the crucible
Mac Morton
12 April 2013
English 12
Essay Question Although Miller’s The Crucible takes place in the late 1600’s, its lessons are still applicable to us in 2013. This short essay focuses on three specific lessons that I have learned from the play, which are the negative effects of mass hysteria, the consequences of deviating from social norms, and the dominance of patriarchy. The first lesson that I learned was that mass hysteria often creates harmful stereotypes. In the play, mass hysteria spreads throughout the entire community that there are young girls who are capable of witchcraft. These rumors are spread although there is no tangible proof. This is significant because it fuels stereotypes, i.e. all women who deviate slightly from social norms are witches. This is a very valuable lesson in today’s society, as people often participate in mass hysteria, which strengthens harmful stereotypes. For example, if there is a group of men on a plane and each man is wearing a turban and speaking softly amongst each other, then other people on the plane might start gossiping and spreading rumors that the men are planning a terrorist attack. In several minutes, the whole plane might be in an uproar over the thought of a potential terrorist attack and the men might be classified as terrorists and even brought into custody, although there is no physical proof. The second lesson that I learned was that communities still treat those who deviate from social norms differently. As Danforth says in Act III, “[A] person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road in between” (p. 94). As we read, the girls who deviated from social norms, the “witches,” were hanged and stoned because the community thought that that was the only way to restore the community’s purity. This is an extremely important lesson, as it is very current with today’s controversy over same-sex marriage. For example, there are thousands, even millions, of Americans who
12 April 2013
English 12
Essay Question Although Miller’s The Crucible takes place in the late 1600’s, its lessons are still applicable to us in 2013. This short essay focuses on three specific lessons that I have learned from the play, which are the negative effects of mass hysteria, the consequences of deviating from social norms, and the dominance of patriarchy. The first lesson that I learned was that mass hysteria often creates harmful stereotypes. In the play, mass hysteria spreads throughout the entire community that there are young girls who are capable of witchcraft. These rumors are spread although there is no tangible proof. This is significant because it fuels stereotypes, i.e. all women who deviate slightly from social norms are witches. This is a very valuable lesson in today’s society, as people often participate in mass hysteria, which strengthens harmful stereotypes. For example, if there is a group of men on a plane and each man is wearing a turban and speaking softly amongst each other, then other people on the plane might start gossiping and spreading rumors that the men are planning a terrorist attack. In several minutes, the whole plane might be in an uproar over the thought of a potential terrorist attack and the men might be classified as terrorists and even brought into custody, although there is no physical proof. The second lesson that I learned was that communities still treat those who deviate from social norms differently. As Danforth says in Act III, “[A] person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road in between” (p. 94). As we read, the girls who deviated from social norms, the “witches,” were hanged and stoned because the community thought that that was the only way to restore the community’s purity. This is an extremely important lesson, as it is very current with today’s controversy over same-sex marriage. For example, there are thousands, even millions, of Americans who