A Piece Of String Editorial

A Piece of String Editorial

Have you ever, in any circumstance, been blind sided by someone accusing you of something you never have committed? Maybe it was a simple lie you were accused of saying, or maybe stealing a little candy in a store, plagiarism, or, in much more serious cases, a federal offense. I am sure you have, because everyone has been in that positions, and everyone knows how it feels, to a certain extent. Many examples of this can be found the novel “The Crucible” and in the short story “A Piece of String”. These two stories are based on false accusations and how the general public responds to them. Sometimes these suspicions can go throw the snowball effect and ruin people’s lives. So how would one respond to a false accusation in order to keep the situation under control and to have a clear name?

The best way to respond to these accusations is to always remember to be calm and choose your words carefully, not to say anything incriminating or vulgar, this shows impatience and emotions that can lead to more accusations. For example, when John Proctor, character in “the Crucible”, is accused of witchcraft, after trying to clear his wife’s name of the same allegation, he does not think his words trough and does not keep a calm stature. This man continues by saying “God is dead!” (The Crucible p.125) which does not help his situation seeing that witchcraft is the Devil’s work. Moreover, in the story “A Piece of String” the main character, MaÐ"®tre Hauchecome, is denunciated to have stolen a pocketbook filled with money. At first he is wise as to simply explain what it was he had picked up from the ground; a little piece of string. But once he found out that the source of this charge was in fact one of his foes, MaÐ"®tre Maladin, he follows his charge by calling him names and “abuse each other for an hour” (p.231). As you can see, if these characters would have thought before acting, it would be much easier for them to prove their innocence.

But did you know that being falsely accused has negative affects on your mental health? “There are phases through which the accused, his wife, and their family must travel from the onset of the accusation” says Lesley Wimberly, founder and head of California VOCAL (http://www.ipt-forensics.com/journal/volume4/j4_3_5.htm). “The change may be so drastic as to break down communication and ultimately destroy a marriage” she added. The proper way to respond to an untrue accusation for your mental health’s sake is to find the “strength of the human spirit” announced Wimberly. “How that strength is sustained is a personal choice” she continues. By grasping onto something that you can put all your worries, thoughts and success into, such as religion or meditation, you make everything clearer and can put “order into chaos” proclaimed Wimberly. By doing so, you’re not letting the person or persons that accused you get the best of you. Therefore, you can always keep a positive note and continue your journey in denying those untrue accusations.

Furthermore, another way to diffuse the blame that was set upon you is to see the situation from the accuser’s eyes, you can the try to point out the flaws in his assumption, but always in a calm and orderly fashion. By doing this, one can see why he or she was blamed for a certain crime and can further strengthen his plead of innocence. Such as Wimberly demonstrates when her husband was accused. “I worked on understanding the motivation of his former wife (this was the most difficult) in her problems with alcohol abuse, loneliness, and the emptiness of her life. I learned that by allowing her attack on us to so adversely affect me, I was letting her win.” Also, when MaÐ"®tre