Rhetorical Analysis
The Crucible Rhetorical Analysis
In the late 1940’s through the late 1950’s McCarthyism was a wide spread epidemic here in America. The government had a very intense suspicion that there were influences of communism on our soil. Many were accused and prosecuted for “un-American activities” throughout the states. The FBI had no grounds or evidence to stand on when accusing these people. The Salem witch trials in The Crucible were very similar to these situations. Witten by Arthur Miller The Crucible was Miller’s way of protesting and speaking out against these trials while trying not to draw any attention to him. He uses many rhetorical devices to help better his message as it if brought forth to the reader. Irony, repetition, imagery, and metaphors are examples of some of the devices Miller uses to capture the reader and keep the story on track with the protest of McCarthyism. The land of the free and land of equality was not what America was displaying in the McCarthy era. This shows irony because the rights of the accused were violated, they were not treated fairly. In the Salem witch trials if the accused confessed to being a witch they lived, if they were brave enough to stand for them selves and not lie, they were put to death. This is irony in itself. A supposed pure, virtuous, young Abigail Williams was a hypercritical and ironic character throughout the play. Abigail was a conniving, revengeful, harlot. She, along with many other young girls, accused many innocent people of witchery to cover not only her faults and lies but also many of the girls that followed her. Mary Warren, a young girl that worked in the Proctor household, made a poppet while at the trials in the presence of Abigail; it was later pinned on Elizabeth Proctor that she made a voodoo doll in attempt to kill Abigail. The adulterer, John Proctor, was accused of being the devils advocate when trying to reveal the lies of the girls whom had started all the witch trials. When fighting to
In the late 1940’s through the late 1950’s McCarthyism was a wide spread epidemic here in America. The government had a very intense suspicion that there were influences of communism on our soil. Many were accused and prosecuted for “un-American activities” throughout the states. The FBI had no grounds or evidence to stand on when accusing these people. The Salem witch trials in The Crucible were very similar to these situations. Witten by Arthur Miller The Crucible was Miller’s way of protesting and speaking out against these trials while trying not to draw any attention to him. He uses many rhetorical devices to help better his message as it if brought forth to the reader. Irony, repetition, imagery, and metaphors are examples of some of the devices Miller uses to capture the reader and keep the story on track with the protest of McCarthyism. The land of the free and land of equality was not what America was displaying in the McCarthy era. This shows irony because the rights of the accused were violated, they were not treated fairly. In the Salem witch trials if the accused confessed to being a witch they lived, if they were brave enough to stand for them selves and not lie, they were put to death. This is irony in itself. A supposed pure, virtuous, young Abigail Williams was a hypercritical and ironic character throughout the play. Abigail was a conniving, revengeful, harlot. She, along with many other young girls, accused many innocent people of witchery to cover not only her faults and lies but also many of the girls that followed her. Mary Warren, a young girl that worked in the Proctor household, made a poppet while at the trials in the presence of Abigail; it was later pinned on Elizabeth Proctor that she made a voodoo doll in attempt to kill Abigail. The adulterer, John Proctor, was accused of being the devils advocate when trying to reveal the lies of the girls whom had started all the witch trials. When fighting to