. Inorganic phosphate increases as muscle is being contracted and creatine phosphate is being broken down. However, a book by Fitts[21] challenged Westerblads idea, highlighting several limitations concerning the inorganic phosphate hypothesis. He stated that the studies did not assess the holistic combination of the resultant effect of an elevated inorganic phosphate with low pH and low calcium ion release. Also the effects of acidosis on peak power were not evaluated. Even Westerblad agreed that the study was done on a single muscle fibre and the result might be different when done with a whole model. He pointed out that studying on a single muscle fibre provides the most direct physiological responds when questioning the cellular mechanisms of fatigue. Also, claiming that the The differences that inevitably must exist appear to be mainly of a quantitative nature[34]. I believe that it is still early to refute the idea of acidosis not causing to fatigue. In the case of studies on inorganic phosphate, its role in fatigue is still in an early stage and should not be dismissed as of yet. Several questions have yet to be answered. However, creatine phosphate is after all only involved in the first 10 seconds of an intense exercise therefore queries of its role extending within these 10 seconds are questionable. Other than phosphates, there have been a large number of studies[22, 23] claiming potassium ions to be the main cause of fatigue. In this particular study by Cairns[35], he states We hypothesize that during high-intensity exercise a rundown of the transsarcolemmal K+  gradient is the dominant cellular process around which interactions with other ions and metabolites occur, thereby contributing to fatigue. The raised extracellular K+ causes a sarcolemmal depolarization, therefore disrupting the excitability of the muscle thus resulting in fatigue[35]. This is however contradictory to a previous study being done on rats[36]. In the study, it suggests that extracellular K+ is overhyped in previous studies on isolated muscles and that it is of less importance for fatigue. Overall, it is still hard to cement a theory as long as insufficient studies are done on whole intact animal models. This is however, being a case of isolated muscle studies versus in vivo studies. In my opinion applying Occams razor, acidosis should stay as the cause of fatigue unless proven otherwise with solid in vivo studies. Conclusion So to go back to the age old question, does lactic acid cause fatigue? It is important to remember that lactic acid disassociates to lactate and H+ ions, each with its own characteristics and interactions with the body therefore it needs to be addressed separately. Taking lactic acid as a whole and blaming it would be unjust and inaccurate. As of recent time, it will take time and effort to disprove acidosis as the cause of fatigue as many studies were done in vitro and results only suggest possible mechanism in the human body. I do however believe that there is no one main mechanism causing fatigue, it is however a collective effort of different mechanisms, few of which are possibly phosphate and extracellular K+, that contribute to fatigue. As of now, lactate is a good byproduct and acidosis still remains the main cause of fatigue.

Free Essays: The Weak Gods of Iliad, Odyssey and Epic of Gilgamesh :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Weak Gods of The Iliad, Odyssey and Gilgamesh    The Oxford English Dictionary defines god as Ã’1. A being conceived as the perfect, omnipotent, omniscient ruler and originator of the universe, the principal object of faith and worship in monotheist religions. 2. A being of supernatural powers, believed in and worshipped by a people.Ó The first definition reflects Modern AmericaÕs connotation of the word god. The latter recalls the Ancient Greco-Sumerian ideal of a being greater than man. While both definitions are equally valid in literature, many perceive the word only in the first view. However, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Epic of Gilgamesh portray gods with limits and weaknesses. The contemporary Christian god is able to demand things of his followers, readily expecting wholehearted and unquestioning obedience. This was not the case with his ancient counterparts.    Rather than exacting demands upon their followers, occasionally the ancient gods were limited to requests. Often they were refused. In the Odyssey, the goddesses Circe and Calypso both expected lifelong commitments from the mighty Odysseus. Both promised great things to the hero, including godhood. Odysseus was able to refuse both goddesses. Human obstinacy beat out the whims of goddesses. If the Protestant god were to make sexual demands upon his followers, more than likely, he would not be refused. One could argue, though, that Odysseus did give in to the goddesses by bedding them. Always though, his focus eventually shifted to returning home and reuniting with his mortal wife. Homer portrayed a man who refused immortal beauty for true love: Ã’She is mortal after all, and you are immortal and ageless. But even so, what I want and all my days I pine for is to go back to my house and see my day of homecoming. And if some god batters me far out on the wide blue water, I will endure it, keeping a stubborn spirit within me, for I have already suffered much (93-94).Ó Thus, the mortal Odysseus was able to deny the temptations of the goddesses multiple times. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, another goddessÕ whims are put down. Ishtar, goddess of war and love becomes attracted to the mighty but mortal Gilgamesh. But rather than jumping right into the sack with

