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Examples Of Mccarthyism In The Crucible

1007 Words5 Pages

Tony Reynolds-Villegas
Mrs. Howard
Period 3rd
May 23, 2023
McCarthyism in The Crucible
Arthur Miller’s book The Crucible is an incredible representation of McCarthyism. Arthur Miller represents McCarthyism using religion. The Crucible, a book based on the Salem Witch Trials is used to showcase McCarthyism, which is a idea in which people are accused without any evidence. McCarthyism happened during the second red scare which was people of democracy against communism, or in The Crucible religion against witchcraft. Arthur MIller conveys McCarthyism in his book The Crucible by using religion to represent democracy. Not only does the book convey McCarthyism but the characters themselves show the message.
John Hale, a devoted religious man is …show more content…

To defend himself he was to recite the 10 commandments, which he could not do. This raised suspicion of Proctor. This is exactly like when McCarthy would accuse someone of communism but the person couldn’t prove himself to not be a communist.“Let you repeat them, if you will” (The Crucible, Arthur Miller Act 2, 66) This quote is showing Hale ask Proctor to recite the 10 commandments. This quote is directly from the event where Hale went to Proctors to interrogate him. It shows how Hale isn’t scared to use religion to prove his point. The same way McCarthy would use democracy to prove his point. This isn’t the only reason why Hale is a good conveyer of McCarthyism. He also convicted many people of witchcraft based on them being related or close to them just as McCarthy would. “Mr. Corey, exactly what complaint were made on your wife?” (The Crucible Arthur Miller, Act 2, 72” This quote is from John Hale interrogating Mr. Corey based on what he said about his wife. This quote proves my claim about how Hale would grow suspicious of people that are associated with witchcraft. In brief there are many events showcasing John Hale being a representation of …show more content…

McCarthy would often accuse people even if he knew the truth of who they really were. Many people lost their careers, their lives even. “Any man who has been named by a either a senator or a committee or a congressman as dangerous to the welfare of this nation, his name should be submitted to the various intelligence units, and they should conduct a complete check upon him. It’s not too much to ask.” (Senator Joseph McCarthy, 1953, MillerCenter.org) McCarthy is saying that any man named by someone of high position should be checked by the various intelligence unit even if there is no evidence. This quote shows how McCarthy really didn’t care about right or wrong he just wanted to accuse people. As a result many people lost their careers. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were actually sent to death for being “Russian Spies”. “It is much more plausible that the documents were only released now because they prove nothing and do not help to justify our parents' execution.” (University Of Pennsylvania” This quote is from Ethel and Julius Rosenberg's kids stating that their parents are innocent. This quote is from Ethel and Julius Rosenberg's kids stating that their parents are innocent. This quote shows that no matter how fair the trail or accusation is. As long as they’re accused their life is practically

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