Similarities Between Good Night And Good Luck And The Crucible

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Would you stand against an inhuman act? In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, cruel lies led to the deaths of many. In 1692, townspeople of Salem, Massachusetts were falsely accused of witchcraft by a group of young girls. Those accusations ended their lives in a biased trial. Also, in Good Night, and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney, a feud between Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy starts when Murrow reports McCarthy’s tactics in his communist “witch hunt.” Joseph McCarthy’s tactics were harsh and most of the time unfair. However, Reverend Hale from The Crucible and Edward R. Murrow from Good Night, and Good Luck have a lot of similarities as well as differences. Reverend Hale arrived in Salem after being requested by Reverend …show more content…

Murrow was a news reporter for CBS. In the early 1950’s, Murrow and his staff, Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba aired a report on McCarthyism . This report became very controversial. The report explained Senator Joseph McCarthy’s search for communists. McCarthy’s search/investigation tactics were merciless and unfair. Many lies and false evidence were used to convict innocent politicians and citizens. The feud intensified when Senator McCarthy responded to the news report. McCarthy sent a video to CBS in which he contradicted Murrow and accused him of being a communist. Afterwards, Murrow cleared all accusations against him and proved that he was not a communist. Additionally, McCarthyism created a strong fear and paranoia among U.S. citizens. The public was afraid of being targeted as communists. Many would not speak against McCarthyism and instead blamed others of being communists. For this reason, Murrow felt a responsibility towards the public. He expressed that television was not only for entertainment purposes, but to inform citizens of what was happening around the country. Murrow believed that as a television newsman he had the power and control to inform the public. He thought that McCarthy’s investigations were incorrect and the public had the right to know how cruel they were. Overall, Murrow and his staff left a mark on history. Their report and bravery inspired many to speak out against

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