The play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller was written in response to McCarthyism in the 1950’s. In 1692 and 1693 the Salem witch trials took place in Salem Massachusetts. Girls believed to be involved in witchcraft were responsible for these trials. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s senator McCarthy came to office. Senator McCarthy and some of his allies were responsible for hysteria in the United States of America in the 1950’s. The scare was also in result of a communist scare after World War II and leading to the cold war. The behavior of the people of the Salem witch trials and Americans in the 19050’s resulted in a big scare in reaction to hysteria. McCarthy was elected senate after becoming a lawyer in his sate of Wisconsin. During the first few years of his term nothing major really happened until 1950. In a speech to the Women’s club of wheeling in West Virginia he stated that he had a list in his hand of about 205 known members of the communist party working for the United States department. President Harry Truman had signed an executive order that said that all communists or fascists could not obtain a United States government job. The FBI played a big role in the investigation of this list McCarthy contained. McCarthy’s friend j. Edgar Hoover, which was a violent ant-communist in the federal government, could not wait to expose the people McCarthy accused of being communists. McCarthy’s list created a nationwide scar among the people of the United States. Everything McCarthy said was a lie and he had no evidence to show that the people he accused were really communist but, because of the start of the Korean War and the arrest of two American soldiers accused of spying on the Soviet Union American citizen... ... middle of paper ... ...ations were accused without solid information that could not be proved in any way. These events in history affected people by basically destroying their lives. McCarthyism affected people that were put on those black lists. Once they were put on those black lists it was almost impossible for them to get a job that would help support them and pay for all of their bills that they had. During the Salem witch trial the event destroyed john procter’s family and forced his children to live without a father. Although McCarthyism was mostly bad the good was that the idea of McCarthyism destroyed it self and ended the rise of communism in the United States of America. Due to hysteria in the 1950’s America and the Salem witch trials both resulted in corruption and the destruction of people’s lives. “The Crucible” was written in response to this hysteria in the 1950’s.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the play "the crucible" by arthur miller was written in response to mccarthyism in the 1950's.
- Analyzes how mccarthy was elected to the senate after becoming a lawyer in wisconsin. his list of communists was investigated by the fbi and his friend j. edgar hoover.
- Analyzes how the house of un-american activities committee created black lists of people who were believed to be communists based on no solid information that the us government really had.
- Explains that hysteria in salem massachusetts was created by young girls who believed that they were under the influence of witchcraft.
- Analyzes how hysteria broke apart families like the family of john proctor. mccarthyism and the salem witch trials both resulted in corruption and destruction of people's lives.
Related
- argumentative
- analytical
- Arthur Miller's Comparing of Similarities in The McCarthy Era and The Salem Witch Trials Illustrated in The Crucibleargumentative essayIn conclusion Arthur Miller saw the similarities in The McCarthy Era and The Salem Witch Trials, and portrayed them in “The Crucible.” The lives of many people were destroyed during these times in history.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the movie "the crucible" shows the similarities between the mccarthy era and the salem witch trials.
- Explains that arthur miller was subpoenaed by the house un-american activities committee and refused to identify writers believed to hold communist sympathies. mccarthy's committee had so much power that just knowing someone suspected of having ties to the communist party was a danger.
- Describes the mccarthy era as a period of history that began in the late 1949s and ended in mid-late 1950s.
- Explains that people who cooperated with huac were cleansed from being called communists and cold return to their respectable society. invoking the fifth amendment allowed people to refuse to name names.
- Describes how the salem witch trials took place between 1692 and 1693 in colonial massachusetts. over 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft and 20 were executed.
- Describes how governor william phipps established the special court of oyer and terminer for the counties of suffolk, essex, and middlesex on may 27, 1692.
- Compares the crucible and the mccarthy era. both had people being accused for actions they did not commit. people were under pressure to reveal the secret sins of their friends and neighbors in both.
- Compares the similarities between "the crucible", salem witch trials, and the mccarthy era.
- Concludes arthur miller saw similarities in the mccarthy era and the salem witch trials, and portrayed them in "the crucible."