A Comparison between Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller’s Crucible

Both the Scarlet Letter and the Crucible describe the hysteria generated by the highly restrictive and stifling Puritanical society. I. The Scarlet Letter portrays the situation of a woman and man who have committed adultery and shows the consequences that they have to endure. 1. Hester Prynne wears a symbolical scarlet letter which is the mark of social opprobrium; because she confronts society openly, her spirit is freed from prejudice and she is able to perceive the truth about the society she lives in. 2. Arthur Dimmesdale is blinded by the corruption of the society and cannot see himself and his deed in a true light. Because he is not able to admit his sin and live in honesty he is destroyed by his own inner tumult and by the power of the social condemnation. II. The Crucible also describes a society in which witchcraft is used as a screen to cover the thirst of a Puritanical society for cruelty and revenge. 1. Abigail Williams and the other girls fling accusations at innocent people in the society, delighted by the power they acquire in this way. This shows the way in which the outward show of justice and goodness are used to cover sin and evil. There is a profound reversal of values in the Puritanical world. 3. John Proctor refuses to lie and live in falsehood and is among the few characters who try to uproot prejudice and reveal the truth to the society. After he and other two innocent people are executed, the society seems to realize its blindness and the injustice that hid beyond the witches’ trials. Both Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter and Arthur Miller’s Crucible are studies of religious superstition which caused a mass delirium in the seventeenth century Puritanical America. The witchcraft trials that took place at that time are an instance of the contagious effect that superstition had on society. Both the Scarlet Letter and the Crucible portray, at the same time, the society that made possible a number of crimes to be committed in the name of religion and good and several individuals that struggle with prejudice and mass superstition. The Puritanical society of the seventeenth century America attempted to stifle human passion and to numb imagination. The society’s severe condemnation of sin and of any sign of liberal thought placed a great constraint on the individual. In this suffocating environment, passion became a crime and superstition and prejudice rose rapidly. However, there was only a pretense at holiness and purity in the Puritanical society. In order to dissimulate their own passions, people began looking for sin in the other members of community. Inebriated by what they saw as their holy mission, which required them to purge the community of evil, the people of Salem began sacrificing other members of the society to satisfy their desire for punishment and revenge. Arthur Dimmesdale in the Scarlet Letter and John Proctor in the Crucible are similar in many ways. As it shall be shown however, Dimmesdale is tormented by his sin while Proctor, although he condemns himself for his mistake, sees the rampant spread of prejudice in Salem and understands that the sins of those that pretend holiness are much greater. Both of the stories therefore deal with mass delirium and show man to be prone on corrupting even religion and the principles of good and justice. Interestingly, both of the works are centered on the idea of adultery. Arthur Dimmesdale, a priest, commits adultery with Hester Prynne and has to live with this spot on his conscience while preaching holiness to others. John Proctor, an ordinary man living in Salem, has an adulterous relationship with Abigail Williams, the reverend Parris’s niece. In both cases, the adultery sets the scene for the social delirium that feeds on the suspicion of sin and evil inside the community. In the Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne gives birth to a little girl while her husband is missing from the village. While Hester’s sin is easily discovered by the eager society, Dimmesdale’s adultery remains hidden. This is symbolized by the letter â€Å"A†, the scarlet letter, that Hester has to wear over her chest for the rest of her life. Accusations of witchcraft soon arise as well, and the adulterous woman is fiercely banished from society. She ends up living on the outskirts of the town, where she raises Pearl on her own. The little girl is almost taken from her by the people of the town, but she manages to keep her with the help of Dimmesdale. Hester has openly admitted her sin and while she stubbornly displays her shame in front of the other people but Dimmesdale has to keep his true nature hidden. This is not only the result of circumstances however. Hester’s mind and her spirit allow her to be free. She believes in life and the possibility of good and happiness beyond sin. For Dimmesdale however, his sin is also the end and it foreshadows his death. His spirit cannot feel free anymore: as a Christian he knows that it is impossible to erase his past and leave his sin behind. All through the book, Dimmesdale struggles with an unmovable reality. He knows he is guilty and also knows that his sin cannot be redeemed through earthly penance, yet he still searches for a ray of light to illuminate him and guide him towards salvation. The permanent pretense and act he has to put in front of the community is what eventually crushes his spirit. He knows that he cannot transform himself so as to escape knowledge of his sin. Ultimately, Dimmesdale cannot think of acquiring a new identity and leaving the town, as Hester