The Crucible and The Witch Hunt 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
The Crucible, a historical play by Arthur Miller, is based on events of the Salem Witchcraft trials. The play takes place in a small Puritan village in Massachusetts in 1692. It begins with Abigail Williams leading a group of girls to the forest with Tituba, a slave woman from Barbados believed to have special powers. After being caught by Reverend Parris, his daughter Betty enters into a coma-like state. In order to protect themselves and the girls, Abigail initiates an accountability session and
In Cold War, Cool Medium: Television, McCarthyism and American Culture, Thomas Doherty profiles the 1950's Red Scare, also known as McCarthyism, and its vast effect on American culture during that time. Doherty arms his audience with the revealing history behind the rise and fall of Senator Joe McCarthy, as well as the roots of the anti-communist attitude during the Cold War era that led to the rise of McCarthyism. He discusses the effects of McCarthyism on the entertainment world of the
Fear of Witchcraft as Metaphor in The Crucible The Crucible uses fear of witchcraft in the America of the 1600s as a metaphor for the fear of communism that was widespread in America in the 1950s. Arthur Miller wished to show that the attitudes and behaviour of the villagers of Salem were as irrational and ill-founded as the attitude and behaviour of the committee chaired by Senator McCarthy. Essentially Miller uses the 17th century setting to provide critical distance between the events
court system was very brutal and uncivilized, in fact he said, "If you are not with the court, you are against it" which essentially can be inferred as, if a defendant is on trial and they don't believe what the court believes then they are guilty.” (Witchcru). "I want to open myself! I want the light of God; I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand—I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Good Osburn with the devil! I