Real Life Connection: Miley Cyrus was the face of Hannah Montana on Disney Channel. She was an icon in children's eyes for years but after Disney, there was a lot of drama when it came to her reputation. She got a "bad girl" reputation just like Justin Bieber. She was singing songs about drugs, sex, and things that were not apart of the Disney Channel. Her reputation went South first when she twerked on Robin Thicke at an award show. This was turning curve towards her downfall. Her good girl image went bad quick and it made the media go wild. All of social media today controls people's reputation as the people on social media reflect on others actions. (https://www.brazen.com/blog/archive/career-growth/dont-fix-your-bad-reputation-a-marketing-lesson-from-miley-cyrus/). The link here explains how a brand, another word for reputation, for Miley cyrus was "America's sweetheart." The website even discusses how her bad reputation grew her platform while also loosing fans. It's all about the image and if her skill was to re-brand and hop off the innocent Disney train, then she succeeded. Sometimes the bad turns into the good and her case, it did. She is an advocate for women and is very respected today especially for running her Happy Hippie Foundation. It supports the LGBTQ community, homeless children, and more important topics (http://www.happyhippies.org/). The downfall turned into something so much bigger and better.
Real Life Connection: Ariana Grande, another well known celebrity, was caught licking donuts in a donut shop and after the incident said she "hated Americans." It was not pleasant to hear that someone would say they hate Americans and it was really all inappropriate. The public viewed her differently and her reputation was skewed in a negative direction for a little while. Even though this may have faltered her image, it didn't last long as she has matured and gave redemption to the incident on SNL. Ariana Grande is now viewed as an inspiration to many. She is a feminist and is the person behind the Manchester concert since the bombing happened at her concert on May 22nd of 2017. (https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/ariana-grande-five-great-scandals-10399/the-great-donut-licking-incident-2015-20351/)
Real Life Connection: Celebrities are usually in the public eye and many things can affect their reputations. There are plenty of examples of how reputation is altered in the real world.
1. Justin Bieber: He grew up in the spotlight of the people from the age of 12. Bieber got rich fast and the fame successfully got through to his head; not in a good way. He became rebellious and starting doing things that the public sought out to be inappropriate. In reality, he was trying to grow up and teenage boys all over the world do crazy things that they probably shouldn't Unfortunately, Justin Bieber was under a microscope of scrutiny. Justin had vandalized his neighbors property by egging the house, received a DUI, and allegedly cheated on his long-time girlfriend, Selena Gomez. With all that being said, Bieber was not afraid to turn over a new leaf because as of the time when he did those, he was one of the most hated people. To change, he showed the world that was not the person he wanted to be. He even took part in a Comedy Central Roast where multiple people said nasty and rude things, or "roasted him" but it was all in a light-hearted tone. Even though it was light-hearted, Justin Bieber knew he messed up. E News, a reputable celebrity news source took a quote from his speech at the Comedy Roast where he said, "'I look forward to being someone you're proud of... You have my word—I will not end up broken, pathetic, bitter or sitting on someone else's roast. I'm at a moment of change. This is a new day,'"(E News, said by Justin Bieber). He also sat with well-known GQ magazine for an interview about how he is here to change but has reflected on his actions and knows they were wrong. His downfall even gave his career the reboot it needed to. His latest album, Purpose hit top of the charts and broke records after the fact that he did things that the public did not feel were appropriate. (https://www.eonline.com/news/744551/how-justin-bieber-turned-his-bad-boy-reputation-around-in-time-for-his-22nd-birthday)
Reputation CONTINUED: There were many more characters in the story but they did have as much of an impact on reputation. There where characters though that circled others reputations meaning, the affected others but no themselves. For example, Giles corey is standing up for his wife, Martha Corey who is being accused of witchcraft. He proves that she is only been accused because neighbors for land. George Jacobs is doing so and this all thickens the plot. People are accusing others for land. That is the only reason of such accusations. Another character that continues the plot is Tituba who was said to be able to talk to the dead. Tituba sets fire to the flame when she sees the devil and reveals four names and how he wants her to kill Parris. Reputation goes along way. It is the perception and view that others have on yourself.It takes only one person and one rumor to make a reputation unreliable.
