Power In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Throughout The Crucible and Why I Wrote the Crucible by Arthur Miller, one can interpret that it is important for authors to advocate for social change. Authors have a significant amount of power over society; they have the power to influence and educate, but it is their choice whether or not to use that power for good. They have the power to bring certain issues to light and influence the way people today act. In Text 1, Tituba, the colored nurse, becomes an easy target to accuse of witchcraft because of her race and it takes no time for the girls to throw her into the fire. Arthur Miller shows throughout the Crucible that many people are unfairly accused because of their position in society or because of their nationality. Also found in Text 1, the character Mary Warren is also attacked because she is seen as just a servant to the Proctor family.

It is as if she and Tituba aren’t human to them, they are seen as lesser than in the eyes of the accusers.

The girls very easily gang up on Mary Warren in the court scene and have no problem targeting her if it means that they stay in the clear of accusations (Text 1). The author uses his story to highlight the racial prejudice that still exists in society today. He is using his power to make a difference, and he does so by focusing on how people are unjustly treated throughout time, which can teach a lesson to society today. Miller is using his reputation to show that all people should be treated equally and no one deserves to be judged. Arthur Miller takes a historical event, and creates a short story in which the readers can take something away from and think about the way they are treating their neighbors. Although authors do not have to use their power to teach their audience about social issues, Arthur Miller chooses to educate his audience about certain social issues that are important to him, which can change the way people look at these issues and can altogether improve

society.
Throughout Why I wrote the crucible, Arthur Miller discusses the impact writing has on a person and how it can affect their emotions and opinions. Writing can change a person life; it can open their eyes to views and perspectives that may have never come across their mind. Therefore, writers have a great supremacy over their audience, and it is their choice of whether to use their gift to shape society. In Text 2, Arthur Miller discusses one of his inspirations to write The Crucible, Joseph McCarthy, the founder of McCarthyism, who had “The power to stir fears”. Authors and writers everywhere gain a certain authority when they pick up their pen that allows them to stir up feelings and emotions from their readers. Writing could change their political views, it could create a new appreciation of something or it could evoke emotions like fear or hope. No matter the message, authors have the power to change people, whether it’s for good or evil. In Text 2, Miller shares that the day after opening night of his play, a newspaper published an article about how communists faced jail time for trying to inspire people the need to overthrow the government. This shows that literature has an impact on society, whether negative or positive. Text 2 states the way literature can change people and how authors have the power to teach their audience about social issues and have the authority to sway opinions and the views of their readers. Through reading the 2 texts, one can take away that it is the authors responsibility to choose whether or not to use their position to advocate for changes in society, but it their choice whether or not to do so.