Similarities Between Mccarthyism And The Crucible

In order to be accurate in accusing someone of a crime, you must have the appropriate evidence to back up your story. In The Crucible, many people were accused of practicing witchcraft. The ones who confessed, were sentenced to jail and the ones who denied it, were killed. The only way they had to prove what was being done, was spectral evidence. Therefore, the only person known to tell the truth was the victim. McCarthyism involved communists, like The Crucible, those who were accused were sentenced to jail time. The parallels between The Crucible and McCarthyism are naming names, the lack of evidence, and rebellion against the government in which they served.

History has always had a strange way of repeating itself, but this could not have been more evident when Mccarthyism and The Salem Witch Trials showed great similarities. The Crucible by Arthur miller emphasized major similarities between the Salem Witch Trials and Mccarthyism.

According to the New York Times, “Neither Mr.Miller nor his audiences are unaware or certain similarities between the previsions of justice then and today.” In 1962, Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible to dramatize the witch trials of Salem. The Salem Witch Trials were a set of trials where 20 people were put to death for witchcraft.He wrote the play despite of the anti-communist issues. In the 1950’s, Joseph McCarthy used a certain method called McCarthyism. McCarthyism is the use of unjust methods to hunt for communist collaborators in America. The similarities between The Crucible and McCarthyism are naming names, false accusations, and resistance.

Compare and contrast the Red Scare and the McCarthy trials to the situation in The Crucible; contrast Deputy Governor Danforth with Senator Joseph McCarthy. Could this type of hysteria happen today? Discuss.

When reading the historical aspect of the Crucible, the reader can be able to distinguish the similarities to McCarthyism. Both McCarthyism and the Crucible consisted of alienating certain groups of people. For example in the Crucible Abigail and Betty announced names of the accused "I say Goody Hawkins with the Devil" and "I saw Goody Bibber with the devil" (Miller pp. 189). As the girls announced the names of the accused, the girls selected each woman for a specific reason. Similar to McCarthyism where Senator McCarthy accused "205 card-carrying members of the Communist Party who worked for the United States..." (McCarthyism).

The McCarthy Era began in the time period of 1950, shortly after World War II ended. Communism is a theory of organization based on the holding of all property in common, having actual ownership to a community as a whole. After the issue of communist seemed to pass, the Salem witch trials took place in Massachusetts Bay during 1692 and 1693. Arthur Miller said he wrote he crucible as an allegory of McCarthyism.

Even though the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism occurred in different time periods in American history, the two share a lot of comparisons than one tends to believe. The Salem Witch Trials consisted of false accusations being made towards mostly women in the town of Salem for practicing witchcraft. As a result, many women were hung and fear that the devil would take over kept the trials alive. Arthur Miller wrote a play in 1953 called “The Crucible” and used the trials as an allegory for the McCarthyism paranoia in the 1950s. Both historical events contributed to the spread of hatred, fear, and zealotry.

The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller and the Red Scare, a period in U.S. history, may seem like a completely different event. However, if really thought about, a person can draw many comparisons between the two. The Crucible, set during the Salem Witch Trials, and the Red Scare, which occurred in the 1950s, both revolve around a fear of communism and the devastating effects it can have on society. Despite the difference in time and context, both events share striking similarities in terms of their origins, impact, and the lessons we can learn from them.

The Crucible is one of the most notable classics in American literature. Written by Arthur Miller, the story takes place during 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. It’s a story about witch hysteria that caused the trials and executions of many innocent people. Furthermore, it’s filled with many intriguing characters, symbolism, and themes that keep the book on the shelves of American high schools everywhere. Similarly, the Second Second Red Scare in the United States during the 1950s was also time of hysteria and fear of communism. Intriguingly, to consider that Arthur Miller lived during most of the twentieth century, there must be a correlation between The Crucible and the Second Second Red Scare. Therefore, other than the fact that Arthur Miller’s

The Crucible is the fictional story of the Salem witch trials in which many women were accused of being witches. The Crucible is written by Arthur Miller, who was recorded as the greatest American playwright (“Arthur Miller” 1). The scene for the play is based in the Massachusetts Bay Colony around 1692. McCarthyism was the act of accusing people of treason without evidence, attacks on a person's character, and attack on their patriotism by accusing many Americans of being communist (Ortega). Lisa Martin says, “Communists control led the two world superpowers, China and the Soviet Union Americans feared a takeover in their own country” (Martin 1). Many people tried to accuse the men and women who were spreading the fear. One man named Joseph McCarthy was a senator that charged communists that interfered with the U.S. State Department (“Joseph McCarthy” 1). The accusations lead to investigations, questioning and finding people guilty without evidence,

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 hysteria. Joseph McCarthy accused many people of being communists without much evidence or reason. The accusations in The Crucible also are proposed without evidence and cause much hysteria among the town. Since The Crucible was written as an

колдовство, or witchcraft, in Russia was not as common as in Europe, however, the Soviet Union devised a different kind of ‘witchcraft’. Although Arthur Miller related his book The Crucible to American McCarthyism, it was just as relatable to East Germany or even modern day Crimea.

The central idea of The Crucible the power of suggestion and how we self-deceive ourselves due to others opinions. Arthur Miller wants to explain that history truly does repeat itself by giving off many clues and examples in his play, how similar the Red Scare was to the Salem witch trials.

‘The Crucible’ is an allegory. An allegory is a story with an obvious meaning but if you look deeper into it, there is another meaning. In this case, the obvious meaning is the Salem witch-hunt and the hidden meaning is McCarthyism. McCarthyism started in the early 1950’s and it was governmental accusations with no evidence. Joseph McCarthy started doing trials on those he thought were communist, but he had no evidence for it. This is the same as the witch trials in The Crucible. Arthur Miller wrote this in response to McCarthyism.

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