... she decides to repeat Tituba's actions in order to save herself. She understands that in order to prevent being accused she must become the accuser. Miller emphasises this as immediately after Hale states "God will bless you for your help ", Abigail rises and is quoted as "staring as though inspired ... time in a collapsed state, also chanting confessions. Betty and Abigail exclaim the names of people who they claimed to have seen with the Devil, and Miller once again uses stage directions to show the craziness by describing them as "calling out hysterically " and "rising to a great glee...

• Word Count: 1460
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... is important to understand the social and cultural aspects of history that helped shape and influence the writing of this play. There are two very distinct contexts that influenced Arthur Miller as he wrote The Crucible. The first context relates to the 17th century repressive and socially constrictive Puritan society of Salem. The second context is concerned with the anti-communist ... crusade, which gripped America in the 1950s, also known as McCarthyism. Even though the Crucible was based upon the witchcraft hysteria of Salem, Arthur Miller aimed his play towards the anti-communist h...

• Word Count: 528
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... the actions of man during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 in "Why I Wrote the Crucible." By observing the practices of witchcraft in "The Crucible," by Arthur Miller, one can examine that his prime intention was to write a novel of historical fiction, which is substantial because many people dispute on the reason he wrote the novel to gather ... claimed to be, were the "scapegoats" for all the problems in the community, whereas the "communists" were "scapegoats" for only the society's problems. Arthur Miller had quite a few reasons as to why he wrote his novel, "The Crucible," and people...

• Word Count: 778
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... or gain each others' land. Through the characters of John Proctor, the tragic hero; Giles Corey, the scapegoat; and Abigail Williams, the villain, Miller laments the fact that in the real world truth is not always rewarded and treachery sometimes prevails. John Proctor functions as the tragic hero who begins the ... shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs" (133). David Levine notes that, "The Crucible dramatizes brilliantly the dilemma of an innocent man who must confess falsely if he wants to live and who finally g...

• Word Count: 1144
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Senator Joe McCarthy aroused paranoia and suspicion of Communists in the public was most definitely similar to Abigail's actions. Another very clear similarity between Miller's The Crucible and his actual life was the panic and hysteria caused by an unwarranted fear. Whether this fear is of Communists or witches ... the hysteria just as people had admitted to being witches in order to escape torture until they confess. The liberal entertainment industry, in which Miller worked, was one of the chief targets of these so-called witch hunts, as their opponents termed them. Those who were rev...

• Word Count: 981
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... , and therefore relevant to any audience in any society it is being read. Through a combination of black-and-white characters and timetested themes, Miller creates a play that can appeal to the imagination and conscience of any reader. Throughout all of history, there has always been discord between the ... and dilemmas the text raises are important to any society in any time, and as such are brought to the reader's attention by Miller. Miller originally wrote The Crucible as an allegory about the 1950s American fear of Communism. During the Cold War there was an exaggerated fear ... to...

• Word Count: 1435
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... extent of dramatic irony used that intensifies emotions of suspense for the reader. Proctor's wife, Elizabeth, is called to witness on the allegations that he had an affair with Abigail. Miller revealed to us that Proctor had confessed "God help me I lusted," unbeknownst to Elizabeth and she mistakenly covered up the affair that contributed to Proctors arrest. Elizabeth's ... in serious risk of being permanently distorted by the government. There is an extensive use of allusions throughout the play that emphasizes the justification of persecution by use of religion. Miller mainly uses a...

• Word Count: 1145
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... but then the whole world cried spirits, spirits, and I--I promise you, Mr. Danforth, I only thought I saw them but I did not" (Miller). The only individuals capable of ending the hysteria are the ones driving forward the accusals. The unstoppable chain of accusations parallels the vehicle perusing the innocent ... the government officials and portrays them as overly suspicious, and dim. The officials were made to parallel the judges in The Crucible. Arthur Miller does a similar job of drawing the paranoia of the Red Scare. The Crucible depicts similar themes of paranoia as the political c...

• Word Count: 945
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... the government of the United States. This anger with the events that transpired during the middle of twentieth century was what motivated Miller to write The Crucible. (Miller, "Why I Wrote" 160) Also, when observing the discrimination that has occurred as a result of the recent terrorist attacks on ... of these three time periods in American history, it is apparent that when a community feels threatened, they often blame the innocent. Arthur Miller's The Crucible reveals the human tendency to point the finger at others when one feels threatened. Often times, those blamed are completely...

• Word Count: 1838
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... hero of Salem, sacrificing his public reputation for his personal integrity. Rebecca's presence at Proctor's confession convinces him of what he must do. This shows Miller's representation of Rebecca as signifying truth, morality and logic. Her 'great charities' have all been 'heard ofin Beverly', as mentioned by ... is prodigious danger in the seeking of loose spirits', stating a witch hunt could 'set [them] all to arguin' again in the society'. Miller presents Rebecca Nurse as very mindful and respectable, leaving people to 'feel resentful of her note of moral super...

• Word Count: 1154
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... years unless it is attacked from within or by unjust hostile forces. Where such attacks occur, will primarily target well-known and respected authoritative members of the society. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible a small lustful unacceptable love story between John Procter and Abigail Williams transforms into a sinful plot that implicitly illustrates that in a theocratic society, heavy influence of religion constitutes ... nothing more than a set of unjust lies the entire society agreed upon. Lying is done through the manipulation of words, but also through plain silence. In The Crucible...

• Word Count: 995
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... play and what actually occurred during the pandemonium of this many of which can be attributed to the poetic license taken by the author, Arthur Miller. These changes make for an interesting story, but are not ideal for learning about the true events of the events that occurred in Salem Village ... trials. Parris is depicted as a power hungry widower who fails to fulfill the parental role and shows no interest in his children or their wellbeing (Miller 3). In reality, however, Parris' wife was alive and well until four years after the trials ended, and she went through the same turmoil a...

