The Crucible and Gattaca the Disgraceful Story of Discrimination & Persecution

Gattaca and The Crucible portrayed discrimination and persecution throughout the movie and book. Discrimination and Persecution in society is dangerous because it targets individuals making them feel unwanted and not meant for this world. A big difference between The Crucible and Gattaca is the timeline. The Crucible was set in the past whereas Gattaca was set in the future.
Gattaca is a 1997 American science fiction film written and directed by Andrew Niccol.

The main character for Gattaca was Vincent Freeman. Vincent in the film was pronounced as different which was a big downside because in this time babies are genetically engineered to be flawless. A big difference between The Crucible and Gattaca is the timeline. The crucible was set in the past whereas Gattaca was set in the future.

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The Crucible is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692/93. The main character for the Crucible was John Proctor where throughout the play he changes from being a troubled, self-exiled, sinner to becoming a person of high moral standards.

“Discrimination means the unequal or unfair treatment of a person based upon some personal characteristics.”

“Persecution is harassment or bad treatment because of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.” There is also another term used for persecution which is based on religion, it is when people are harassed and badly treated because of beliefs.

The Truth About Gattaca

Gattaca portrayed a lot of “Discrimination” and “Persecution” throughout the film multiple times. Discrimination was seen at the beginning of the movie when Genetics were being discriminated because Gattaca is set during a futuristic time when reproduction is no longer a completely natural process.

Babies are engineered and born into a sterile, genetically-enhanced world where undesired factors such as alcoholism, violence, premature baldness are eradicated before birth. A person’s career and life depend on his/her genes; it is used exclusively to determine one’s potential. People with great genetic profiles are hired into higher level jobs while the others are considered useful for menial work only. "Jerome had been engineered with everything he needed to get into Gattaca, except the desire to do so."

This quote from the movie was done by Vincent narrating. It shows how the society is built in such a way that success can only be achieved by being more genetically superior to normal people. Jerome is genetically engineered automatically giving him the title valid.

However, this is oddly, not enough to ensure his success. This is because valids such as Jerome, who are guaranteed success, typically lack the aspiration, drive and purpose from overcoming obstacles they bump into. In this way, the quote shows how the society in Gattaca is unfair and messed up as it discriminates against those who are born normally or naturally and removes purpose from the lives of the elite.

Another word that describes the movie is persecution which was, as well as discrimination was seen a lot throughout the film. A scene where persecution was seen was when towards the end of the movie an argument between Vincent and Anton occurred.

Vincent: Do you have any idea what it took get IN here?!
Anton: Listen, you're in a big deal of trouble. You're coming with me now!

Vincent: There is still a few billion more miles for me to go..

This scene in the movie represented how Anton was tormenting Vincent for not being allowed to show his presence into Gattaca because of his state of body and because he is invalid. This continually shows how Anton treated his brother because of his condition and shows the persecution by Anton not letting Vincent do something he believed in which was to be at Nasa and fly to space.

Life in The Crucible

The Crucible as well as Gattaca portrayed discrimination and persecution which was seen multiple times in the movie.

“Sometimes I wake and find myself standing in an open doorway and not a stitch on my body! I always hear her laughing in my sleep. I hear her singing her Barbados sings and tempting me with-”

This was a quote aimed at Tituba who is from Barbados but who is also a slave. They are assuming that she conjures spirits and Abigail is the one who told this to everyone but it is false and there was no evidence to prove that any of it said was the truth. But they still believed Abigail and took her word for it. This shows how Abigail treated people and the way others we discriminated just because of who they were. (Tituba)

This quote at the end of the movie before John Proctor’s death was one of his most famous lines and summed up the film and showed how the whole movie was just lies, betrayal and discrimination. It showed just by hearing his voice and facial reaction how everyone was against him and discriminated him because of the lies built up in the beginning of the movie and caused so many betrayals that he in the end took the death sentence because of the way he was discriminated. This shows the dangers of being of the wrong side of people like Abigail and has serious consequences which he sadly received.

Persecution occurred in the movie as well as discrimination. The Crucible deals with the vicious persecution of Elizabeth Proctor, accused of being a witch and practicing witchcraft. This started when Mercy Lewis and Abigail Williams, claimed Elizabeth Proctor visited them at night in spirit form and tormented them. This is persecution because of gender. It shows that because of Abigail Williams being secretly together with John Proctor that she had to blame someone for all the lies she told so that she wouldn’t get found out for lying about everything she said.

Choosing Elizabeth was the perfect move she was waiting for and she accused her because of gender and because she had known John Proctor which in other words means that she slept with him. Lots of lessons can be learned from the things that happened in The Crucible. Many of the things start off from who you are and sometimes you can’t change that but the things that could have been changed were the lies made and the serious consequences they have if caught as well as death penalties for betrayal.

Conclusion

Discrimination and persecution are dangerous and lead to hate, fear, and unimaginable behavior showed in both The Crucible and Gattaca which then lead to betrayal, death and sorrow for both films. In the end both of these films showed an uncountable amount of discrimination and persecution. It was showed many times against individuals. A short little summary of both movies is that Gattaca was about a man called Vincent Freeman who was an invalid and therefore struggled with life and wanted to be a valid and wanted to travel to space.

