Summary “The Devil in Massachusetts: A Modern Enquiry Into the Salem Witch Trial” by Marion L. Starkey is a historical novel based upon facts of people and events surrounding the Salem Witch Trials. The format of the book is a narrative, with dialogue from actual trial records. The trial records are applied with a modern psychiatric knowledge, surrounding the witchcraft hysteria. Starkey recreates the sense of pity and terror that surrounded Salem and the suffering that many innocent people endured during the time. “The Devil in Massachusetts” presents an account of the accusers, accused, prosecutors and defenders surrounding the trials at Salem.
The Crucible Aurthur Miller wrote The Crucible as an allegory to the "witch hunts" of the Communist party in the 1950s. Much like Reverend Hale, an expert on witchcraft, Joseph McCarthy turned the blacklist of Communism into fear for many people. An allegory is a written work that tells one story but refers to another. Miller's The Crucible writes of witches and black magic to convey the story of an illegal and frustrating assault upon those who embrace Communism. Miller's literary work exposed both intense and disturbing times in American history.
But it is the Haymarket tragedy of 1886 where anarchists and a bomb exploded killing police officers that we find the inter connection of local police agencies, robber baron business leaders, cash payoffs to law enforcement officers and the privileging American values of family flag and church as the beginning stages of a network towards the repression of the political left. We do see in the 1930s a Communist Party more Americanized than other scholars indicate. With the Communist Party’s involvement in the civil war in Spain against anti-fascists forces and with helping to unionize in America during the Great Depression the CP according to Schrecker was beginning to build a following, they were on the Scottsboro boys court case in Alabama and soon became the,” unofficial left-wing of the new deal.”” Placing Jefferson Jackson Lincoln alongside Marx Engels and Lenin.
Truman in the late 1940s, started to introduce doctrines that moved for the “containment” of communist expansion and influence in Europe. There was also the fear of an internal communist threat that spurred the creation of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). The HUAC held public investigations and tried to uncover communist toleration and subversion. One notorious investigation was against Alger Hiss, who was accused of passing classified documents to the Soviet Union in 1937 and 1938. In 1950 the McCarran Internal Security Act passed and required communist organizations to publish their records, and register with the government.
Antigone expects Creon to bury her brother just because they are family. " " Antigone has different beliefs then her uncle, Creon. She does this, to some extent, to defy Creon but also to allow Polynices to have a good after-life. “A higher law exists than that of of man’s, and that is the law of God.” (Woods 73). Antigone believes that without burying her brother he will not have a good after-life.
Arthur Miller highlights these themes by using a range of techniques like melodrama, metaphors and different language methods. Using the historical subject of the Salem Witch trials, Arthur Miller's play (1953) presents an allegory for events in America. The Salem Witch Trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, and were based on the accusations of a 12 year old girl named Anne Putnam. Moreover a man named Samuel Parris leaded the prosecution of many witches in Massachusetts, 19 people were hanged and one was pressed to death over the following two years. Miller’s play employs these historical events to criticize the moments in humankind’s history.
As Antigone fights against the authority to bury polynecies she comes into conflict with her uncle, Creon. Creon decides that she is to be punished even though she is family. He also gives her a chance to say that it wasn’t her, but she takes pride in the honor of her brother, and pride in the struggle that she went through to stay faithful to her family. This leads to conflict between her and Creon which diminishes their relationship “I intend to give my brother burial. I’ll be glad to die in the attempt,-- if it’s a crime, then it’s a crime that God commands.” This is stated by Antigone and it is showing that she would give her life to stay loyal to her family and to give her unburied brother the proper
In Arthur Miller’s most well known play, the Crucible, Miller relates the tragic hysteria of the 17th Century Salem Witch Trials to the hype of communism in the 1950’s. Miller demonstrates that when authorities become corrupted by fear of suspicion and fear of mistrust, members of society purge their emotions on others and use them as scapegoats. As the play progresses Miller illustrates that there is something to be gained from standing up for one’s beliefs, no matter what the costs may be. To ‘stand up’ is defined as one or more people siding with and defending a point of view or belief. This is shown through the fates of the falsely accused John Proctor, Giles Corey and Rebecca Nurse.
Laertes is Claudius’s right hand man and if he got hold of the information that Hamlet is faking insanity, he would unquestionably report it to the king and that will foil Hamlet’s quest for revenge in the future. Ophelia always complies with her father as she follows his advice in matters of Hamlet as she denies Hamlet’s visits and refuses his letters. Thus, Hamlet should make Ophelia believe that he has lost his sanity for his plan to work out and that wouldn’t be possible if he marries Ophelia. To add on, Ophelia’s devoted obedience to her father makes Hamlet allege that Ophelia is deceptive and unfaithful. Hamlet is angry with Ophelia and in rage, he tells her that her beauty is dishonest and that he did love Ophelia once and at the same time, he never did.
Steinbeck is indirectly saying that structured religion is an important thing, because informalized religion can lead to Pagan beliefs, and many different opinions. When Joseph Wayne says that man's reasons are 'words to clothe a naked thing, and the thing is ridiculous in clothes.' most likely is interpreted as him believing that structured religion is not important. Also with him believing structured religion isn't important, he begins to have his own beliefs, such as how he believes the tree holds his father's spirit, and how he feels about the large rock in the forest. Wayne also puts his son in the crotch of the tree limbs, and he hangs dead animals in the branches, which represent offerings to the tree.