• Word Count: 1257
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... malevolent and dissolute aspects of life, often to expose to the reader their view of the man's true nature. This is certainly true for both Arthur Miller's drama, The Crucible, and Emily Dickinson's "Much Madness is Divinest Sense." Both works use elements such as theme, metaphor, and irony to convey their ... meanings, and to point out humanity's flaws. In The Crucible, Miller uses his theme to reveal the adverse aspects of human nature. The Crucible is set in a theocratic society, in which the church and the state are ... all social deviants with the taint of devil-worship and thus ne...

• Word Count: 542
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, the plot tells a story of cold-blooded revenge, unlawful accusations made on fearful, innocent, law-abiding citizens, and the heavy ... unfortunate repercussions of his mistakes. Proctor's portrayal is that of a good, strong-willed man, with horrible secrets and character flaws that foreshadow his demise. In Act I, Miller's expositions reveal several facts about the character, John Proctor, particularly of his strong will and the respect and fear his name gains from the people of Salem " ... in his beliefs, and quick to correct the uninformed. The latt...

• Word Count: 942
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... over nothing, thousands of artists were getting laid off for no good reason, and a national communist scare had the nation at a standstill. In premise, it sure reminds me of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, where a small town in Massachusetts goes stark crazy over what seems to be a huge witch hunt but in this case, it's not the 1600's anymore and it's hard ... back up any of his claims, and then his following had died like the hysteria that he had brought with him; this had thus set the stage for Miller's play The Crucible. Arthur Miller had rewritten the Witch-hunt that had occurred ther...

• Word Count: 597
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... York to Savannah participate in this outrageous behavior, and when it comes to films depicting such grand dissipation, one of the best is Nicholas Hytner's "The Crucible." Based on Arthur Miller's play of the same name, "The Crucible" is set in the small settler town of Salem, Massachusetts in the early 1690's, a town with many young ladies looking for love. In ... of the United States, the communist. Many of the people targeted in McCarthy's hunt were celebrities based solely on the reason that they spend a lot of time outside the country; Miller topped this exclusive list and in respo...

• Word Count: 523
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... analogy applies to collective hysterias; a person's fear of someone or something easily spreads from person to person, growing into massive chaos. An example of a collective hysteria is illustrated in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, for a group of young girls in Salem caused its population to doubt the sanctity that once dominated, making people fear and believe in the dark witchcraft forces ... Rebecca had given birth to several children, and also, they both lived in Salem, Massachusetts. Their personalities reveal mainly clear differences, so these are the few irrelevant similariti...

• Word Count: 660
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In both George Orwell's 1984 and Arthur Miller's The Crucible, a tragic hero is presented who despite his efforts, and the suffering experienced, in the end cannot overcome the external force against him. The two literary works are tragedies ... with his fatality. " for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs" [Miller, 144]. Throughout the novel, the audience's dislike for authority steadily increases and climaxes with Proctor's death sentence. His labelling of the authorities as dogs strengthe...

• Word Count: 610
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... followers or not has been debated countless times throughout our history and two books seem to depict this standard of living in two different ways. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, conflicts the effects of the conjunction of church and state while The Scarlet Letter, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, conflicts the inability to perfect human nature regardless of any assistance given ... than power, is the basis of The Scarlet Letter and donates to the message that perfection is not achievable by a set of rules that is ever created by man. Although Miller and Hawthorne describe Puri...

• Word Count: 710
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... time Adam and Eve committed man's first sin by eating a piece of fruit from the Garden of Eden. In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller portray characters committing sins throughout the novel. More importantly both novels incorporate the theme of sin as adultery throughout the sequence of the story. John Proctor, a farmer in The Crucible ... accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft. During the witch trials Proctor demonstrates leadership qualities by standing up for his beliefs by condemning the government and the church. He says, "God is dead" (Miller 119)...

• Word Count: 689
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... in literary works is the dynamic character. A dynamic character is a character who's views and opinions change due to certain events that take place in the piece of writing. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, a play about the odd series of events surrounding the Salem Witch Trials, several dynamic characters become apparent. The main character and one of the most obvious dynamic characters ... , John Proctor's behavior towards others in the town begins to evolve due to the outlandish accusations and hysteria that ensues. John Proctor, the hot-tempered, strong-bodied farmer, first enters Mi...

• Word Count: 562
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Uncontrollable Madness in a Small town Throughout The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, it is evident that fear and suspicion of witchcraft rapidly spread producing chaos and hysteria and destroying basic organization in the town of Salem. The severity and high value of ... ...

• Word Count: 424
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... . They were accused of being witches for all different reasons such as appearance, different cultures or beliefs. The three main scripted plays we performed are the "Crucible" written by Arthur Miller in 1692 which is set in a bedroom, its about a young girl called Betty who is thought to be bewitched as she lay there unconscious from fainting, after she had been ... ...

• Word Count: 413
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

Analysis of The Crucible The language used in The Crucible is Arthur Miller's adapted version of the language spoken at the times found in the actual court records of the trials. The language in general is archaic, giving you the feeling that it ... ...

• Word Count: 1102
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... acquainted with the devil in order to clear her tarnished name, all the while persistently trying to rekindle her lost relationship with John Proctor. In the closing events of Author Miller's masterpiece, Abigail becomes frustrated due to her failed plans, and so, her psychological traits are forced to emerge. She shows no moral standards and is obviously uncharitable. While she desperately ... ...

• Word Count: 429
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate