Arthur Miller's 'Are You Now Or Were You Ever'

The Crucible Essay The McCarthy era was filled with a lot of lies that ruined the lives of others, Joseph McCarthy accused a lot of people of being communist out of greed like Abigail accused people of witchcraft in the crucible. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an allegory for the red scare in the McCarthy era because of the Evidence, trials, and the accusations. The types of evidence that was provided during the Red scare and the Crucible were forn lack of better term complete and utter nonsense for example, Joseph McCarthy’s proof was that he had a list of names and that these people were communist, this was nether questioned or validated it was just heard and they believed it.

Inside the town of Akron, Ohio within the 12 months of 1851, an African American female added a shifting speech at the women’s convention that would be remembered for its rawness, genuineness, and effectiveness. Sojourner Truth spoke about the way she was treated for simply being a “black woman”. Not only being black was the problem, also being a woman had a vast effect on the way she was treated. She used personal and emotional experiences to connect with her audience. Sojourner Truth petitions to her audience for the push of women rights – for all women – through a variety of rhetorical devices.

In the article “Are You Now Or Were You Ever” written by Arthur Miller, the author describes two different events: the Salem witch hunt and the Red Scare. Miller's purpose for writing the articles is to give an explanation to why he had written the Crucible. In his article, Miller argues and critiques that people lack the ability to learn from past events, that they let one recur in spite of it resulting in tragedies, disruption, and hysteria. He supports his argument by establishing his credibility, by using figurative language, and by using formal elevated diction.

In America, the 1950’s was a time of mass hysteria. The Cold War, a long-lasting war over Communism, had just begun and many were afraid that communism would enter the United States. A man named Joseph McCarthy gained authority and had accused a plethora of Americans of having communist connections. Arthur Miller's book, The Crucible, had been written as he was inspired by this time period’s hysteria comparing McCarthyism to the Salem Witch Trials. Arthur Miller indicates the influence government has during a time of hysteria to serve the agendas of a few disregarding the interest of many by utilizing elaborate logos, diligent diction, and tenacious metaphors.

In the 1940’s America was living in fear.Communists were violating the country and the Government Employees were being forced to testify before Congress.The reason behind the cause of this event is because of Senator Joseph McCarthy.McCarthy scared the country into large groups.This obsession lead to a congressional committee of accusing and imprisoning the citizens.The reason for their imprisonment was because of the beliefs they had.Arthur Miller’s Play “The Crucible” has a similar connection to this time period,where there was fear and continuous accusations.Miller connects The Salem Witch Trials and The House Un-American Activities Committee and the damage of their communities.

In the 20th century a period known as the Cold War occurred, involving an ideological battle between the United States and Russia that was fought on the front of countries, such as Korea, China, and Vietnam. The people of America grew fearful of communism, believing it would undermine their values and take away democracy, and capitalism. Because communist values appealed to many people, Americans feared communist influence believing it would destroy democracy and freedom like it had in Korea, China, Vietnam, and other countries. In America, senator Joseph McCarthy began accusing old communist party sympathizers, who at some time had supported communism were now under suspicion from the government and general public. This support may have cost them their jobs, friends, and even family as fear of communism spread like a wildfire. What was happening in America was essentially a witch-hunt. Government officials faced a series of tests to prove their loyalty, and Hollywood actors were blacklisted if they refused to rat out any communist employees. This period in time is known as the Red Scare. In 1953, Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in response to the Red Scare to compare current events at the time to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Miller uses his allegorical tale to reveal the truths behind McCarthyism, presenting a serious warning to the Americans of the history of false accusations, crowd hysteria, abuse of power, and the repercussions that soon follow them.

The horrors of history are passed on from generation to generation in hopes that they will never occur again. People look back on these times and are appalled at how horrendous the times were; yet, in the 1950s, history repeated itself. During this time, Joseph McCarthy, a United States senator from Wisconsin, began accusing people of being communists or communist sympathizers, which is parallel to the Salem witch trials in the late 1690s when innocent people were accused of practicing witchcraft. One of the people McCarthy accused was author and playwright Arthur Miller. To express his outrage at McCarthy’s actions, miller wrote The Crucible, intentionally drawing similarities between the McCarthy hearings and the Salem witch trials.

Martin Niemöller once said,“First they came for the communists, but I was not a communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew, so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.” The culture of accusations is a part of hysteria. As paranoia ensued in “The Crucible”, Joseph McCarthy made false allegations that influenced many peoples lives. An affair integrated in Arthur Miller’s play created controversy among the community. Trials were held for those accused and lying was the only way to survive. The harsh truth that was revealed in “The Crucible” and the parallels between the Red Scare and the Salem Witch Trials show patterns in which fear was used as an advantage, unsubstantiated claims occurred, and unethical punishments were given.

This event is similar to the actions of President Truman in the Second Red Scare. Truman believed that the government was not being infiltrated by Communists, but as fear and paranoia set in within the United States, he compromised his ideals to remain in power and in favor of the people, “At first, [Truman] was outraged at the allegation of widespread Communist infiltration of the government and called the charge of ‘coddling Communists’ a red herring dragged in by the Republicans to bring down the Democrats. But such was the gathering power of raw belief in the great Soviet plot that Truman soon felt it necessary to institute loyalty boards of his own” (“Why I Wrote The Crucible”). Through this parallel, Miller is highlighting the theme of the The Crucible which is the private integrity vs public reputation. Both men gave up their private integrities to uphold their public reputation in fear of the people they governed. This then leads to the fear and mob mentality that is present in both Salem and the McCarthy Era.

Arthur Miller himself went through “crucibles” in his life, which he described in the essay, “Why I Wrote The Crucible.” Around the time Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible, a culture of anti-communism and fear was rising quickly around him; the government began to prosecute all people suspected of having communist views. When this fear reached the media, filmmakers and actors were

The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, revolves around the lives of the townspeople during the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The Salem Witch Trials was an era full of distrust, betrayal, and hysteria of the supernatural, in which many innocent lives were taken out of disparity. The author, Arthur Miller, went through a similar circumstantial situation during the Red Scare, the era of Communism. Miller compares to the townspeople of Salem as both were under fire and accusation, one for being a witch and the other for being a Communist. Such as the paranoia spreading through the town of Salem, mass hysteria was spreading like wildfire during Miller’s time period. The Crucible displays on how fear can take over one's mind and emotions.

Would you ever do something that you weren't supposed to do but you still did it to honor your orders? That what happened with the “Six Hundred”. They rode on horseback into “The Valley of Death” for a half league. They were obeying a command to charge the enemy forces that seized their guns. Even though it wasn't their post they were obeying orders and they went on with the battle.

During the 1940s and 1950s there was a mass hysteria in America because people suspected others of being Communist. A man named Arthur Miller wrote ‘’The Crucible’’ as a way to signify what was happening in the U.S. . He used this story to show how bad things were and how easy it was for people to be falsely accused of being Communist. Miller connects America's Red scare to his fictional story ‘’The Crucible’’ because in the fictional drama the normal people of Salem where falsely persecuted as witches and just like the people during the Red Scare , their lives were ruined beyond repair and they were even killed for suspicion of being a witch even if there was littler evidence to state them as being one.

The novel, The Crucible was written in 1953 by Arthur Miller, which was based on the Salem Witch Trials existing in the late 1600s. In the play, Abigail and several other young women accuse innocent citizens of Salem for the action of witchcraft. During the trials, many individuals were unfairly persecuted; such as John Proctor. This event in history may be associated with the Red Scare, in which individuals were tried for their questionable influences of communism in the United States. When Miller compares the character of John Proctor to himself, the reader is able to relate the similar experiences that both men faced. The Crucible demonstrates the struggle against corruption involving the court, which lead to the death of many innocent individuals in Salem. The Crucible generates an allegory for Arthur Miller’s struggles with McCarthyism because of his similar experience relating to John Proctor’s battle against the Salem Witch Trials, and the relation between the actions of the court in both situations. Arthur Miller uses several writing methods in order to convey The Crucible as an allegory for his struggles with McCarthyism. Miller demonstrates how the Crucible represents an allegory for his conflict with McCarthyism by relating his experiences with the plot of the novel. Miller relates the novel to his struggles by stating, “Should the accused confess, his honesty could only be proved by naming former confederates.” (Are You Now… 34) Miller is explaining how the court

In the novel "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway the character, Frederic Henry is a round and dynamic character. At the beginning of the book, he is a man looking for a woman who could reach his needs, which meant it could have been anyone who he laid eyes because he wanted no feelings attached. Strictly for pleasure. Where I am at now in the book, he has so far changed for the better. He has become more of a caring man, and he is involved in a serious relationship, one that has gone beyond the physical attraction between the two, and looks like it is reaching more of a stronger level.