The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953, discusses the effects mass hysteria can have on civilization. He uses the Salem Witch Trials and the Second Red Scare as examples of this. These were both major events bred from communal fear that show the dangers of mass hysteria at its climax. The Salem […]
The Salem Witch trials were a series of court trials where many people were accused and held responsible for witchcraft from 1692-1693 and in some places even later. These trails went on to become an unforgettable piece of history, one in which we can still use as a point of reference in a sense to […]
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Get startedThe Crucible, written in 1953 by Arthur Miller, is a critique of the after-war atmosphere with reference to McCarthyism, a period of hysteria promoted by means of Sun. Joe McCarthy during the war was looking into hundreds of Americans who has been arrested and blacklisted for the purpose of alleged communists. Miller compares the hysteria […]
The fear of death is often greater than the fear of God thus creating a catalyst for what would become the greatest witch craze in American history. Although religious intolerance was the leading factor of accusations the patriarchal mindsets in these small colonial towns were the perfect breeding grounds for country-wide terror. The Puritan religion, […]
“The Crucible”, written by Arthur Miller explores the madness of the Salem witch trials of 1692. The story revolves around the characters John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris, the 10 girls and others. The judges play an important role for which they possess supreme power, of the church along with government. Judge Hathorne […]
Back in colonial Massachusetts, regular people were accused of being involved in witchcraft or linked to the devil. The Salem Witch Trials lasted in the period between 1692 and 1693, where over 200 people were accused. However, only 20 individuals were put to death for this reason. The witch belief began when girls had shown […]
During the time of immigration into the New World from England, it needs to be understood that the reasons citizens of the country fled was for a chance at freedom to express their individual Christian beliefs. Not to be confused with religious freedom, that was taboo. Everyone who immigrated was a Christian and had spread […]
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, fourteen of them women. The Salem Witch Trials were horrible events in American history, and have inspired many texts such as […]
The Witch Trials of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts have powered a plethora of emotions towards individuals throughout the previous 300 years. The occasions of the trials still influence the public today. Many points concerning the Salem Witch Trials can be found from the excess information that we have: documentations from the court transcripts, and the […]
“When people are used to believing a thing is such-and-such a way…it’s trouble you get…for upsetting their ideas” (Wyndham 57). The mind fears what it does not know, and this trepidation can lead to an egregious view of the world that can result in consequences as serious as death. Both The Salem Witch Trials and […]
There are many different elements that can explain the Salem Witch Trials and hysteria. For instance, some believe, the witchcraft controversy was due to the tensions between upper and lower classes in the Salem community. By the lower class lashing out at the richer class, accusing them of witchcraft, they could easily eliminate them or […]
Back in the day if you lived in this time you were very scared, because anyone could turn you in and get you killed. Arthur Miller wrote a book about The Salem Witch Trials and he was trying to compare it to the Red Scare. Miller wrote this book to make a statement to the […]
The cruel and unjust treatment of people during McCarthyism, the Crucible, and Japanese people during WWII demonstrated that fear betrayed each group, ultimately causing a great deal of harm in the end. During McCarthyism, many people were falsely accused of communism in America. Likewise, during the Salem Witch Trials, numerous teenage girls accused innocent people […]
Honing in on a period of time known for being scandalous and charged with strict religious beliefs, Salem in 1692 is dense with recognizable American history. The events of the momentous year caused hangings, trial hearings, a disrupted community, and death by being crushed. Schiff’s exasperating account of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 synthesizes […]
The famous play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller and the movie “The Crucible” may share the same name but have many differences, whether it’s the characters and how they act, or the way the scene changes, or in this example how the completely focus the story on something else. There was many additional scenes, or […]
Dehumanization is the mental process of demonizing the enemy, addressing them as less human and not deserving of human treatment. Throughout the course of the long-lasting struggle, violence, fear, and mistrust the way that the people see each other. In Fahrenheit 451 and The Crucible societies, there’s dehumanization, uncivil governments, and environmental disasters. Examining the […]
Introduction Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, is an allegory of the Red Scare that impacted society mentally, physically, and spiritually. The Crucible took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. A group of girls went dancing in the forest with an African American slave who name was Tituba, but they were caught by Reverend Parris. Reverend Parris […]
Being a lower class, older woman in the 17th century was just enough for you to be accused as a witch. In Professor Douglas O. Linder’s article “The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: An Account” he conveys a very real perspective into the lives of the citizens of Salem, so long ago. Lindor takes the reader inside the lives of both the accusers and the accused during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. He states that “Only an unfortunate combination of an ongoing frontier war, economic conditions, congregational strife, teenage boredom, and personal jealousies can account for the spiraling accusations, trials, and executions that occurred in the spring and summer of 1692.” (Linder, Par. 2) This article is successful at enabling its readers to feel like a part of this time period and understanding more about these horrific trials because of the very real storyline, explanation of the way things happened, tone and word choice, and questions that kept the reading wondering.
