Crucible Fear Mongering Quotes

Randall Madore

Ms. Castonguay

American Literature, Period 7

14-4-23

Q3 Am Lit Drama Final Essay Fear Mongering is a form of manipulation that causes fear by using exaggerated or false rumors of impending danger. Fear and fear mongering is “the action of intentionally trying to make people afraid of something when this is not necessary or reasonable” (citation?). Fear and fear mongering was/is used to manipulate people into believing whatever one person or a group has to say. Arthur Miller portrayed fear and fear mongering excessively in his play The Crucible. Mike Kubic portrayed fear and fear mongering in a plethora of examples throughout his piece of Salem (and Other) Witch Hunts. McCarthyism provided an abundance of examples about fear

And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, t lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s venge-ance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands, I know you must see it now." (113) This quote supports my claim because it acknowledges Proctor's fear of telling the truth to the court and Danforth because it would damage his reputation and portray Elizabeth as a fool. Also this quote is important because it helps to paint a picture of the fear Proctor was suffering from during the trial and what his emotional state might have been like. Another piece of evidence that supports my claim from The Crucible is “Cheever. Wide-eyed, trembling: The girl, the Williams girl, Abi-gail Williams, sir. She sat to dinner in Reverend Parris’s house tonight, and without word nor warnin’ she falls to the floor. Like a struck beast, he says, and screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear. And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. And demandin’ of her how she come to be so stabbed, she - to Proctor now - testify it -were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in.” (74). This quote

A quote from this text that supports my claim is “The trials were swift. Anyone who suspected that some untoward event or development was the work of a witch could bring the charge to a local magistrate. The magistrate would have the alleged evil-doer arrested and brought in for public interrogation where the suspect was urged to confess. Whatever his or her response, if the charge of witchcraft was deemed to be credible, the accused was turned over to a superior court and brought before a grand jury.” (1). This quote supports my claim because it interprets the fear that would be stricken into citizens knowing that they could be accused of witchcraft for doing anything that was considered untoward in their views. Another quote that supports my claim is “One hundred years after the Salem trials, courts in France launched mass executions of suspected enemies of the revolution that deposed10 the monarchy. The “Reign of Terror,” conducted without trials and made more efficient by the use of a new labor-saving machine — the guillotine11 — lasted from 6 September 1793 until 28 July 1794. It beheaded a total of 42,000 individuals.” (2). This quote supports my claim because it also interprets the fear that was stricken into citizens realizing that they could be taken away and executed for absolutely no reason and no trial to try and prove their