This play is not only about the ruined lives and deaths of hundreds of people, but even more so about the selfish greed, apathy,…, Revenge plays a major role in the story, “The Crucible. Human emotion is a major factor in prejudice, politics and persecution in modern day. Witchcraft in The Crucible can be interpreted as a parallel of the paranoia about communism that was prevalent during the 1950s. Although McCarthy did not hang innocent people, his actions reminded Arthur Miller of mass hysteria in Salem, and they were embodied in the famous play “The Crucible.”. Miller highlighted the dangers of the McCarthy hunt by writing a play about the "original" witchhunt in America. Should The Military Need To Recruit Recruitment? h._hjSettings={hjid:779227,hjsv:6}; Their relationship was solely based on the lack of trust from Elizabeth, guilt of sin from John, and the fear in both the Proctors of Abigail and her jealousy-driven power over the life of them both.... StudyMode - Premium and Free Essays, Term Papers & Book Notes. At artscolumbia.org you will find a wide variety of top-notch essay and term essay samples on any possible topics absolutely for free. These parallels are evident in Joseph McCarthy’s, McCarthyism and in Arthur Miller’s, the Crucible.McCarthyism was the fear of communism that was created by the Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. r=o.createElement('script');r.async=1; Moreover, the citizens of Wisconsin and other cities were afraid of being suspected of communism like the citizens of Salem were afraid of being accused of witchcraft. Ms. Wilson From the very beginning of the communist hunt Arthur sought to publish his thoughts on the event. The two relationships between the Proctors and then John and Abigail and the conflict that tie in with all three situations make up the resolution of how, indeed, jealousy, fear, ambition, frustration led to chaos in Salem. r.src=t+h._hjSettings.hjid+j+h._hjSettings.hjsv; Joseph McCarthy and the girls earn the respect and awe of the people, instead of being riduculed for their unfounded accusations. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, was an comparison between the Salem Witchcraft Trials and the Communist Red Scare. ...The American Heritage Dictionary defines McCarthyism as “The political practise of publicizing accusations of disloyalty or subversion with insignificant regard to evidence.” Instead as merechildren playing, this behavior is viewed upon by the Puritans as the work ofthe…, Miller captured the paranoia and hatred of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials and made a controversial reference to his own society’s Witch Hunts during McCarthyism in the 1950s. ga('create', 'UA-90324623-5', 'auto'); The Crucible ESSAY EXAMPLES SPECIFICALLY FOR YOU, Throughout the history of mankind, the misapplication of power, marring of souls has been a part of life. The Salem witch trials and McCarthyism prove that the best weapon against man is his own fear. These steps included an arms race, cryptology, and national efforts by the civilian population. He would increase the scope of his investigation to more then ten or twelve thousand if... ...October 2012 Fear Makes People Crazy His first works were “The Man Who Had all the Luck” (1944) and “All My Sons” (Galvin). The accusations of communism led to a nation-wide hysteria and fear of who was going to be named next. The great play writer, Arthur Miller formed a miserable story “The Crucible” during the dark Mc Carthy Ela. More of a play or act, The Crucible has many different themes and subject matters from different opinions. The play “The Crucible,” written by Arthur Miller, appeared in 1953, at the same time when McCarthyism took place (Miller, “The Crucible” 154). In several days, the girls started to call some names; among them were the names of Tituba, Goody Good, and Goody Osborn (Brooks). 1 May 2014 “And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? The last organized hunting for communists, while Abigail and other girls initiated witch-hunt. Multiple factors contributed to the increasing... ...McCarthyism and the Then, Miller read a book about Salem by Charles Upham, which had a great impact on him. The accusers are led by the antagonist of the play, Abigail Williams, whereas the accused are led by the protagonist of the play, John Proctor. McCarthy develops the play quite briskly and focuses the trials all around, Abigail Williams. Her struggle includes staying true to…, 1.Parris is very insecure. English 11/ Period 3 Be smiling! In the play there are threecharacters, Giles, Rebecca, and John all die at the end. Silence. During McCarthyism, many politicians, as well as writers, actors, and other famous individuals, were afraid of being convicted of communism. The purpose behind the play was to illustrate how wrong McCarthy's hunt for communists of the early 1950's was, without directly pointing at the situation and at the people it involved. //= get_template_directory_uri(); ?