The Crucible is about a Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, the town minister, Reverend Parris, discovers his daughter Betty, niece Abigail, and other girls dancing in the forest with his slave Tituba. Parris runs off to calm the crowd, and a local farmer named John Proctor winds up alone with Abigail. In the end both movies were very well constructed to suit discrimination as well as persecution.

• https://www.yourdictionary.com/persecution
• https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-discrimination-definition-examples-quiz.html
• https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1426723-the-crucible
• https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/plotsummary

Gattaca Essay Writing Notes

‘Gattaca presents a world destroyed by the pursuit of perfection. ' Do you agree? * What is the pursuit of perfection? * How is the world destroyed? * What is gattaca? 1) Everyone is the same there are no individuals – the people are sexless, no personality 2) The pursuit of perfection leaves people believing that their genetic make up is what lets them achieve their ambitions, they have low self esteem.

People who fail to achieve perfectionism can suffer from a lot of mental pressure; also difficult to seek the much needed help from other people as people dislike to be seen as imperfect 3) Segregates the valids from the in-valids because valids are seen as perfection and in-valids, vermin. – lack of empathy and compassion. People who are not perfect are disadvantagd eg. Kids wanting to go to kinder Gattaca, the “not too distant” future world of Andrew Niccol, is a world that is destroyed by the pursuit of perfection due to the science of genetic selection.

This is often resembled by the fact that there are no individuals, the beings in this movie are almost sexless, have a limited personality and behave in a uniform manner. It also leaves people believing that their genetic makeup is what allows them to achieve their ambitions, or in the case of Irene and Vincent, prevent them from achieving their life goals. Genetic selection also segregates the valids, people who have had their genetics chosen, and the in-valids, children from ‘faith births’ where their genetic selection was left up to fate.

In today’s world, everyone is accepted as an individual and is nurtured; however in Gattaca, individuality almost ceases to exist. Society may be perceived as sexless and uniform, physically and emotionally. The people also lack personality and emotion; everyone acts the same, dresses the same and rarely show emotion. Throughout the movie whilst inside the world of Gattaca the true colours of various characters are rarely revealed.

It isn’t until Vincent and Irene’s date that we see the real personality of both of these characters as they let loose and accept eachother for who they are despite the fact that both have imperfections, which often prevent them from being themselves and achieving their goals. The pursuit of perfection leaves the people of Gattaca believing that their genetic makeup is what can allow, or prevent them from achieving their ambitions. In this futuristic world, your blood is your resume “Blood has no nationality.

As long as it has got what they’re looking for it’s the only passport you need”. As long as you have no imperfections and obtain the qualities that are required for a certain job you are almost guaranteed to get it. However in the case of Vincent, his genetics were determined by fate and the people around him always said that he would never be able to achieve his ambition of one day going into space because of his imperfections as an in-valid. Early on he was told by one of the head’s of Gattaca “‘Look, the only way you will see the inside of a spaceship is if you’re cleaning it. . This quote only fuelled Vincent to strive until he won his battle. Vincent was strong and determined, even as a young child, and he went to massive lengths to ensure that he could live his life to the full, “So began the process of becoming Jerome” despite the fact that the pursuit of perfection caused his kind, in-valids, and valids to become strongly segregated and he suffered from a large amount of mental pressure. Genetic selection also causes a segregation issue in Gattaca.

Valids, the people in society who have had their imperfections eliminated from their bodies, and In-valids, people who were born what is known today as “naturally” where their genetics are left up to fate. “We now have discrimination down to a science”. In-valids are treated as vermin and are not accepted as a part of society. When the members of Gattaca are onto the fact that there is an in-valid working at the space station, * ‘We now have discrimination down to a science. ’ Intro must include: Text/film title author/director, your response to the topic/contention (response to the question) Eg.

In Niccol’s “not too distant” future world of Gattaca, your genetic make-up often makes it impossible for many to live their dreams. However, Vincent Freeman shows us that with determination and luck, ti is possible to achieve your ambitions. Other more genetically, able characters such as Anton, Irene and Jerome show that genes don’t always guarantee success. Para 1: In the world of Gattaca, those with inferior genetic makeup generally find it close to impossible to control their destinies.

Para 2: Even those with superior genetic make-up sometimes struggle to achieve their goals in such a ‘perfect’ world. Eg. Irene, Anton, Jerome. (Lamars son) Para 3: Genetic make-up can be overcome with determination and an element of luck. Eg. Vincent once he finds Jerome. Conclusion: Sum up your contention – Avoid word for word re-stating it. Relate back to the question/essay topic and do not bring up new topics. *conclusion, not the same as contention, 40-50 words maximum *avoid saying “its impossible” and being too overpowering

Main Issues Depicted in Film Gattaca

Essay Question: The fulfillment of Vincent’s dream at the conclusion of the film provides the only hope in an otherwise bleak world. Discuss with specific references to elements of film. The film Gattaca is a dystopian film directed by Andrew Niccol which is released in 1997. The movie portrays a society not far from now where people have lost the hopes and believes on their own human fate and will. In this society, most people are the products of genetic engineering and their worth is measured only by their DNA contents.

