Discussion of Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ and the American Red Scare

Salem Tests Are Alive

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Arthur Miller wroteThe Crucibleto educate the audience of his clip about the atrociousnesss of McCarthyism and the Red Scare. He wanted to use the true narrative of John Proctor to expose Senator Joseph McCarthy’s conniving ways with respect to the Red Scare. Using historic experiences every bit good as his personal life, Miller creates a persistent narrative that is still relevant to today’s audience. In a universe where pupils bully one another for being ‘gay’ regardless of his or her true sexual individuality, and Muslims are persecuted as though every member of Islam is a terrorist, the thoughtsThe Crucibleexamines are perfectly relevant.

Keywords:Arthur Miller,The Crucible, Red Scare, McCarthyism, homosexualism, Muslim, thaumaturgy, witchery, John Proctor, Salem Witch Trials

Salem Tests Are Alive

“I talk my ain wickednesss ; I can non judge another ; ” these words are spoken by Arthur Miller’s iconic character John Proctor ( Miller 141 ) . In Miller’s maestro category on drama authorship,The Crucible, characters examine the lengths they will travel to protect their repute. ExaminingThe Crucibleinterruptions down to how Arthur Miller intended to impact audiences, the importance of the Red Scare and McCarthyism, howThe Crucibleis still relevant, and why people fear literature that features magic.

Miller intended forThe Crucibleto go forth an impact on the audience of both readers and theatre-goers. His first purpose was to research the Salem Witch Trials, and to turn out to the audience that they were pathetic. During the 17Thursdaycentury the talk of witchery was the one thing people didn’t truly make much merely because it was a truly large trade. It seemed to be a nonexistence to those who heard the term. Basically something’s written inThe Cruciblewere so excessively dramatic that you read what truly happened back in that clip and all you can make is laugh. Such as when the two misss at the beginning of the drama are struck with charming and sent into a deep slumber, beginnings say that they would merely hold violent effusions and physical tantrums. Others beginnings say that Reverend Hale stated in the show that he graduated from Harvard when in world he dropped out before even graduating. Besides informing the audience about the dark yearss of United States history known as The Salem Witch Trials, Miller besides turned the true narrative into an fable of his personal experience with Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare. The term McCarthyism comes from the actions he portrayed to the public oculus, such as the dishonest accusals he put upon people doing the United States fear something that was non even at that place. With those actions mixed with the communist enlargement and the Korean was brought something upon the people known as the Red Scare. The Red Scare became known as communist presenting menaces against the United States, while the Cold War was at a point of thinking. The Soviet was ruddy, therefore the name “Red Scare.” People lived in fright of Communist pickings over and this panic led to many actions that everlastingly impacted the U.S.

Upon readingThe Crucible,one might link the similarities between the drama and the aforesaid atrociousnesss of McCarthyism. Get downing in the 1940s, Americans received word that Communism was on the rise, and that the Russians were behind it. This disquieted Americans, and created a province of paranoia. Senator Joseph McCarthy acted as a accelerator, and as a mudslide gets worse as more clay accumulates, McCarthy turned paranoia into mass terror. A similar concatenation reaction is found in Miller’sThe Crucible. In this work of play, the community of Salem is significantly rooted in faith, and when they hear about the possibility of witchery, the people begin to panic fearing that “the Satan ‘s loose in Salem…” ( Miller 59 ) . The townspeople Begin to believe the wood is filled with immorality, and since the forest environments their community, they believe there is no manner out. Without any grounds, Senator McCarthy claimed to hold seen over 200 communist party members filter into the United States without permission. InTheCrucible, Miller smartly disguises McCarthy in the drama as the immature misss of the community, who accuse guiltless people of being bewitched besides without any existent cogent evidence. McCarthy’s accused were non enthusiastic about traveling against a Senator, cognizing that they would be named a Communist irrespective. This is straight echoed inThe Crucibleby characters who did non wish to look before the tribunal ; for they knew they would be found guilty of witchery. The Un-american Activates Committee summoned the dramatist, and after small clip had passed, Miller was blacklisted.