> var eltdCoreAjaxUrl = "https://artscolumbia.org/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php" When this was over, the hope would be that nothing like it would ever happen again … In only 146 pages, Miller told us the stories of the lives of John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail Williams and others during the 1692 Witch Trials in…, The CrucibleThe Crucible is a book that could lead the mind into many different ways. It was based on the Salem, Massachusetts Witch Trial in 1692, which links in with Miller’s era, were ‘witch trails’ was…, The crucible, Arthur Miller wrote the play The Crucible, using the 17th-century case of witch trials and fictionalizing it to comment on a 20th-century phenomenon the hunting of communists as if they were witches. A theme of a book usually setsthe mood and describes what is happening during the time that the story iswritten. It was also, and as importantly, a long overdue opportunity for everyone so inclined to publicly express his guilt and sin, under the cover of accusations against the victims.” (Page 7 of Act One). SUB_DOMAIN = 'essays.artscolumbia.org'; Nevertheless, there is one difference: if in Salem these were teenage girls who made  hysteria , in Wisconsin, there was an adult man who began to spread paranoia. But wasn't directly stated in his story. This was a time of fear after the Second World War in the years 1950 through 1954. On page fifty-nine Marry Warren and Elizabeth have the following exchange: In both situations, widespread hysteria occurs, stemming from existing fears of the people of that particular era. The story was based on Salem Witch Trials and the event behind the history. A special court was created, and only specific cases, such as witch trials, were heard in that court. You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!” (pg.19). Abigail Williams,…, The Crucible was written in the early 1950s as an exploration of events which took place in Massachusetts in 1692. It is also shown through the minor characters of Mary Warren and Mercy Lewis, followers of Abigail Williams, and through Danforth and various townspeople. ...In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the audience is supplied with an array of varying characters. Therefore, despite the fact that McCarthy himself did not kill people, McCarthyism as a movement may be compared to the Salem witch trials since it changed lives and ideologies of thousands of people. It is the The Crucible. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, depicts the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 but is analogous to the McCarthy trials of the 1950s. (function(d,s,a,b){a=d.createElement(s);b=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];a.async=1;a.src="https://static.addtoany.com/menu/page.js";b.parentNode.insertBefore(a,b);})(document,"script"); DOMAIN = 'artscolumbia.org'; His major concerns is his reputation and his money. He realized that he had to write about that period in a form of a play (Miller, “Why I Wrote The Crucible”). a.async = 1; As a result, many people were accused of crimes they did not do. The Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism were both examples of false accusations and public hysteria. Themes are the undertone of the story. He spurred an era of fear called the Red Scare. The girls accused innocent people of being witches in order to avoid getting in trouble for dancing in the woods. Themes are the primary and original widespread ideas spread in literature. This is how the Salem witch trials occurred. However, many people did not want to state that they were guilty for something they did not do. McCarthyism, named after Joseph McCarthy was a period of intense anti-communism, which occurred in the United States from 1948 to about 1956. McCarthy manipulated them, and their faith resembled mass hysteria in Salem. Some committed suicide as a result” (Price 16). His work as a Senator was not successful, and he had to invent something to attract his voters’ attention. McCarthyism and the Crucible Elizabeth, softly: I am accused? He saw many similarities between the Salem witch trials of the 17th century and McCarthyism of the 1950s. a=o.getElementsByTagName('head')[0]; Reverend Hale’s books are similar to the books, lists, and pamphlets of the McCarthy era that listed communists. Miller conceals the details and the extent of John and Abigail’s previous relationship, although the audience can clearly see that John is regretful, and Abigail is desperately in love. As a result of his trial, cultural and intellectual life of the nation underwent changes. To defend themselves, the girls made mass hysteria, claiming that they saw the Devil and accusing innocent people of witchcraft. Television showed only political programs, and newspapers published blacklists. They were noticed by Abigail’s uncle, Samuel Parris, who blamed them on witchery. The evidence for this statement is found in the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism. As a consequence of those events, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft, and 20 of them were killed (Brooks). i[r] = i[r] || function () { ga('require', 'GTM-N5DGK37'); McCarthy became a witch-hunter, who was searching for communists even if there was no one in the USA. The play, The Crucible, by ArthurMiller is a portrayal of the Salem witch trials. Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, is an allegory of the Red Scare that impacted society mentally, physically, and spiritually. Holly Gubser Ms. Wilson English 11/ Period 3 1 May 2014 McCarthyism and the Crucible Throughout history there have been many events that are direct parallels of each other. These parallels are evident in Joseph McCarthy’s, McCarthyism and in Arthur Miller’s, the Crucible. This period of time was known for McCarthyism--a time of extreme anticommunism, lead by Senator Joseph McCarthy (McCarthyism). It also means "the practice of making unfair allegations or using unfair investigative techniques, especially in order to restrict dissent or political criticism. Abigail, Tituba,…, A crucible has two definitions: 1) a container made of a substance that can resist great heat and 2) a severe test or trial. March 2, 2013 By continuing we’ll assume you’re on board with our cookie policy. One technique that he often uses is that he stops the main dialogue and has an intermission which is almost always entirely factual. Marry Warren, pointing at Elizabeth: I saved her life today! His first plays were Honorsat Dawn (1936) and No Villain (1937) which won the University of…, Giles Corey, Rebecca Nurse, and John Proctor all have something in common whichendanger them when the witch-hunt begins. Thus, a play of selfish teenagers developed into severe trials for innocent people. Alfieri can be compared to a God like observer who is watching over the action taking place…, In The Crucible, a lot of conflict was going on about witchcraft. His whip comes down. The first one was a test – the accused had to recite the Lord’s Prayer (“Witchcraft in Salem”). This was a time of fear after the Second World War in the years 1950 through 1954. Thus, many books, newspapers, and films were banned, and writers as well as producers were blacklisted. It starts whenfive young girls of Salem are caught dancing in the forest. Much like the persecution that perceived communists endured during the McCarthy investigations, the people in the town of Salem, Massachusetts endured considerable strife as a result of accusations when fellow citizen’s named them as witches. The play is based on a true story. McCarthyism named after Senator Joseph McCarthy is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. As a result, they were imprisoned and killed. In the seventeenth century, a belief in witches andwitchcraft was almost universal. Miller began to write plays when he was a student of the University of Michigan. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the small town of Salem is engulfed in hysteria due to the accusations of children that many of the townspeople partook in…, In Arthur Millers, “The Crucible,” many themes are expressed throughoutthe play. The Crucible – What does the play have to offer an audience in Perth, Western Australia in 1996 Essay, The Dramaric Techniques in Act 1 of The Crucible Essay, The Crucible was set in the 1500`s in a town called Salem Essay. })(window,document,'https://static.hotjar.com/c/hotjar-','.js?sv='); We use cookies to give you the best experience possible. i['GoogleAnalyticsObject'] = r; Arthur Asher Miller was born in 1915 in New York in a family of a clothing company owner (Galvin). He also wrote an adaptation of Ibsen's "An Enemy of … Then be quick! Analytics.copyButton = 'article.essay-content '; Thus, the only way out for the defendants was to confess. This would make people frustrated. The 1692, Abigail Williams and a group of girls turned the town of Salem upside down in a fear driven witch hunt. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again” (pg.18). UTM_MEDIUM = 'utm_medium=ch_sh'; Moreover, the readers can notice some similarities between the author and his protagonist, John Proctor, who had also seen the absurdity of the whole situation but did not know how to explain it to other people. But I said I never seen no sign you ever sent your spirit out to hurt no one, and seeing as I do live so closely with you, they dismissed it. a.appendChild(r); Although McCarthy’s politics was ended, its effect influenced Americans for several decades. For example, a lot of people were being accused of it. Fear can cause people to overreact and lose all rational thinking. Tituba was the first person who was blamed because she was a black-skinned maiden, known for her sorcery. People