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What can you compare the crucible with
What can you compare the crucible with
What can you compare the crucible with
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The age of McCarthyism from 1945 through 1963 was a time of great tension and fear in American history. The emotions in society influenced the writing of that time, resulting in two of the most powerful plays ever written: Inherit the Wind and The Crucible. These stories reflect the attitudes and personas of what was prevalent in the world at the time they were written. Inherit the Wind, written by Robert E. Lee and ___ Lawrence, has an array of characters that mirror the world during McCarthyism. The greatest similarity between Inherit the Wind and its historical context is evident in the character of Brady and Senator Joseph McCarthy’s personality. Joseph McCarthy exhibited a compelling style when orating speeches that came to define an era. According to historians, “...his current path was the path of righteousness. his delivery was emphatic and powerful. His fist pounded the pulpit, and his voice growled with vigilance.”("Joseph McCarthy as the Epithet of an Era" ) The character of Brady showcases the charisma and force McCarthy used with his words to make people listen to his opinions. In the play, Brady seems to translate Miller’s impression of McCarthy. When about to make a speech, Brady’s charismatic quality is described to the reader, “[Brady] seems to carry with him a built-in spotlight...[Brady] raises his hand. Obediently, the crowd falls to a hushed and anticipatory silence.” (Lawrence, Lee 19) Brady’s power as a public figure imitates Joseph McCarthy’s unequivocal force as an orator. McCarthy’s image in history is known to be one of immense power and manipulation of the masses’ emotions. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, include similarities to its historical context which lie in the attitude of Salem. Du... ... middle of paper ... ...morals of these plays is an era of tension and fear. Inherit the Wind’s character Brady reflects McCarthy’s power and charisma, while the town of Hillsboro reflects the atmosphere of suspicion surrounding one constantly looming topic. The Crucible’s parallels generally involve similar hysteria of contrasting societies. There is no doubt that both stories have been imprinted by their historical contexts. Works Cited "McCarthyism and "The Great Fear" Framing the Climate of Cold War America." Joseph McCarthy as the Epithet of an Era. n. page. Print. Secondary. "Race for the Superbomb. The Korean War | PBS." People & Events. American Experience. Web. 18 Nov 2013. . Schwartz, Dr. Fred. "On brainwashing and language." You Can Trust the Communists (to be Communists). Long Beach, CA: 1960. Primary.
In the article, Miller discusses the rise of McCarthyism, and how it affected the American people and him personally. Being that Miller lived in the time of McCarthyism and was interviewed by the committee in charge of “Un-American Activities”, Miller is a very credible source on the effects of mass hysteria and paranoia. The article “Are You Now or Were You Ever” can be used as a source when discussing McCarthyism and its effects, and other studies of the era. This article is a valuable resource for studies of The Crucible and studies of Arthur Miller
In conclusion Arthur Miller saw the similarities in The McCarthy Era and The Salem Witch Trials, and portrayed them in “The Crucible.” The lives of many people were destroyed during these times in history.
“The great difference between our western Christian world and the atheistic Communist world is not political, gentlemen, it is moral,” is one of the many examples throughout McCarthy’s speech of him assuming an overconfident or superior tone. His claim to own a list of 205 names in the State Department of communist sympathizers gave support for this arrogant tone, but when asked McCarthy refused to provide anyone with the aforementioned list. McCarthy also used this tone when he said, “The reason why we find ourselves in a position of impotency is not because our only powerful potential enemy has sent men to invade our shores . . . but rather because of the traitorous actions of those who have been treated so well by this Nation,” expressing the idea that no one but the United States’ own countrymen had the strength to defeat their homeland. McCarthy’s tone throughout the article is one of absolute certainty, and gave his audience the incentive to trust
Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible as a protest paper to the brutality of the Red Scare .The Red Scare was the inoperable fear of Communism within the United States. This scare was caused as a result of the Cold War in the 1950’s. During the Cold War the US was scared of an attack of the Soviets, and the Soviets were equally as scared of an attack upon them by us. Joseph McCarthy, a Senator from Wisconsin, saw this fear as an opportunity to rise to power. McCarthy had many supporters that were primarily Republicans, Catholics, Conservative Protestants, and Blue-collar workers. McCarthy ruthlessly utilized scare tactics to get people to believe and follow him blindly into his accusations as to innocent citizens supporting Communism and either having them jailed or killed by providing phony evidence. Arthur Miller was not intimidated by this he wrote the Crucible as “an act of desperation” (Miller). This desperation was to counteract the lack of speaking out about personal beliefs during the Red Scare for the fear of breaking the law. In The Crucible, Miller wrote about a character named John Proctor who is very similar to Miller himself. Both the author and the character had to overturn the same personal paralyzing guilt, not speaking out soon enough. Nonetheless, their eventual overcoming of this guilt leads them to becoming the most forthright voice against the madness around them.
