What Is Mccarthyism In The Crucible

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In early America, McCarthyism was a broad and tenacious practice. The practice resulted in the many accusations of other people in the United States, without proper regard for evidence. In the story The Crucible, which was written by Arthur Miller in 1953, an allegory of McCarthyism was displayed, along with a dramatized story line. The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. In the novel, Abigail Williams acts as a selfish and manipulative conformist in Salem. Abigail clings to the traditional and accepted behaviors in the small town, falsely accusing others of witchcraft. Just like in today’s modern world, Abigail attempts to conform to the same traditional behaviors around her. In addition, lessons can be taken from Abigail’s’ …show more content…
Numerous lessons can be learned from Abigail’s conformist thinking, by clearly knowing the reason why Abigail acted the way she did in the novel. An article was published in 2011 by the New York Times, seeking to discover the underlying reasons of why teenagers make bad decisions. In one segment it states “…Teenage peer pressure has distinct effect on brain signals involving risk and reward, helping to explain why young people are more likely to misbehave and take risks when their friends are watching (Ojalvo 1).” This lesson could help countless teenagers in today’s world understand the reasons for why they sometimes act a different way when with their around their beloved peers, than by themselves. However, wanting to fit in is not the only confirmative behavior that is relevant in today’s world, and especially in teenagers. Saul McLeod in his article, “What is Conformity” states that conformity can also be displayed because of a desire to be correct, or simply to conform to a social role. McLeod explains important knowledge to adolescents, hinting that conformism is not always a bad thing. Furthermore, Abigail displayed conformism as a way to “fit in” and be like everyone else around her, just like the typical teenager in today’s world. These are a few of the many lessons that can be learned from Abigail in The Crucible. These same lessons are relevant

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