...The Salem Witch Trials that went through the town of Salem, Massachusetts in the 1690’s put the town through a period of tribulation. In Act III of The Crucible, written to take place during the trials, playwright Arthur Miller creates a hysterical mood amongst the characters in the courtroom through his use of stage direction and exclamatory sentences. Based off the actions of the girls, led by Abigail, and the response of those in attendance, an increasing panic settles upon the courtroom. At the beginning of the scene, Abigail makes a “chilling cry, [and] screams up to the ceiling” (114). Being such a sudden interruption, Abigail immediately alarms the the courtroom and creates a growing dramatic tension. As the trials ensue, the townspeople...
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...In act two of The Crucible by Arthur Miller the scene starts out in The Proctor’s home. Elizabeth and John Proctor are talking to each other and the reader can tell there is tension between them. It has been seven months since John had the affair with Abigail and Elizabeth is still being cold. This bugs John because he has been trying to make things right again with his wife. Mary Warren then enters into the house saying that fourteen people have been put in jail and will be hung if they do not confess to witchcraft. John admits that he knows that Abigail and the rest of the girls are faking and Elizabeth says he must go into Salem and tell the court that he knows the truth. John hesitates because he will have to confess about the affair if...
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...Although some argue that the Salem witch trials were a result of hysteria, the accusations were primarily caused by gender and class tensions, Puritan world views, and the Indian Wars. These causes are explored in the texts “The Historiography of Salem Witch Trials”, “Witchcraft”, “Puritan Beliefs and the Salem Witchcraft Trials”, but most importantly in Arthur Miller’s play, “The Crucible”. “The Crucible” deals with women and young girls in 17th Century Salem, MA. These women were being accused of practicing witchcraft and dealing with the devil. The gender and class tensions along with Puritan world views combined to create this hysteria that led to these women going to trial, found guilty, and sentenced to public hanging. The Indian Wars were not the main focus in “The Crucible” because it was also meant to be a commentary on the McCarthy trials in the 1950s during the Cold War. Gender tensions contributed to to the accusations of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, as demonstrated in the film “The Crucible”. One example of this was the scene in (“The Crucible”) where the girls ask Tituba to help them get a husband with casting spells. There were many fears among the adolescent girls and that...
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...Conflict in Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ Set in Salem, Massachusetts, Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ was written in 1952, the play which successfully portrays the witch trials in 1962 as an allegory for the prosecution of communists. The play contains many conflicts set to tear apart or destroy the small community of Salem, and to cause havoc with neighboring towns. Arthur Miller gives the reader a chance to experience the dangers of hysteria in a community through the conflicts experienced by his characters in a puritan society. Conflict is a strong disagreement between people or groups that often leads to strong arguments. Various elements of the plot are woven together in such a way that we are often left on a mini cliff-hanger, wondering what will happen next, which creates tension. Writer’s craft is the writer’s use of techniques to create an effect on the reader. The opening of the play immediately grips the audience. Betty Parris is lying motionless on a bed, Reverend Parris is kneeling next to her praying, but he conveys no sense of religious calm and faith. He is weeping and desperate. He cries out “Oh my God! God help me!” and he is very disturbed. When Tituba the household slave, enters Parris is in a state of “fury” and yells “Out of here! Out of my sight!” then is “overcome with sobs”. Miller is careful to specify in the stage directions just how the actor should deliver the lines and what type of emotions the character is holding. The opening is powerful...
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...Throughout Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose and The Crucible by Arthur Miller, fear is the most prominent motivation of the key characters in these two plays. There are many differences and similarities between both of the plays Twelve Angry Men and The Crucible, the main similarity between them both is fear but there is also similarities in the sense that prejudice, justice, and tension between the communities in both of the plays. Fear is something caused by threat, danger, harm or anxiety, in Twelve Angry Men it is shown though fear of youth (young people) and also fear of racial minority's where as in The Crucible the charters are fearful of witches and the devil as well as themselves and others. The attitudes of those we are surrounded by everyday are the ones who have an influence...
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...Cornered in the Roundhouse “Irony is wasted on the stupid,” Oscar Wilde once said. This quote certainly applies to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, because by carelessly reading this play, you might miss some of its genius. The author uses irony in many different ways to create different poignant emotions. Sometimes he makes a humorous little remark that might fly right over an unsuspecting head. Other times he puts his readers through pure agony as character’s fates are sealed before their eyes. True to form as a skilled author, Miller uses dramatic, verbal, and situational irony. In The Crucible, dramatic irony is used to create suspense in various situations. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that a character in the play does not know. When used correctly, it will significantly raise the tension of any given moment. This is exemplified by the following dialogue: ”Danforth: Answer my question! Is your husband a lecher! Elizabeth: No, sir.” (Act III). The audience knows that if Elizabeth just tells the truth, it will save her husband. However, without...
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...Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple. In no way was the Red Scare solely political. Americans didn't like the way life was lived in a communist country, and how restricting it seemed to be. If this wasn't enough to hate the Russian Federation and its colonies, there was one more string that Russia pulled. Atomic weapons were now fully capable of mutilating the face of America, and Russia had control of hundreds. All of this conflict and tension set the stage for the biggest and most important change in mindset for the American people. It was a national movement, but there was no possible way to make it happen on a political front. It all came down to literature to change...
