Salem Witch Trials Compared To A Modern Day Crucible

The events which took place in Salem in the dark year of 1962 can be seen as a crucible for every person living in that town. Every man, woman, and child was required to look past the lies and revenge-driven accusations of people they called neighbors, friends, and even family. They had to make it through this horrible time and change the sick way society was putting innocent people to death. This catastrophe in history is comparable to a modern day crucible, the fight against growing Islamophobia in America. These crucibles both saw the light of day due to lies and misrepresentation of specific groups of people. What really makes these two issues a trial by fire is the amount of effort needed to move past them. Misguided beliefs are the some

People are hesitant to stand up for what they believe in, including Islam not being a religion of terrorists. Persecution ensues when common held beliefs are questioned. It takes a lot to change a misguided belief, especially if it is held by so many people. In Salem, too many people had to die before injustice was fully realized. In the United States, the population is very far away from realizing Muslims and terrorists are nowhere near the same thing. The only real difference between these two issues, other than the time period, is the magnitude of the struggle. In The Crucible nowhere near the same amount of people are persecuted. The story focuses on a few characters, mainly those associated with John Proctor, who are suffering from the effects of the witch trials. On the contrary, 1.6 billion Muslims are being targeted all over the world. John Proctor and a few other innocent people were forced to hang before the town realized the witches did not exist. The deaths of persecuted Muslims have already begun, and will only happen at a faster rate as this misguided belief is held onto. Research shows a sixty-seven percent increase in hate-crimes against Muslims since Islamophobia began in 2015. This is similar to what was seen in 2001 when the original belief that Muslims were terrorists saw the light of day in the minds of American citizens. This trend is also seen in The Crucible as the fear of witches begins with a spark, Abigail’s lying to cover up her misconduct in the woods, and only expands from