Jonathan Coy
Mr.Glorfield
English 11A
16 December 2022
America and The Crucible Americans have been called many things entitled: self-righteous, easily offended, and much more. They have also been called many good things, like innovative courageous and ready to try new things. Back in the early days of America, Salem was a town much like you’re average American town. It was in Salem that the fear of witchcraft breaks out. Due to fear and unrest, many people unjustly got hanged and prosecuted for witchcraft. Though you might not see it very well, modern Americans are like them in many ways. Due to American paranoia, discrimination, and a strong desire for safety a situation similar to the Salem Witch trials.
Paranoia can cause people to
…show more content…
This is shown by the Espionage and Sedition Acts and the hangings based on supernatural evidence. Additionally, discrimination also shown as a tool used to blame others and pawn off blame this is shown both in American society and with Abigail and Tituba in The Crucible. Finally, a strong desire for safety in both The Crucible and American society gives someone power to abuse normal people’s rights which would not normally happen. All of these examples show how due to paranoia, discrimination and a strong desire for safety, American society is very similar to the situation in The Crucible.
Works Cited
“Discover the Story of Englishmore than 600,000 Words, over a Thousand Years.” Home : Oxford English Dictionary, https://www.oed.com/.
History.com Editors. “Palmer Raids.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 1 Feb. 2018, https://www.history.com/topics/red-scare/palmer-raids.
(john@spartacus-educational.com), John Simkin. “A Modern Day Witch-Hunt.” Spartacus Educational, Spartacus Educational, https://spartacus-educational.com/USAmccarthyism.htm.
Miller, Arthur. “The Crucible .” Kermit Bloomgarden, 22 Jan. 1953.
“Prejudice and Discrimination: Barriers to Social Inclusion | DISD.” United Nations, United Nations,
In Arthur Miller’s “Why I Wrote the Crucible.” talked about how the U.S.A was in such a state similar to Salem Witch Trials. “The Red Hunt led by the House Committee on Un-American Activities and by McCarthy was becoming a dominating fixation
McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of subversion or treason without proper regard for evidence. This term was coined to criticize anti-communist pursuits of senator Mccarthy. During the Salem Witch trials, victims were often accused of being a witch based on someone's word no one had actual proof that these victims had actual powers from the spiritual world or so called satanist they were demeaned too. Coming back to the reality of accusing with no tangible evidence.many tactics were also brought upon this idea of fear many civilian and townspeople were burdened with the idea of guilt and fear of what would happen to them if they didn't partake in these so-called “witch hunts” of Mccarthy and the governing court of Salem.
The first thing people think of when they think of the Salem witch trials are people being burned at the stake. Even though people being burned at the stake was something that infact did happened during the witch trials it did not happen in Salem, Massachusetts. Being burned at the stake was a more “popular” way of torture in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. However, majority of the executions in Salem were by hanging. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play about the effect of blindly following one’s religion.
Salem, Massachusetts, is Infamous in history for the Salem witch trials. A town in despair claims that witchcraft is among them. A theocracy that struck fear into many. In Salem where The Crucible takes place, there is much corruption. People are scared for their life.
The worst quality in humanity is the instinct to find scapegoats—to cast blame on others for the occurrence of misfortunes. In 17th century Salem, residents lived in the constant fear of smallpox and war with the Native Americans. To subdue the fear, witch hunts were initiated, and more than a hundred people were accused of practicing witchery. After the Salem Witch Trials, people regarded the witch hunts as inane hysterias; however, 200 years later, Americans did not learn from the unjustified accusations cast in the witch trials. The Red Scare in the 1900s was the mirror image of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692, and we made the same mistake and reacted unreasonably in response to fear.
