The Crucible Dbq Analysis

“Speak boldly and with intellect. Never hush your voice for someone’s comfort. Speak your mind, make people uncomfortable.”— Anonymous. This quote explains what the Americans of the early 1950s had to quickly learn how to do or they would in turn surrender all of their rights to speak and believe freely. This quote exemplifies exactly what Arthur Miller, the author of the 1952 satire— a play, or novel that criticizes other people’s lack of knowledge through humor or irony. —The Crucible. In 1953, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible was first performed on Broadway. Although on the outside the play was just a reenactment of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, it had a much deeper meaning for its then modern day Americans. During this time there was a “witch-hunt” for communist known as McCarthyism — the use of unjust method to seize communist in America — that was in full swing. Between The Crucible and McCarthyism lay many parallels such as; the accusations of prominent citizens, the lack of evidence to prove

In The Crucible, some of the more known citizens were accused of what they called, “dancing with the devil” (Doc B). Abigail and Betty, two young girls who were caught conducting witchery, called out the names of people they supposedly saw participating in in sinful activities. Abigail and Betty accuse their neighbors stating, “I saw Bridget Bishop dancing with the devil, [and] I saw George Jacobs dancing with the devil.”(Doc B). Now, the accusations during the McCarthy era were a lot more subtle. Many of the names given to the House of Un-American Activities Committee were the names of well-known celebrities. The HUAC was the head of this McCarthian take over. The HUAC called many prominent “intellectuals” before them for communist questioning. One of the more famous questionings were that of Elia Kazan. Kazan, a