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The Crucible Compare Contrast Essay

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Many times it has been said that if people learn from their mistakes they are doomed to repeat them. Such is the case throughout history. There are many different examples of this, but one example is the blatant similarities between the witch hunts in Salem Massachusetts and the era of McCarthyism. When looking at either one of these events separately it is hard to believe that they could have actually happened, not only once but, twice. If one takes the time to look at both events simultaneously they are able to make many comparisons and enable numerous similarities be seen. In The Crucible Miller creates an analogy of the witch hunts in Salem to the investigation of communists by Joseph McCarthy. One of the many resemblances’ that can be …show more content…

In The Crucible those that were accused of witchcraft were often asked to recite the ten commandments. When John Proctor was being accused he was asked to recite the ten commandment by Reverend Hale, "Let you repeat them, if you will. [Proctor:] The commandment?" (Miller 66). Another occurrence of this also appears in The Crucible when Sarah Good was standing trial. She was asked by judge Hawthorne to "Recite for us your commandments." (Miller 58). Suspects of witchcraft were asked to recite their commandments in order to show the courts that their souls were still with God rather than sleeping with the Devil. A reflection of this can be seen when looking at the people that fell victim to the accusations of Senator Joseph McCarthy. Those that had been accused of being part of, or loyal to, the communist party were often required to recite a pledge that would state their loyalty to their own country. "Many employees, to keep their jobs, were required to take an oath of loyalty to the government" (World Book). To prove your innocence after an accusation of either witchcraft of communism you were often times required to recite some sort of pledge. This pledge usually showed others that you were loyal to God and

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Occasion’s Effect The Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism are very similar even though they took place such a long time from each other. If someone was accused of witchcraft in 1692 they had to confess and lose all social standing or be executed, in the 1950’s if a person was accused of being a communist they would be fired and put on trial, if they would not confess they were blacklisted until they admitted to their “crime”. Arthur Miller used the Salem Witch trials to protest McCarthyism in a somewhat discreet way that proved to be a timeless comfort to the citizens experiencing oppression from their government (“Why I Wrote The Crucible”, 911).

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In the Crucible In Act lll, Proctor comes to court and interrupts them all to prove that his friends and his wives are innocent and have nothing to do with witchcraft or themselves as witches win the use of voice. Specifically, Proctor hands Danforth papers that would show the innocence of the wives by stating "These are all landholding farmers, members of the church. They’ve known the women many years and never saw any sign they had dealings with the Devil" (Proctor 75). In this quote, Proctor details the power and voice he now has because of the papers and projection he has over the judge of Salem. By using the phrase "These are all landholding farmers, members of the church," Proctor illustrating that the people who signed the paper were

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Joseph McCarthy claimed to have a list of 205 people they were in the state department that were communist. President Truman received a letter from Joseph McCarthy saying “ he posse 57 communist in the state department” , In the following weeks the number of pele rose to 81and then it shave down to 10 (Doc C). In relation to the story about the lack of evidence of Joseph McCarthy’s list of people the story in Document D can relate to to the topic of lack of proof which was also in the times of The Salem Witch Trials. Basically, during the times of the Salem Witch Trials the court relied upon spectral evidence.

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829 Words | 4 Pages

Such similarities include the false imprisonment of innocent people based off of prejudice beliefs and heavily biased justice systems. The Salem Witch Trials began in the year 1692 when several young girls in Salem, Massachusetts were acting so strange that they were believed to be under a witch’s spell (Schiff). When confronted, the girls began accusing others of practicing witchcraft (Schiff). Many people were soon accusing others or being accused of witchcraft; they were being accused for various reasons such as unexplained illnesses, failed crops, or a woman could even be accused if she could open something a man could not (Brandt, p. 38). As stated in Anthony Brandt’s article, An Unholy Mess, “Legally, spectral evidence was not grounds for convicting a witch.

