After World War II drew to a conclusion, the long Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union began. In the 1950s, tensions ran high between America and its one-time ally, and fear of the Communists was widespread. Joseph McCarthy, a little known senator from Wisconsin, exploited the fears of the masses in an attempt to gain popularity and a good reputation. He declared that not only did Americans face the Communist threat overseas. McCarthy spearheaded an effort to rid the country of Communism in a mass movement called the Red Scare.
In 1692, the Salem witch trials led to much chaos and confusion. Approximately nineteen victims were killed due to the accusation of witchcraft practice. Specific characters led to the controversy of the witch trials causing conflict between the innocent and the guilty. Reverend Hale is a revered individual of the court in the beginning of the play due to the witch trials because he stands by the authority and its laws. As the play continues he later realizes the blasphemy of the court's accusations and tries his best to stop the trial and saved all the innocent people.
Hysteria leads the people of Salem to believe that those who were friends are executing witchery and associating themselves with the devil. The continuous accusations of witchery present the people of Salem with a chance to redeem long-term grudges. The abundant case of Abigail Williams uses the current situation to indict charges on Elizabeth Proctor, having her sent to jail. Not to be entirely blamed, Reverend Parries also pronounces his placement in society by accusing the people who question his authority. Hysteria can prosper from those who feed off of it.
Body Paragraph #1 A. Topic sentence : Arthur Miller’s development of Fear in The Crucible is parallel to the fear that was experienced in the 1950’s. B. CD #1: Abigail accuses Tituba of being a witch and to prevent herseld from being hanged, Tituba confesses that she was doing witchcraft (Miller 45-49). C. CM #1.A. : Being accused of being witch in Salem, Massachusetts was alarming because even if one was innocent, they are still held guilty D. CM #1.B: One could infer that the morals of society dictated that a person wasn’t “Innocent until proven guilty” but rather they were “guilty until proven innocent.” E. CD #2: “ [ In Hollywood] blacklists were quickly circulated of
It fair to say, in addition, that if his betrayal caused this extensive pain that clouded him after he murders Duncan, Banquo and the Macduff’s that it wasn’t a case of fate and was his own doing. However is he to blame? Or does the bulk fall on Lady Macbeth and the three witches. From his very first meeting with the witches, Macbeth's mind became instantly plagued with thoughts of murder and treachery a trait that was instantly noticed by Banquo "Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear; Things that do sound so fair?" showing us that the thought of murder was already at the back of his mind.
Throughout the years, witchcraft has been the common fear of mankind. In England, the legal definition of a witch was “a person who hath a conference with the devil to consult with him or to do some act”. In early modern Europe, women were thought to be witches due to their biblical association with the devil, the superstitions and misunderstanding of the people of Europe, and the negative perceptions of those who deviated from the social norm. As a result, these beliefs and superstitions led to the death of thousands of alleged witches. (Witch Hunts) Witches were thought to be consults of the devil who gave up their bodies and led others away from the church for the devil in exchange for otherworldly power.
The perhaps most critical theme in ‘The Crucible’ is the role that hysteria can play in tearing apart a community. Hysteria replaces logic and enables people to believe that their neighbors, whom they have always considered upstanding people, are committing absurd and unbelievable crimes—communing with the devil, killing babies, and so on. In ‘The Crucible’, the townsfolk accept and become active in the hysterical climate not only out of genuine religious faithfulness but also because it gives them a chance to express repressed sentiments and to act on long-held grudges. The most obvious case is Abigail, who uses the situation to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft and have her sent to jail. But others thrive on the hysteria as well: Reverend Parris strengthens his position within the village, albeit temporarily, by making scapegoats of people like Proctor who question his authority.
In this case, a psychotic named Daniel M’Naghten intentionally killed an assistant to a prime minister of England because he believed he was being persecuted. The defendant pleaded insanity at the trial. Physician’s conclusions were based on hearing the testimony and observing the defendant’s behavior. After the judge looked over the physician’s opinion, the prosecution agreed to stop the case and the defendant was declared insane. The Queen and House of Lords strongly disapproved of the verdict, so they called on
Hysteria in Salem In 1692, in Salem Massachusetts, the superstition of witches existed in a society of strong Christian beliefs. Anybody who acted out of the ordinary was accused of being a witch and the accused would actually be forgiven if they blamed their accusations on another individual. In this play, a group of young girls is accused of being witches. These girls then blame other people in order to get out of trouble and even pretend to be "bewitched" in front of the court during a trial. This leads into the deaths of the innocent people who are accused and automatically found guilty.
******** English 29, May, 2012 Composition Essay In the two stories, Fahrenheit 451 and Harrison Bergrgon, the authors are warning the readers what could happen. In these stories we have it clearly illustrated the examples of totalitarian governments that are wicked. The governments are oppressive; they try to create a perfect society by use of force and fear, eventually the people rebel and flee, and result in war and death. In the book Fahrenheit 451, the government burned the books and the people just watched interactive television all the time. In Harrison Bergrgon, the government gave the people disabilities and flaws to equalize them.