Mary Warren
Mary Warren was not present in the story until she was accused that her poppet was apart of the weapon that stabbed Abigail. Mary Warren was one of the girls in the woods with Abigail but she didn't stay true to Abigail's stories that nothing cynical happened. She goes against Abigail's wishes that her and the girls have to defend her, or Abigail will kill her. This all causes tension between the Proctors, because Mary Warren is there servant, and Abigail. This is what sets off the court as Abigail still tries to say Mary is lying. If Mary confesses that Abigail sinned, the her reputation with Abigail will put her at danger. The village will not know what to believe either. She acts innocent because Mary Warren is. She even goes to court and pleads no signs of spirits as confirmed by Danforth that, "In which she swears that she never saw familiar spirits, apparitions, nor any manifest of the Devil." Mary Warren tries to stay true and be a good person as best as she can to please the right people so no more people die.
Hale
Hale was someone who came into the village as a way to resolve the issues of the sin taken place by Abigail and her friends. Along the way, he brought out so much information that it stirred the town even more and caused a lot of chaos. While getting the girls who were caught in the woods taken away by marshals, he later pays a visit to Proctor. There, he asks why Proctor is rarely in Church on Sabbath Day. He also asks why only 2 of Proctor's sons are baptized. Proctor gives all good reasons but Elizabeth speaks out on behalf of the house by saying, "But sure we never loved the Devil here." It is in fact that he went to the as a way to see if the devil has infected the household. Hale also asks Proctor to repeat the commandments. He does so but misses adultery, the commandment that he failed to abide by. Hale takes note of this as Elizabeth reminds John by saying, "Adultery, John." Hale learns at the house too that Abigail spoke with Proctor. Abigail admitted to the sin but the children were apparently caught off guard by the scare brought to them by Reverend Parris when he found them in the woods. There were multiple things set up by Hale as well that kept the story going. Any interaction with Hale could affect a characters reputation because he was with the court. By the court, he is motivated to find the answers and while doing so, brings up so many different scenarios like proctor having an Abigail, Elizabeth stabbing Abigail, Mary being accused of her poppet needle being the weapon of attack. Hale accused the Proctor house multiple times of the devil living within the house. With all of the names being then thrown into the air of who did what to who, Hale threw many names under the bus. This made relations with other characters tense but he tried to make up for it at one point. He even defends Proctor in the court that he a good man even through he was the one to commit a sin. An example of this would be when Abigail and the girls pulled the stunt in court, he saw it was a fraud and stayed on Proctor's side that Mary was innocent. "This is not witchcraft! Those girls are frauds! You condemn an honest man!"It is true that Hale stirred the pot between characters in an unintelligent way but he tried to stay true to his word.
Elizabeth Proctor
Wife of John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor was a big piece to the story because her first big role was the accusation toward John for cheating on him with Abigail. She then had been accused of stabbing Abigail. This has caused great strife between people in the village and John knows it is not true. When she went into jail, she also then said she was pregnant which was thought to be a cover up so she wasn't killed or beaten. It worked but in the long run, the pregnancy was really true. Elizabeth did not seem to have many reputation issues besides having to look after her husband's. He was accused of lechery in front of the court and she couldn't deny that it happened but Elizabeth also couldn't bring herself to say it. She wasn't even sure herself if John cheated with Abigail, but we all know he did. She was a down-to-earth woman who looked out for her husband no matter what. Elizabeth was calm during the whole story. Even when she got arrested, she never made a big scene. As for supporting John no matter the crime, a perfect example of her pristine loyalty and charismatic personality is when she explains that it is John's decision to confess lechery and face the consequences, "John... it come to naught that I should forgive you. Will you forgive yourself? It is your soul, John. (He bows his head.) Only be sure of this, for I know it now: Whatever you will do, it is a good man does it. (Hathorne enters.)"
