Former president Abraham Lincoln once said, “nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man 's character, give him power.” The quotes’ significance refers to the impact that power has on an individual. The individual’s power can then cause a group or society to become supporters of an event such as the Los Angeles riots which occurred due to the unlawful actions of the police towards Rodney King III. Signs of mob hysteria were present in the McCarthy era to which Joseph McCarthy was the culprit of the false accusations towards the American people and those in government positions. McCarthy was able to carry-out the accusations with the aid of fear within the Senate and the citizens of the United States. During the McCarthyism
…show more content…
The book, The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, established a scenario in which one individual was capable of bewildering an entire town. The book was influenced by the Salem Witch trials and the events of the McCarthy era and conveyed the power that one person can possess; a character that possessed that power in The Crucible was Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams was in a state of corruption throughout the book in which clear evidence shows that she was given many opportunities to to admit the accusations were merely lies. Proctor states, “I come to tell you, Abby, what I will do tomorrow in the court. I would not take you by surprise, but give you all good time to think on what to do to save yourself” (151). The quote from Proctor to Abigail confirms the idea of the many windows of opportunity the person producing the false accusations had to end the lies, but as shown in the book, Abigail refused to do so. There was one character that had the power to end the atrocities, but nevertheless, that character sustained an ongoing act of mere lies and accusations that only persevered from the fear of the inferior …show more content…
Any refusal to cooperate in court, such as the action taken by the infamous Hollywood Ten, was seen as a sign of having communist influences. The Hollywood Ten were members of the Hollywood film industry in which they were accused of “infecting” the minds of Americans through the films produced. These ten individuals refused to answer any questions regarding any affiliation with communist ideology or naming names of those who are indeed communists. Due to their actions, the suspicion of the ten being communists grew, and as a result, they were jailed and banned from Hollywood. This act of Congress ruined the ten individual’s careers for refusing to cooperate with HUAC. Arthur Miller was one of the individuals listed in the blacklist and wrote The Crucible, which was inspired by the McCarthy era and the Salem Witch Trials; the book contained the same concept of one person having the power to create such lies that a large group of people would be confident in believing, otherwise known as mob
The book, The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, established a scenario in which one individual was capable of bewildering an entire town. The book was influenced by the Salem Witch trials and the events of the McCarthy era and conveyed the power that one person can possess; a character that possessed that power in The Crucible was Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams was in a state of corruption throughout the book in which clear evidence shows that she was given many opportunities to to admit the accusations were merely lies. Proctor states, “I come to tell you, Abby, what I will do tomorrow in the court. I would not take you by surprise, but give you all good time to think on what to do to save yourself” (151). The quote from Proctor to Abigail confirms the idea of the many windows of opportunity the person producing the false accusations had to end the lies, but as shown in the book, Abigail refused to do so. There was one character that had the power to end the atrocities, but nevertheless, that character sustained an ongoing act of mere lies and accusations that only persevered from the fear of the inferior …show more content…
Any refusal to cooperate in court, such as the action taken by the infamous Hollywood Ten, was seen as a sign of having communist influences. The Hollywood Ten were members of the Hollywood film industry in which they were accused of “infecting” the minds of Americans through the films produced. These ten individuals refused to answer any questions regarding any affiliation with communist ideology or naming names of those who are indeed communists. Due to their actions, the suspicion of the ten being communists grew, and as a result, they were jailed and banned from Hollywood. This act of Congress ruined the ten individual’s careers for refusing to cooperate with HUAC. Arthur Miller was one of the individuals listed in the blacklist and wrote The Crucible, which was inspired by the McCarthy era and the Salem Witch Trials; the book contained the same concept of one person having the power to create such lies that a large group of people would be confident in believing, otherwise known as mob