...Crucible Essay History repeats itself in many ways sometimes it will be a man making a simple mistake like a man forgetting to pick his dry-cleaning up or it can be something along the lines of people becoming paranoid and fighting and preparing for things that aren’t really there. The Red Scare of 1947 to the late 1950s is a perfect example of our nation repeating a history event from 1692, The Salem Witch Trials an event that our nation still remembers today innocent lives lost that definitely didn’t deserve it. One of the victims to the Red Scare Arthur Miller made a satire of it using “The Crucible” (A play based on the witch hunts) comparing the Red Scare to the Salem Witch Trials, he claims everything he was accused for is just as ridiculous and embarrassing to our country as the Salem Witch Trials were. In this Essay I will be comparing Arthur Miller's Crucible to the Red scare of the 1940's. There’s this Guy who basically claims our government is filled to the brim with communists and we need to weed them out, His name is Joseph McCarthy, he was born in Grand Chute, Wisconsin in 1909 and he died in 1957 on May 2nd due to Alcohol poisoning.(Joseph 1) On 9th February, 1950, at a meeting of the Republican Women's Club in Wheeling, West Virginia, McCarthy claimed that he had a list of 205 people in the State Department that were known to be members of the American Communist Party (late he reduced this figure to 57)(Joseph 1). Joseph McCarthy was a dirty man who in fact...
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...1. Intro The Salem witch trails was a very scary and confusing time in early American history. It all started from people spreading rumors about witches that scared civilians in Salem. These rumors costed hundreds of people's lives just because the accused people lied to save their life but put others lives in danger. A time in history that is compared to the Salem witch trails is the red scare where the same incident happened but innocent civilians were accused of being Russian spy's because the United States was scared of communism at the time. Henry Popkin's article showed this relationship between the two famous events in American history that changed America forever. 2. Body "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller was very interesting,...
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...innocent people in the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692. There is a great deal of speculation around the actual causes of the Salem witch trials. The author of The Crucible, Arthur Miller, had the theory that “the people of Salem developed a theocracy, a combine of state and religious power whose function was to keep the community together, and to prevent any kind of disunity...
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...the world as we know it today. For as long as history goes back, fear has been a key aspect of every civilization. Governments have brainwashed their people in order to scare them into thinking that what they are doing is the only thing to do. During the 1600’s, the Salem witch trials began, striking fear in the eyes of all the people living there. Civilians were forced behind bars if they did not attend church regularly, and the scare of witches caused many to be hanged for all to see. These acts were recounted in a book called “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. The things that happened in Salem were not the only time fear has ruined lives, for fear is still a part of society...
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..."Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?" This was a common question heard during the 1950s in the age of what is known as McCarthyism, the name given to the time in American history during which Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy searched in an effort to expose supposed communist takeover in various areas of the U.S. government. Arthur Miller and Edward Murrow, two very well known Americans at the time, were very outspoken about how McCarthyism was affecting the nation. Edward Murrow, a journalist, used his straight forward speech to expose Joseph McCarthy and his deceptive ways. In the same way, Arthur Miller, a playwright, used his play The Crucible to attempt to expose McCarthy, but was missing the focus he needed to get his point...
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...Since the 15th century, people have been calling “Witch-hunts” to the search of people that are labeled as “witches” because of their unpopular or unorthodox views. In the book The Crucible by Arthur Miller, specifically talks about Witch-hunts where power, profit, and fear lead to accusations of witchcraft that spread like wildfire, resulting in the execution of 18 innocent people. Nowadays mental illness is the scapegoat to blame for mass shootings and gun violence, fueled by corrupt politicians whose goals are profit and power, as well as creating fear in the minds of citizens across the nation. In this essay we will compare the similarities in profit, power, and fear between “The Crucible” based on the Salem Witch Trials from the 1500’s and the stigma surrounding Mental Illness in today's society. Power: In the book The Crucible, the judge maintains power by telling people what they believe the people want hear regardless if eighteen innocent people would lose their lives. Nowadays mental illness is blamed for mass shootings and gun violence by...
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...Crucible The Salem Witch Trials are known as a dark time in history. People were prosecuted for what today are thought as absurd accusations of witchcraft. The Crucible by Arthur Miller compares mass hysteria of witchcraft to the Red Scare during the Cold War. The courthouse scene in act three displays how hysteria can take control over peoples’ lives, which appeals to the audience’s emotions such as anger, frustration, and sympathy. Since the play is a comparison to the Red Scare, any emotions or feelings towards the play become mutual between the two. In the beginning of the third act, a man named Giles Corey gives a testimony. Giles testifies that John Proctor is falsely accused because if he hangs then his land must be forfeited. Nobody else but the Putnams can buy up the land, and so Mr. Putnam has his daughter cry witchcraft. Giles stated that he has proof of Putnam’s intentions, which was the word from an honest man. The judge asked for the name of this man, but Giles hesitated to give it up for fear of what would happen to the man. The judge would not take Giles’ word and threw him in jail for withholding information. The audience feels frustrated upon reading this because how can a judge not see that if the name is revealed, then that man can be accused of witchcraft just as Giles’ wife was accused. It shows the distrust between the court of law and the public people because the judge cannot take Giles’, a trusted man, word as evidence. Relating to a modern time, the...
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