were so afraid of communism they believed that their friends and neighbors were communist beyond all reason. ga('require', 'linkid'); NAME_SITE = 'artscolumbia.org'; var Analytics = {}; Among the most frequent targets of congressional, FBI, and other investigations were artists and academics. The Crucible, takes place in the Puritan Society where people are…, Superstition and witchcraft resulted in many being hanged orin prison. However, it did not stop him from writing, and he continued his work. As a result, the actions in his play may be identified with the actions of McCarthy. Everything began when Elizabeth fell ill, and no one could define the origin of her disease. It is a play with emotional feelings, feelings of anger, hate, evil, manipulation, good, and pureness. Analytics.sendButton = '#modalmailsender button:submit'; 2.2: Identifying, Analysing And Evaluating Performance Objectives At Individual Level. Analytics.checkerButton = '#bla-essayCheck'; The playwright was socially engaged and tried to reveal his thoughts and beliefs in his plays. These parallels are evident in Joseph McCarthy’s, McCarthyism and in Arthur Miller’s, the Crucible. The towns gone wild, I think.”(Miller 162). The infidelity ofher husband is a major element in her being. No problem! Arthur Miller wrote his play “The Crucible” basing on real events, which happened in Salem in 1692 (Brooks). However, the major reason for his writing the play was McCarthyism – the period of “hunt for Reds” and repressions (Miller, “Why I Wrote The Crucible”). a.src = g; Analytics.emailInput = '.artscolumbia__essay-info__preview a'; (function (i, s, o, g, r, a, m) { Therefore, Miller revealed the fact that even if a person knew the truth, no one would believe him/her when mass hysteria took place. Just as McCarthy considered everything that was un-American to be communist, the Puritan society believed everything that didn’t... ...Holly Gubser As a result, she saved her own life, but other women, who refused to confess, were hanged for nothing. This is the first of the many unwarranted charges that he claims. })(window, document, 'script', '//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js', 'ga'); Want to add some juice to your work? The play “The Crucible,” written by Arthur Miller, appeared in 1953, at the same time when McCarthyism took place (Miller, “The Crucible” 154). Here you will also find the best quotations, synonyms and word definitions to make your research essay well-formatted and your essay highly evaluated. People were so afraid of communist spies that every accusation could have ended with a trial. However, in Salem they were hanged, and in Wisconsin – censured or imprisoned. He went to Salem in 1952, where he conducted his research about witch trials and discovered interesting relations between the citizens of that town (“Why I Wrote The Crucible”). Miller sets up the parallel between The Crucible and McCarthyism by presenting Salem to be a puritan society and a theocracy, which would make the devil and those communing with him enemies of the town. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, justice and injustice is portrayed through the characters of John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams. “The Crucible” is a good example as it illustrates terrible events of the witch trials in Salem. The crucible was set in the 1500`s in a town called Salem where all the towns people go to church and live by the 10 commandments, also they are not aloud too have much fun. Fear of being accused of witchery caused the town’s people to not stand up to the madness. Many called it a witch-hunt. In the play, Abigail wanted to bewitch John who had spent a night with her and whose wife Elizabeth fired her. In Salem Massachusettswhere the witch trials take place many people who aresuspicious is accused of witchcraft and hanged. The crucible, Arthur Miller wrote the play The Crucible, using the 17th-century case of witch trials and fictionalizing it to comment on a 20th-century phenomenon the hunting of communists as if they were witches. There was a widespread hysteria in the late sixteenth according to your requirements, Arthur Millers’ formation of a miserable story The Crucible Essay, Dramatic significance of this extract from The Crucible Essay. An audience today would probably be shocked by some of the dramatic moments that happened in the Salem witch trials…. The unfounded accusations that Joseph McCarthy and the girls in The Crucible make are what fuels the widespread hysteria in both situations. However, as no evidence was found at the first hearing, the Senate insisted on a better investigation. In order to defend herself, the girl confessed that she saw the Devil, and her confession became the beginning of the Salem witch trials (Brooks). m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0]; These three people allhave something in common which…, Crucible A