Both texts explicate the power of political and social injustices to drive individuals to pursue their own motivations.
Composers’ representations of the complex relationship between people and politics are influenced by various moral and social agendas, whereby a portrayal of reality and meaning is inherently subjective. Arthur Miller’s dramatic allegory “The Crucible” explores the political and social ramifications of the contentious ‘Cold War’ period in American history when the widespread fear of communism arose. Kevin Rudd’s political speech, “Apology Speech” delivered on the 13th of February 2008, also examines both the political and ethical consequences of colonial history and the impact of past events on people and politics.
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Rudd employs an array of literary devices to illustrate reparation and reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. His use of anaphora in “we reflect” and “a future” embeds the need for the Australian political system and also individuals of the Australian public to amend their views and values regarding Aboriginal society and disseminate empathy for the injustices of the past. In contrast to the Crucible, where fear and paranoia complement power and authority and are used as a means of marginalisation, Rudd’s uses his position of authority in order to unite and transform the values of Australian society.
The McCarthy tribunals saw rational thought give way to paranoia, as innocent citizens were victimised by a wave of intimidation and harassment. The rising tension at the end of every act in “The Crucible” reflects the repression of personal grievances and dominance of strict social hierarchies. The motif of darkness conveys Abigail’s desire for power and acceptance “I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and bring a pointy reckoning” manipulating societal fear to gain retribution against those who have wronged her. However, the denouement reveals Proctor’s preservation of his moral integrity at the cost of his name and reputation, ‘[he] tears the confession and crumples it...weeping in fury, but erect’ – as the stage
American playwright, Arthur Miller, in his play The Crucible (1952), suggests that witch hunts still exist in American society. Miller supports this claim by drawing parallels between the Salem Witch Trials and the Senator Joseph McCarthy Trials. His purpose is to warn his readers of the dangers of mass hysteria. He uses emotional appeals (pathos) and logic (logos) to convince the reader that mass “hunts” are still a danger to Americans today. The main way, however, that Miller achieves his ultimate goal of demonstrating the dangers of individuality vs. ideology is through the vivid characterization of Mary Warren. Mary Warren is an example of an outwardly conforming character because in the play she tells Abigail that she wants to tell
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a tragic play set in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, where Miller uses the Salem Trials as a metaphor for the 1950s McCarthy hearings. In Salem, people value their good names. The Puritan community acts as a theocracy in which there appears to be no right to privacy, and people must conform to a strict moral code. The theme of reputation, lying, and deceit are shown in Abigail, John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, Mary Warren, and other characters. In the play’s dialogue, Miller uses Biblical allusions, situational irony, and dramatic irony to develop these themes.
In Kevin Rudd’s 17th of February 2008 speech, the Australian Prime Minister apologises to the Indigenous Australians for the stolen generations. With this speech, Rudd attempted to ease the disadvantage that affects most Indigenous Australians by pledging that the government would improve their health, education, living conditions and their lifestyle overall. Rudd claims that he is apologetic and remorseful for the treatment the past Indigenous Australians received. He strengthens his speech by using several language techniques to convince the audience that Australia is remorseful for the past events and wishes to amend. the techniques he used include such as his choice of vocabulary and references to time to mention the historical struggle
American playwright Arthur Miller, in his play The Crucible (1952) displays to us that which hunt still exists in American society. Miller supports this claim by drawing parallels between the Salem Witch trials and the senator Joseph McCarthy. His purpose is to warn his readers of the dangers of mass hysteria. He uses emotional appeals and logic to convince the readers that mass “hunts” are still a danger to Americans today. The crucial way however, that Miller achieves his supreme objective of revealing the risks of reputation vs. integrity is through a fascinating character, John Proctor. John is an example of an internally conflicted character because he had a huge argument with Elizabeth over Abigail, Proctor also had an affair with Abigail, and lastly John had a choice between life and death at the end of the play.
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.
