Both witch hunts in Salem in 1692 and McCarthy's search for Communists in the 1950’s are similar they both involved conflict and superstition. William had 205 people on his list of people who are communists. Just like in the Salem Witch hunt they didn’t have proof that the where witches other than that they were acting up but that didn’t show that they were witches. McCarthy didn't have proof that the communist that where on the list, he didn’t have proof if they were communists or not. With McCarthy looking for communists, surprisingly more than 2,000 employees lost their jobs. In the Salem Witch Hunt a lot of people were accused and they didn't know if the people who were accused where witches or not instead of people losing their jobs, people…
Act Three Questions Directions On a separate sheet of paper, please answer each part of each question asked below. Please use complete sentences and please answer the question as asked. 1. As the act opens, who is being interrogated and on what charge Martha Corey is being interrogated by Judge Hathorne on the charge of telling fortunes (witchery). 2. What is interesting about the dialogue at the beginning of this act What was Miller trying to suggest about the tone of the legal proceedings to follow This indirect dialogue (off stage / only heard, not seen) suggests that although people will talk / be heard, the truth will not be seen / acknowledged. 3. What is Mary Warren now prepared to tell the court Mary Warren is prepared to the court that the girls have only been sporting, or pretending. They honestly have never seen or known a witch and theyve only lied to protect themselves by throwing suspicion on others. 4. What two facts about John Proctor does Ezekiel Cheever feel compelled to reveal to Danforth Ezekiel Cheever feels compelled to tell Deputy Governor Danforth that John tore up the arrest warrant for Elizabeth when Cheever served it and that Proctor sometimes plows on Sunday. 5. What compromise, or deal, does Danforth offer to Proctor What is Proctors response Why does he respond this way Because Elizabeth claims that she is pregnant, Danforth offers to not try her until after shes delivered her child if Proctor will drop the charge against the court that the proceedings have been unjust. Proctor said that he could not accept that plea because his friends wives, who are also innocent, have been charged and they need to be freed. He feels that the truth needs to come out to protect all of the innocent people. 6. How do Hathorne and Parris persuade Danforth to respond to the deposition that lists ninety-one supporters of Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Martha Corey Hathorne and Parris persuade Danforth that all of the ninety-one supporters must be…
When people think about The Salem Witch Trial, the first thing that comes to mind is “oh it 's just a bunch of wannabe witches being killed.” But in reality they were innocent people being accused by a bunch of little girls trying to get got of trouble. People were very suspicious and paranoid about everything back then-if a few people in the village suddenly became ill, it was because of a "witch". Remember, they had no science to explain anything, so they had to make up stuff that seems ridiculous to us today. They feared what they didn 't know and understand, therefore seeking any kind of solution . . . in this case their fear led to The Salem witch…
The Salem Witch Trials "When the lines between reality and delusion become so blurred, you can no longer know what's real and what is not. " This is a quote by A.B. Shepherd. This can be a direct example of those women accused of being witches in the Salem witch trials. For these women, most of their lives during the year of the trials could have felt a little like this.…
The Salem Witch Trials are known as a series of people being accused and prosecuted of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts beginning in February 1692 until May 1693. The trials began after a group of girls claimed that they were possessed by the devil. Several local women were accused of witchcraft and this began the wave of hysteria that would forever haunt Salem and leave a painful legacy for a long time to come. Nearly every major school of historians has attempted to explain the answer to the mystery of the trials, trying to understand why they occurred. From Marxists who blame class conflict, to Freudians who believe in mass hysteria, the more ecologically based historians who put the blame on hallucinogenic ergot fungus, and now more…
In Arthur Miller’s article, “Are You Now Or Were You Ever?,” Miller identifies many similarities between the issues during the “Red Scare” and the events in Salem. One similarity that really stands out is Miller’s point that, “Both had the menace of concealed plots, but most startling were the similarities in the rituals of defense, the investigative routines: 300 years apart, both prosecutions alleged membership of a secret, disloyal group.” Miller’s points are very accurate and perfectly depict life for those in 1692 and the 1950’s. The “Red Scare” and Salem are dreadfully alike because of their similar processes. Salem in 1692 was a place of hysteria. People were accused of being witches. The people who were accused did nothing to bring on the accusations. People were accused strictly based on what others claimed to see, hear, and feel. Those accused in Salem were not respected, trusted, or treated fairly. People were accused of sending their specters upon others. In the court spectral evidence was used and believed to be reliable. At the time all accused were considered guilty until proven innocent. They could not stand up for themselves and fight their accusers. Once accused there were two options. One was to admit to witchcraft then turn around and accuse others. The second option was to be hanged for those who would not admit. Many were hanged in Salem. The “Red Scare” was similar to the events in Salem. Those accused during the 1950’s did nothing wrong. A group of people, known as the “Hollywood Ten,” was accused of wrongdoing and there were no real reasons for the accusations. Many others were blacklisted because they would not give up names of people they believed were guilty of communistic acts. Those who were blacklisted could not find work and were frowned upon in the community. The lack of evidence, proof, and reason is parallel to the events in Salem. In the end few were actually killed during the “Red Scare”, but like Salem there were executions.…
