Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

crucble

Good Essays
920 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
crucble
the crucible is a dramatized and partially fictionalized play of the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts during 1692 and 1693. Miller wrote the play as an allegory of McCarthyism ( practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. ), when the U.S. government blacklisted accused communists. Miller himself was questioned in 1956 and convicted of "contempt of Congress" for refusing to identify others present at meetings he had attended. dramatic devices are used throughout the play initially from act one. The abrupt opening of the play, with Betty Parris laid “inertly on a bed” and Reverend Parris knelt weeping and praying, instantly creates tension and suspense for the audience who are unaware of the situations, which have led to this strange occurrence now portrayed before them on the Stage. Parris’s concern and fear of what is happening to his daughter alerts the audience to the seriousness of Betty’s condition and so causes for a sense of drama and tension to further grow in the audience’s minds.

Reverend Parris is powerless to help the child, as is the doctor. 'He cannot find no medicine in his books' (This is inverted sentence structure and can be found frequently in the play). 'He bid me tell you that you might look for unnatural Essay Question – How does Miller use dramatic devices to engage the audience and create tension at the end of Act Three of the Crucible.

Use this essay plan to help you.

To begin……..
• Introduction – a short paragraph on Miller and some biographical information.
• Background information on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692
• Miller’s use of the story as a political parable to link to the hunting of Communists in 1950s America
• McCarthyism in the US and Miller’s own involvement
• Reason for the title ‘The Crucible’
• Use of Miller’s choice of language for the play as a whole o The use of religious language to show the puritanical society of the time o Use of ‘Goody’, ‘It were sport’, ‘there be no blush about my name’ – verb forms to show feelings of a different society

The main body…….
• Short summary of Act Three
• Language and dramatic devices paragraphs – this is the main body of the essay exploring key features

The end………
• Conclusion – outline what happens at the end of the play. Make a final link to McCarthyism and what we should learn from the play. Discuss the social pressures which sometimes lead to such hysteria. Explain the universal message and warning that the play gives.

Remember to use quotations where ever appropriate and to explore the language and dramatic devices in detail. Your writing should be formal and language used should be mature.
Essay Question – How does Miller use dramatic devices to engage the audience and create tension at the end of Act Three of the Crucible.

Use this essay plan to help you.

To begin……..
• Introduction – a short paragraph on Miller and some biographical information.
• Background information on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692
• Miller’s use of the story as a political parable to link to the hunting of Communists in 1950s America
• McCarthyism in the US and Miller’s own involvement
• Reason for the title ‘The Crucible’
• Use of Miller’s choice of language for the play as a whole o The use of religious language to show the puritanical society of the time o Use of ‘Goody’, ‘It were sport’, ‘there be no blush about my name’ – verb forms to show feelings of a different society

The main body…….
• Short summary of Act Three
• Language and dramatic devices paragraphs – this is the main body of the essay exploring key features

The end………
• Conclusion – outline what happens at the end of the play. Make a final link to McCarthyism and what we should learn from the play. Discuss the social pressures which sometimes lead to such hysteria. Explain the universal message and warning that the play gives.

Remember to use quotations where ever appropriate and to explore the language and dramatic devices in detail. Your writing should be formal and language used should be mature.
Essay Question – How does Miller use dramatic devices to engage the audience and create tension at the end of Act Three of the Crucible.

Use this essay plan to help you.

To begin……..
• Introduction – a short paragraph on Miller and some biographical information.
• Background information on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692
• Miller’s use of the story as a political parable to link to the hunting of Communists in 1950s America
• McCarthyism in the US and Miller’s own involvement
• Reason for the title ‘The Crucible’
• Use of Miller’s choice of language for the play as a whole o The use of religious language to show the puritanical society of the time o Use of ‘Goody’, ‘It were sport’, ‘there be no blush about my name’ – verb forms to show feelings of a different society

The main body…….
• Short summary of Act Three
• Language and dramatic devices paragraphs – this is the main body of the essay exploring key features

The end………
• Conclusion – outline what happens at the end of the play. Make a final link to McCarthyism and what we should learn from the play. Discuss the social pressures which sometimes lead to such hysteria. Explain the universal message and warning that the play gives.

Remember to use quotations where ever appropriate and to explore the language and dramatic devices in detail. Your writing should be formal and language used should be mature.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ is based upon the Salem Witch Trials which occurred in the year 1692. The text also serves as an allegorical warning about much more recent events, in particular the McCarthy Trials of 1953. The McCarthy Trials were exploring communism. ‘The Crucible’ was written to highlight the similarities between McCarthyism and communism in the 1950’s in the United States of America and the witch hunts of Europe in the 17th century. The play is literally written about the witch trials but it is figuratively about the society Miller lived in, in 1953. Thousands of Americans were accused of being communists like in ‘The Crucible’; hundreds of the town’s people were accused of being witches. Three major ideologies that are still relevant in society today are evident in the play, intolerance, mass hysteria and reputation.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Do you know about The Salem Witch Trials? If not, keep reading. The Salem Witch Trials were a series of accusations of witchcraft towards older women. This took place between 1692 and 1693. As a result, many innocent people were executed. The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is an example of what partially happen in the Salem Witch Tails using real names and real events in his play. The Crucible is mainly about the innocent people who lost their life’s from an injustice way and conflicts between peddling guilty or not guilty for serving to the devil. The reason Miller wrote the Crucible in the first place was to compare it to the accusations to the United States Administration, accusing anyone who supported Communism with or without evidence.…