Throughout history there have been many events which fit into the criteria of a witch hunt, literally and metaphorically. From the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 portrayed in The Crucible and McCarthyism during WW2, to modern day issues such as terrorism witch hunts have plagued history. Today, these “witch hunts” have gotten more realistic and are backed up by actual threats to society. Although, they are still related to the original witch hunts of Salem as there are many people searching for large amounts of a certain type of people. However, modern day witch hunts clearly have the same cause/ effect as the actual Salem witch trials.
Reading the “Crucible by Arthur Miller” can be one of the most drama-filled intense stories anyone might ever get to read. Each page is filled with countless accusations and inequities, leading us to contradict ourselves and in time, make us question our own morality. In the book the reader gets to immerse themselves into what it would be like to be any part of a minority in 1692. They get multiple perspectives on what it is like to live in fear of judgment and false trials, they get to see how different characters react under these circumstances. The village lived in fear of anything “different.”
Paranoia is a great motive and a sufficient drive for people. As Newton’s law states, for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This was the most probable case that happened in the Red Scare back in the 1950’s. This tragedy that happened began with a United States Senator James McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities proclaiming and dictating that Communists had infiltrated the government and even society as well. Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible began with the pretense that these trials were more or less something of a comical sense.
Shawn Jande Ms. Clancy American Literature B3 15 November 2015 The Crucible Analytical Essay Imagine, being accused of a crime you didn’t commit by your neighbors and friends out of jealousy, and desire. This is what many people in the town of Salem had to go through during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. People's motives such as: gaining and maintaining power, and aspirations for what other people had caused them to make irrational, and atrocious decisions. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, desire and power drive characters to create chaos in the community.
What is fear? Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief of someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or threat. In my own words fear is a feeling people get when someone is going to kill them. But not all fear is bad because some people feel fear differently How is fear used in “The Crucible” ?
Based on the tragic events of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, The Crucible is a hard-hitting tale that reflects upon the subjectivity of goodness and virtue, sparking the reflection of the importance of moral behavior during times of hardship and crisis. In an unyielding and restricted Puritan community like Salem village, a bad reputation could result in social exclusion and scorning from the community. As a result, many members of the community would go to extremes to avoid tarnishing their reputations. The Crucible asserts that those who are concerned only with protecting their standings are dangerous to a society, as they are willing to blame and hurt other people in order to protect themselves.
Correspondingly, The Crucible by Arthur Miller portrays all morals and responsibilities are lost when fear and hysteria control the town because well-respected personnel
Throughout history the fear of corruption and change has compelled people to go to drastic measures to prevent it. The Crucible, a play by arthur Miller, is set in an environment of religious citizens who fear that the devil and witchcraft will corrupt their society. Much like The Crucible, McCarthyism caused the citizens in America to fear corruption of the government by communism. Arthur Miller used his play the crucible as a direct response to McCarthyism and through this play Miller writes about the Salem witch trials during the McCarthy period to comment on how history repeats itself. The social and political factors in The Crucible resemble those in America during the red scare and McCarthyism.
“Mass hysteria is a condition which affects a group of people, it is characterized by excitement, anxiety, irrational behavior, beliefs, or inexplicable symptoms of illness within said group.” The Crucible was written and published on January 22, 1953, as means of pointing out the utter insanity of the Communist Red Scare. In the events which partook in the Red Scare, an organization by the name of the House Un-American Activities Committee was formed in 1938 and led by Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy, targeted and accused American citizens of being communists, most notably those who were successful. In The Crucible, I argue Mary Warren could have ended the mass hysteria in Salem by sticking to the truth, not taking Abigail’s threats seriously,
Reasons Behind The Crucible Arthur Miller’s main purpose in writing The Crucible was to show the similarities between the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Trials and to warn against government propaganda. At the time that The Crucible was published, America had a huge fear of communism. Anyone accused of having ties with the communist party was shunned. It much resembled the Salem Witch Trials in how the government, or leader of the time, used fear against the people to gain power. For example, Joseph McCarthy can be compared to Reverend Parris in how they both lead the people into the belief that there were intruders in their mists that had plans to sabotage the community.