Crucible is a play by Arthur Miller with layers of meaning and subtext. Miller's mission was to draw a direct analogy between the social and political themes of the 20th century with those of pre-Revolutionary America. Setting the play in Puritan New England, in the town of Salem, allows the playwright to explore the thematic connections between the witch trials and McCarthyism. Doing so seems seamless, as the audience perceives three main themes that remain salient in American culture. Those three themes include that of social conformity; sexual repression; and religious rigidity. Miller explores social conformity, sexual repression, and religious rigidity throughout The Crucible, to warn of the cyclical nature of history and the resistance to change that permeates American society.
One of the primary themes of Miller's The Crucible is the ways social conformity and mob mentality manifest in American society. The Crucible remains primarily concerned with the ways personal…...

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Work Cited

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Online version:  http://asbamericanlit.edublogs.org/files/2011/10/21078735-The-Crucible-Arthur-Miller-2hmdzot.pdf

Most of the American public did not know what communism or Marxism really was as an ideology, they simply knew that it was 'bad' and it was 'un-American,' although logically it could be argued that nothing is more un-American than prosecuting a person for holding certain political beliefs.
The tragedies of Miller's "The Crucible" and the McCarthy hearings are that good men and women, as well as fearful and ignorant people were silenced by the witch hunts. People who defended the accused were called witches themselves. This can be seen when Proctor and Mary Warren are both, at different times and for different reasons called witches. When they defy Abigail's desires, their nonconformity makes them vulnerable to being accused. Witchcraft and communism are shadowy forces in the public imagination because neither is fully understood.

Both witch hunts begin with dramatic events -- the 'fits' of the Salem girls; the take-over of…...

Indeed, the arrival of Hale, the specialist on witchcraft, brings with it a
gloomy sense of foreboding. ith the sentence of death being the outcome
to such proceedings, I am moved by the remarkable errant authority.
Act III: The courtroom drama in this act is compelling if a little
overstated. Here, the genuine hysteria has set in and the outrageous
turnabout between first Mary and John toward Abigail and ultimately, Mary
and Abigail toward John demonstrates the greatest problem of the play. It
is clear that everybody is on trial.
Act IV: I am most surprised by the reversal of Hale in this act.
Initially, I viewed him as a sinister figure but it is clear by this
juncture that the forces governing Salem had leapt far beyond his intent or
control. The finality of the play here is unforgiving, as the accused are
hanged with no redemption.

4. Two major themes in this work are those of intolerance and justice.

5. The theme…...

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Works Cited:

Miller, A. (1964) The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. Penguin Books.

While he resists coming completely clean and exposing his affair, he eventually tells the whole truth, but only after the town is in chaos.
The climax of The Crucible occurs toward the end of the play when Mary accuses Proctor of being a witch and he is summarily arrested. Prior to this the action builds as several girls in the play get caught up in the witch hysteria. Proctor's arrest at the hands of his servant Mary marks the downfall of his pride and his reputation. Proctor eventually offers a full confession but he honorably refuses to falsely label anyone as a witch.

Disillusioned but determined to spiritually redeem himself, Proctor tears up his confession. The resolution of the play occurs at this point, when Proctor makes peace with himself. Although the ending of The Crucible is tragic and Proctor is sent to the gallows, he establishes himself as a true…...

Hale begins the play as the most idealistic character, but ends the play telling Proctor to lie under oath and confess to being a witch, after Proctor is accused by Abigail. Hale comes to see the judicial system as bankrupt. This shows how a corrupt system can corrupt even decent people. The system also uses Hale's idealism for its own ends, as pro-democracy, pro-American people were used in subservience of McCarthyism. Just as dangerous as idealists like Hale are weak people, looking for a sense of belonging. Mary Warren, Proctor's new servant, enjoys the sense of community she feels with the other girls, and fears breaking from their ranks.
Even Elizabeth Proctor's goodness serves the evil of the system: Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft, in hopes of making John a widower. Then, to protect her husband's reputation, Elizabeth unwittingly condemns John by refusing to admit that he was unfaithful, just…...

