You did it, you did it and you did it!
Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" successfully related to its audience and left us with messages that still echo today . In his writing it significantly illustrates human cruelty in the name of righteousness.
Inspired by the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s, Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, focuses on the inconsistencies of the Salem witch trials and the extreme behavior that can result from dark desires and hidden agendas. Miller bases the play on the historical account of the Salem witch trials. Series of hearings before local magistrates followed by county court trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 to May 1693. A modern day example that can be recognizably compared to the Salem Witch Trials is Racial profiling that manifested in the 1700’s. Racial profiling is the use of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or national origin by law enforcement agents as a factor in deciding whom to investigate, arrest or detain absent evidence of a specific crime or criminal behavior.
Throughout the play there are numerous instances of human cruelty in the name of righteousness that outline the bases of the salem witch trials.
In both of the stories individuals use their authority to commit hanice interrogation techniques to get what they want from innocent citizens.
"You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!" (Miller 44)
In this quote Reverend Parris is threatening Tituba to confess to the act of witchcraft, he uses his superiority and threats to force her to confess. Showing a considerable deal of human cruelty since whipping her caused her a great deal of pain and anguish just so Parris can get the information he wants.
Black people were subjected to interrogations and harassment and whippings and other physical punishment — even death — if they were determined to have run away. Like modern-day racial profiling, a black person’s skin color, not their actions, made them subject to discriminatory treatment from law enforcement.
In this piece of evidence from an modern day example, it talks about how when black slaves escaped the ones that were caught were interrogated and harmed
Miller wrote this mock-seriously. He wanted to joke without being to jokingly about it. Miller knew it was poor to judge others without proper evidence. He was being critical towards those who blamed others for something that they might not have done. “A political policy is equated with the moral right, and opposition to it with diabolical malevolence,” (34). Miller believed that people had moral rights, but under the force of a greater power, would do anything to anyone to gain respect in the
After all of the witch trials in 1692 concluded a total of 20 people were hanged all because of people craving attention and personal gain. There are three people depicted in Arthur Miller's The Crucible that are most responsible for this and they are, Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam. Abigail Williams is mostly responsible for the Salem witch trials because she was the first person to start accusing innocent people of witchcraft. Judge Danforth is responsible because he is not concerned about justice, all he cares about is being correct about the witch trials. Lastly Thomas Putnam is guilty of causing the witch trials because he was able to have people accuse other people
A ‘crucible’ is an object in which substances are combined and then subjected to high temperatures. Arthur Miller uses this theme to guide “The Crucible” from the exposition, when Puritan girls danced in the woods, to Proctor’s death by the hangman’s noose. Hale and Danforth are closely intertwined in their beliefs and views at the beginning of the play, but, as tensions and temperatures rise, they begin to separate; ultimately ending with contrary beliefs. In the opening scenes, Hale and Danforth are present in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 to cast out demons and witches. When the final curtain falls at the end of Act Four, Hale recognizes that the Salem Witch Trials were a result of repressed emotions and conflicts, and the desire to express them under the pretext of witchcraft. Danforth cannot and will not recognize this fact. Thus, Miller develops the characters of Hale and Danforth into foils for each other by the end of the novel; the growing tension is made evident through dialogue, character development, and through the theme of pride.
“Free Black people still faced danger. Many appeared in court to ask for a Certificate of Freedom. The claimant had to prove that he/she was born free or had been previously freed. If the court was satisfied, it would
``In criminal law, confession evidence is a prosecutor’s most potent weapon’’ (Kassin, 1997)—“the ‘queen of proofs’ in the law” (Brooks, 2000). Regardless of when in the legal process they occur, statements of confession often provide the most incriminating form of evidence and have been shown to significantly increase the rate of conviction. Legal scholars even argue that a defendant’s confession may be the sole piece of evidence considered during a trial and often guides jurors’ perception of the case (McCormick, 1972). The admission of a false confession can be the deciding point between a suspect’s freedom and their death sentence. To this end, research and analysis of the false confessions-filled Norfolk Four case reveals the
The year is 1692. Throughout the small, Puritan, seaside community of Salem, rumors and accusations fly like gusts of ocean wind. Neighbors turn on neighbors, and even the most holy church-goers are accused of being the devil’s servants. The Crucible details this real-life tragedy of the Salem witch trials, in which nineteen members of the Salem community were hanged for alleged witchcraft. Abigail Williams, a seemingly innocent girl, accuses dozens of Salem’s citizens of witchcraft through the support of her mob of girls and the complicity of the court officials. The title of this play gives significant insight into the experiences of several of these Salem citizens. Although a crucible is often used in chemistry for heating up substances, the title of the play carries a much greater weight. In his famous play The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the title of “crucible” to signify the severe and unrelenting tests of faith and character that many of the community members endure throughout the Salem witch trials, which he achieves through the use of figurative language and fallacies of relevance and insufficiency.
Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, focuses on the inconsistencies and injustice of the 1692 witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts. The restrictive Puritan society of Salem in the 17th century was based upon religious intolerance, where faith was demonstrated through physical labour and by strict adherence to religious doctrine. Material, physical and sexual desires were considered the Devil’s work and a threat to the very fabric of society. In summary, it is said that Puritanism discouraged individualism on all levels. The literal way in which the Bible was interpreted by the Puritans, provides a paradox within the play. This is because although the Bible says “thou shalt not kill,” the people of Salem are willing to sentence innocent
Arthur Miller writes about the tragic results of human failings in his play, The Crucible. He presents characters from the past and infuses them with renewed vitality and color. Miller demonstrates the horrifying results of succumbing to personal motives and flaws as he writes the painful story of the Salem witch trials. Not only do the trials stem from human failings but also from neglect of moral and religious considerations of that time. Characters begin to overlook Puritan values of thrift and hope for salvation. Focusing on the flawed characters, they begin to exhibit land lust, envy of the miserable and self-preservation.
The Crucible is a play by Arthur Miller written in the 1950’s. It was set in the 1690’s in Massachusetts. The play is about the witch trials and how something like a group of girls in the woods could lead to about 200 people being hanged and accused of witchcraft. The people of Salem were new to Massachusetts as they were puritans who went off to America to set up a new religious colony . The people were new to their surroundings had the Native Americans as enemies because they took their land. Although the Crucible is about the witch trials, it is thought to be a metaphor for the McCarthy Communist trials
Over the course of history, the idea of righteousness has clouded people's thinking, leading to cruel and unnecessary forms of punishment. Arthur Miller's The Crucible significantly illustrates human cruelty in the name of righteousness. Inspired by the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s, Miller's play, The Crucible, focuses on the inconsistencies of the Salem witch trials and the extreme behavior that can result from dark desires and hidden agendas. Miller bases the play on the historical account of the Salem witch trials, a series of hearings before local magistrates followed by trials to prosecute people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts, between February 1692 and May 1693. A modern day example that can be recognizably compared to the Salem witch trials is racial profiling that manifested in the 1700s. Racial profiling is the use of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or national origin by law enforcement agents as a factor in deciding whom to investigate, arrest, or detain with no evidence of a specific crime or criminal behavior. Throughout the play, there are numerous instances of human cruelty in the name of righteousness that outline the basis of the Salem witch trials and racial profiling in today's society.
“The Crucible is essentially about courage, weakness and truth.” From proctors weakness to temptation, to Giles’ courageous act of not allocating in order to protect a man. To the many people holding truth at a very low level for their own personal gain. The crucible is built off of those characteristics either being prevalent within the characters or being absent.
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a rich and enticing play set in the late 1600’s describing the epic horrors and emotions through the events of the Salem witch trials. The Crucible, focuses primarily on the inconsistencies of the Salem witch trials and the extreme behavior that can result from dark desires and hidden agendas. The play begins with the discovery of several young girls and an African American slave, Tituba, in the woods just outside of Salem, dancing and pretending to conjure spirits. The Puritans of Salem stood for complete religious intolerance and stressed the need to follow the ways of the bible literally without exception. The actions of the women in
The word crucible describes an event that involves a test or trial of someone or something. In the story The Crucible by Arthur Miller, various characters endure a severe test of honestly, bravery, and goodness. Throughout the story, a series of events lead to tragedies, which involve these characters to make important decisions. If chosen incorrectly, it may lead to the death of another innocent person, or possibly even themselves. These events however, will bring out the true colors of everyone in Salem, whether they truly good or evil.
Every human that has ever walked this earth has had a fatal flaw, whether it’d be greed, lust, or anger. This is commonly said in the phrase, “nobody is perfect.” In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible a town called Salem is in the middle of a witch problem. People blaming people with no evidence to support their claim; among them is a man named John Proctor and a woman known as Abigail Williams, the girl John had an affair with. Mr. Proctor is the protagonist, he is very easy to like and the reader tends to overlook his fatal flaw: selfishness. Throughout the four acts of the play John Proctor demonstrates his selfishness in different degrees, and by the end it escalates to a new level. He becomes too selfish to be considered a hero.
Tituba’s fear of physical harm motivates her to cry witch. Reverend Hale’s harsh treatment of Tituba causes her to cower from him even before being accused of witchcraft. Tituba’s fear increases when Abigail accuses her of making her “drink blood” (43). Reverend Hale in turn concludes that Tituba serves the Devil. Reverend Hale orders her to wake Betty who she has sent her “spirit out upon” (44). Initially, Tituba pleads that she “don’t compact with no Devil” (44) but when she realizes that she