Throughout the 1950’s, there was a threat of Communism taking over America called the Red Scare. Arthur Miller concluded to write an allegory for the Red Scare and make it into a play. The play exemplifies bits and pieces of the Red Scare. During this period of time, people were being accused of being communist. Everyone was blamed and no one was safe.
The Cold War is often seen as a dark time in American history, not just because of the international conflict, but because of the strife it caused within the United States itself. During the Cold War, the general culture in America was fearful and paranoid about the rise and spread of Communism within their society. One example of how this hysteria manifested is illustrated in the movie, Trumbo, which tells the story of when the Hollywood industry blacklisted famous writer Dalton Trumbo, along with other workers in the industry, who were connected to Communism. Dalton Trumbo and his associates faced bigotry and were effectively attacked for standing by their ideals, which was a reflection of how American culture had changed at that time. By
In response to the second Red Scare, prompted by the accusations of Senator Joe McCarthy, Arthur Miller felt it necessary to express his political feelings through an author’s medium. Similarities are shown between McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials in the way Senator McCarthy gained power and control by inducing fear and hatred of communists in America, comparable to the fear and hatred of witches in the late 1600s. Miller shares that themes of paranoia and vengeance continue on even as society progresses, and presents The Crucible as an example to shed light on issues inherent with using accusations to gain power. With its ability to relate to a number of political situations in many countries, even as far as 50 years past its creation,
If you are being threatened of life or death with false statements would you take the blame or would you blame others? The crucible is an allegory because they believe that people are symbolic for the devil and witch craft. However the crucible also relates to the red scarce because people are being accused and it just leads to people being afraid and deaths. The crucible connects to real life by persecuting a lot of innocent people just like the red scarce. The red scarce is a witch hunt with suspected communist supporters.
Modern economic value can be described as a mixture of many philosophies into one philosophy. However two prominent philosophers, Adam Smith and Karl Marx, find their theories on economic value at the opposite ends of the spectrum. Smith’s writings on capitalism, and Marx’s writings on communism have created a fair amount of conflict throughout history. The well-known conflict called the Cold War featured two powerful nations who found themselves on the opposite sides of the economic values system. Smith’s and Marx’s philosophies found themselves at the forefront of a twentieth century conflict and their differences were at the forefront of the battle.
Individuals must stand in opposition to collective injustice. By the end of the summer in 1692, twenty three innocent citizens of Salem, Massachusetts had lost their lives to the tyranny of the Salem witch hunts. By the end of the year 1956, countless U.S. citizens were victims of a second witch hunt which destroyed careers, friends, and lives. This is why there should be opposition against collective injustice. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible innocent people were getting accused and punished for witchcraft, when in fact they were not guilty.
The cold war was marked by the existence of political and economic enmity between U.S. and the Soviet Union in 1945 to 1991. From the primary sources we discussed in class, it is clear that the rivalry between these two super powers was because of political and economic competition. The competition was between the communist of the Soviet Union together with its allies and the democratic capitalism of U.S. together with its allies. In addition, the rise of the cold war between 1945 and 1991 was as result diplomatic and military competition between the two nations. The period of cold war was characterized by remarkable increase in military spending, increased tensions, hyperbolic rhetoric by the two leaders of the nations and millions of World
Miller, within The Crucible, uses symbolism creates an effective allegory that shows the connection that it has to McCarthyism. The symbolism used within the play symbolized McCarthy’s accusations and allegations. The doll that is found on Elizabeth Proctor's shelf is considered a traditional symbol of voodoo and witchcraft, “Elizabeth: ‘I never kept no poppets, not since I were a girl.’ Cheever, embarrassed, glancing toward the mantel where sits Mary Warren's poppet: ‘I spy a poppet, Goody Proctor.’ Elizabeth: ‘Oh!
Arthur Miller in his article, “Why I Wrote The Crucible,” identifies his motives for creating The Crucible as a political allegory for the Second Red Scare and McCarthyism by making correspondences between the two time periods. Both the Salem witch trials and the Second Red Scare share similar factors and origins which developed each society into a place of hysteria. Mob mentalities rooted in fear gave the people reason to throw away their reason and follow public norms to put suspects on trial. The wrongfully convicted were urged to name others guilty of the same crime and continued false accusations which further perpetuated the trials. The absolutism of the courts caused many of the innocent to be assumed guilty by simple association or some false
After the Second World War, a state of political tension arouse between the powers in the eastern part of the globe and powers in the western part of the globe. This state of geopolitical tension was termed as the Cold War. Complex interrelationships and competition between the Soviet Union and the United States gave rise to a sustained struggle for global domination from 1945 to 1990. I argue that, although the Cold War was primarily constructed as a conflict between the First World and Second World, it’s outcome was thought to be determined in this third world. This is supported by the extensive attention given by America and Soviet Union in the domestic affairs of emerging third world countries.