Literary Analysis Essay On The Crucible

The novel Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury is an outstanding book that demonstrates a lot of irony. Irony is the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect, according to Oxford Dictionaries. There are three types of irony. which are verbal, situational, and dramatic irony. In most cases, verbal irony is referred more to when words express something contrary to what someone says. Situational irony is irony involving a situation in which actions have an effect that is opposite from what was intended, so that the outcome is contrary to what was expected. dramatic irony is used a lot within books, plays, and movies. It is when the audience is aware of something that the characters in the story are not aware of. Within this paper, I will demonstrate on how Ray Bradbury utilizes irony within the novel Fahrenheit 451.

In January 1953, the American playwright Arthur Miller debuted his new play “The Crucible” on Broadway in New York City. It tells the story of the speculative, baseless hysteria and witch trials that took place during the seventeenth century in the village of Salem, Massachusetts and the horrific calamity that ensued. It examines the haunting reality of a society based on rigid, religious customs, superstitious norms and how these can be used as a weapon and prey on people’s irrational fears.

The Crucible. A true story of a time of witchery and a poor court system today I 'm going to talk about the similarities and differences. But first a recap over the Crucible so first off the story opens on a fast note and shows our first character Reverend Parris him in an upstairs bedroom praying the narrator describes him as a suspicious man in his forties,One who often imagines that the world is against him. Later down the line we learn that they live in the town of Salem. The Crucible describes Salem as a strict Puritan way of life.

Arthur Miller is a commonly-known playwright, most famous for his 1953 play, The Crucible. The basis for The Crucible came from the witch trials which occurred in Salem, Massachusetts during the puritan era. Miller even uses some of the same characters in his dramatized play that were a part of the original witch trials in Salem. However, Miller made a few alterations to the historical members of the Salem society in order to suit his dramatic purpose in The Crucible, particularly Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Reverend Samuel Parris.

The story is about a young girl named Abigail who is obsessed with a married man named John Proctor, who goes to Salem’s witch trials in Massachusetts during 1692. In order for Abigail being with Proctor she had to get rid of Proctor’s wife; Elizabeth. The main conflict of the movie was because of the obsession Abigail had with Proctor, innocent people were being accused of witchcraft. People were accused of witchcraft by Abigail and a group of young girls who would believe what she would say about seeing people doing witchcraft. It is a play that many people are always going to remember about because it is unbelievable that 19 people were hanged, one man was put on top of him a huge rock, and more people were accused and died in prison. It is amazing that the court believed a group of young girls and Abigail who were lying about accusing people of doing witchcraft when they were innocent.

In this thrilling play directed by Arthur Miller, The Crucible portrays the incidents of the Salem Witch Trials during the late 1600’s. This action packed drama shows the struggle between John Proctor and Abigail Williams. Their relationship leads them down the wrong path. While Proctor is having an affair with Abigail his wife Elizabeth Proctor becomes suspicious with John’s distant behavior. Throughout the play, Abigail struggles to become close to John but John tries to revert his wrong doings and apologize to Elizabeth but Abigail still wants a relationship. Abigail begins to forge lies about others, committing witchcraft and accuses many innocent people who soon met their fate. John Hale is summoned to evaluate Salem and rid the town of evil but, his journey eventually leads him down the opposite path and actually encourages an alignment with evil.

The Crucible is a piece of literature that can be attributed to a few other situations in history, not simply just the Salem Witch Trials. People throughout history have turned on each other in fear, and have use irrational thinking to justify what they have done. Though the story portrays the Witch Trials, it is able to connect with other events in history due to how the themes can connect with the reader and resonate with how people can feel under certain stress at these moments. Arthur Miller writes in the way that the story can live on in other situations to make points on how we treat each other during these times, the rhetorical appeals he uses becoming important as to why this story is still important to our history in more than one event.

“The Crucible” is a 1953 play criticizing the events of the Salem witch trials that happened in 1692. Many characters betray each other for selfish reasons. This play is a metaphor for the Red Scare where many Americans were accused of being spies. Arthur Miller uses guilt to show Salem’s disloyalty and backstabbing ways. As characters begin to feel guilty, they lie. Miller suggests that guilt can make people go to extreme lengths only to save themselves. Between the two characters Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor, Miller is showing that guilt brings out selfish habits of a character.

Miller uses irony to demonstrate the flaws, the corruption, within the court’s justice system. In this case, it’s emphasized when Giles is found guilty; even though, he did have evidence to prove his accusation. He states, “if Jacobs hangs for a witch he forfeits up his property that's law! And there is none but Putnam with the coin to buy so great a piece”( Miller 89). In addition, he has a witness that heard Putnam thanking his daughter after she cried out on Jacobs. With these reasonings and an eyewitness that proved his accusation, wouldn’t they give Jacobs a fair trial instead of hanging him with the only evidence being a child’s yelling “witch” on someone? Sadly, it’s a situational irony where the event that occurs is the completely opposite.

One of the several themes that Priestley has introduced to the play is ‘Time,’ and this theme not only interlinks with some others like ‘Age and Youth’ and ‘Social Responsibility,’ but also introduces a very important drama technique into the play for the audience called the dramatic irony.

The theme of hysteria is evident throughout Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and in everyday life and society. Driven by self-preservation, hysteria influences many characters’ actions and leads to the devastating witch trials in Salem.

The crucible consists as a disturbing drama that used to happen to a real event in the American history. Abigail, the main and an antagonist character of the crucible. Abigail grew up without father and mother, however she grew up to be an insecure person. This young woman is selfish, manipulating and extremely good at lying. She has an outrageous name in Salem, Abigail were known as a person who causes problems everywhere she goes. Abigail William is an intelligent girl, she knows how to take control over people and forces them to follow her or do whatever she commands. She used to work as a servant at Proctor’s household and have an affair with him. Throughout the entire play, her allegation and dishonesty cause numerous people to be in pain

In “The Crucible”, Arthur Miller presents a city named Salem, with contradicting people. Throughout the story people accuse others of being witches or being involved with witchcraft so they could be hanged. Miller presents the idea that vengeance ruins people’s lives or reputation so that you can get what you want and be satisfied.

What makes a good story worth reading, some will say it’s the plots and twists that make it exciting to read. In the stories “Everyday Use”, “Cask of Amontillado” and “A rose for Emily” different styles of irony including verbal, dramatic and situational irony are used to do just that.

The theme that is the strongest one in this play is that principle is worth taking lives for. An example from the play is when Elizabeth goes to jail because Abigail has accused her of witchcraft, she is fine with going. Elizabeth knows if she sacrifices her life maybe it will save the rest of the town and friends from being hanged. The other major evidence from the play is when John tries to get Mary to tell the truth that what the girls and everything they had done is being made up. But when that falls though John confesses that he is with the devil just to have all this chaos over with. John wants the girls to all confess so that no one dies he wants the principle of what is right done, but Abigail is leading the girls against him. She is