Julius and Ethel Rosenberg

Sylvia Plath clearly embeds the story of Esther Greenwood into the political situation of the time. The Bell Jar introduces its setting by referring to the execution of the Rosenbergs. In the summer of 1953 Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of and electrocuted for espionage. It was believed that they had passed secret US military information on nuclear weapons on to Soviet Intelligence. The fear of the so-called “red scare” was omnipresent, and it was believed that more and more people…

During the infamous Age of McCarthyism, Communism was avoided as if it were some strange virus instead of an ideology. Being accused of being a communist, or even a someone who sympathized with the party was not something to be taken lightly. Even today, the word communism has a bit of a negative connotation to it. So why would anyone be a communist? And looking past the mass hysteria and fear, what did it really mean to be a communist in the 1950s? Looking through different first hand accounts…

Bradbury’s dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451, illuminates the dark and cynical truth of life in the United States during the 1950’s. Characterized by the rise in economic prosperity, the booming population and a high standard of living. However, underneath the unprecedented growth, social unrest ran rampant as fear of a third nuclear World War with Russia beckoned. Furthermore, the early 1950’s were highlighted by McCarthyism a widespread social and cultural phenomenon that created a widespread…

Meet the Author Ray Bradbury is a renowned writer who published over five-hundred different pieces of literature, such as numerous books, screen plays, operas, and poems. Bradbury impacted many people from his writings, influencing them to think of the future and focus on their dreams. Ray Bradbury was born on August 22, 1920 in Waukegan, Illinois. Born into a poor family of seven, he used writing to entertain himself as a young child through his teen years. He had a great imagination and had…

After WWII tensions between the East and West would intensify following US concerns over Soviet plans for expansion and global influence, along with Russia’s attitude towards the West, which had put a strain on any peaceful co-existence that the US may have envisioned. Similar to US concerns, Russian Kremlin Joseph Stalin had also viewed the Western world as a threat to the long term goals of communist Russia. The creation of government agencies such as the CIA, MI6, and the KGB had been formed…