Theme of Witch Hunts in The Crucible and the Rwandan Genocide

759 Words2 Pages

In 1953, a book/play called The Crucible was published. It was written by Arthur Miller as an allegory of the McCarthyism era. It talks of the causes and effects of the Salem witch trials in the late 1600's. The story is told in a way that made the people of the 50's realize how crazy they were actually acting. In 1994, two Rwandan tribes were fighting each other to the death. One was called the Tutsi tribe and the other was the Hutu tribe. These clans differed only slightly. The Tutsi were taller, had darker skin, and wider noses. The Hutu were shorter, had lighter skin, and thinner noses. This was the difference between them yet they fought for about 3 months until nearly half of the Tutsi were slaughtered. What a happy story. But anyways, what do these two things have to do with one another? They both dealed with witch hunts of sorts. The Crucible literally was about the witch hunts. In the Rwandan Genocide, Hutu were hunted down like the ?witches? were hunted during the Salem witch trials. Though both of these things talk about the same basic idea, there are many differences s...

Show More
Related

  • Arthur Miller's Comparing of Similarities in The McCarthy Era and The Salem Witch Trials Illustrated in The Crucible

    1005 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Differences Between The Crucible Play And Movie

    955 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crucible is a play that was written in 1952 by Arthur Miller. This play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, where witch trials were held in 1692. Miller is able to combine nonfiction and fiction in order to make this story dramatic and entertaining. A few decades after The Crucible play was published, a movie version was released. There are various differences between the book and the movie version. The movie added various scenes, elaborated on others, as well as omitted some scenes. The movie expressed Arthur Miller’s book in a very dramatic and exaggerated way. It made the reader have a better understanding of some points in the book and emphasized ideas more clearly, such as jealousy and hysteria.

    Read More

  • The Relations between the Salem Witch Trials and the Cold War

    382 Words  | 1 Pages

    In 1953, the play called “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller created hysteria in all parts of the country. This play describes the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 and the irony of a terrible period of American history.

    Read More

  • Parallels Between The Crucible and McCarthy Era

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many people look back on the events of the Salem witch trials and laugh at the absurdity of the allegations. It seems crazy that society could be fooled into believing in things like witches and deal with the events in such an extreme manner. It is a common belief that witch hunts are things of the past. Many people would agree that they no longer exist today; however Arthur Miller, author of the play, "The Crucible", points out that society has not come very far from the days of the Salem witch trials. In his play, he used the Salem witch trials to represent the McCarthy Era because he saw that the nation was facing the same events that Salem went through back in the late 1600's. Arthur Miller wrote "The Crucible" in an attempt to create moral awareness for society. He did so by making a few small changes to the history and creating parallels in the play with racism, human tendencies, and H.U.A.C.

    Read More

  • The Parallels Between Arthur Miller's Life and His Play, The Crucible

    1501 Words  | 4 Pages

    Few people are willing to stand up to the overwhelming power of authority, especially during a time like the Red scare. Hardly any authors are able to recognize meaningful similarities between the present times and an event that happened many years ago—and write about it effectively. Only one has had the courage and intelligence to do both. Arthur Miller was an American author who wrote plays, essays, and stories and has published works dating from to 1936 through 2004. The Crucible, one of his most famous plays, premiered in New York on January 22, 1953 (InfoTrac). It is a historical-fiction story set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The witch hunt described in this play is similar to the Red Scare, an anti-communist movement led by Senator Joseph McCarthy that lasted from the late 1940s to the late 1950s (Broudin). During both time periods, most people respected high authority while a few dissenters challenged conformist views. The public was censored in what they could say because of the fear of being accused of witchcraft or communism. The hysteria of the times triggered a mob-mentality to emerge among the citizens, which influenced nearly everyone to join the terrible movements. Miller presents all of these ideas in The Crucible using his own experiences as influences. He incorporated many of his own traits into the characters’ dispositions. He also described many situations in the play that were similar to the ones he was in, including how he was censored by the Red Scare. Many people will often conform while only a few will challenge authority, will use censorship to prevent others from expressing their views, and are easily affected by hysteria; these characteristics influenced Miller’s life and are reflected by him in Th...

