Communism. Witchcraft. These two highly controversial topics are either feared or adored by people. There are numerous similarities and differences between both, yet one thing is prominent: they both incite hysteria. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an allegorical play mirroring 1950’s America during the Red Scare. “McCarthyism” is the act of accusing someone of an act of treason without substantial evidence. It relies on the uncertainty and the fear of the unknown among people, which in turn, incites
falsely accusing people of being communists. Joseph McCarthy coined the term McCarthyism for accusing people of doing things without proper evidence to support his claim (McCarthyism). McCarthyism is a way to blame a certain group of people for something that they did not do so the blame does not have to fall on someone else. Author Arthur Miller illustrated the events of The McCarthy period in his play The Crucible. In The Crucible, the town of Salem Massachusetts endures a time of severe trial, in 1692
The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953. Miller’s main purpose in writing this play was to use it as a metaphor for McCarthyism, a period of strong communist suspicion in the 1950s, started by Joseph McCarthy. Miller also wanted Americans to understand that McCarthyism was giving them false information and causing them to have unfounded fear; he accomplished this by comparing McCarthyism to the Salem Witch Trials. There are many similarities between the events of the Salem Witch Trials
It is clear that Arthur Miller has based his play The Crucible on the acts of the McCarthy hearings. During his time, he witnessed the Red Scare and became curious on the subject of the witch trials happening in Salem. After much research, and realizing the similarities between the two, he then wrote his play. Throughout each act we see that there are many similarities in the way the witchcraft accusations were comparable to the communist accusations. The culmination in Act IV can also be drastically
can not handle the ugly truth. A man named Arthur Miller expresses the Salem witch trials that occurred in 1692, with a play that was produced 1953, during the era of McCarthyism. What similarities came about when miller's play about Salem was produced? McCarthyism and The Crucible have multiple parallels due to these similarities: Naming names, lack of proof, and resistance. The first parallel is naming names. Elia Kazan, a Hollywood director, and Tituba, a slave, both confessed (Doc A and B).
today. McCarthyism created many problems for many people including Arthur Miller. The lying made many people become wrongfully accused of being a communist and get put in jail because of it. Likewise, the author of The Crucible Arthur Miller was relating his experience of being accused of being a communist and he project himself as John Proctor who is the protagonist of the book who get wrongfully accused. The courts during the McCarthyism era was exactly the same as the courts in The Crucible where
McCarthyism was a time of political hysteria and a figurative witch-hunt that swept through the American society during the 1950s when Anti- Communist figures like Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Committee on Un- American Activities stalked the land- McCarthyism. McCarthyism is when accusations of treason are made without any prior or proper evidence. Joseph McCarthy was a Republican from Wisconsin, and he was elected to Senate in 1946. He officially rose in power when he made a speech accusing
The Crucible and McCarthyism Similarities A well renowned founder of western philosophy, Socrates stated, “False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil” (Socrates). This quote relates to the evil that Senator Joseph McCarthy and antagonist of The Crucible Abigail Williams brought to their time. Abigail used her opportunities to strike fear into everyone in her town.This resulted in, the Salem Witch Trials were a series of witchcraft cases brought before local magistrates
Kindra Harris Mrs.Gutierrez AP English Language 27 November 2017 The Crucible vs McCarthyism 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
themselves. The parallels between the Crucible and McCarthyism were due to the lack of evidence, victims being pressured to confess names, and being rewarded compliance. Today many people use facts and logic to determine if someone or something can be trusted.In the Crucible people were being accused of witchcraft, while those who lived during McCarthyism were accused of following Communism. The accusations made on people seemed inadequate and faulty. In the Crucible, Deputy Governor Danforth