The film also portray the life and relentless struggles that the main protagonist , Vincent Freeman faces to achieve his lifelong hopes and dreams in the society as the unaccepted kind in the society. Andrew Niccol applies myriad types of film techniques such as symbols along with the choice of characters to depict the fulfillment of hopes and dreams in the bleak society of the movie Gattaca. There are many uses of symbolism thorough out the film signifying hope and dreams.

Bars and glasses were the most common ones in the film Gattaca. Not only they signify hopes, they represent as both visible and invisible barriers. Bars are everywhere fro m the first scene of the film and in scenes where characters face struggle. Before becoming Jerome, The character Vincent Freeman works as a cleaner at Gattaca. Whenever he looks up through the windows, there are genetically enhanced employees ascending from the escalators inside the Gattaca Crop, always having glass barrier between them.

Everytime he looks up through skylights at Gattaca's rockets rising, leaving him below, there is glass barrier above him. These glass barriers are imposed by genetic discrimination, depicting Vincent's exclusion by the society's prejudices; as an invalid degenerate kind in the world of Gattaca. In the first scene of the movie, "shadows criss-cross Vincent’s body like bars when he scrubs away his body materials, conveying a sense" that he is trapped in the cage.

But these barriers give him hope and motivations to reach to his goals. However, at the end of the movie, when he walks thought the gates there is no barrier between him and his goal. This shows that the struggles are all gone leaving him freely to achieve his dreams as degenerate God-Child like him. The conclusion scene of this is depicted by the scene the rocket is elevating towards the Great Titan which Vincent refers as "home". The choices of the characters in the movie Gattaca have hopes in many different ways.

Using the character Vincent Freeman ,the inclusion as a protagonist, is essential to show the ideas presented in Gattaca, while he escapes the trap of genetic determinism proving that the importance of the whole genetic makeup in Gattaca is too much of over reaction. From his early childhood, Vincent knows that his "destiny was mapped out before"him . However He initially accepts the identity he got, he realizes that his potential is not written in his genes by a victory over his genetically modified brother , Anton on the game called "Chicken".

His fulfillment of his dreams gives hopes to other characters in the movie. Irene's potential is limited by the society because her genetic profile has a predisposition for heart problems. Since she is raised in the society in the Gattaca, she accepts her limitations and believes that she just have to live with it her whole life. She tries to be perfect but it wasn't until she met Vincent that she let her hair down. Vincent gives her hopes by showing that he can overcome his genetic flaws. This realization transforms her.

Related essay: “Advantages and Disadvantages of Genetic Engineering”

While Trene is held back by her genetic makeup, Anton and Eugene are "unable to live up to the expectations created by their flawless genes". "The expectations put upon the genetically enhanced to live up to their genetics are almost debilitating as the discrimination against the unenhanced", suffering "under a different burden, that of perfection". When Vincent saves Anton from drowning in the swimming game, he realizes that his brother is "not as strong as" the engineering promises which that incident gives him hope to start going for his dream as a "faith child".

The burden of perfection is worse for Eugene, when he understands that, based on his genetic profile, he "was never meant to be one step down on the podium". But Eugene comes to see that the invalid Vincent is "better at being" jerome than Eugene himself, showing him hopes to become satisfy with what he got. However Dr. Lamar’s presence stands as a figure who rebuts the societal segregation based on genetic makeup through science. A scene near the end of the film shows despite always knowing Vincent’s true identity,Dr. Lamar lets him board the rocket departing for

Titan. This is also because Vincent stands as hope for a son Dr. Lamar has, whom genetic makeup is not like what they promise. Film shots that Niccol uses in the film Gattaca represent hopes in some ways. There are extreme close up shots on the blood, skin, hair at least four times each during the course of the film to show how Gattaca's society magnifies the importance of genetic materials. The scene of falling objects in slow motion featuring thunderous crashes of those objects emphasizes the weight of DNA materials that is placed on people in the Gattaca society.

These shots suggests that human beings are "valued less than their DNA". This shows a little hope for the degenerates like Vincents how he has to have genetic ladder to get into the Crop. Another scene which is at the conclusion of the movie where the rocket which Vincent is taking is elevating shows a sense of hope to the one who are left behind. To show that the Director uses the long shot giving the emotional feeling of Vincent successfully overcoming all his genetic defects and reaching his lifelong goal.

Overall, the Film Gattaca is a very carefully planed movie unlike another movies. With the help of the rich techniques that Andrew Niccol uses, the message of the film is successfully sent to the audience. Since the movie is a dystopian film, The movie warns the audience by showing this society in the movie Gattaca. Addition, the movie depicted that with the power of the power of belief, will, and effort, a person can transform his life circumstances and over come his limitations.

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