In The Crucible Miller demonstrates the evils within the human nature through the experience of the Salem Witch Trials. Many characters in this play endure their own personal crucibles. First, Elizabeth Proctor has the ignominy of keeping a terrible secret. Also, Giles Corey goes through a deadly trial trying to protect his neighbor. Finally, Mary Warren, a shy and timid girl, has the impossible task of going against Abigail and the court. Each of these characters’ crucibles are very excruciating, but only some pass while others fail.…
The hostile interrogation of numerous innocent people occurs during both time periods. During the McCarthy trials, the inquisitors attempt to use slippery tactics to implicate the accused and others. Often, shouting matches would occur on the floor of the Senate when the people are adamant about their innocence. Throughout the Salem witch trials, Judge Danforth and Hathorne would constantly badger the accused to confess. In Act III, Hathorne claims, "How do you know, then, that you are not a witch?" (Pg. 1221) After Martha Corey denies herself being a witch, Hathorne persists by saying, "Why do you hurt these children?" The hostile interrogation of both periods failed to…
Those involved in the McCarthy witch hunts and those in The Crucible are mainly motivated to condemn others for personal gain or out of sheer panic and hysteria. Many--if they did not share views of the general population--are openly condemned in both the McCarthy era and in “The Crucible.” In both instances, regardless of the amount of evidence present, people were suspected of witchcraft/communism and consequently condemned. The many claims of witchcraft made by characters in Miller’s “The Crucible”--lacking sufficient evidence--share great similarities with the communist “witch hunts” of the McCarthy…
Society has been affected by religion ever since mankind existed. People’s values and morals could be altered from the belief of any religion because religion sets rules for one who chooses to believes it. If a rule were to be broken, a sin is presented upon the person. Society back in Salem Massachusetts of 1692 believes there are witches among the town. Anyone who doesn't believe there are any is automatically assumed to be working with the devil or is a witch. Religion may or may not be a big factor in the results of the Salem Witch Trials. Religion has not only been part of the Salem’s government system, but it has also been affecting the decisions of society.…
The Salem Witch Trials has been a debatable topic for many historians enamored by its deviation from the normal as seen in Europe or other European Colonies in North America. As presented in Bryan Le Beau’s book The Story of the Salem Witch Trials, the story of Salem is unique in that it is centered primarily around the communities incapability to harmonize with one another. In the first two chapters, the book introduces its readers to a brief history of witchcraft trials, including how they began in Europe and followed colonists to the New World. In chapter three, the book describes Salem as it was before the trials and its ultimate path to the devastation it eventually created. It describes the division of the community and how that led to “…the point of institutional, demographic, and economic polarization” (p.50). Le Beau’s thesis is that “New England communities…suffered from the economic, social, political, and religious dislocations of the modernization process of the Early Modern Period, but to a greater extent than others,” he believed, “Salem village fell victim to warring factions, misguided leadership, and geographical limitations that precluded its dealing effectively with those problems” (p.43). The chapters following Le Beau’s thesis chronologically present the Salem Witch Craft trials and what was left in the wake the realization that followed.…
Throughout these two proceedings, there is the concept of mass hysteria. Mass hysteria is a form of group thinking in which several people have something in common and begin to think in the same way. The Crucible began as a way for the oppressed girls to avoid being punished. The girls then found this to be an ideal way to get revenge on anyone whom you disliked. People started accusing their neighbors of being witches so they could steal their farmland. Others, like Abby, accused others of being witches if they wanted to steal their husband or wives, or even possessions. The McCarthy hearings, as they were known as, were known to have dominated our country. These hearings, were of suspects being related to communism, were interviewed and forced to give up the names of others, or they were imprisoned, and their names were black listed.…
It has been said many times that if people don't learn from their mistakes they are doomed to repeat them, such is the case throughout history. There are many different examples of this, but one example is the blatant similarities between the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts and the era of McCarthyism. When considering the nature of these events, it is hard to believe that they could have actually happened, not would only once, but twice. If one would take the time to compare these events he or she will be able to see numerous similarities between them. In The Crucible Miller relates an analogy of the witch trials in Salem to the investigation of communists by Joseph McCarthy. There are many similarities between these two events in history.…
The belief in witchcraft, or supernatural actions and the devil’s ability to give certain humans the power to harm others, in return for their loyalty, had been a part of traditional village culture in Europe since the 14th century. (history.com) The Salem witch trials took place between 1692 and 1693 in colonial Massachusetts. Two hundred people were accused of witchcraft and twenty people were executed. (smithsonianmag.com)…
Breaking the law was no joke back in colonial times. Punishment were extremely harsh. The convict will be punished by physical pain or sometimes death. Do to the poor judgment from the court's most of the accused were innocent. Even the defendants of the accused were punished, if the accused were proven guilty. One of the crimes that were taken really seriously was Witchcraft, which was punished by death. A lot of innocent women died during those year in Salem. The punishments for crime in colonial times were not fair.…
