Rhetorical Analysis Paragraph In the tragic play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses sardonic tone to relay a second message to readers and to emphasize the ignorance and hypocrisy of the characters. He also writes in a sardonic tone as a comic relief to tragic events that occur in the play. In his character description of Thomas Putnam, Miller writes: “He [Putnam] was a man with many grievances, at least one of which appears justified” (Miller 14). Through his use of sardonic tone, Miller helps develop Thomas Putnam’s character as a sinful, immoral character. In his character descriptions, Miller’s personal opinion about the characters shines through in his wording and the way he describes the characters. Miller’s character descriptions falls