1005 wordsRead More - Theocracy In The Crucibleanalytical essayAs once stated by Joseph R. McCarthy “I have here in my hand a list of two hundred and five people that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping the policy of the State Department” (Joseph). The red scare occurred in the 1950’s when United States senator Joseph McCarthy lied when accusing people for being communists. McCarthyism is the practice of making false accusation for the purpose of ruining the lives of innocent people. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, which takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692 when the townspeople were accusing and being accused of witchcraft. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible as a reference to the red scare because in 1692 and 1950’s, both societies were being watched closely, were restricted of certain opportunities, and in both there were false accusations. In The Crucible, Salem’s downfall was caused by theocracy because the church plays an enormous role in
In this essay, the author
- Explains that mccarthyism is the practice of making false accusations for the purpose of ruining innocent people's lives. arthur miller wrote the crucible as a reference to the red scare.
- Analyzes how the crucible is set in a theocratic society where the church and state were one.
- Analyzes how mass hysteria spread in salem after giles corey accused martha of witchcraft without meaning to.
- Analyzes how hale pressures the girls to confess to help betty awaken, and abigail accuses tituba.
- Analyzes how abigail seeks attention and acts in ways she knows are wrong in order to get what she wants.
- Concludes that theocratic society, mass hysteria, and girls' desire for attention and power were the three most significant factors which caused the greatest impact.
1537 wordsRead More - Theme Of Conformity In The Crucibleanalytical essayIn The Crucible, the mass hysteria surrounding the witch trials caused paranoia amongst the people of Salem. Miller uses the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 as a symbol and allegory of the fear surrounding the spread of communism during the 1950s in America. The community’s sense of justice was blinded by the mass hysteria and for some, a desire for vengeance and personal gain. The Putnams
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how arthur miller's the crucible and alfonso cuarón’s 2006 dystopian science-fiction film children of men represent people and politics in a unique and evocative way through their differing textual forms, contexts and techniques.
- Analyzes how miller uses the salem witch trials as a symbol and allegory of the fear surrounding the spread of communism during the 1950s in america.
- Analyzes how cuarón represents people and politics through an exploration of justice in a dystopian society.
- Analyzes how miller represents people and politics through an exploration of conformity and non-conformity in the crucible.
- Analyzes how cuarón represents people and politics through an exploration of conformity and non-conformity in a dystopian context.
- Concludes that miller's the crucible and cuarón’s children of men represent people and politics in a unique and evocative way.
1087 wordsRead More - Few people are willing to stand up to the overwhelming power of authority, especially during a time like the Red scare. Hardly any authors are able to recognize meaningful similarities between the present times and an event that happened many years ago—and write about it effectively. Only one has had the courage and intelligence to do both. Arthur Miller was an American author who wrote plays, essays, and stories and has published works dating from to 1936 through 2004. The Crucible, one of his most famous plays, premiered in New York on January 22, 1953 (InfoTrac). It is a historical-fiction story set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The witch hunt described in this play is similar to the Red Scare, an anti-communist movement led by Senator Joseph McCarthy that lasted from the late 1940s to the late 1950s (Broudin). During both time periods, most people respected high authority while a few dissenters challenged conformist views. The public was censored in what they could say because of the fear of being accused of witchcraft or communism. The hysteria of the times triggered a mob-mentality to emerge among the citizens, which influenced nearly everyone to join the terrible movements. Miller presents all of these ideas in The Crucible using his own experiences as influences. He incorporated many of his own traits into the characters’ dispositions. He also described many situations in the play that were similar to the ones he was in, including how he was censored by the Red Scare. Many people will often conform while only a few will challenge authority, will use censorship to prevent others from expressing their views, and are easily affected by hysteria; these characteristics influenced Miller’s life and are reflected by him in Th...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how arthur miller's the crucible is a historical-fiction story set in salem, massachusetts in 1692. he incorporated many of his own traits into the characters' dispositions.
- Explains that miller's traits are similar to those of john proctor, a major character in the crucible.
- Compares miller, proctor, and giles corey in the crucible. miller was expelled from a script-writing project in new york because he had communist relations.
- Analyzes how proctor confessed to witchcraft to save his own life, but did not name others whom he had seen with the devil.
- Explains that most people living during the mccarthy era or witch hunts respected their superiors, but rebels were willing to challenge the powerful regardless of the consequences.
- Analyzes how miller and the people of salem were limited in what they could say and do because of the situations they were in. miller wrote a screenplay called the hook, which featured communists as the protagonists.
- Analyzes how the people of salem were censored by the witch hunts. only a few characters spoke out against them because the consequences were too great.