Fear, ignorance, personal grievances, and an inflexible political and judicial process result in the death of John Proctor, an innocent man, who dies because he refuses to admit to witchcraft and harm other people.
Individuals who named names were cleared by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) while those who did not name names were often blacklisted and lost their livelihoods. Those who refused to turn others in were the true Americans, protecting freedom, just like John is the truest Christian of the play, even though he dies and does not profess a formal belief in the Christianity of the Puritans.

Q3: Summarize Arthur Miller's experiences with HUAC and discuss the consequences of those experiences for Miller.

Miller was pressured, like so many great artists, to name names of suspected communists. He refused but saw his friends either blacklisted or turn against the Hollywood and artistic hands that had 'fed' them like…...

Crucible
The film version of Arthur Miller's hit Broadway play of 1953 "The Crucible" was released in 1996. Miller

himself wrote the screen play of the film which starred Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona yder in lead roles and was directed by Nicholas Hytner.

The Crucible is a fictional retelling of events in American history surrounding the Salem witch trials in the year 1692. The film, as well as the play on which it is based, is however in no way an accurate description of history and takes considerable liberties with the actual events that took place during the trial. The film is set in the Puritan era in a small town (Salem) in colonial Massachusetts when twenty innocent men and women were accused of witchcraft and put to death and hundreds more suffered.

When Miller wrote his play, which has been reproduced on film with just a few changes, he had meant it…...

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Reference

Ebert, Roger. (1996). "The Crucible." Movie Review. Chicago Sun-Times. December 20, 1996. Retrieved on December 15, 2004 from  http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19961220/REVIEWS/612200302/1023 

At the ripe old age of 81

Miller himself said, "The play is not reportage of any kind .... what I was doing was writing a fictional story about an important theme."

Crucible
Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" is set in Salem, Massachusetts in the last part of the 17th century. The play itself is based on the Salem witch trials that took place during that time. People who lived during that time period were very religious, and also very superstitious. The play revolves around power, jealousy, and superstition, all of which were very common during the Salem witch trials and the years surrounding them.

In Act I of the play, one of the main characters, Reverend Parris, believes that his daughter has been involved in some form of witchcraft with a Negro slave. His daughter is now in a state of unconsciousness, and he believes that it is the work of witches (Classic, 1999). During the first act many of the main characters are introduced, and it is easy to see the power that the idea of witchcraft has over these individuals.…...

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Works Cited

ClassicNote on The Crucible (1999). ClassicNotes. 7 April 2003  http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/crucible/fullsumm.html

However, ebecca is convicted of witchcraft by the court, and Hale begins to see the hysteria at work in the community, and begins to feel he is responsible. He tells the judge, "I have this morning signed away the soul of ebecca Nurse, Your Honor. I'll not conceal it, my hand shakes yet as with a wound!" (Miller 92). He begins to see how his own actions helped create more hysteria and confusion, and he questions his faith and his conviction that the Devil exists.
By the end of the play, Hale has become disillusioned with the trials and the hysteria. He says, " I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed…...

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References

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Classics, 2003.

UESTION #2: Was John Proctor essentially a good man? Yes, Proctor was a good man in his heart; he made a mistake by getting involved with Abigail, but when she came back to him hoping to rekindle the flame between them, he turned down the chance for another sexual liaison with a woman much younger than his wife. When the community began to turn hysterical, Proctor was a voice of reason. He advised the arriving "expert" Hale that no children were "afflicted" with witchcraft. Proctor was very candid with his wife in confessing that he had an affair with Abigail. And when he and Abigail later fought, it was just part of the insane atmosphere of accusations and reprisals and guilt; the whole town was in turmoil, so Proctor's action cannot be absolutely held against him. In the effort to clear his wife's name, Proctor shows that he has a…...

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QUESTION #3: Select another character in the film. I select Abigail, an orphan, one of the accused, who was only doing the provocative things a youthful person would do. She is thrown to the wolves and accused by many of the villagers; yes, she has weaknesses, but she is really only a pawn in the game that is being played. She has passion for a man who once loved her, and who can blame her for that? She is a scapegoat, but she also is an accuser, and so her frailty and lack of backbone actually become endearing qualities, compared with the hate and rage. She is like the innocent teen who gets in with the wrong crowd, but she can't extract herself from the terrible situation she has found herself in.

QUESTION #4: Contemporary issues that are like a witch-hunt. In political campaigns, such as were witnessed in America in 2004, those candidates who did not support the executive branch's administering of the "war on terrorism" had their patriotism challenged. Former Senator Tom Daschle was hounded by attack ads that questioned his patriotism; Daschle had questioned some of the spending and the strategies of the Bush Administration, and the Republican Party spend millions on attack ads in his home state when he was running for re-election. He was defeated, a victim of a different kind of witch-hunt. A hunt for those who aren't patriotic enough to support the president no matter what.

QUESTION #5: My reaction: The beginning of the film when the girls are doing their dancing in the forest, deviates very dramatically from the original play, and was apparently designed for filmgoers who did not see the original play. The way the movie portrays the girls, as silly frivolous teens sneaking out of the house to play pseudo-wicked games, in a way takes the gloss off of Arthur Miller's play. Movies have a perfect right to deviate from the original books or plays they were derived from, but in this case it seems the film has taken liberties with the story that stretch credulity. But there is so much chaos, and so many people charge each other in search for a scapegoat. Judge Danforth's court is simply not believable, since his court is interrupted so many times and drifts from one scene to another, from one new charge to another. It is as if he needs to find victims, needs to identify guilty members of the community - even if there are none - in order to keep his job with the government.

However, the storytelling itself seemed to take a backseat to the drama, and it made the film drag in spots.
It also could have been much more innovative in direction and cinematography. The scenes were rich and full, and the director did use some camera angles (such as above in the church/courtroom), and above again in a scene where Abigail "sees" a spirit above her and collapses in the court. However, for the most part, this film lacked real innovation or unconventional techniques, and I think that was a weakness in the film, and part of the reason it became boring by the end. Since it was based on a stage play, most of the film is dialogue, and without some other kind of action or direction, that can stagnate in a film, and it did that here. Sadly, I think this film could have had much more impact if…...

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References

Hytner, N. (1996). The crucible. [Motion Picture.] United States: 20th Century Fox.

Crucible
The itch hunt:

An American Tradition

Off with their heads! Burn them up! e need to cleanse our community of good people from the malevolent designs of the wicked! Yes, people! e are at a critical point in the history of our great nation -- and our very existence is threatened by the Godless in our midst! e must, and we will root out the evil doers by any means necessary...and when I say any means necessary, I call upon the good citizens of this land to be vigilant -- to keep their eyes on anyone who might seem suspicious, for they hide amongst us, friends and neighbors -- yes they do.

Although this sentiment may seem a bit over the top, this is exactly the atmosphere that pervaded the town of Salem, Massachusetts during the period known as the Salem itch Hunts...hat? Did you think I was talking about something else?…...

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Works Cited

Schrecker, Ellen. Communism and National Security: The Menace Emerges. Boston, St. Martin's Press, 1994.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, Penguin. 2003.

The Crucible is a 1953 play written by Arthur Miller, an American playwright, on the Salem tragedy that occurred in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The play is dramatized and somewhat fictionalized the story of these trials through which it provides a parable that extends across centuries. In the dramatized play, the author implies that the relationship between Abigail Williams and John Proctor is the major cause of the witch hunt. However, Miller also points a finger at Thomas and Ann Putman, Reverend John Hale, and Reverend Samuel Parris. This paper seeks to identify which of these characters is the most culpable for the tragedy based on the textual evidence provided by the author. Notably, the town of Salem is not as holy as one would think. One important theme in The Crucible is religion and keeping up with it. Witchcraft is looked down upon and is completely prohibited in this town.
Religion…...

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Works Cited

Johansson, Tobias. "The Crucible and the Reasons for the Salem Witch Hunt." Department of Language and Culture. Lulea University of Technology, 2004. Web. 09 July 2018. .

Lai, Chloe. "The Influential Role of Religion in 'The Crucible'." Prezi. Prezi Inc., 16 June 2013. Web. 09 July 2018. .