Unfortunately, Miller’s brush is non an extinct ; even in today’s society people are still practising enchantress Hunts. Following the terrorist onslaughts on September 11, 2001, the American Muslim found itself persecuted. Any adult female featuring the traditionalburqa, a headgear worn by many Muslim adult females as a symbol of modestness, have been gawked at ( “burka” ) . An American Muslim newsman Mona Eltahawy, recounted how the American Public, including the Bush Administration, stating, “despite an visual aspect by Bush at a mosque after 9/11 to demo he did n’t keep all Muslims responsible, his disposal proceeded to make precisely that: military tests for civilians, secret prisons, the detainment of 100s of Muslim work forces without charge, the anguish and rough question of detainees and the invasions of two Muslim-majority countries.” ( Eltahawy ) Thisisthe modern twenty-four hours Salem Witch Trail. However, even in high school, pupils attack one another for being ‘gay.’ There has been a new ‘witch trial’ affecting adolescents and the possibility of childs being singled out for being homosexual. Over the old ages many childs have been bullied for being cheery and so many other things to the point where all these childs that are being bullied have been driven to cutting themselves or drawn to drugs to do them experience better. They feel as if they need to penalize themselves for non suiting it or being discarded as an castaway. Kids these yearss are merely so careless to anyone’s feelings and care nil about what they do to impact childs at their school. Bullies have foremost been hurt themselves to ache others. Therefore, this is a concatenation reaction that forever continues, because in society today others feelings don’t seem to affair. They take their intimidation to an extreme by aching person so deep that they are forced to experience that their life is meaningless in all they do. From this, makes them experience like they are nil to everyone and stop up holding bad trust issues with many people throughout their lives. These childs try so difficult to avoid acquiring sucked into being bullied, yet kids don’t know when to halt. These actions lead to even bigger jobs that take more than adequate clip to repair and acquire under control.

Even thoughThe Crucibleis basically an fable, contention still surrounds the drama. Some people fear that reading the drama will do Satan to look. As with some other literature, people fear thatThe Cruciblewill do the reader to go a enchantress. Recently, when theHarry Potterseries became vastly popular, parents feared something similar. “Parents think that these books could be a bad influence for their children.” ( Try To Explain Why The Book… ) . Parents would make anything for their kids, so they are willing to make whatever it takes to maintain their bosom and heads every bit pure as they can for every bit long as they can. As their defenders they want the best for the 1s they love. They protect their kids by prohibiting them to execute or supervise these actions. There are things out at that place in this universe that would alter our childs life in an blink of an eye and witchery is a good illustration. In the Bible the Ten Commandments states to honour your female parent and male parent. Through this verse childs are pressured to obey their parents’ wants by non condoling in such actions as witchery.

In the Bible witchery is purely prohibited for being harmful to those who use it. Punishment in that clip was to be stoned for their errors. This black magic or thaumaturgy was believed to be from Satan used to flim-flam us. These things are believed to do those who use it non inherit the land of God and to non be able to come in heaven when executing witchery. The Gatess of Heaven are told to be closed to those who perform these wickednesss. Jesus warns his followings to non make full our head with seeing things such as Harry Potter, the Crucible, and Twilight for the content of witchery. These actions are traveling against the will of God and what he created us to carry through. His Holy word gives clear and concise instructions to obey his wants and avoid this witchery at any clip possible. He states that whatever we see is everlastingly in our head and that it is a wickedness to perpetrate such offenses as witchery, black magic and thaumaturgy. It was said to pay the penalty for indulging in traveling against what the Bible stated. Whatever we take in through films and books can be seen as an influence to those who watch them. Some people have thought that watching these shows and reading these books have influenced people to try the things they have watched. Without watching beginnings of witchery it seems to be a better solution to those who believe it to be harmful. Our head absorbs what we watch and takes it in as the truth. The things we watch can turn into the actions we commit.

Arthur Miller’s,The Cruciblewill state you the narrative of the Salem Witch Trials and the people that were involved in making this monstrous event in clip. It will state you how far certain characters will travel to maintain their name pure in the town and out of the oral cavities of the so called “bewitched” . They do this by demoing different illustrations of recognizing the show and how the similarities in it associate to McCarthyism and The Red Scare. Ultimately it shows howThe Crucibleis still relevant today.

Annotated Bibliography

“ A Webquest. ” & lt ; I & gt ; McCarthyism & lt ; /i & gt ; . N.p. , n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.faculty.umb.edu/hannah_sevian/G660/TechPres/Fall2003/McCarthyism.htm & A ; gt ; .

This beginning gave me penetration on what and how McCarthyism worked. The facts it gave me

about McCarthyism taught me everything at that place was to cognize about it. This beginning is traveling to be one of my powerful 1s that trades with McCarthyism. It’s traveling to suit into my paper absolutely to depict McCarthyism.

“ BURKA. ”Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 16 May. 2014. & lt ; Dictionary.com hypertext transfer protocol: //dictionary.reference.com/browse/BURKA & gt ; .

The beginning provided gave me the chief definition of what a burqa truly was and explained what its usage was. This beginning was merely used to happen out what a burqa was so that’s why I used it for one portion. Then the beginning will assist me by giving me illustrations of why burqa were used in the Islamic community and non here in the United States.