- Analyzes how miller and the nonconformists of salem lived in a frenzied environment. the people around them were not willing to listen to their ideas, beliefs, or opinions.
- Explains the similarities between the mccarthy era and the crucible. hysteria was prominent during both times. the mob mentality during the red scare caused the unyielding spread of anticommunists in america.
- Analyzes how jealousy drove both the witch hunts and the red scare. in the crucible, abigail grew jealous of john proctor's wife, elizabeth, and worked up a charm to kill her.
- Explains that spectral evidence was used to accuse and convict suspects in both time periods. in the crucible, projected fear and hidden guilt prevented characters from drawing simple and logical conclusions.
- Compares how the salem and huac courts were similar. both courts encouraged an accused person to name other offenders.
- Analyzes how miller's life paralleled the crucible in many ways. the red scare affected miller in the same way the witch hunts affected the people of salem.
1501 wordsRead More - Comparing Arthur MIller and John Proctoranalytical essayArthur Miller wrote The Crucible as a protest paper to the brutality of the Red Scare .The Red Scare was the inoperable fear of Communism within the United States. This scare was caused as a result of the Cold War in the 1950’s. During the Cold War the US was scared of an attack of the Soviets, and the Soviets were equally as scared of an attack upon them by us. Joseph McCarthy, a Senator from Wisconsin, saw this fear as an opportunity to rise to power. McCarthy had many supporters that were primarily Republicans, Catholics, Conservative Protestants, and Blue-collar workers. McCarthy ruthlessly utilized scare tactics to get people to believe and follow him blindly into his accusations as to innocent citizens supporting Communism and either having them jailed or killed by providing phony evidence. Arthur Miller was not intimidated by this he wrote the Crucible as “an act of desperation” (Miller). This desperation was to counteract the lack of speaking out about personal beliefs during the Red Scare for the fear of breaking the law. In The Crucible, Miller wrote about a character named John Proctor who is very similar to Miller himself. Both the author and the character had to overturn the same personal paralyzing guilt, not speaking out soon enough. Nonetheless, their eventual overcoming of this guilt leads them to becoming the most forthright voice against the madness around them.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how arthur miller wrote the crucible as a protest paper to the brutality of the red scare.
- Analyzes how arthur miller's success began with his broadway play, all my sons, in 1947, and his production death of a salesman in 1692.
- Analyzes how arthur was able to become the forthright voice against the madness around him. the paralysis that set in among liberals left america defenseless against mccarthy’s accusations.
- Analyzes how arthur miller brings himself into the crucible by the character of john proctor during the witch trials in salem, massachusetts in 1692.
- Explains that john proctor was the most forthright voice against the madness around him. his actions were crucial to the downfall of salem's corruption.
- Compares the crucible and the red scare. miller was a revolutionary of his time because he was unafraid to speak his mind.
1278 wordsRead More - The Crucible was a play written by the playwright Arthur Miller in 1953. American society in the 1950s is often referred to as the Age of Paranoia due to the fear of Communism within Ameica. After World War 2 America and Russia had emerged as the two main superpowers. There was a fear of Communism in America this fear was heightened by Mc Cartyism. Arthur Miller's play can be viewed as a commentary on the “witch hunting” that began in the 1950s in search of Communists. The majority of the population were paranoid and suspicios of Communists. This fear resulted in America becomming very Conservative. Articles like Raymound B. Allen's “ Communists should not teach in American Colleges”, were published. People's anxieties over communism where high.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the crucible commentates on miller's involvement in the huac hearings. american society in 1950s is often referred to as the age of paranoia due to the fear of communism.
- Describes how senator joesph mccarty used the fear of communism to gain political support. the house of un-american activities committee (huac) investigated actors and film makers in hollywood.
- Analyzes how miller used the story of the salem witch trials to talk about the irrationality and paranoia caused by mccartyism in ameica.
584 wordsRead More - Free Essays on The Crucible by Arthur Milleranalytical essayArthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, lived during the Red Scare, which was anti-Communist as the Salem witch trials were anti-witches. The whole book is a symbol of two events that happened in history. The Red Scare and McCarthyism both serve as symbols of the Salem witch trials, which makes it an allegory. Although the play is based off of the witch trials during seventeenth century New England, the author meant for it to address his concern for the Red Scare in an indirect way. For example, just like the witch trials accusing people of witchcraft, Americans during the Red Scare accused others of being pro-Communist. The same widespread paranoia occurred as a result.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the salem witch trials were a time in history where mass hysteria resulted in role-reversals in all parts of society.
- Explains that women did not gain suffrage rights until the twentieth century. the witch trials showed that in the middle of hysteria and an inverted society, the unthinkable could happen.
- Explains the meaning of a crucible in the play. it signifies the people of salem that were being pressured by hell, or the devil.
- Analyzes how elizabeth proctor and abigail serve as foils for each other in the crucible.
- Analyzes how arthur miller, of the crucible, lived during the red scare, which was anti-communist as the salem witch trials were antiwitches.
- Analyzes how john proctor experiences a moral dilemma at the end of the book when he must decide whether to lie and live, or tell the truth and die.
600 wordsRead More - Parallels Between The Crucible and McCarthy Eraanalytical essayMany people look back on the events of the Salem witch trials and laugh at the absurdity of the allegations. It seems crazy that society could be fooled into believing in things like witches and deal with the events in such an extreme manner. It is a common belief that witch hunts are things of the past. Many people would agree that they no longer exist today; however Arthur Miller, author of the play, "The Crucible", points out that society has not come very far from the days of the Salem witch trials. In his play, he used the Salem witch trials to represent the McCarthy Era because he saw that the nation was facing the same events that Salem went through back in the late 1600's. Arthur Miller wrote "The Crucible" in an attempt to create moral awareness for society. He did so by making a few small changes to the history and creating parallels in the play with racism, human tendencies, and H.U.A.C.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how tituba confessed to practicing witchcraft and signing on with the devil after being accused. the court believed that they would expiate their wrongdoings by confessing to the accusations and begging for forgiveness.
- Analyzes how miller made the events of the salem witch trials parallel to those that occurred during the 1950's.
- Analyzes how arthur miller created moral awareness for society through his play, "the crucible" by paralleling events from the past to those in the present.
- Analyzes how arthur miller used the salem witch trials to represent the mccarthy era. he created parallels in the play with racism, human tendencies, and h.u.a.c.
889 wordsRead More - The Relations between the Salem Witch Trials and the Cold Warargumentative essayIn 1953, the play called “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller created hysteria in all parts of the country. This play describes the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 and the irony of a terrible period of American history.
In this essay, the author
- Compares the salem witch trials and the cold war with arthur miller's "the crucible" which created hysteria in all parts of the country.
- Analyzes how arthur miller intended to break the fear of the cold war and respond to senator mccarthy and communism. the play was a metaphor for the red scare.
- Compares the unjustness of the salem witch trails and the mccarthy trials. miller refused to answer questions about the names of people who had been seen in the communist party meetings.
- Narrates how arthur miller was denied a passport to brussels, and he was called before the house committee on un-american activities, which wanted to defend and make the constitution better.
- Explains that the mccarthyism refers to any chasing of people accused for porpoise.
- Explains that the mccarthyism played an important role in the education in universities. students that refused to cooperate with anti-communists were not able to have academic opportunities as scholarships.
382 wordsRead More - Connecting McCarthyism and The Crucibleanalytical essayThe horrors of history are passed on from generation to generation in hopes that they will never occur again. People look back on these times and are appalled at how horrendous the times were; yet, in the 1950s, history repeated itself. During this time, Joseph McCarthy, a United States senator from Wisconsin, began accusing people of being communists or communist sympathizers, which is parallel to the Salem witch trials in the late 1690s when innocent people were accused of practicing witchcraft. One of the people McCarthy accused was author and playwright Arthur Miller. To express his outrage at McCarthy’s actions, miller wrote The Crucible, intentionally drawing similarities between the McCarthy hearings and the Salem witch trials.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the horrors of history are passed on from generation to generation in hopes that they will never occur again. mccarthy, a senator from wisconsin, began accusing people of being communists, paralleling the salem witch trials.
- Analyzes how miller targets mccarthy through the character of abigail williams in the crucible.
- Explains that abigail and mccarthy were not the only ones who lied during the salem witch trials.
- Explains miller, arthur, and kinsella's the crucible. prentice hall literature: timeless voices, themes.
- Opines that the red scare: mccarthyism is a free online article on health, science, education, and more.
- Analyzes how the salem witch trials and mccarthy hearings were an example of history repeating itself.
1363 wordsRead More