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Jordan Hill, Oxford: Heinemann Educational, 1992. Print.

Norman, Destan. "The Crucible: Religion." Prezi. Prezi Inc., 15 Feb. 2016. Web. 09 July 2018. .

Crucible and Guilty by Suspicion
McCarthyism: The American Witch-Hunts

The fear of communism ran rampant amongst the United States during the late 1940s to 1950s; throughout the nation, the fear of communist spies infiltrating the country caused the Second Red Scare, which was spearheaded by Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy. This phenomenon became so well-publicized that its story has been immortalized in film and literature. Such is the case in Arthur Miller's 1952 play The Crucible and Irwin Winkler's 1991 film Guilty by Suspicion. In both McCarthyism-inspired stories, there is a degree of similarities within their thematic showcases of intolerance, hysteria, and reputation.

Both stories certainly have the underlying idea of intolerance, which is suffused in Miller's and Winkler's works. The authorities in The Crucible did not suffer witches, and those who were against the religious ideas of the community became ostracized and accused. In a poignant scene with Judge Danforth, one of the…...

American Crucibles
The Crucible

Contemporary World

American Crucibles

The playwright, Arthur Miller, was born on October 17, 1915 (Hinman et al., 1994). While studying journalism at the University of Michigan he began to write plays and win awards. With a strong interest in the plight of common man, it was inevitable that Miller, writing plays with a current of leftist ideology flowing through them, would capture the attention of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Subpoenaed to appear before HUAC, Miller refused to name names. Fortunately for Miller and American literature, the theatre scene in New York City was relatively immune to efforts to persecute leftists.

As a result of witnessing what was happening to American society under HUAC, Miller writes the now classic play The Crucible. This play is a fictitious account of the events surrounding the witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. ather than write a play that merely…...

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References

Cunningham, Lawrence S. And Reich, John J. (2010). Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities. Volume I. Seventh Ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Hinman, Sheryl, Cobb, Michele Lee, Hopper, Julie, Wafer, Shay, Wolf, Laura et al. (1994). Alive & Aloud: Radio Plays for the Classroom. The Crucible by Arthur Miller. LA Theatre Works. Retrieved 14 Jan. 2013 from  http://www.latw.org/acrobat/crucible.pdf .

Miller, Arthur. (1952). The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

Title 1: "Echoes of the Past: The Profound Impact of Memories on the Human Experience"

Title 2: "The Ripple Effects of Memory: Shaping Lives Through Past Experiences"

Title 3: "Memory's Tapestry: Weaving Identity and Shaping Destiny"

Title 4: "The Memory Crucible: Forging Character and Inspiring Action"

Title 5: "Memory's Labyrinth: Navigating the Maze of Past Events"

Title 6: "The Psychological Imprint of Memory: A Journey Through Time's Echoes"

Title 7: "Memory's Canvas: Painting the Palettes of Our Lives"

Title 8: "The Symphony of Memory: A Harmony of Past, Present, and Future"

Title 9: "Memory's Mirror: Reflecting the Fragility and Resilience of the Human Spirit"

Title 10: "The Legacy of....

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Certainly! Here are some essay topics related to The Crucible:

1. Discuss the role of hysteria in the witch trials in The Crucible.
2. Explore the theme of reputation in The Crucible.
3. Analyze the character of John Proctor and his struggle with personal integrity in The Crucible.
4. How does Arthur Miller use historical events and characters in The Crucible to comment on the McCarthy era?
5. Discuss the symbolism of the title “The Crucible” in relation to the events of the play.
6. What role do fear and manipulation play in the events of The Crucible?
7. Compare and contrast the characters of Abigail Williams....

The Crucible: A Literary Exploration of Power, Hysteria, and the Perils of Accusation

Introduction

Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" is a timeless masterpiece that examines the destructive consequences of fear, paranoia, and mass hysteria. Set during the Salem witch trials of the 17th century, the play offers a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked power and the ease with which individuals can be manipulated into becoming both victims and perpetrators of injustice. This essay will explore various topics pertaining to "The Crucible," delving into the complex themes of power, hysteria, and the perils of accusation that are at the heart of the....