Arthur Miller intended to break the fear of the cold war and respond to Senator McCarthy and Communism. The play was a metaphor for the red scare. The red scare was during 1947-1956 and is also called McCarthyism.
During the early years of the colonies, there was a mad witch hunt striking the heart of Salem. Anger, reputation, and even religion play an important part during the play of The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. The author allows us to witness the vivid idea of the hysteria taking place in Salem, Massachusetts, and why it was so vulnerable during the time.
Evans, M. Stanton. “Mccarthyism: Waging The Cold War In America.” Human Events 53.21 (1997): S1. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Some argue today that McCarthy's plan had been to use the fear of the American people to throw his enemies out of office and gain power himself. Whatever McCarthy's motives may have been, Arthur Miller realized the senator's ludicracy when he attempted to accuse the President himself to be Communist. Miller and the rest of the American people drew the line and McCarthy was seen a fraud. By the time the rest of the public had came to this realization, Miller's play was written.
Through time it can be seen that the world’s history has a nature of repeating its self. Author Miller, was aware of this as he experienced a repitition of history of society’s flawed government. In the text The Crucible, the writer, Author Miller has identified and illustrated the problems society faced during the 1950’s setting by drawing parallels with the setting of the 1962 Salem witch hunt. This setting helps readers to understand the characters of John Proctor and Giles Corey.
Events have played out in history that made people realize the inhumane acts of people and the Salem witch trials and the McCarthy era were two of them. The Salem witch trials in 1692 were almost 260 years before the McCarthy “witch hunts” in the 1950s yet there are similarities between them. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller in 1953, is about the Salem witch trials and is an allegory to the practicing of McCarthyism during the Second Red Scare in the United States, which Miller was a victim of. Although there may be differences between “The Crucible” and McCarthyism, ultimately the anger, lack of evidence, and the people were alike in both events.
“The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse” (Burke). Lies, power, and selfishness can destroy families, friendships, and towns. When a person has power, they may not use it properly. There have been many instances where this has happened, but two main examples are in the novel The Crucible, and in McCarthyism. The Crucible is connected to McCarthyism by its model of a desire for power, unsubstantiated accusations, and the detrimental effects of these accusations.
The play “The Crucible” is an allegory for the McCarthyism hysteria that occurred in the late 1940’s to the late 1950’s. Arthur Miller’s play “the crucible” and the McCarthyism era demonstrates how fear can begin conflict. The term McCarthyism has come to mean “the practice of making accusations of disloyalty”, which is the basis of the Salem witch trials presented in Arthur Miller’s play. The fear that the trials generate leads to the internal and external conflicts that some of the characters are faced with, in the play. The town’s people fear the consequences of admitting their displeasure of the trials and the character of John Proctor faces the same external conflict, but also his own internal conflict. The trials begin due to Abigail and her friends fearing the consequences of their defiance of Salem’s puritan society.
Authors often have underlying reasons for giving their stories certain themes or settings. Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, The Crucible, is a work of art inspired by actual events as a response to political and moral issues. Set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, The Crucible proves to have its roots in events of the 1950’s and 1960’s, such as the activities of the House Un-American Committee and the “Red Scare.” Though the play provides an accurate account of the Salem witch trials, its real achievement lies in the many important issues of Miller’s time that it dealswith.
"Edward R. Murrow Broadcast Denouncing Joseph McCarthy, March 9, 1954." DISCovering U.S. History, Gale, 2003. Research in Context, libraries.state.ma.us/login?gwurl=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=MSIC&sw=w&u=mlin_s_stoughs&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CEJ2104210028&asid=bc5c4db8b6ac996a636fd49f2bf05ba7. Accessed 4 Apr. 2017.
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play that was first performed in 1953 in the United States of America in the midst of the persecution of alleged communists during the era of McCarthyism. Although the play explicitly addresses the Salem which hunt, many find that the play is an analogy to McCarthyism due to the striking similarities in which the people behaved. Miller highlight the different groups of characters in order to reveal overlying ideas of the play such as: Self preservation, power, and hypocrisy.