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Salem witch trials and todays society
Salem witch trials and todays society
Similarities between the Salem witch trials and now
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The Melting Point of Society
Although Arthur Miller’s The Crucible may seem to be a simple story, the inner workings of the time is something prevalent even today - mass hysteria. Although it may not be obvious until years after any given event, mass hysteria too often pushes society to its melting point - people’s need for a scapegoat leads them to frantically pursue something as a group (be it supposed witches or rumors of an outbreak of disease). Within this essay, the relation of mass hysteria to the Salem Witch Trials (through The Crucible) and its modern day influence is examined - which, though generally better contained, is still just as prevalent as it ever was before.
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a theatrical retelling of the events of the Salem Witch Trials (which took place around 1692), during which many people were accused of witchcraft and subsequently hanged. However, if a person were to confess to being a witch (whether or not they actually were), their life would be spared, whereas if they maintained their innocence (or refused to give an answer either way), they would be executed. In the play, the major
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side conflict is between Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor, and Abigail Williams; Abigail and John had an affair while John is married to Elizabeth, thus allowing for the growth of envy within Abigail, and driving her to want Elizabeth gone - leading Abigail to start the accusations, eventually going on to accuse Elizabeth (who couldn’t have been blamed without many others going before her). Because witchcraft is an “invisible crime”, there is no evidence beyond someone claiming they’ve been attacked, which makes it near impossible for the accused party (or parties) to defend themselves, creating an easy way to get someone killed or jailed without much possibility of them escaping those fates (thereby allowing the accuser to take what they want from the person - land, for example, or the accused’s spouse, in Abigail’s case). Mass hysteria is showcased in The Crucible in the way that the townspeople rally together to defeat the perceived evil that was growing among the town. In their frenzy of fear and righteousness, they refused to accept any accused person’s claim to innocence, thus allowing many individuals to be hanged or jailed for crimes they didn’t commit, simply because the inhabitants of Salem were swept up in mass hysteria with their desperation to uproot the supposed evil in the town. Because the rampant fear clouded their judgement, Salem’s people were easily manipulated, and with each “confessed witch”, their conviction grew in proportion to their blindness. A recent more example, however, was much less drastic, but obviously of the same vein as the events in Salem.
The Ebola crisis of 2014, in modern-day America, clearly shows the workings of mass hysteria - despite the fact that there were only four diagnosed cases of Ebola in America, the population as a whole was panicking. Many went so far as to believe that Ebola would be our black plague; some people even wore masks in the streets for fear the air was infected. Nothing truly came of the American “outbreak”, though, and just as quickly, it was off the news and deemed unimportant. However, for the time it was being considered an epidemic, people had been enveloped in a blinding cloud of panic, believing their world to be ending simply because that seemed to be the popular opinion among the public, despite the issue not truly being that
large. Evidence such as this shows that mass hysteria prevails over reason again and again. In order to better avoid those situations (or, at least, lessen the damage), every person must study past instances where people’s thinking was overridden by panic, anger, or other such extreme emotions; they must be able to recognize the beginnings of another wave of hysteria, and know how to stop (or at least slow) it. Every person must take responsibility for their own actions, and for maintaining their own clarity of thought if the world (for it is, indeed, the world at stake and not just America) can ever hope to avoid another tragedy similar to Salem.
¨I have known her, sir. I have known her.¨ A crucible is a test or severe trial, and no trial is more severe than that of a man’s soul. The entire story of Salem is ridden with tests of character and the humanity of the citizens as they respond to the mass hysteria created by someone crying witch. Every single character in this play is given a trial through which they must come to achieve their greater purpose, and these trials expose the skeletons in their closets and the blackness of their sins. However, the similar message is presented in different ways by the cinematic portrayal and Miller’s original play. Lies, unsubstantiated accusations, jealousy, and self-righteousness are the main factors fueling the flame of deceit and hatred. John
In “The Crucible”, the author, Arthur Miller, conveys what he believes Senator Joe McCarthy is doing during the Red Scare. The Salem Witch Trials were true events, while this play uses these trials and adds a fictional twist to show a point. Witchcraft was punishable by death during this time. Once names started flying in town it was like a chain reaction, people were accusing others of witchcraft because they were not fond of them or they had something they wanted. Some definitions state mass hysteria as contagious, the characters in this play deemed it true. In this play, innocent people were hung because some of the girls in town cried witch.
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.
A crucible is a severe test as of patients or belief, a trial. The play The Crucible is a journey through the trials of many townspeople caused by the superstitious belief of witchcraft. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller progresses and evolves the outlooks and views of the townspeople of Salem and shows how events, people, and catastrophes cause the characters to change their views on whether the people prosecuted were guilty or innocent of witchcraft. Reverend John Hale changes his view, more and more drastically as the play advances, as a result of the events that he underwent and the experiences he had. Soon he had total belief in the innocence of all those convicted and hung in Salem.
The statement,“The Crucible is essentially about courage, weakness, and truth,” is proven true numerous times, throughout the play. The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller, about the true events that happened in Salem, Massachusetts, between the years 1692 and 1693. The Salem witch trials consisted of many hangings, lies, and complete mass hysteria. The citizens of Salem followed the religion of Puritanism, and the ideas of predestination. The root of the mass hysteria comes from their belief in the sense that in something happens then it must have been planned by God. In Miller’s portrayal of the story, Abigail Williams was the ringleader of the witch trials, and she used the idea of predestination to cover up her own sins. Abigail was a very manipulative girl and ruined many lives. John Proctor, Mary Warren, and Elizabeth Proctor were just a few of the victims in Abby’s game. John, Mary, and Elizabeth exhibit the traits courage, weakness, and truth, whether it was in a positive or negative way.