urges him to. Symbolically, he refuses to give up his name and thus escape the opprobrium of the community: â€Å"Give up this name of Arthur Dimmesdale, and make thyself another, and a high one, such as thou canst wear without fear or shame† (Hawthorne, 1980, p. 242). Because of the weight of social conventions and demands, a name is attached to the individual but does not necessarily speak of a person’s character. Dimmesdale’s dilemma is that, as a believer and an essentially good man, he is torn apart by the knowledge that he is a sinner and he can no longer perform truly good deeds. This is also why he is incapable of leaving the place as Hester had urged him: Dimmesdale is tied to the community because of his sin. He cannot escape thus the space that torments him and keeps him imprisoned. By contrast, Hester, who wears the scarlet letter as the symbol of sin and social rejection, has a passport to freedom. Because she is marginalized by the Puritanical society of Boston, she is able to enjoy a spiritual freedom that the other women cannot even imagine: â€Å"The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread† (Hawthorne, 1980, p. 300). On the other hand, Dimmesdale cannot free his mind and think beyond the conventional social standards and laws: â€Å"The minister †¦ had never gone through an experience calculated to lead him beyond the scope of generally received laws†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Hawthorne, 1980, p. 300). The Scarlet Letter studies therefore the inner corruption and falsehood of the Puritanical society in America. The two main characters, who are united through their sin, reveal two different attitudes when confronted with the force of mass superstition and prejudice. Hester, who wears the burning scarlet letter on her chest, is able to free her mind. She is sees that the society is corrupt and that her sin is not a tremendous one. On the other, Arthur Dimmesdale has to wear the mark of his sin secretly. The symbolic scarlet letter is burning in his soul and the shame eventually destroys him. The letter that the two lovers wear is a symbol of the action of social force in an agitated time. It represents the thirst of the Puritanical society for exposing and cruelly condemning sin. Arthur Miller’s Crucible portrays the same Puritanical society in America in an even more revealing way. The title is very significant: on the one hand, the crucible is an allusion to the witches’ melting pot, the cauldron they use in order to prepare the spells; on the other hand, the crucible is a symbol for the Puritanical hysteria that was itself a melting pot where innocent people were sacrificed to satisfy social prejudice, prudishness and revenge. Miller depicts the development of the witchcraft hysteria with great artistry. Significantly, the social delirium is caused by Abigail Williams, a selfish and passionate young woman who cannot accept the fact that John Proctor rejects her. As the protagonists in the Scarlet Letter, Abigail Williams and Proctor have committed adultery. However, Proctor is very different from Dimmesdale. While he regrets his deed, he maintains his sobriety and reason in the midst of the Puritanical hysteria. He is a believer and he also loves his wife, and therefore discontinues the relationship with Abigail. When the young girl is caught in the forest with a gathering of women and people begin to suspect witchcraft, she saves herself and blames Tituba for having â€Å"compacted with the devil†. The hysteria begins as the girls who were caught dancing in the woods declare having been lured by witches. This generates a complicated web of accusations and subsequent trials. People are condemned with no visible proof when the girls state they have been lured by dark spirits. Under the outward show of purity, the society judges and condemns the innocent with no other proof than the persuasive acting skills of young girls who faint, scream and fall ill in the presence of those who are supposedly evil. In the end, all the people who had managed to maintain their rational thinking and their sanity during these proceedings are condemned. John Proctor and his wife are also waiting to be hanged, along with other honest people who perceive the intricate web of lying and deception and refuse to bend to it. Their spirits reject the demands of the society to betray the other people in order to satisfy their thirst for revenge: â€Å"You must understand sir, that a person is either with this court or must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time now, a precise time – we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God’s grace, the shining sun is up†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Miller, 2003, p. 93 ) As the judge describes it, the Puritanical society attempted to destroy evil completely and maintain only the good. Interestingly, when John Proctor is faced with a similar dilemma to that of Dimmesdale, he reacts in the same way. The court tempts John Proctor to sign a declaration of guilt and to continue his life with his pregnant wife. The temptation is even greater as the two have just forgiven each other and rediscovered their love and their desire to live. Ultimately however, Proctor cannot sign his name to a lie: â€Å"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! † (Miller, 2003, p. 167). Like Dimmesdale, he cannot adopt a false position in society in order to save himself and therefore chooses death over falsehood. Both the Scarlet Letter and the Crucible reveal the inner workings of the stifling Puritanical world. Attempting to destroy evil completely, the Puritanical world actually destroys justice and honesty.