The Use Of Fear In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a classic allegory that draws parallels through the technique of historification between the dark desires and hidden agendas of Salem in 1692 and that of America in the 1950s. The play was written to enable viewers to objectively criticise the onslaught of anti-communist propaganda and manipulation plaguing American society in the 50s. This play was created to reflect the tense McCarthyism era tangent. The chilling performance was produced to help audiences recognise the fear, false accusations and hysteria in their society, exacerbated by the suppression of radical leftism generated by the Red Scare. Since production, the play reveals the damaging effects of dehumanisation and hysteria, that is still relevant …show more content…
This instinctive fear of the ‘Devil’s works’ shaped the citizens of Salem’s thoughts and reactions. This idiosyncratic manipulation of fear towards actions assumed to be related to witchcraft. This insidious fear lead to the automatic, conclusive, ignorant assumption that “unnatural causes” are the answer to the illness of the children of the village. These assumptions are evident when Susanna Walcott said to Reverend Parris that the doctor cannot discover the medical cause.
Susanna [craning around Parris to get a look at Betty]: He [the doctor] bid me come and tell you, reverend sir, that he cannot discover no medicine for it in his books.
Parris: Then he must search
…show more content…
In Australia, a sense of hysteria surrounds our fear of asylum seekers and their stereotypical belief of being connected to terrorist organisations. This belief is reinforced by Tony Abbott’s policy of turning back the boats and urging other European nations as it would resolve their terrorist issues and is the only humanitarian solution. This demonstrates the hysteria in Australia revolving around refugees and their supposed to link to terrorist omissions that is supported by government

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