The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, was not only a captivating play, but also a platform to fight against the iniquitous force of McCarthyism during the 1950s. Set in Salem, a town in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, the play dramatized the witch trials that brought widespread paranoia during 1692 to 1693. So to no one’s surprise, The Crucible and McCarthyism were juxtaposed. Since Arthur Miller wanted to criticize the acts of Senator Joseph McCarthy, he chose to express specific themes that appeared in both the play’s Puritan setting and in the United States. One of the major themes Arthur Miller wanted to convey through his work is the distrust of nature. In the remainder of this essay, I will be discussing the relationship of this theme to the play’s
In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” it tells the tale of the Salem Witch Trials. At the time of the play, the McCarthy trials, named after Sen. Joseph McCarthy, were underway. Though, instead of hunting for witches, they were hunting for communists. These two trials may have happened at different points in history, but were in many ways the same. Whether it was death to job loss a lot of lives were changed on account of these trials. “The Crucible” and the McCarthy trials have become historically important because they show the process of power, fear, and turmoil.
In a society where the thoughts and opinions of people are meant to blend in, a division actually occurs where they are usually separated because of their opinions. The play and the event, The Crucible and the “Red Scare” respectively, supply greatly to the difference of opinion because it shows that people are willing to do anything to not only oust the people that they dislike, but try and obtain the attention that they are seeking. During the “Red Scare,” McCarthy targets the issue of communism in the United States of America in order to become the favorable candidate for re-election as well as obtaining the attention that he desired. This event parallels with Abigail Williams, from Arthur Miller’s
Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible and David Rothkopf’s TED Talk How Fear Drives America Politics are two significant texts that emphasise a fundamental political message that remains timeless throughout both the Puritan society within the world of the play and the contemporary society of Miller and Rothkopf. Ultimately the use of fear in order to gain political advantage and control the masses is a profound power present in the political dimension that is explored within both these texts and offers personal insight into the McCarthy era of the Cold War that Miller was subjected to and the post-9/11 hysteria that gripped America when Rothkopf was emerging as a prominent journalist. Miller’s depiction of Abigail and the girls in particular and
One of the reasons why The Crucible is an allegory for the Red Scare in the McCarthy Era is because in both of these events people were being accused of something they weren’t with very little or no evidence and they forced them to comply. In The Crucible Abigail and they other girls were able to accuse basically anyone even though they didn’t really have any evidence other than their word that they saw them with the Devil. This relates to the Red Scare during the McCarthy Era because the Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was able to investigate and interview anybody who was a suspected communist and if anyone the interviewed didn’t answer any of their questions they went to prison and were put on a blacklist. Anybody who was accused of a communist didn’t name any names they were put on a
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 The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the story was based on McCarthyism. This book is based on a real story and real people. John Proctor tore up his confession and goes to his death because he can’t lie about himself and ruin his reputations. He also doesn’t want people to think he is a bad person by confessing a lie just to save his life.
In the 1950’s, communism runs rampant in America, people are getting accused left and right for being against America and those who are caught have to name names of those who are also supposed to be communists. The House Of Un-American Activities Committee (H.U.A.C)officials would say, “Tell me who was with you and confess yourself as a communist, or else.” Reflect back to 1692 in Massachusetts, when witches scorn the town of Salem and it seems as if everybody is a witch. Judges would order, “Tell me who you saw with the devil, confess your sins to God and tell us who was with you or be hanged!” There are several parallels between Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and The Red Scare of the 1950’s due to the
The Crucible, a twisted playwright, written by Arthur Miller is an allegory to the McCarthy trials of the 1950’s. An allegory is a story with two levels of meaning- literal and symbolic. In an allegory the characters, events, and instances relate to real people, events, and instances. (“Definition of Allegory” R104). Characters like John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and the Court, represent real people like Arthur Miller, Joseph R. McCarthy and the organization created, the HUAC. Events like the puritans being brought into the court and John Proctor having to choose between staying to oppose the court or using his wife as leverage were similar to the accused that were brought in, as well as Miller refusing bribery. Instances when the court had no substantial proof were in comparison to the HUAC having no evidence and taking away the passports of the accused. Miller wrote The Crucible as an allegory to show that people in power take advantage of their authority. He wanted to teach that being under pressure and living in fear can affect the decisions that are made in everyday life and to criticize the institutions that wronged the vulnerable people during these times.
Individuals are subjected to different perspectives of situations, events and personalities in society, thus Composers present their representation of ideologies including freedom of choice and control by power through mediums of text to influence readers’ perspectives of politics in society.