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Cameron Oldfield Mrs. Brincks English III 15 November, 2015 The Crucible and Red Scare Imagine being thrown in jail, blamed for something that you didn't do .The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a story about how certain propaganda and false accusations can ruin lives, just like in the case of the Red Scare. Although 1692 the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare were over 200 years apart, The similarities are striking. both trials used intimidation, fear, hatred, and false accusations to ruin innocent lives. Both trials resulted in terrible outcomes, with both ending with innocent people being put to death and shunned from society.

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“I denounce these proceedings I quit this court”. This quote, said by Reverend Hale from The Crucible, Reflects Hales personality. He said it at the end of the court trial when judge Hathorne convicted John Proctor for the crimes of witchcraft. Reverend Hale was angered that the court believed the absurd accusations made by the girls and left the court sickened by the unfair trial. He felt guilty about contributing towards the trials and their outcome.

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McCarthyism was a vociferous campaign against alleged communists in the US government. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, although most did not in fact belong to the Communist Party. In these two events, many similarities

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When people are placed under an intense feeling of fear, they begin to commit actions they never thought they were capable over. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a young group of girls commit witchcraft which eventually leads to the arrest of over 100 women. This is similar to a time in the 1950s when Joseph McCarthy accuses government officials of communism and that ultimately leads to hundreds of citizens losing their jobs. The Crucible reveals the similarities between The Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s and McCarthyism of the 1950s because it demonstrates how a society can be tremendously impacted by the feeling the fear.

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“Character Analysis over The Crucible” Arthur Miller is a commonly-known playwright, most famous for his 1953 play, The Crucible. The basis for The Crucible came from the witch trials which occurred in Salem, Massachusetts during the puritan era. Miller even uses some of the same characters in his dramatized play that were a part of the original witch trials in Salem. However, Miller made a few alterations to the historical members of the Salem society in order to suit his dramatic purpose in The Crucible, particularly Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Reverend Samuel Parris.

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The Salem witch trials proved to be one of the most cruel and fear driven events to ever occur in history. Many innocent people were accused of witchcraft, and while some got out of the situation alive not everyone was as lucky. Arthur Miller the author of The Crucible conveys this horrific event in his book and demonstrates what fear can lead people to do. But the reason as to why Arthur Miller felt the need to write The Crucible in the first place was because the unfortunate reality that history seemed to have repeated itself again. In the article “Are You Now or Were You Ever”, Arthur Miller claims that the McCarthy era and the Salem witch trials were similar and he does this through his choice of diction, figurative language, and rhetorical questions.

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The main accuser during this time was Joseph McCarthy. The people who were accused were just everyday people. Joseph McCarthy said that he knew people who are members of the communist party working for the government, he may have done this because he didn’t like those people. This scared everyone, primarily because during the years that followed WWII everyone feared communist. So after McCarthy made these statements, it almost made like a ripple effect by having everyday people, being accused of people that “suspected” that they were communists as well.

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660 Words | 3 Pages

Miller’s purpose of The Crucible was to represent and mirror the social injustice under McCarthyism as people falsely accused each other because their fear, jealousy and solely hatred of one another. Although, around 1950-1954 the “innocent until proven guilty” clause existed, most trials and accusations were led by “guilty until proven innocent.” Despite Miller’s efforts to criticise people’s actions as

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1413 Words | 6 Pages

The Crucible History is bound to repeat itself. Events in history can always be parallel to modern examples. This is a frequent occurrence and it is natural progression of history. Of course these parallels aren’t flawless. As such making a social commentary alluding to one event through the perspective of another may require some invention of facts.

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In The Crucible Salem, Massachusetts suddenly has a problem with witchcraft. Most of the townspeople and farmers accuse one another of witchcraft either for land or revenge. In “It’s okay --

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Why Did Arthur Miller Write The Crucible? Fear very often leads to unexpected and unwanted results. Decisions made in fear are often more dangerous than the thing being feared. In the United States during the Cold War fear had been running rampant.

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