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Salem witch trials and historical analysis
Salem witch trials and historical analysis
Salem witch trials and historical analysis
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After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Americans were fearful of further Japanese attacks on the West Coast and also of Japanese Americans. In response to this fear, President Roosevelt passed an executive order relocating all people of Japanese descent from the West Coast inland. Similar to the fear of the American people, the witch hunts in the novel The Crucible by Arthur Miller led people to believe that girls in the town were being bewitched. Mass hysteria caused multiple arrests for accusations and even death for the so called “witches”. The theme of fear in both the Crucible and the Japanese Internment Camps of WWII caused people to be easily persuaded with the use of pathos and logos.
In this world, it is not the gentle rain that people will listen to, but thunder and lightning. The storm is what catches people’s attention, and it is the storm that is used by individuals to make others look at them. In my opinion, hysteria is a man-made storm prevalent throughout all of human history. People will use this hysteria for two major reasons, to gain power in the world, or to create change in it.
Reader’s Response Act 2 In reading act two of The Crucible, we discover the important role power plays in the lives of John Proctor and Abigail Williams when rumors of witchcraft continue spreading. John Proctor is known as a prominent landholder and farmer in the community of Salem, whereas Abigail is Reverend Parris’ niece and a former servant for the Proctors. I believe Proctor is in a difficult position because he knows he can stop Abigail’s accusations, but not without the whole town finding out about his affair. When act two begins, Proctor comes to the realization that Abigail has taken over the town of Salem and she’s gaining power.
Have you ever been in so deep that the only way you could get out was to confess. Mass hysteria is a phenomenon that spreads fear among a group of people. In The Crucible, hysterical fear becomes an unconscious means of expressing the resentment and anger suppressed by strict Puritan society. Some citizens of Salem use the charge of witchcraft willfully and for personal gain, but most are overcome by the belief that the devil is attacking Salem. Danforth could have prevented Salem by realizing he was wrong and accepting the pleas and confessions of the innocent, This compares to the AIDs epidemic of the late 70’s and 80’s because everyone assumed without using facts.
The Crucible written by Arthur Miller. The Crucible is a story based off of a lot of main characters and scenes. The story itself is based off the salem witch trials hence the story is in the town of salem. The three categories of this story was mass hysteria where people believe things and all join in. Group think is how people together make decisions based on ideas in the group.
Mass Hysteria In the book “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, the characters were strong believers of witches and witchcraft. What started off as a little lie, grew way out of portion, which can be blamed on a few specific characters. They caused the death of many innocent people that were falsely accused of being witches/doing witchcraft and/or working with the devil. The first major one being Abigail, she single handedly made all of the children afraid to speak about what happened in the woods.
Throughout The Crucible, a prolonging of mass hysteria arises, perpetuated by extreme emotion of complicated characters. The book, a historical drama, was based on the Salem Witch Trials of the 17th century. An allegory to the Red Scare and McCarthyism, all characters undergo manipulative, tragic situations involving false accusations, paranoia, threats, lies, and more around known conformity to disapproving witchcraft. The Crucible directly mirrors major sentiment of these specific historical time periods when a personal invasion of the townspeople increased the severity of reactions, heightening the madness of the overall public. Events grew in terms of intensity and one after another, created a chaotic atmosphere for the entirety of the town and with more than 200 people on trial, many
Puritans are people of deep religious values and in Salem, Massachusetts; they are confounded when the news of witchcraft breaks air around the town. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, people began to have delirium and hysteria because of the witch trials. The author portrayed these trials from the chaos in the United States and his colleagues to depict the turmoil in Salem. In Arthur Miller’s book grudge and personal rivalries cause hysteria and delirium of witches, which forced fallouts and deaths in the town. Miller uses grudges and personal rivalries as energy that kept the witch trials going.
Is the death of seven children justification enough to take part in the murders of more than a dozen innocent people? When Ann Putnam, one of the main antagonists in The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, accuses Rebecca Nurse of practicing witchcraft, is this an act of pure insanity or calculated revenge fueled by jealousy? Throughout the play, it is evident that Ann Putnam, who has mysteriously lost seven children, is in denial about her babies’ death and desperate to hold anyone accountable other than herself. She cannot handle the death of her several children being a case of god's will, and so has to something to fill the void. Therefore, she turns to Rebecca Nurse because she helped birth all of Mrs. Putmans babies, who all but one,
Fear in The Crucible Fear plays an important role in the play The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. Fear motivated the accusers and accused in the play like Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Mary Warren. Abigail Williams was really scared in the beginning of the play because she was drinking blood in the woods well all the other girls watched and danced. Another one of her fear was getting convicted by the court so she kept lying to the court so she would not get in trouble.
How might someone put an end to mass hysteria in a situation like the one that unfolds in “The Crucible?” Someone could put an end to the mass hysteria in “The Crucible" by speaking up against the hysteria and influencing the community that resides there. Furthermore, the difference between phobia and fear is that while phobia is a reaction to accumulated and disproportionate fear, with people who have it avoiding situations where they might encounter the objects of their fears, fear is an emotional response that alerts the body to take the most appropriate action to protect themselves from danger. Similarly, fear can lead to Mass Hysteria due to anxiety, irrational behavior or beliefs, or inexplicable symptoms of illness. With people exaggerating
Throughout the town of Salem, Massachusetts fear has spread. It has affected everyone in the town and has brought nothing but chaos. The people of Salem are becoming more scared and determined to hunt down every witch they can find. In The Crucible, fear is appeared as a negative trait since it makes the people act differently during this period of time. Abigail showed fear when she said that Tituba was a witch and was performing witchcraft.
The Crucible Arthur Miller Stephenie Burston 6th Period March 8, 2017 The author of The Crucible is Arthur Miller. The physical setting is Salem, Massachusetts; the temporal setting is 1692. He doesn’t manipulate time the story is in chronological order. The temporal setting is important in 1692 people were just coming over from Europe to start settling the New World that’s now America.
The Salem Witch trials took place in Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693 where people were killed if they were thought to be witches. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller writes about the witch trials and what happened during that time. The Crucible has many themes throughout the play. One prominent theme is the theme of mass hysteria. Mass hysteria is shown in many cases throughout the play such as the scenes when the people of the village of Salem are accused, in the court room while the people state their case, and when the townsfolk are about to be hung after failing to call out other witches.
Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" is a timeless portrayal of the destructive impact of hysteria, the power of reputation, and the truth of justice. Set in the Puritan society of 17th-century Salem, Massachusetts, the play is a dramatization of the infamous witch trials that plagued the town. The play explores how a community can be consumed by irrational fear, leading to the persecution of innocent people. As one character notes, "The devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite" (Miller 38). This quote highlights the pervasive sense of paranoia and the desire to find scapegoats that characterize the world of the play.