The article begins with Linder giving a little bit of background information on the Salem Witch Trials. We learn that between June and September of 1692, 19 men and women who were convicted for witch craft were sent to Gallows Hill to be hanged, and that a man who was over 80 years old was pressed to death under stones for refusing to participate in the trials at all. He then goes on to write about each person who played a part in the trials whether they be an accuser or accused of the crime. It seems that this all starts when the new village minister Samuel Parris’ daughter Betty Parris becomes strangely ill. According to Linder there were many non-supernatural reasons as to why Betty could be sick. The village seemed to think that the Devil was at play with Betty Parris’ sickness and the girls who reciprocated her symptoms. With a war raging near the village and superstitious thoughts of supernatural beings’ witches began to make more sense to the towns people.
Linder does a very good job at putting together the storyline and making the reader feel like they are there in that time period. The way he explains how the court works, and what these accused “witches” went through is very realistic and although we can never relate to these events, we can get a very real picture of how the trials happened. The article is well put together and the chronological order helps the reader understand more about how and what exactly happened during these witch trials.
Throughout the article Linder’s tone and word choice is unbiased and informative. The reader does not hear the author’s feelings or thoughts except for the very beginning whenever he first states his thesis. Throughout the article he informs the readers on the facts about the witch trials and links the examinations of each accuses witch so that you can get a clearer picture of their point of view and standing in the trials.
When reading this article Linder’s writing and the questions he asked keeps the reader involved and keeps the discussion going. In the conclusion of the article he talks about how scholars have noticed difference in the accusers and the accused. Most of the accused where better off financially and what we would call in modern day, rich. Once the accused witches were hung the accusers were able to take over land. He states that “The conclusion that many scholars draw from these patterns is that property disputes and congregational feuds played a major role in determining who lived, and who died, in 1692.” (Linder, Par. 24) This makes the reader wonder if the differences between rich and poor played such a prominent role in the lives of these people in the 17th century just as it does now.
The Salem witch trails are just one among many of the most famous trials in the world’s history that Linder writes about. Clearly his aim is to inform people about the historic, brutal and controversial trials that have shaped our world today. Linder’s “The Witchcraft Trials in Salem: An Account” gives a most accurate description of the happenings in Salem 1692. He uses great word choice and a tone that brings the storyline and chronological events alive for the reader to better understand what really happened. This author is very informative and brings the knowledge of trials to a reader in no way I have seen or read before.
The Salem Witch Trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts in 1692. Out of 200 accused of witch craft 20 were executed and some died awaiting their fate. This corruption of justice was an event that changed the lives of many people for a long time.
In colonial times religion wasn’t as it was today. Everyone had a religion and it was literally a way of life. People in these times devoted their entire lives to their religions. If you look at history broadly these are the same beliefs that have been around for a long time. Times have definitely changed since the 17th century, and religion is not nearly as cherished as it once was. The hunt for witches began when villagers believed that Satan had influenced some women around Salem, with that being said I feel that the trials show that religion was a very important aspect in many peoples life at this time.
When reading about this time period and the trials accusing these women and some men of being witches you learn a lot about how religion influenced these people and the life and values that these colonial men and women had lived. In 17th century Salem religion was a highly respected practice that you made a part of your life, and if you didn’t people around you accused you of crazy things. Most people believed that anything besides work, school, and prayer was most likely sin so they strayed from it. With doctors and authors whispering into the ears of the villagers about supernatural things going on it was very easy for the town to suspect Satan’s work was being done.
While we will never know exactly what went on during these witch trials, scholars and historians continue to put together thoughts of what could have happened and why. One thing that is questioned is the men’s motives in Salem. There is the common believe especially by Puritans of this time, that women, children, and slaves were meant to do mens work. Were these accusations just a way to get these women who were not obeying their men and town out? Women were often seen as weaker than men and because of this weakness were more likely to be overta.
