The Crucible

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The Crucible

• Arthur Miller

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Literary Terms

• Primary Source- an original source written by a
  first-hand witness of an event or from the
  original time period in question
• Secondary Source- a document or recording that
  relates or discusses information originally
  presented elsewhere

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Evaluating Primary Source Documents

• Evaluate what you see in the scene.
• How are the people behaving?
• What might they be thinking?
• Feeling?

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Arthur Miller A Life

• Lived October 17, 1915- February 10, 2005
• Attended the University of Michigan from
  1934-1938
• Graduated with a degree in journalism
• Wrote and produced five plays during college
  career
• Married three times
• Two daughters, one son

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Senator Joseph McCarthy McCarthyism

• Rose to national fame in February 1950 when, in a
  speech, he claimed that he had a list of
  "members of the Communist Party and members of a
  spy ring who worked in the State Department.
• He spent the following several years making
  additional accusations of Communist infiltration
  into the State Department, the administration of
  President Harry S. Truman, and the United States
  Army, among other government entities.
• McCarthy chaired the House Committee on
  Un-American Activities (HUAC) which investigated
  these accusations.

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Arthur Miller and HUAC

• Miller was investigated for possible associations
  with the Communist party from 1953 to 1955.
• In 1956, he was called to testify before the
  House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC).
  
• Only attended meetings looking to advocate social
  justice and equality
• When brought before the committee, he refused to
  name any other attendees.

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Miller and HUAC (cont.)

• Found guilty of contempt
• Later released

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The Red Scare
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The Red Scare

• A time of paranoia and hysteria over communism
• Many government officials were involved or
  accused.
• Many writers, actors, and directors lost their
  jobs
• Many named names to save their own careers

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Salem, 1692
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The Salem Witch Trials

• In 1692, twenty were executed 150 were jailed.
• The Puritan culture attributed its hardships to
  the Devil.
• Several girls in the town began to have seizures
  and lapses of unconsciousness after seeking
  Tituba, a slave from Barbados, for fortunetelling.

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The Salem Witch Trials (cont.)

• Tituba and two elderly women were accused at
  first by the end, many of the communitys most
  prominent citizens were accused.
• Overall nineteen were hanged, four accused died
  in prison, and one was pressed to death
• In 1706, Ann Putnam signs a letter of apology.

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Salem Witch Trials (cont.)

• Samuel Sewell was the only judge to apologize for
  actions.

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Possible Causes

• Hallucinations from spoiled food
• Boredom
• Strict society
• Social cleansing?
• Land dispute

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Connections

• Miller wrote The Crucible as a metaphor for the
  Red Scare in the 1950s.
• He felt there was a witch hunt within the
  government and beyond
• Like the witch trials, it was easier to admit
  guilt than maintain innocence.
• The play is widely performed when social unrest
  is present in a culture.

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20th Century Witch Hunts

• The Holocaust

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20th Century Witch Hunts

• Japanese-American Internment Camps

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20th Century Witch Hunts Racial Profiling

• African Americans
• Native Americans
• Arab/Middle-Eastern decent

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20th Century Witch Hunts Stereotypes

• Homosexuality
• AIDS

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Closing Thoughts

• Be aware of false accusations
• Rumors do harm
• Integrity is key
• Not all things are as they seem