Hysteria is a mental disorder marked by excitability, anxiety, or imaginary disorders. It can play an important role in people’s lives. Hysteria supplants logic and enables people to believe that their neighbors, whom they have always considered highly respectable, do things they would never expect them of doing. In “The Crucible”, hysteria causes people to believe their friends are committing deplorable acts. The townsfolk accept and become active in the hysterical climate not only out of genuine religious piety but also because it gives them a chance to express repressed sentiments and to seek reparations from grudges. Hysteria suspends the rules of daily life and allows the acting out of every dark desire and hateful urge under the charade of righteousness. In “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, the hysteria due to the paranoia of witchcraft causes Abigail to lie in order to save herself, Danforth to ruin the community, and Proctor to be convicted of witchery.
The Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice Thesis Statement: The purpose is to educate and display to the reader the hysteria and injustice that can come from a group of people that thinks it's doing the "right" thing for society in relation to The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I. Introduction: The play is based on the real life witch hunts that occurred in the late 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. It shows the people's fear of what they felt was the Devil's work and shows how a small group of powerful people wrongly accused and killed many people out of this fear and ignorance.
Hysteria is defined by dictionary.com as “Behavior exhibiting excessive or uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic.” This was a critical theme in the play in which it was tearing apart the community. Hysteria replaces logic and allows people to believe that their neighbors are committing some unbelievable crimes such as, communicating with the devil, killings babies, and so on.
The Salem witch trials were a time period when any individual could be accused of witchcraft for numerous reasons. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller focuses on the deviation of the trials and how the town’s most religious and honest members of the community are tried with witchcraft. John Proctor, the town’s most honest man, is accused of being a witch and must decide if he should confess or not. Proctor’s confession will stop the town from rebelling and uphold the reputations of Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris. Hale also wishes for Proctor’s confession so he does not have to feel responsible if Proctor were to be hanged for his witchcraft accusations. The confession of Proctor would convince others in the town to confess to their
The Crucible is a 1953 play by Arthur Miller. Initially, it was known as The Chronicles of Sarah Good. The Crucible was set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. It talks of McCarthyism that happened in the late 1600’s whereby the general public and people like Arthur Miller were tried and persecuted. The Crucible exemplifies persecutions during the Salem Witch Trials. The people were convicted and hung without any tangible proof of committing any crime. Persecutions were the order of the day. When a finger was pointed at any individual as a witch, the Deputy Governor Danforth never looked for evidence against them or evidence that incriminated them; he ordered them to be hanged. This can be seen through his words “Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for those, weeps for corruption!” (1273), the people were persecuted aimlessly. The four main characters in the play, John Proctor, Abigail Adams, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris, are caught in the middle of the witchcraft panic in the religious Salem, Massachusetts in late 1690’s. Persecution is the most important theme in the Crucible, the leaders and citizens of Salem attacks and persecutes one of their own without any tangible evidence against them.
The notorious witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts occurred from June through September. It is a brief, but turbulent period in history and the causes of the trials have long been a source of discussion among historians. Many try to explain or rationalize the bizarre happenings of the witch hunts and the causes that contributed to them. To understand the trials and how they came to be, we must first examine the ideals and views of the people surrounding the events. Although religious beliefs were the most influential factor, socioeconomic tensions, and ergot poisoning are also strongly supported theories. A combination of motives seems the most rational explanation of the frenzy that followed the illness of the two girls. This paper looks closely at the some of the possible causes of one of the most notable occurrences in history.
The Crucible is a famous play written by Arthur Miller in the Early 1950’s. It was written during the “Red scare, when McCarthyism was established. Many anti-communists wanted to prevent communism from spreading just like in The Crucible many wanted to get rid of witchcraft. Many would accuse others of witchcraft in order to not be accused just like many would accuse people of communism. In The Crucible witchcraft would be punishable by death. Many were scared to be accused; therefore many would admit practicing witchcraft in order to save their lives. The Crucible is considered a good play because it is based on real life events during the Salem witch Trials and shows how fear played a role in the individual’s life just like during the “Red” scare.
In the play “The Crucible”, citizens and the town of Salem, are afraid of witchcraft, The government has commenced witch trials, in which accused people are asked to confess. If they choose not to confess, they are executed. Many of the people fear such punishment, therefore, they chose to lie instead of honoring their code/religion, which prohibits them from lying. This both stripped the people from their freedom and their humanity. Freedom of speech is lost because anything said in their daily lives, could be interpreted in the wrong way and would be considered witchcraft. Government officials, and the people of the town who looked
Hysteria is a psychological disorder that originates from an imagined or assumed threat that causes people to experience physical and emotional symptoms based on stories they hear. Hysteria, which was once a disorder diagnosed to woman, was a term that implies that females suffer from excessive emotions and mood swings because their Uterus, or hysterika disconnects from the woman. Hysterias pervade many societies as evident in Mattoon during the supposed Mad Gasser attacks of 1944 and Salem Massachusetts in the late 1600’s during the witch trials.
There are many devastating, underrated world issues that are sadly either left unknown, or not truly understood by most people. The Crucible tries to warn these people who might not be understanding, or notice more important things are left more vulnerable to things like mass hysteria. Mass Hysteria is one of those things that people just can’t predict. Hysteria is a main part of human nature.