Examples Of Hysteria In The Crucible

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Each week in the news, there’s a new tragedy, political crisis, or groundbreaking story. People form opinions on these, and especially controversial stories can lead to mass hysteria and panic. This same cycle can be seen in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. His depiction of the Salem Witch Trials excellently illustrates how the people of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 were swept up in a case of mass hysteria which resulted in the death of 19 innocent people. One may look at this case, see the lessons from it and think it would be impossible in today’s society, when in fact the opposite is true. It happens every day, and in a much greater volume than ever possible in colonial America. Arthur Miller had the insight to see how the trials related to …show more content…

In The Crucible, Abigail Williams, who can be blamed for starting the whole mess, uses the hysteria for her own life. Instead of gaining power, Abby hoped to seal her future with John Proctor by killing off his wife. Proctor accuses, “She think to dance with me on my wife’s grave… It’s a whore’s vengeance” (Miller 110). Abby started the witch hysteria in an attempt to save her life and her name, but when it escalated out of hand, she seized the opportunity to kill Elizabeth Proctor. She wanted to be with John, and she took advantage of the hysteria to accomplish her goals and protect her future. The same can be seen in the wake of the Paris Attacks with President Obama and the 2016 Candidates for president. Most of the candidates gave statements, but 75% of those given sound more like a campaign speech. Their words are positions on the political aspect of the attacks, not on the facts of the tragedy. Donald Trump took a campaign stance by saying, “It’s a huge problem and we should help as much as possible, but we do have to fix our own country”. Texas Senator Ted Cruz has said, “The blame should be laid squarely at the door of the vicious, radical Islamism that is tearing communities apart from Libya to Syria and Iraq...” By using the hysteria caused by an event like the Paris attacks, the candidates can appeal to people’s emotions to influence their decisions in the upcoming

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