crucible, as defined by the Merriam-Webester Concise Electronic Dictionary, is “thestate or fact of being tested (as by suffering)”, which attests to what Elizabeth Proctor isgoing through exactly. I believe that Arthur Miller’s life and his experience of McCarthyism strongly influenced the writing of The Crucible. This era had the same tactics of dealing with the supposed followers as McCarthyism, but in this case it was for witchcraft. ga('send', 'pageview'); One of the major similarities between those two periods was paranoia and hysteria. Later, in his article “Why I Wrote ‘The Crucible,’” Miller stated, “so many practices of the Salem trials were similar to those employed by the congressional committees that I could easily be accused of skewing history for a mere partisan purpose” (“Why I Wrote The Crucible”). a = s.createElement(o), The author was an American playwright who did not want to participate in McCarthy’s political affairs, but he could not resist him openly and decided to write a play. Many books, including Robin Hood, was forbidden since it propagandized stealing money from the rich and giving them to the poor, that was the main idea of collectivism (“McCarthyism”). “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. “The witch-hunt was not, however, a mere repression. In contrast, Miller causes the audience to despise the accusers in order to exemplify the injustice of McCarthyism. In Arthur Miller’s, the Crucible it was a based off the Salem Witch Trials. The second proof was physical evidence, such as signs on the body, freckles, birthmarks, etc. Analytics.printButton = ''; Arthur Miller effectively categorizes the characters of the play into two juxtaposing categories; the accusers, and the accused. They think they are above the…, Character Analysis of John ProctorDuring the mid 1950’s, Senator Joe McCarthy led a campaign to expose alleged Communists in the State Department. ArthurMiller wrote a play called The Crucible. These conflicts result and produce even more tragic occurrences. McCarthy is quoted as declaring in a speech, "I have here in my hand a list of 205 that were known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who, nevertheless, are still working and shaping policy in the State Department." The…, The Crucible by Arther Miller is a play, first viewed in 1954, about the Salem Witch Trials. It follows that America, then, is a democracy, which would make communism the modern devil and communists enemies of America. Persecution can be defined in many ways, but no matter how it is defined it is a tragic event. The Crucible is a play which brings to our attention many timeless issues. He is a character who participates in the action of the play, and comments on past or subsequent events. His the minister of Sale. Elizabeth has quite a crucible to struggle through. While reading the reports, written by the Reverend Parris, Miller drew a plot of his play in his head. McCarthyism was the fear of communism that was created by the Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. {(h.hj.q=h.hj.q||[]).push(arguments)}; He grew up in New York to a Jewish family. Many people were accused of witchcraft and put to death for being related to the accusations. The Crucible and McCarthyism were both fueled by fear. They accused innocent people of being communists and they were sent to jail and deported. John Proctor is the primary character in the play that evokes pathos in the audience. Salem Witch trials. He cares more about the witchcraft in his house then the welfare of his own daughter. McCarthy develops the play quite briskly and focuses the trials all around, Abigail Williams. Throughout history there have been many events that are direct parallels of each other. Similarly, Senator McCarthy took his list of 205 Communists that he would later pursue in federal hearings, about ties to the American Communist Party. The play emerged from a true story. The Efficacy of the Process of Job Analysis in a Company, Speedy Paper From The Best Service Company, Best College Research Paper Writing Service, Buy Thesis from Advanced Writers and Editors, Hire Our Article Critique Writing Service, Help With Writing a Poetry Paper + Template, Get Book Report Writing at a Moderate Rate, Buy a Research Proposal Paper: Tips from Our Expert Writers. One of the national efforts was the creation of Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings into the depth of the American Communist Party. The audience sympathizes with John Proctor not only because he has been falsely accused, but also because he is a representation of the human condition. window.a2a_config=window.a2a_config||{};a2a_config.callbacks=[];a2a_config.overlays=[];a2a_config.templates={}; The playwright realized that it would be not so easy to reveal all the events without being accused of communism. How about receiving a customized one? Marry Warren, quaking: Somewhat