Preview

The Use Of Overture In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
402 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Use Of Overture In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the author employs the use of an Overture to introduce his characters and as a transportation device of his theme. In doing so, he creates a parallel, that would appear to be uncanny and mysteriously specific if unintentional, between the Puritan society’s dreaded and rather disgusting witch trials, and the more recent issue that was relevant at the time The Crucible was written--the Red Scare and McCarthyism. He uses this parallel to his advantage in several instances, unearthing the scandalous actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy. First, two topics within the Salem Witch Trials are seen: intolerance and reputation. Miller was attempting to bring America back to reality by showing how frivolous it was to assume
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Salem Witch Trials Vs Mccarthyism
    • 83 Words
    • 1 Page

    Salem Witch Trials Vs Mccarthyism

    In the early 1950’s after world war II McCarthyism was a huge problem all over the country. As a result an author by the name of Arthur Miller wrote a play about the Salem witch trials as an indirect commentary on the injustice of the McCarthy trials. Arthur Miller drew parallels between both unjust trials by showing how people could falsely accuse one another with little to no evidence while still keeping it more indirect by separating out religion as opposed to communism.…

    • 83 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Explain Why Should Queensland High School Students Study The Crucible
    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Explain Why Should Queensland High School Students Study The Crucible

    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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Similarities Between Mccarthyism And The Crucible
    • 318 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Similarities Between Mccarthyism And The Crucible

    In the 1940s, America was hysterical over communism with McCarthyism everywhere. Author, Arthur Miller felt that the situation had many similarities to the Salem Witch Trials. In both the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism fear, hysteria, and danger were common. A type of evidence called “spectral evidence” was being used in both situations and Miller used his play, The Crucible, as an allegory for McCarthyism to tell one story with an even deeper meaning. McCarthyism and the Salem Witch trials relied on public hysteria and spectral evidence to influence people and control them.…

    • 318 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Similarities Between The Crucible And John Proctor
    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Similarities Between The Crucible And John Proctor

    The allegory of Arthur Miller and McCarthyism began when Miller wrote The Crucible which shows the similarities between the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare. The fear of the the crucible still in some people as it did in the fifties “the play seems to be about the dilemma of relying on the testimony of small children accusing adults of sexual abuse, something I'd not have dreamed of forty years ago.” Arthur Miller once stated “The…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Who Is Joseph Mccarthy Innocent In The Crucible
    • 2360 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Who Is Joseph Mccarthy Innocent In The Crucible

    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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Similarities Between The Crucible And The Mccarthy Era
    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Similarities Between The Crucible And The Mccarthy Era

    You ask me what parallels there are between the play The Crucible and the event The McCarthy Era. There were many parallels throughout the whole play. In this play everyone was blamed for no reason at all and all everyone one did was make excuses to try and not get their own selves in trouble. They were always wondering why everyone was getting tricked into believing that witches existed and it was because they were all just trying to get themselves out of trouble. Arthur Miller shows the audience that people have not moved on that much from when people were believing in the Salem witch trials. All through this play, Miller used the trails in The Crucible and the McCarthy Era because he realized that the events were the same. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible to help everyone today, who wasn’t alive back then, notice that they were not going crazy they were just trying to keep themselves alive and just they were believing everything they heard.…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Core 1 - The Crucible
    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Core 1 - The Crucible

    The novel, The Crucible was written in 1953 by Arthur Miller, which was based on the Salem Witch Trials existing in the late 1600s. In the play, Abigail and several other young women accuse innocent citizens of Salem for the action of witchcraft. During the trials, many individuals were unfairly persecuted; such as John Proctor. This event in history may be associated with the Red Scare, in which individuals were tried for their questionable influences of communism in the United States. When Miller compares the character of John Proctor to himself, the reader is able to relate the similar experiences that both men faced. The Crucible demonstrates the struggle against corruption involving the court, which lead to the death of many innocent individuals in Salem. The Crucible generates an allegory for Arthur Miller’s struggles with McCarthyism because of his similar experience relating to John Proctor’s battle against the Salem Witch Trials, and the relation between the actions of the court in both situations.…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Crucible Differences
    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Crucible Differences