Eltahawy, Mona. “ The challenge of being a Muslim in post-9/11 America. ”theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 9 Sept. 2011. Web. 16 May 2014. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/09/muslim-post-9-11-america & gt ; .

This beginning informed me of some of the things that Muslims that lived in the United

States went through after 9/11 such as terrorist bulling and judgmental comments. This may hold been one of the lone 1s I used for 9/11 and it helped me out with what Muslims went through.

Grove, Michael. “ Michael Gove urges schools and colleges to watch for marks of maltreatment. ”theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 8 May 2014. Web. 16 May 2014. & lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/08/michael-gove-schools-children-radicalisation-abuse-fmg & gt ; .

Childs go through so many things during their lives on this Earth and in this beginning ; it told

me many things that childs go through daily at school. They are verbally abused by other pupils

such as being called homosexual. Part of the beginning here helped me with the subdivision the intimidation

side of my research paper by giving illustrations of different childs acquiring bullied in school.

“ Red Scare. ” & lt ; I & gt ; History.com & lt ; /i & gt ; . A & A ; E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.history.com/topics/cold-war/red-scare & A ; gt ; .

The Red Scare was something that happened in the fortiess that made so many Americans

fear Communist. It helped me a batch into calculating out what the Red Scare was and stating me some

of the more of import facets. This will assist me find whether it was a existent thing or forge

merely to give the individual that made it up promotion.

“ Similarities Between McCarthyism and The Crucible & A ; More Symbolism in The Crucible. ” & lt ; I & gt ; Bright Hub Education & lt ; /i & gt ; . N.p. , n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.brighthubeducation.com/homework-help-literature/52748-mccarthyism-and-the-crucible/ & A ; gt ; .

The ground Arthur Miller wrote the melting pot was to expose Senator McCarthy to the populace and allow them recognize what his existent purposes were. This beginning was really helpful in

educating me on the things McCarthy did to frighten the United States people. I took that Arthur Miller wrote this to fundamentally do him look stupid plenty and do the people that were on his side go his enemies.

Miller, Arthur.The Crucible.NYC, NY Penguin Group, 1976

This beginning is the book, The Crucible and told me reasonably much everything that happened

during the Salem enchantress tests. My strongest beginning of all of them would hold to be this one because it gave me so much information and made it easy to compose this paper. I took a few quotation marks from this piece of literature to assist me do my paper the best I could.

” . ” & lt ; I & gt ; & lt ; /i & gt ; . N.p. , n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.tg –

offenburg.de/potter/DiscussionTopics/mixedquestions/banning % 20Harry.html & A ; gt ; .

This beginning helped me in understanding the ways parents didn’t like their child reading Harry Potter because of all the witchery. I took a quotation mark from this and used it in my paper to assist me mention a subject in my paper and do it stronger.

Plants Cited

“ Similarities Between McCarthyism and The Crucible & A ; More Symbolism in The Crucible. ”

& lt ; i & gt ; Bright Hub Education & lt ; /i & gt ; . N.p. , n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.brighthubeducation.com/homework-help-literature/52748-mccarthyism-and-the-crucible/ & A ; gt ; .

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. NYC, NY Penguin Group, 1976

“ BURKA. ” Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 16 May. 2014. & lt ; Dictionary.com

hypertext transfer protocol: //dictionary.reference.com/browse/BURKA & gt ; .

Eltahawy, Mona. “ The challenge of being a Muslim in post-9/11 America. ” theguardian.com.

Guardian News and Media, 9 Sept. 2011. Web. 16 May 2014.

& lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/sep/09/muslim-post-9-11

-america & gt ; .

Grove, Michael. “ Michael Gove urges schools and colleges to watch for marks of maltreatment. ”

theguardian.com. Guardian News and Media, 8 May 2014. Web. 16 May 2014.

& lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/08/michael-gove-schools-children

-radicalisation-abuse-fmg & gt ; .

“ Red Scare. ” & lt ; I & gt ; History.com & lt ; /i & gt ; . A & A ; E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 16 May 2014.

& A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.history.com/topics/cold-war/red-scare & A ; gt ; .

“ A Webquest. ” & lt ; I & gt ; McCarthyism & lt ; /i & gt ; . N.p. , n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.faculty.umb.edu/hannah_sevian/G660/TechPres/Fall2003/McCarthyism.htm & A ; gt ; .

“ . ” & lt ; I & gt ; & lt ; /i & gt ; . N.p. , n.d. Web. 16 May 2014. & A ; lt ; hypertext transfer protocol: //www.tg –

offenburg.de/potter/DiscussionTopics/mixedquestions/banning % 20Harry.html & A ; gt ; .

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