mentioned. m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m) I will not, I cannot! The last one was confession of the accused. Arthur Miller experienced the period of McCarthyism as all nationals at that time did. If a person did not confess after all those tests, he or she was accused of witchery and imprisoned, and later such person might be hanged. Analytics.readMoreButton = ''; ...The Crucible and the McCarthy Era (function(h,o,t,j,a,r){ It`s waiting for you! The Salem witch trials took place in 1692 and became one of the tragic periods of the USA (Brooks). Miller understood that the situation in the country was terrible, and something had to be done, but he did not know what exactly. The judges admitted five types of proofs. ” Due to the social structures of society and the confusion that existed upon the townspeople, because of the dancing in the forest by the teenage girls that lived in town, it was very easy for the townspeople to believe that witchery was the cause…, WE WILL WRITE A CUSTOM ESSAY SAMPLE IN The Crucible. After the accusations that Betty and Abigail made about the majority of women in town being witches, Reverend Hale began witch trials concerning any and all mentioned names. She gathered other girls in the forest and organized dances. Eventually, “The Crucible” became an identification of McCarthyism with the witch trials in Salem in the 17th century. During these hearings, he forced people to give up names of other “followers” and if they refused to give names of others, they were imprisoned. In The Crucible, John Proctor is representative of both of these definitions because of the situations that he must overcome and the people that he has to deal with. The crucible, Arthur Miller Essay. h.hj=h.hj||function() Two of the themes presented throughout The Crucible are Witchcraft and Personal Integrity. }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date(); The author was an American playwright who did not want to participate in McCarthy’s political affairs, but he could not resist him openly and decided to write … It should be noted that citizens of Salem were convicted due to evidence. In the 1950’s Joseph McCarthy, like Abigail Williams became a witch hunter, He accused people of being communist. McCarthyism was a movement against communists, initiated by the Senator of Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s (“McCarthyism”). By showing what paranoia could do in their time, he hoped to illustrate what could happen in his own time. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1938 where he began todistinguish himself as a playwright. These conflicts are between either those have sinned and been accused – John Proctor, those who have been sinned against and accused out of jealousy and fear – Elizabeth Proctor, and those who conducted an act of rage, jealousy, ignorance, and hatred, as Abigail Williams had. Instead of highlighting the details of Abigail and John’s... ...enemy: communism. In the Crucible each act can be analysed as a series of scenes, each having its own tone and climax all leading up to the powerful curtain. People noticed that his blames were groundless, and he was censured. 2.They are the richest people in the village they have the most money and land. These intermissions…. Thus, he created the play “The Crucible,” which title may be identified with severe ordeals, experienced by the country. Although lechery and adultery are both sins, Miller presented John in a noble way which allows the audience to sympathize with him. The play takes place in Salem Massachusetts, which was then a strict Puritan town. For his play “Death of a Salesman,” Miller got the Pulitzer Prize in 1949 (Galvin). Section II – Biographical: Arthur Miller was inspired to connect the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 with the political events of his time and draw similarities in 1953 in The Crucible. ga('require', 'displayfeatures'); Please join StudyMode to read the full document. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller draws a parallel between the Salem Witch trials of 1692 and McCarthyism of the 1950s, when communism became the devil and a community of people used “evil” as an excuse to take out their personal spite on those they had always wished ill. Miller sets up the parallel by showing Salem to be a theocracy, which would make the devil and those communing with him enemies of the town; it follows that America, then, is a democracy, which would make communism the modern devil and communists enemies of America (“The House of Un-American Activities”). Analytics.previewButton = '.artscolumbia__essay-info__preview a'; “The Deputy Governor promises hangin’ if they’ll not confess, John. McCarthy makes the crucible dramatic by creating…, WE WILL WRITE A CUSTOM ESSAY SAMPLE ON The events of the 1680's and 1690's witchery accusations were very similar to those of the 1920's Red Scare, communists accusations.