    • 358 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It was a time of military and political tension between the United States capitalists and the Soviet communists. Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953, when Senator Joseph McCarthy accused dozens of people who worked for the US government of being communist infiltrators, without any evidence. The fear he spread among the people from the United States at that time is comparable to the fear for witches that the inhabitants of Salem spread in their own villages. “The witch-hunt was a perverse manifestation of the panic which set in among all classes when the balance began to turn toward greater individual freedom” (Miller, 16). This sentence illustrates that the witch-hunt was the product of mass-panic, just as the hunt for communists…

    • 554 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Throughout Joseph McCarthy’s accusations of communism there was talk of some of his victims possibly being innocent. One of these victims that was allegedly innocent was Arthur Miller. Miller, because he was wronged by the law, decided to write a similar story to the events of the McCarthy trials in order to make McCarthy’s ideals seem flawed. Miller believed that if he could write a story to prove the accusations incorrect he would be able to re-establish his respectable reputation. This story is known as “The Crucible”, a story about the Salem Witch Trials and how the townspeople were falsely accused of witchcraft, but couldn’t do anything to plead there innocence. Miller managed to show through “The Crucible”, how ridiculous McCarthy’s accusations were and how it was very…

    • 2360 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible is undoubtedly one of the most interesting plays that has been written, and it is not that way only because of its creative story tale, but also because of the ideas that were conveyed through some of the characters. Arthur Miller wrote the play during the communist era and used the campaign of McCarthyism as the base of the story. In this period of Miller’s life, he was brought to court and had to confess to being a communist. While being held on trial, he confessed about himself but refused to reveal anyone else who participated in communism. Miller’s unwillingness to comply angered the judges and he ended up being charged of contempt.…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Miller did not write The Crucible purely as a historical play detailing the Salem witch trials. The play is a parable for the McCarthy era and is a product of the early Cold War between Russia and America, in which similar 'witch hunts' occurred targeting citizens as communists rather than disciples of Satan. The genesis of the American apprehension of communism is attributed to historical events. The transition from World War II to the Cold War was a time of great tension. The United States had grudgingly agreed to collaborate with Communist Russia for the sake of winning the 2nd World War.…

    • 1676 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of the over 40,000 words brilliantly crafted into a story, only two are able of capturing the meaning of Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible. Set in Salem, Massachusetts during the witch trials, Miller depicts the town and the strong puritan values vested in its people. When accusations of witchcraft run ravage through the streets, such puritan purity is in question. The Crucible is a fitting title for Arthur Miller’s play.The English noun crucible symbolizes Salem, the trials and the resulting changes that occur.…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In "The Crucible", written by Arthur Miller, religious freedom and justice of the law are the main controversial aspects that are not enforced in this play. The Crucible is a play in which Arthur Miller writes about the tendentious, hysterical event of the Salem witch trials that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts during 1692. Miller writes "The Crucible" to show how inequitable and unjust the law can be in a time of fear and tension of the masses. In the play, inferior and subordinate people were accusing innocent citizens of witchcraft for revenge or land. The hysteria and fear in this time of the Salem witch trials influenced the law to become less dependable and accurate when Salem did not adhere to the basic American fundamentals of religious freedom and "innocent until proven guilty." Arthur Miller creates this play to show that we still as modern America are hurt by…

    • 891 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, takes inspiration from the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s. It focuses on the Salem Witch Trials which took place from 1692 to 1693 in colonial Massachusetts. The play includes themes of deception and jealousy leading to hysteria among the people of Salem. The accusations of people being witches causes the need for heavy investigation. This is where Reverend Hale, a young minister of Beverly, comes in. Due to his extensive knowledge of such subjects, he is summoned by the people of Salem to determine if witchcraft is truly responsible for the recent happenings in Salem. Throughout the course of events in The Crucible, Reverend Hale gradually transitions from being confident to being remorseful through his…

    • 873 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    a. The Overture in Act I explains to us the setting of the first scene. It also tells us that Reverend Parris is very worried about his daughter, because something happened to her that she cannot move, and that she cannot even wake up.…

    • 1056 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Arthur Miller, in his play The Crucible, tells the story of the Salem witch trials that took place in…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In ‘The Crucible’, Arthur Miller explores the key idea of belonging through the characters and the community of Salem. Salem was a community of a very religious upbringing and a very strict standard of living. This play was set in the 1950s and during this period there was a lot of talk and rumour about witchcraft. Arthur Miller used this play as a hidden irony of the cold war that was happening around the same time Arthur constructed this play. He wanted people to be aware of the cold war and McCarthysim, so he used this play.…

    • 287 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play that takes place in 1692 in the small Massachusetts village of Salem. Salem is a Puritan community; they are a very restrictive society with strong beliefs. They believe in hard work and prayer, therefore they consider material and sexual desires unnatural and evil. Abigail Williams, the main character is the reason for the witch trials that begin in Salem. She is dishonest, manipulative and her seductive ways is what makes her the antagonist of this play.…

    • 872 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Crucible Symbolism

    • 276 Words
    • 1 Page

    Hathorne says he is trying to overthrow the court and soon he is arrested for contempt…

    • 276 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Crucible: Movie vs. Book

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages

    While reading Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, the audience may believe the play is a literal representation of the events that occurred in the Salem Witch Trials. Despite this, many aspects of the play are in fact fictional. Arthur Miller concocted each of the fictive details in the play purposely. Behind each of the modifications Miller made, lies a specific reason for that particular change. Within The Crucible, Arthur Miller altered the relationships between characters, ages of characters, and small details within characters’ lives in order to benefit the overall plot of the play.…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays