Witchcraft in Salem In the past, the word Salem has always been somewhat synonymous with the infamous witch trials. Thanks to works such as Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”, many people find it hard not to envision a community torn apart by chaos, even though Miller’s play was not so much about the witch trials but instead a commentary on the rampant McCarthyism going on at the time he wrote it. Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, however, see a very different picture when the Salem witch trials are mentioned
Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, depicts an exceedingly religious society in the midst of Massachusetts during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. The town was quickly overtaken by the false rumours of witchcraft, causing the Puritans to turn against one another, leading to the eventual deaths at the end of the play. Since the play itself was written in response to the increasing panic caused by the irrational fear of communism during the Cold War, the Puritans in the play and the Americans during
Bryan Piatt’s “The Old Slave-Music” is an instance that shows how American literature focused on the struggles faced by those who were not able to enjoy the same freedoms as she details the lasting impact of the horrors of slavery. She provides commentary on the issue of slavery in America as she describes “a phantom moan/ From the deep and buried South” (Piatt 8-9). Piatt makes the point with these words that, although the Civil War has ended and many think that slavery is finished, the effects
The Crucible Essay Assignment For your essay on The Crucible, please write a five paragraph, analytical essay in which you respond to one of the following prompts. 1. Although The Crucible revolves around the Salem Witch Trials, it allows readers to examine many themes. Choose a theme from The Crucible and discuss how it is developed throughout the play. How does this theme reveal the play’s deeper meaning? 2. The Crucible is a play of conflicts. Analyze a major conflict from The Crucible