    In conclusion Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, and the movie with the same name have many differences, all of which contribute to the individual effectiveness of each in conveying their central message. These include some…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Mccarthyism In The Crucible
    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Examples Of Mccarthyism In The Crucible

    The era of McCarthyism was one of blame and accusations. McCarthy and his followers looked for anyone and everyone they could to victimize as communist believers. Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, was one of those many. As a famous play-writer during this time, Miller was blacklisted by McCarthy for refusing to testify in front of the HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee), and through this he realized a common social issue that can be applied world wide. Arthur Miller argues that during times of crisis, in order for strong people to preserve their own power and reputation, they often point fingers at the weak first to distract others from their own guilt.…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Belonging: Salem Witch Trials and Society
    • 3808 Words
    • 16 Pages

    Belonging: Salem Witch Trials and Society

    In the opening scenes of the play ‘The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller, key ideas of persecution of those who don’t belong and of those who choose not to conform to the strict rules of the Puritan society that the city of Salem believed in and the consequences and…

    • 3808 Words
    • 16 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Crucible Research Paper
    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Crucible Research Paper

    In The Crucible, Arthur Miller conveys various themes relating the HUAC trials to the Red Scare and many occurring events in the world today. The Red Scare was a time of fear and agony of communism for many citizens in the United States. In this play, John Proctor is an individual who is well respected in the town of Salem for his hard working reputation. He faces many struggles and life or death situations that test his morals. John struggles through his resistance in a relationship with Abigail, confessing to his sin in the court, and by showing respect for himself and others when he tears up the document proving his confession. In his play, Arthur Miller conveys the theme of standing up for what’s right, even in the worst case of injustice through his character John Proctor.…

    • 411 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Propaganda In The Crucible
    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Propaganda In The Crucible

    In the play “The Crucible”, by Arthur Miller, it describes the happenings of the Salem Witchcraft Trials and it symbolizes how The Red Scare, After World War Two, is so similar as people accused their neighbors and friends for their own personal purpose Arthur Miller wrote “The Crucible” to show how Senator McCarthy and the HUAC's actions of accusing communism is similar to Governor Danforth and the Salem Witchcraft Trials are both being fueled by propaganda and misinformation. In his play he changes the hangings of three important names in the town Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and John Proctor to all hang in at one date, and he also changes John Proctor’s life details. He used Salem as his example to show how in the Red Scare they were doing…

    • 698 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible Compare And Contrast Essay
    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Crucible Compare And Contrast Essay

    The Crucible can be seen from many different perspectives. There can be much debate over who is right and who is wrong according to morals and values. The differences between the movie and the play, although subtle, affect the way the work is viewed as a whole. In The Crucible, the chronological ordering in which the movie, directed by Nicholes Hytner, and the play, written by Arthur Miller, is set up affects the way things are viewed from not only each character’s point of view, but as well as the audience’s; helping to prove that even if you carve two different paths you will still end up at the same destination.…

    • 908 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Crucible Allegory Analysis
    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Crucible Allegory Analysis

    A quote by Edward R. Murrow states, “No one man can terrorize a whole nation unless we are all his accomplices.” During the Red Scare, Senator McCarthy did terrorize a whole nation, and Arthur Miller became a victim of McCarthyism. Miller suffered through accusations of possibly believing in communism; as a result, he wrote a play called The Crucible, in which he used the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 to explain the communist hysteria during the 1950s. Arthur Miller develops an allegory in The Crucible by comparing the Salem Witch Trials to McCarthyism by using ringleaders, persecuted couples, and hypocrisy in the government or legal system.…

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    lessons learned in the crucible
    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages

    lessons learned in the crucible

    The themes evident in Arthur Millers The Crucible are very important and exist strongly in the history of human kind. The first and possibly most important of these is…

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics