Mccarthyism And Salem Witch Trials Essay - 1127 Words

McCarthyism and The Salem Witch Trials In Arthur Miller’s â€Å"The Crucible† it tells the tale of the Salem Witch Trials. At the time of the play, the McCarthy trials, named after Sen. Joseph McCarthy, were underway. Though, instead of hunting for witches, they were hunting for communists. These two trials may have happened at different points in history, but were in many ways the same. Whether it was death to job loss a lot of lives were changed on account of these trials. â€Å"The Crucible† and the McCarthy trials have become historically important because they show the process of power, fear, and turmoil. Around the time of â€Å"The Crucible†, people had a lot of superstitions. They believed anything, including witchcraft, and especially books on†¦show more content†¦I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!† (Miller) As seen, in order to save her own skin Abigail begins to accuse others. When the people who were suspected, accuse others this causes many suspicions to arise in town. In order to survive, the people must either name other names or confess. Either one is a met with a deadly consequence, giving them little hope. Those who tried to fight against the accusations, such as the Proctors, Coreys or Nurses felt the power of Abigail and her influence over the judges. Eventually, a lot of people followed Abigail, knowing better than to oppose her. In the McCarthy trials, it was the Republican House that started to expand McCarthy’s targets â€Å"The Republican-led House Un-American Activities Committee began a determined campaign...targets included left-wingers in Hollywood and liberals....†(2009) When the accusations continued it gave McCarthy power over the people. Even when President Eisenhower spoke out against McCarthy and his lies. McCarthy used his power to accuse Eisenhower of being a communist. In time he had gained a big following. Whether out of fear or belief, people were influenced and tricked. When the person in power is given the ability to accuse others of the same act, this causes a lot of distrust within a community. In time they will gain more power and control over people, eventually gaining support or followers. â€Å"The Crucible† didn’t end like that of a fairytale, itShow MoreRelatedComparing the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism in America Essay607 Words   |  3 PagesThe Salem witch trials and the story of Joseph McCarthy are very similar; they both accused innocent people of doing things that were â€Å"bad† at the time. The Salem Witch trials were persecutions of men and woman on account of performing witchcraft. Two girls accused a woman of doing witchcraft and then the accusations continued, people accused other people to relieve their own punishment in a last ditch effort to save their lives, but it was in vein. After the witch trials were over â€Å"19 had been killedRead MoreEssay about McCarthyism versus the Salem Witch Trials1198 Words   |  5 Pagesaccused of crimes so absurd that when put to trial, they name others of the same crime to redirect the focus from them to others like it happens in the actual day, every year, with minor cases. McCarthyis m was one of those cases that changed history, likewise the Salem Witch Trials. McCarthyism had the same effect on people, people who were accused of communism blame others to lessen their penalty like in the Salem Witch Trials, so how the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Era can connects althoughRead MoreSalem Witch Trials And Mccarthyism Are Similar Essay1230 Words   |  5 PagesOctober 18, 2016 How Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism are Similar In this process essay the reader will learn how the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism are similar. Both situations ended up taking on a mob mentality. The Salem Witch Trials started in 1690s when the Trials began, and by the end, over 200 people were accused of witchcraft. The people had a strong belief of the devil and were very religious. The outside threats that were surrounding the people of Salem had created a fear andRead MoreAnalysing the Historical Content of the Crucible1409 Words   |  6 PagesIn this essay, I intend to analyse the historical content of The Crucible and its relevance in today s society. I believe that Arthur Miller s life and his experience of McCarthyism strongly influenced the writing of The Crucible. McCarthyism, named after Joseph McCarthy was a period of intense anti-communism, which occurred in the United States from 1948 to about 1956. During this time the government of the United States persecuted the Communist party USA, its leadership, and many others suspectedRead MoreThe Witch Hunt in The Crucible and During the Time of McCarthyism1356 Words   |  6 Pages In this essay, I intend to analyse the historical context of The Crucible and its relevance in today’s society. I believe that Arthur Miller’s life and his experience of McCarthyism strongly influenced the writing of The Crucible. McCarthyism, named after Joseph McCarthy was a period of intense anti-communism, which occurred in the United States from 1948 to about 1956. During this time the government of the United States persecuted the Communist party USA, its leadership, and many others suspectedRead MoreEssay about McCarthyism as Modern Witch Hunts1614 Words   |  7 PagesMcCarthyism as Modern Witch Hunts McCarthyism: The Real Witch Hunts Some people nowadays may consider the government, or some of its agencies, corrupt. Todays scenario is nothing compared to that of McCarthyism in the 1950s. During McCarthyism, the nation was being torn apart. Their loyalty to one another was crushed and common human decency went down the drain (Miller, Crucible xiv). These Communist hunts were eerily similar to the witch hunts and trials of Salem Massachusetts inRead MoreSalem vs McCarthyism Essay1648 Words   |  7 Pageshappened with the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. One might also say that this could never happen in modern times. That is where they would be wrong. This scenario just presented not only perfectly describes the Salem Witch Trials, but it also perfectly describes the Red Scare of the 1950s and the practice of McCarthyism that went on during it. I’d like to take a look at the parallels between the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism of the 1950s. Let’s begin with the famous Salem Witch trials of 1692. It allRead MoreReasons : The Causes Of The Salem Witch Trials741 Words   |  3 Pagesarrested in Salem, Massachusetts. All but one of these people were believed to be witches (Background Essay). Prior to the hearing in Salem witch trials were carried out in several different towns. â€Å"In 17th century New England witchcraft was a serious crime (Background Essay).† Two girls aged nine and 11, Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, identified a slave name Tituba and two other local women as witches. This led to the accused women being carted off to jail starting the Salem Witch Trials. WithoutRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1694 Words   |  7 Pagespets named after their owner’s favorite comic character, an email address named after their favorite pastime. However, sometimes the meaning of a name is less obvious. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller recreates the anxiety and hysteria of the Salem witch-trial s from 1692. Although the title, not once is the word â€Å"crucible† spoken in the play. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines â€Å"crucible† three ways: â€Å"A pot in which metals or other substances are heated to a very high temperature or melted†, â€Å"a difficultRead MoreThe Hands Of An Angry God1627 Words   |  7 PagesIan Burke Mr. Giles Honors American Literature 6 Feb. 2015 â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God† and The Crucible Essay Two coarse yet uniquely fragile societies, three hundred years apart, devoured by individual ideologies that permeated belief systems, that blinded, deafened, and muted citizens, and that ultimately led to gruesome hysteria. â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God†, written by Jonathan Edwards in the mid-1700’s, is a sermon directed to a Puritan congregation urging with orthodox