“I think the job of the artist is to remind people of what they have chosen to forget” (“Top Nine Arthur Miller Quotes”). This interesting quote is from Arthur Miller. He was an American writer who focused many of his plays on real life issues like racism and discrimination (“Arthur Miller”). His play The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1692. This was the time of the Salem witch trials. The play The Crucible may have been written 64 years ago, but it is still widely read in American Literature classes today. But why is that? How can a play that was written so long ago still be relevant in the modern world today? Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953. During this time, Joseph McCarthy, a Senator from Wisconsin, started
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Puritans in the 1600s had to follow strict rules like attending church and having no sexual desires unless they were married. These types of nonreligious acts were considered the work of the Devil. In The Crucible, the government is controlled by the religious men of the town. Being a sinner is the same thing as being a criminal. Sneaking out at night and dancing around a fire is sinful behavior and when the girls are caught, they become afraid and stressed out about what might happen to them. Fear and hysteria take control of the girls because their behavior is not considered religiously acceptable. Innocent people are put in jail and executed. Religious intolerance is just as dangerous today as it was in the 1600s. Freedom of religion is a protected right in America. It is protected by the First Amendment, and our country was founded on the idea that people are free to worship any way they want. However, America's history is full of examples of religious intolerance that has led to violence and discrimination (Nussbaum). Probably the most obvious example is the above mentioned discrimination and abuse against Muslims since 9/11, but there are many other examples. Religious discrimination against homosexuals is still present today. In fact, until very recently gay marriage was illegal in this country. Many Christian religions say that homosexuality is a sin against God and that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. It took a Supreme Court ruling in 2015 in favor of gay marriage to force many states to accept it (Tankard). However, even though discrimination on the basis sexual orientation is illegal and the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage, religious intolerance against homosexuals is still a problem in America. An example of religious intolerance that led to violence against gays is the case of Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder (Williams). Matson and Mowder were murdered in
Puritans in the 1600s had to follow strict rules like attending church and having no sexual desires unless they were married. These types of nonreligious acts were considered the work of the Devil. In The Crucible, the government is controlled by the religious men of the town. Being a sinner is the same thing as being a criminal. Sneaking out at night and dancing around a fire is sinful behavior and when the girls are caught, they become afraid and stressed out about what might happen to them. Fear and hysteria take control of the girls because their behavior is not considered religiously acceptable. Innocent people are put in jail and executed. Religious intolerance is just as dangerous today as it was in the 1600s. Freedom of religion is a protected right in America. It is protected by the First Amendment, and our country was founded on the idea that people are free to worship any way they want. However, America's history is full of examples of religious intolerance that has led to violence and discrimination (Nussbaum). Probably the most obvious example is the above mentioned discrimination and abuse against Muslims since 9/11, but there are many other examples. Religious discrimination against homosexuals is still present today. In fact, until very recently gay marriage was illegal in this country. Many Christian religions say that homosexuality is a sin against God and that marriage should only be between a man and a woman. It took a Supreme Court ruling in 2015 in favor of gay marriage to force many states to accept it (Tankard). However, even though discrimination on the basis sexual orientation is illegal and the Supreme Court ruled in favor of gay marriage, religious intolerance against homosexuals is still a problem in America. An example of religious intolerance that led to violence against gays is the case of Gary Matson and Winfield Mowder (Williams). Matson and Mowder were murdered in