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Critical Lens Essay
English 9
Name __________________
Leahy/Moczarski/Ryan
English 9; period _____
Date _________ Model of a Critical Lens Essay
Lessons of life are learned through circumstances. In many cases, personal gain is the result of personal loss. Bernadette Devlin once said, “To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.” We all have things that we really long for in life, but some dreams cannot be met without sacrifice. Characters from The Crucible written by Arthur Miller and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain, teach readers that if they really want to gain importance and happiness in life, they have to let go of other things that have routinely become a part of who they are. The Crucible is a story about a witch hunt in Salem, Massachusetts. John Proctor was a down-to-earth everyday Puritan farmer who was accused of being a witch and was given a critical choice to make, either confess and go on living life, or to deny and be killed. The ironic thing about this situation is that every single person who was accused of being a witch was, in fact, not a witch whatsoever. However, this was a pivotal point in every accused person’s life. It was either the key to life or the key to death. John Proctor chose death. He wouldn’t allow himself to lie just so he could save his mortal body. He died with honor, standing up for truth. This reflects an important theme in Arthur Miller’s play. In order to uphold righteousness, we must be willing to give up things that are most dear to us. For John proctor, this entailed his own life, not to mention his wife and children. Despite our loss, Miller suggests we benefit from sacrifice. In Proctor’s case, his and his family’s reputation remained intact. In Huckleberry Finn, a young boy by the name of Huck Finn encounters many adventures while in search of happiness and liberty. He met many different people along
English 9
Name __________________
Leahy/Moczarski/Ryan
English 9; period _____
Date _________ Model of a Critical Lens Essay
Lessons of life are learned through circumstances. In many cases, personal gain is the result of personal loss. Bernadette Devlin once said, “To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.” We all have things that we really long for in life, but some dreams cannot be met without sacrifice. Characters from The Crucible written by Arthur Miller and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain, teach readers that if they really want to gain importance and happiness in life, they have to let go of other things that have routinely become a part of who they are. The Crucible is a story about a witch hunt in Salem, Massachusetts. John Proctor was a down-to-earth everyday Puritan farmer who was accused of being a witch and was given a critical choice to make, either confess and go on living life, or to deny and be killed. The ironic thing about this situation is that every single person who was accused of being a witch was, in fact, not a witch whatsoever. However, this was a pivotal point in every accused person’s life. It was either the key to life or the key to death. John Proctor chose death. He wouldn’t allow himself to lie just so he could save his mortal body. He died with honor, standing up for truth. This reflects an important theme in Arthur Miller’s play. In order to uphold righteousness, we must be willing to give up things that are most dear to us. For John proctor, this entailed his own life, not to mention his wife and children. Despite our loss, Miller suggests we benefit from sacrifice. In Proctor’s case, his and his family’s reputation remained intact. In Huckleberry Finn, a young boy by the name of Huck Finn encounters many adventures while in search of happiness and liberty. He met many different people along