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... in 1692, is described in the play, “The Crucible.” Written in the McCarthy era, this play highlights the injustices during the Red Scare in America. As history continues to unfold, more links can be drawn between the message of “The Crucible” and today’s discrimination. The allegorical qualities of Arthur Miller’s, “The Crucible,” relate strongly to McCarthyism, but still have relevant connections to...
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...The Crucible and the Detroit riots have a lot in common, whether it be from comparing the mass hysteria, or people being falsely accused of terrible acts, the similarities are unmistakable. A small rumor can have giant effects and push people beyond a breaking point. Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is a very good example of how people react when they don’t know how to respond and they see violence as the only resolution, such as the residents in Detroit did during July of 1967. The two events are very similar if you consider the mass hysteria and several other factors. The Detroit riot of 1967 was a series of violent clashes between the city’s residents and the police department (Emeka). It remains of one the most violent uprisings in the...
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...Greek philosopher Aristotle believed that every piece of literature must have a beginning, middle, and end. Aelius Donatus further developed this theory into the three-act structure common today, calling the sections protasis, epitasis, and catastrophe. Famous authors like Shakespeare expanded the original divisions into a five-act structure comprised of an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. Although it was a four act play, Arthur Miller, author of The Crucible, utilized the five-act structure to further develop his plot. The exposition of a five-act structure introduces the setting, main characters, and conflict of a literary work. The audience gains critical information that is crucial for understanding the...
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...Having someone executed for a false accusation is an extremely horrid offense. Although, in 1692 to 1693, it was a trend upon the people of Salem. Arthur Miller specifically wrote The Crucible about The Red Scare so this generation could know how there was a lack of knowledge among the men and women in the court. “It would probably never have occurred to me to write a play about the Salem witch trials of 1692 had I not seen some astonishing correspondences with that calamity in the America of the late 40s and early 50s. My basic need was to respond to a phenomenon which, with only small exaggeration, one could say paralyzed a whole generation and in a short time dried up the habits of trust and toleration in public discourse,” Miller states...
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...To Have Pride is To Have Vanity Jane Austen quoted,” Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.” The Crucible demonstrates this quote greatly. I have always felt that as humans, vanity is one of our most faulty talents and that it is very hard to do one without the other. Vanity is an over abundance of pride on oneself. Pride is a feeling of satisfaction in something a person has achieved or is well at. The two terms can flow very easily together to form an unnecessary end. John Proctor shows an excellent example in act four. As he goes to sign the confession, given by Danforth, he rips it in half after signing it. Danforth goes to ask him why he had just done the unthinkable and Proctor answers with unwavering vanity that it is his name, to sign the confession would be to sign his name off as a hoard of lies. John shows much vanity in this scene by the emotions and pride in his tone. He has too much pride in his name and himself that it costs his...
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...When you compare two time periods with such time in between ,you rarely find any similarities but with expert crafting by Arthur Miller was able to draw lots of the same moods and evidence from both time periods . Using the basis of the witch trials and the red scare he was living through I believe Arthur Miller wrote “”The Crucible” to show how stupid the current era of McCarthyism. The Red scare was a time period in the 1950’s where American senator Joseph McCarthy was accusing many Americans of being communists. This was a time where the entire country was weary of their neighbors because of the thought that they supported the communist opposition. Most of these if not all of the accusations were false and only caused hysteria . The...
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...The Crucible Essay To begin with, a crucible is a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development. The title signifies the suffering and hardship that the town goes through. The town the story takes place in is governed by a theocracy. Everything that happened in the book, all the events that led up to the execution of many innocent lives and led up to the breaking apart of the theocracy that the town was used to contribute to make a difficult time or situation, which is a crucible. The story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts Man’s word is worthless against harsh judgment. With the false evidence and the corrupting lies, there will be only one who will try to fight for freedom and break free from the Law’s powerful hold. First and Foremost, Reverend Samuel Parris is worried about his reputation, and along with that comes tremendous paranoia. He is a busybody and has a sense of purposefulness. Parris is an immensely paranoid character. The importance he places on reputation creates for him a considerable amount of paranoia. This paranoia is evident many times throughout the play. In the opening scene, Parris is speaking with Abigail about his recent discovery of her in the forest. He discovered his daughter and niece dancing in the forest, an activity that is prohibited. Dancing is not only frowned upon but it is seen as associated with witchcraft. He is immediately concerned about himself. His daughter is sick...
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...guilt for an event that never happened. During the Red Scare this is what was occurring all around. In The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor was accused by Abigail William because of her hatred towards Elizabeth. In the Red Scare they targeted celebrities because they thought they were high targeted and could possibly be a communist. The Red Scare influenced the book “The Crucible” by reflecting the United States government with the court of Salem, people who were accused and arrested for being a Communist, in addition to fear with how scare tactics impacted societies. The Red Scare influenced the book “The Crucible” by reflecting the United States government with the Court of Salem. During the Red Scare, the United States government and the communist Soviet Union became engaged in a series of largely political problems with economic clashes. Both the Soviet Union and the United States’ intense rivalry caused tension between these two superpowers which raised concerns in the United States that communists were inside America might have been working as Soviet spies. These Soviet spies were said to perhaps, pose a threat to the U.S security. As for the Court of Salem, a group of young girls claimed to be...
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