People are political beings by nature, and it is in the representation of this that our behaviours and construct is contrived. This is true of Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, a political allegory presenting the similarities between the Salem witch trials and the investigations of HUAC in the early 1950s, as well as Stephen Frear’s 2000 film Fail Safe, an exploration of the heightened tensions of the Cold War era. Both texts illustrate that power lead’s to a notion of self-importance and undeniable fear and paranoia in the face of misguided ideologies.
The Crucible shows the power of inflamed imagination, an ideal environment for the pervading attitude of self-interest seen in the McCarthy trials and the Salem community, perfectly epitomised …show more content…
With most of its people dead? Its vegetation burned off? Do you really think that the world you describe is a culture?” when the Professor reveals his hope for America to be the surviving “culture.” The characterisation of Professor Groeteschele shows the overriding capitalist mindset, particularly when the destruction of New York becomes inevitable and he says, “Our first priority would be excavation. Not of the dead, but of the financial records. Our economy depends upon it,” the panning of the room showing the horror of his colleagues at the insensitivity of his words, halting over a medium shot of Secretary Swenson, mouth open in disbelief. By placing so much importance on the value of money, the value of life is decreased significantly, showing the downfalls a thirst for control and power can have.
Humans are a political species; their philosophies and beliefs shape the way they respond to the world around them, and when a need for power permeates these politics the balance of life is significantly altered, as explained in The Crucible and Fail Safe, when the self-interest and misguided ideologies result in an atmosphere of fear and paranoia, emphasising the need for truth and clarity for the successful running of
The Crucible shows the power of inflamed imagination, an ideal environment for the pervading attitude of self-interest seen in the McCarthy trials and the Salem community, perfectly epitomised …show more content…
With most of its people dead? Its vegetation burned off? Do you really think that the world you describe is a culture?” when the Professor reveals his hope for America to be the surviving “culture.” The characterisation of Professor Groeteschele shows the overriding capitalist mindset, particularly when the destruction of New York becomes inevitable and he says, “Our first priority would be excavation. Not of the dead, but of the financial records. Our economy depends upon it,” the panning of the room showing the horror of his colleagues at the insensitivity of his words, halting over a medium shot of Secretary Swenson, mouth open in disbelief. By placing so much importance on the value of money, the value of life is decreased significantly, showing the downfalls a thirst for control and power can have.
Humans are a political species; their philosophies and beliefs shape the way they respond to the world around them, and when a need for power permeates these politics the balance of life is significantly altered, as explained in The Crucible and Fail Safe, when the self-interest and misguided ideologies result in an atmosphere of fear and paranoia, emphasising the need for truth and clarity for the successful running of