Crucible
The Crucible vs. The Red Scare, a comparative look It has been said that history has a tendency to repeat itself. Never has this case been more evident then with the historical instances of The Red Scare and the events depicted in The Crucible. Both deal with the effects of mass hysteria and the how the accusers are given power and are somewhat placed on a pedestal so that they may look down upon the rest of society and point their accusative finger. What we may take from both of these events however is that we should never condemn people of crimes with out due process and an opportunity to plea to an un biased ear. In many aspects The Crucible and The Red Scare are quite similar. Take for example the accusers in both cases, Abigail Williams and Senator McCarthy. Their words were almost regarded as
Also, in The Red Scare McCarthy's motives were fueled by a thirst for power where Abigail's were not entirely fueled by a thirst for supremacy. Both Abigail and McCarthy used glittering generalities such as " We must purge our society of this evil". No one word dare oppose them for fear of being thought to be trying to break up the investigation and eventually end up being accused them selves. The most obvious difference being the time period in which they occurred. One might also compare the system of values at each of these times. An climate of fear was also prevalent in both societies. Though Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible during The Red Scare to try and remind America of it's sins of the past, many critics simply took it as an excellent play that did not pertain to modern times. Statements such as these were used to brainwash both societies to believe that Abigail and McCarthy were serving "a greater purpose". Abigail had another motive; she lusted for John Proctor and would stop at nothing to eliminate Elizabeth Proctor from her life. Though not a puritan society by any means, the society of the 1950s was one of a strict moral code. People were so afraid of being "tainted by an evil one" that they would have believed that their own mother was a communist or a witch had the "finger of truth" been point that way. Deviation from traditional conformism was not generally accepted by society and people were expected to be like those before them. The Crucible was also meant for an audience so it's historical base has been somewhat warped to make it more appeasing to an audience where as The Red Scare was a strict account of historical facts in our nation's history.
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Acceptance Essays
