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What Happened In Arthur Miller´s The Crucible: Fact And Fiction?

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Margo Burns, the author of “Arthur Miller's The Crucible: Fact & Fiction” clears up misconseptions and answers the questions many reader ask. As one reads, Burns explains what really might have happened and how events in the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller have been changed to benifit the readers appeal. Miller creates many claims, however most of them do not belong to her. She talks about other writters and their points more often than her own views and opinions. Yet, she has been studying the Witch Trials when she states “I've been working with the materials of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 for so long as an academic historian” (Burns 1). Therefore proving thsat she has adequipt knowledge of the Witch trials and can back up her arguements …show more content…

She claims “Dramatic purposes have sometimes required many characters to be fused into one; the number of girls involved in the 'crying out' has been reduced; Abigail's age has been raised; while there were several judges of almost equal authority” (Burns 3). This does not fall into Burns untrustyworthy claims but proves how people may be confused when they compare the book to an article on what really happened due to different actions. Margo Burns repeaditly quotes other authors or elaborates a bit more on what they say. However most of her article was taking other sources information. A problem that could occur may the spread of false information. If Burns is using other people’s claims and arguemnts that are not accurate and she has no way to prove it, the false information spreads. None of the people she mentioned were around to document the events happening while they were going on. All except for one man named Charles W. Upham, the previous mayor of Salem. She states that Miller got his inspiration from “ a two-volume, thousand-page study by Charles W. Upham, who was then the mayor of Salem - that I knew I had to write about the period” (Burns 8). Author Millers information holds more of a merit to a reader than Margo Burns’s arguements. Burns attempts to answer the questions that many readers are asking, however most of the answers can be found right in the

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Content: Miller is stating that the townspeople typically have respect for other members of society who have spent a considerable amount of time in Salem. However, many of the villagers did not have that type of advantage, and as a result, people were constantly accusing each other which undoubtedly paved the way for the Salem Witch Trials to take place. 3.e. Significance: This quote is significant because it brings forth the prejudices of the people of Salem, who were in a constant state of paranoia due to the influence of rumors regarding witchcraft.

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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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Judge Danforth’s unwavering egotism culminates in the unfortunate deaths of Salem townsfolk. Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible demonstrates how the actions of one person can affect many others. Judge Danforth cares more about his own reputation than what is right. Often times people try to think of what is right instead of saving their own face, Judge Danforth is an exception to this stereotype. The Salem Witch Trials were a horrible time where many people lost their lives due to an unjust court system.

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With the medical procedure of abortion itself being perceived as problematic and condemned by many at this time, to be a woman doing these abortions it emphasizes a degree of independence, perseverance, and courage that are contrary to common perceptions of femininity and womanhood. In consideration to the many other women that are mentioned throughout the book, these traits are what makes Burns such a unique individual who is filled with confidence and determination. In comparison to the women that were mentioned in the prologue of the novel, such as Madeline Rand, it is clear that Burns has the glamour and drive that makes her a leader to begin with. Attending her own

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During the late 17th century a total of 200 people were accused of participating in witchcraft, while 19 people lost their lives to the mass hysteria. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a group of girls start a huge uproar in Salem, Massachusetts when they start screeching about Salemites being associated with the Devil. Throughout the play write, it shows the consequences of mass hysteria and how it puts people's lives in danger. Abigail Williams causes a wave of mass hysteria and because of her trickery, innocent people have died by her and the other girl’s actions, for this Abigail is the most unforgivable character in The Crucible.

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During the 1600s, Puritan religious beliefs heavily influenced the American legal system, which led to the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. Many years later, the American author, Arthur Miller, shares the story of the chaos that ensued following the first witch accusation in his play titled The Crucible. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the witch trials prove religion taints judgement on justice, and leads to inconsistent legal actions and decisions. The unjust consequences, the success of the baseless accusations, and the conflicting legal choices demonstrate the legal inconsistencies in the play.

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For example, Annika L of the Salem Times states, “A fourth theory is that the girls behavior was caused by physical illness.” Despite the fact that such points could be defended with some logic, most of the support would be weak and loose. On the other hand, it can be concluded that the claim made by this essay is more logical and well supported if anything. All in all, it can be determined that the cause of the Salem Witch Trials was the attempt of Salem citizens to either defend or create family ties and enter or sustain continued community safety within the

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We forget that that was their normal. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller takes historical facts and adds a dramatic twist on them. ” it is no coincidence that the Salem witch trials are best known today through the work of a playwright,

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Abigail and the society itself are to blame for the events in Salem causing murder and outrage in this town. Abigail is the character mainly to blame for the outrage in Salem. She is a liar, double faced hypocrite that will stop at nothing to get herself out of the mess that she created. Making her one of the main killers of these innocent puritan people.

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When a woman is accused of being a witch and her life is in danger in 1600’s Salem, MA what recourse does she have to protect herself? Women of the time had no authority; they were seen as property of the men they married or were born to. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible takes place during the famous Salem witch trials. It all starts when young Abigail Williams has an affair with John Proctor and practices witchcraft in an attempt to kill John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth.

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In the small town of Salem, religion was a strict priority, and strange illnesses like these were often thought to be the devil’s work. Miller demonstrated the paradox in The Crucible from the beginning of the play by allowing Abigail Williams and the other girls to unjustly accuse whomever they wanted of witchcraft. The play presented us how too much power is dangerous, for the temptation was always there to abuse it. Under the justification of a theocratic government, the people in authority in Salem abused their almost absolute power, destroying many innocent people in the process. What theocracy illustrates is how the law is not always based on truth, and that if it is not we should stand up to it.

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But the mainly because everyone thinks she is a witch. Due to the women in the court room continuously repeating it with details to support, making everybody believe Mary warren is a witch. Mary was the one caught in the dancing in the forest and being accused of witch craft. When Mary was in court she admitted she was witch craft but, also made everyone to think it was an act. In act 2 page 80 Mary Warren is pressured by Proctor to go to court and confess that Abigail is guilty.

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