    Read More

  • The Crucible: Assumptions, Mob Mentality, Fear, and Blame

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    A crucible is defined as a container made with metal or refectory material used for heating substances to a high temperature, but it can also be defined as a severe test or trial. So, how do witch hunts relate to both definitions? Back in 1641 England made witch craft a capital crime, so in 1692 when Abigail Williams claimed that she had seen women in her village working alongside the devil you can only imagine the hysteria and problems that came along with the false accusations and the beliefs of the puritan lifestyle. So this brings us to the point of how lifestyle and the social norms form witch hunts. It seems to be human nature to fear what we do not know and with fear comes hysteria which leads to mob mentality that causes mass amounts of people to put blame on those who they have known for a long time. This blame ruins the lives of many people, and people in modern society, even though many have learned about the Salem Witch Hunt, do not think that we have modern day witch hunts and that brings us to assumptions.

    Read More

  • Compare And Differences Of Mccarthyism And The Crucible

    968 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Mass Hysteria

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    The play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller was written in response to McCarthyism in the 1950’s. In 1692 and 1693 the Salem witch trials took place in Salem Massachusetts. Girls believed to be involved in witchcraft were responsible for these trials. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s senator McCarthy came to office. Senator McCarthy and some of his allies were responsible for hysteria in the United States of America in the 1950’s. The scare was also in result of a communist scare after World War II and leading to the cold war. The behavior of the people of the Salem witch trials and Americans in the 19050’s resulted in a big scare in reaction to hysteria.

    Read More

  • Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Crucible and The Witch Hunt

    714 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rush's Witch Hunt song states "The mob moves like demons possessed/ Quiet in conscience, calm in their right/ Confident their ways are best." However, in Arthur Miller's work The Crucible, Mary Warren states "The Devil is loose in Salem, Mr. Proctor, we must discover where he's hiding" (Miller 59). Rush's remark shows the irony in Mary Warren's statement through the description that the accusers "move like demons." Although, Mary's statement is ironic, it allows Miller to accomplish his goal of relating communism to the Salem Witch Trials and still has a universal meaning that applies to today's situations.

    Read More

  • The Crucible Witch Hunt Essay

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is not just one definition for a witch hunt. A witch hunt can be looking for and possibly punishing people who are accused of having unpopular opinions. It can also be when a group of people go after another group of people that either have opposing views or are outsiders. Just like in the isolation of HIV/AIDS patients in the 1980’s/1990’s, many people go along with the hysteria of a witch hunt out of fear about something that may or may not be true. These persecutions are often “justified” by those participating in the witch hunt. Whether they blame others to save themselves, or do it out of guilt and greed, they

    Read More

  • The Crucible Critical Review

    725 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Arthur Miller's Criticism of Society

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Modern Day Witch Hunt In The Crucible

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today, most people know witch hunts as something that happened in Salem, Massachusetts in 1693, but what most people do not know is that they are still happening today and causing major violence in communities around the world. The Crucible is a book that shares the events that happened during the time of the Salem witch trials; although centuries have passed by, qualities of modern witch hunts can be seen throughout this book. Which brings us to the question, how do modern day witch hunts compare to the witch hunt shown in The Crucible?

    Read More

  • Rwanda Genocide Research Paper

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Rwandan genocide was a terrible act that happened in Rwanda in 1990.This genocide impacted the world as we know it. It was a conflict between Hutus and Tutsis.This genocide happen because of false accusations. This genocide lasted over 100 days, people were hiding all the time. On April 16, the Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana plane was shot down and the Hutus blame the Tutsis for this, but matter in fact Hutus were the ones who shot the plane down Hutus always had it for the tutsis. But this didn't stop them from causing this.Hutus would spot the Tutsis by the skinny noses.The Tutis would always hide from the Hutus when this genocide starting happening because the Hutus would get in a large group and grab machetes and start slashing

    Read More

More about Theme of Witch Hunts in The Crucible and the Rwandan Genocide

Open Document