John Proctor
Mr. Proctor was a big character in this story. His reputation was on the line after he was accused lechery and had to face the court upon it because he was involved with the main problem, Abigail. He didn't want his name dragged in the mud making him want to protect his reputation at most. He was not exactly the nicest to others and things between his wife were not in the best circumstances. His wife brought up having an affair with a girl, Abigail, but he merely brushed it off and didn't confess. The audience knows he has because a scene between him and Abigail occurs when she goes and talks to him about the dancing in the woods. She talks with him about it and hopes that he is on her side as a defender. While they talk, Abigail asks in wonder if John Proctor ever thinks about her. To that, he responded with, "Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I‘ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind—(Takes her arms.) we never touched, Abby." This conversations gives the incite that yes, he has committed adultery which is part of the commandments, not to do that. Now, the two are sinners, Abigail for more than one reason, but neither of them want their names in the mud because of it. So, this is hidden till the end. John Proctor never goes to church, but that's is because of how Reverend Parris practices. There is already tension between the two, but he doesn't know about the adultery so the tension thickens for John more then Parris. He isn't the most polite with other characters in the story, like Parris, but when it came to his wife being accused of a crime she did not commit, he becomes different. Now the Proctor name is being worse, reputation is all about the names, and with both now being suspected of a sin, they are in hot waters but it does not take long for Proctor to take action on all matters.
Town's People
The Town's People are shocked because the reverend's niece and daughter were caught sinning in the forest. They are now scared of the devil being within their village. There are the people that are very focused on Reverend Samuel Parris's reputation. The Town's people are all witnesses to the horrot going on between the main characters.
Betty Parris
Daughter of Reverend Samuel Parris who was caught dancing in the forest with here cousin, Abigail Williams. This caused a quarrel in the village due to their strict religion and the stressed caused here to faint. Since she fainted, people believe she summoned a the devil and is now possessed. Because she sinned, this is affecting her relationship with her father and the village since her dad is the reverend.
Abigail Williams
Niece of Reverend Samuel Parris, who was with his daughter Betty, got caught dancing in the forest which is a sin to the Puritans.
We have learned that Abigail is very deceiving and manipulative. She knows she was committing the sin of witchcraft in the forest but we also know she forced the other girls to do it with her. Since Abigail has been accused of this, the girls are becoming more and more scared of what Abigail will do to them if she gets convicted. The suspense up to the court date was intense. The readers found out that Abigail and Mr. Putnam, who is married to Elizabeth Putnam, had an affair together. Putnam is now guilty of lechery. As you go through the story, you come to the realization quick that all Abigail cares about is her reputation that she is an innocent girl who never sinned. It was ver untrue because she in fact, sinned by dancing in the woods and having an affair with Proctor. On top of that, she constantly lies about what others say happened. She never tells the truth except when telling Proctor about the dancing to get on his good side. Even then she was deceitful so she would have someone on her side for her own reputation's good. Abigail talks about her reputation wit Proctor and at the time, accuses his wife, Elizabeth of ruining her name, "She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me!" Abigail wants John to be on her good side and she will lie and make him want to follow her footsteps. Proctor does not give in to her tactic and it leaves her in rage. This makes tension between her and the Proctors spiral. She acts innocent in front of the public but dirty in front of her friends as a way to scare them. She is a multi-faced girl who does not get the facts straight. Her motivation to keep a clean reputation is really to not be murdered and have the village people on her side; what all the other characters want as well. Even in the court, she keeps the mask up that she is innocent to protect her reputation by making a scene. The scene is that a bird, "Why...? Why do you come, yellow bird?" is being controlled by the devil, Marry Warren, and it forces the girls to play along with her act.
Reverend Samuel Parris
Reverend Samuel Parris, Reverend of the village who is now under fire for his daughter and niece who were caught dancing in the wood, which is a sin. As the reverend, to find out that your daughter and niece, who have practiced closest to God, a reverend, went out to the forest to supposedly, summon a demon. His reputation is being threatened because now what if people think he is an untrustworthy reverend. Parris has also been protecting his daughter and niece from being sentenced to death.
He exhibits reputation several times throughout The Crucible. At the beginning, Parris is worried about what the village will think when they hear that his niece and daughter both sinned in the woods by dancing and supposedly performing witchcraft. "Child. Sit you down. Now look you, child-if you trafficked with spirits in the forest, I must know it, for surely my enemies will, and they‘ll ruin me with it… Abigail, do you understand that I have many enemies?" He is worried about himself and what others think of him. This happens multiple times throughout the story. Like the time in court when he was pleading that Marry Warren, Abigail's friend, should once again pretend to faint like she said how she pretended to faint in the words. He wanted her to prove that it was all fake and that Abigail and his daughter, Betty Parris, were not sinning. He is the Reverend After all. This affected how he treated other characters becuase once that accused the children of sinning or lying about the situation, like Mr. Proctor, he always came up with an excuse for them to cover himself.
