The Crucible Rhetorical Analysis Essay

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“More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft—the Devil's magic—and
20 were executed” (Blumberg). The Crucible setting is based on The Salem Witch trials, but the plot is based on The Red Scare. The author employs strict tone and rhetorical questions to convey power. This connects to the purpose of how a occurring can devastate a whole community and the people in it. Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, employs empowerment by expressing the challenges within each character and their influence on the trial through the characters John Proctor, Abigail, and Danforth.
First, Danforth’s strict tone illuminates his power in the trials and perceive him more of a threat. With the power in his hands, he decides the fate of the guilty in the court. As he uses his voice, he can be intimidating and act like he has the rest of the characters under control. Danforth shouts, “Why “must” you say it! You should rejoice it if your soul is truly purged of any love for Hell” (130). The use of this strict tone conveys the message that Danforth is trying to get across to not just Proctor, but the whole audience that he is in charge and they shall follow his command. Danforth’s use of a demeaning tone forces pressure on the …show more content…

Abigail demands all of the girls to act along with her plan or she will get angered. After the dancing with Tituba happened, the girls were forced by Abigale to act bewitched, “Say one word to the truth and I’ll beat you, Betty!” (18). A taste of attention drives Abigail’s lies giving her power through the characters. Further into the book, Abigail gains even a greater amount of power just from her attention and it adds when her and the girls go into a “traumatic shock.” As her traumatic shock starts she screams, “But god made my face; you cannot wear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary” (106). When Abigail brings up Mary, she caves under the pressure

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