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The Crucible Dbq Analysis

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“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 …show more content…

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

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“The Crucible” was written by Arthur Miller in the 1950’s to show McCarthyism with the use of the Salem Witch Trials as an allegory. Miller used an allegory of the Witch Trials to show another meaning to McCarthyism’s impact. McCarthyism was during the 1950’s that started with Joseph McCarthy that spreads the ideas of mass hysteria and fear of communism. Cite: McCarthyism, witch trials, communism and Joseph McCarthy)

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These years are often referred to as the “McCarthy era”, named after a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin who blamed many of his colleagues of Communist subversion. In many cases, defendants were pitted against their own friends, whose only evidence were their words. Cultural and racial bias ran rampant, and often those accused of a crime against the country, such as espionage or conspiracy of espionage, were not given fair trials. In one such case, a husband

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The times back then were terrible. The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953 about The Salem Witch Trials of 1692.McCarthyism was the “witch hunt” for the communist in 1953.the parallels between The Crucible and McCarthyism are naming names,lack of proof ,and reststance. The first reason they are parallel is because of naming names. Hollywood director Elia Kazan went in front of the HUAC twice. The first time he did not confess and names.

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In times of fear and hysteria in the U.S. it is mass chaos and it only gets worse and worse. During the time of both the witch-hunt eras, whether for communist or actual witches, they prove to have many similarities between them. Both of these times were full of confusion and lying which lead to the temporary downfall of the authority at that time. Joseph McCarthy proved to be a factor in this time and add on to the chaos that was America. Arthur Miller wrote about these times in a book called The Crucible, based on the witch trial era.

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Senator Joseph McCarthy was the face of the Red Scare, accusing many for being communist. He grew with great power in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s He would go after the people in the State department. Not only would he go after the state department, but he would go after the US Army and started interrogating soldiers and accusing them of being communist. The Hollywood Film industry was also heavily targeted accusing many actors, writers, and producers.

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In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail and her friends participate in activities that, in their society, are associated with devil worship and aren’t looked upon favorably, such as singing, dancing and being naked. In an attempt to avoid punishment, the girls cruelly tell the townspeople that other residents of the town, people that the girls didn’t particularly like, were possessed and forced the girls to dance for the devil. After his wife is accused, John Proctor is faced with the decision to tell the truth in order to free his wife from persecution or keep quiet for Abigail who he had an affair with. The author of this play, Arthur Miller, displays cruelty through Abigail’s accusations of innocent people During the Salem Witch

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In Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, Abigail exclaims, "I want the light of God, I want the sweet life of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I went back to Jesus... I saw Sarah Good.. Goody Osburn with the Devil'' (Miller 48, Document B). To avoid being accused themselves, Abigail and Betty began to shift the blame onto others in the community, accusing them of being witches and working with the devil.

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753 Words | 4 Pages

But it is a whore 's vengeance.” The Crucible is a play written in 1953 by Arthur Miller. It is based on the Salem Witch trials in February of 1692 and May of 1693. The trials were the product of the death of twenty innocents accused of witchcraft.

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The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, tells the tale of the witch trials in Salem back in 1692. This story represents an allegorical tale of McCarthyism back in the 1950’s because of the way it correlates directly to the so-called witches accused in Salem to the so-called communists accused in the U.S. Back in the 1950’s, the citizens of the United States feared the growing and spreading of communism all over the country and the world. Much like the citizens of Salem feared that witchcraft took a stand among them. The accused communists dealt with much hate from everyone else who lived in the U.S. because the citizens feared them and their ties to communism.

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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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During both Salem and McCarthy eras, their moral codes were not exactly used the right way. Long term relationships would come to an end, friends would turn against each other, or others would simply point fingers without having actual evidence. Usually the persecutors would be easily persuaded one was either a witch or a communist member. The search of any suspicion of either being a witch or communist would eventually lead to “ a hunt not just for subversive people, but for ideas and even a suspect language.” (Miller 2).

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“McCarthyism” now refers to a period of intense anti-Communism during which people such as McCarthy went on a witch hunt to expose supposed Soviet spies in the U.S. Government, media, and more. This was a period of political oppression that has not seen its equal in America before or since. The Salem Witch Trials consisted

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The Power of the Individual Throughout American history, famous authors often protest injustices in society and help protect the rights of the people. One such author is Arthur Miller who wrote The Crucible, a tragedy set during the Salem witch trials, to protest the unjust hunt for suspected communists in 1950’s America. This era, known as McCarthyism, emerged from a fear of the expanding communist empire, resulting in hundreds of allegations against suspected communists by The House Un-American Activities Committee. Similarly, The Crucible, set in 1692, depicts the sudden burst of hysteria and fear in Salem, Massachusetts after witches were believed to be cursing the town. Miller uses the real events of the Salem Witch Trials and a fictional

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235 Words | 1 Pages

Arthur Miller’s other notable works include “The Crucible,” which was 1953 play production concerning the historic Salem witch trials, “A View From the Bridge,” “The Price,” “The Misfits,” “After the fall,” The American Clock, “A Memory of Two Mondays” and “All my Sons.” In total, Miller wrote 17 plays, many of which were performed on Broadway. Through the year he won many awards and prizes for his work, notably the Pulitzer Prize, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award and the Tony Award. The drama critic Mel Gussow, in the New York Times, wrote , “he holds man responsible for his and for his neighbor’s actions.” Critics raved about the consciousness of his work and it’s ability to shed light on the world and its truths.

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707 Words | 3 Pages

Hysteria in Salem The Crucible is a play written by American author, Arthur Miller, in 1953. It is a somewhat fictional play about the Salem Witch Trials. Miller wrote it as an allegory to the Red Scare, the promotion of fear of a potential rise of communism. Miller himself was blacklisted for refusing to testify in front of the HUAC, a committee that was created to investigate any person who might be a communist.

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