Fear Dbq Essay

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Fear. A simple four-lettered word that describes a powerful emotion that takes over and changes us in an instant. When I was younger, I remember that the consequences of being disciplined frightened me so much that I would do anything in my power to stay out of trouble; as I heard my parents yell out my name while I was conscious that did something wrong, I would lie about the events so my parents would be as merciful as possible. Certainly, this situation has occurred to numerous children across the world. Furthermore, the fear inflicted over me as a child led me to abandon my moral judgement in order to escape harsh punishment. However, what happens when human beings use this fear is used as a way to control others? Throughout history, “fear …show more content…

As a matter of fact, people have always had an “inert fear of death” that causes them great displeasure and uneasiness (Source B). As a result, human beings strive to maintain themselves out of threatening situations in order to achieve longevity. This fact has been recognized for centuries, thus, figures in positions of power have used it to manipulate society and exclude certain groups of people due to their differences. For instance, the Puritans during the Salem witch trials, and politicians during the Red Scare are a couple of the groups of people that have imposed fear over others to achieve a certain …show more content…

In the 1940s and 1950s, the Red Scare led to the creation of the House Un-American Activities Committee, or HUAC, that was dedicated to investigate the unpatriotic behavior in people and used as a method “of blocking progressive politics,” (Source C). The first major event was when the HUAC accused, interviewed and took into custody the Hollywood Ten of the Hollywood Motion Picture Industry of holding left-wing views. Subsequently, the terror of going to prison caused Larry Parks to admit that he had joined the Communist Party and was forced to name other members, although he had initially refused to do so. In a like manner, in The Crucible, Parris tells Tituba, “You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!'' leaving her with the only option to confess to seeing the Devil and agree to reveal other witches in the village. Afterwards, Joseph McCarthy accused hundreds of people from diverse departments of the federal government, mainly due to their views and past as “fascists, alcoholics, and sexual deviants,” (Source C). Moreover, the immense scare of being blacklisted, losing careers, or getting incarcerated brought extensive political oppression to the United States of America and silenced those who opposed

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