He has wanted his Incarnate Legions to Persecute us, as the People of God have in the other Hemisphere been Persecuted: he has therefore drawn forth his more spiritual ones to make an attacque upon us. Read the document introduction and transcript and apply your knowledge of American history in order to answer these questions. Nevertheless, the reasons for the decline in the witch hunts are as difficult to discern as the reasons for their origins. She confessed to witchcraft and accused others. Samuel Parris moved to Salem Village in 1688, a candidate for the position of Salem Village minister. First performed in January of 1953 at the height of America's red scare, The Crucible is first and foremost a political argument, relating the Salem witchcraft trials to their contemporary equivalent in Miller's time, the McCarthy hearings. Whether she was aware of the political conflicts around Massachusetts' status as a colony is not known. "In Act 1, what explanation does Miller give as to why the witch hunts developed in such a community in The Crucible?" For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as Latest answer posted November 22, 2020 at 12:05:25 PM, In The Crucible, explain what Elizabeth means when she says, "He have his goodness now, God forbid I take it from him. The Black Death: Europes Deadliest Pandemic in Human History. The Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation heightened the fear of witchcraft by promoting the idea of personal piety (the individual alone with his or her Bible and God), which enhanced individualism while downplaying community. It was this combination of sorcery and its association with the Devil that made Western witchcraft unique. A character named Abigail in the play acquired immense power, and manipulated the situations in the witch trials. Puritan Americans viewed physical wants and desires as a threat to society and work of the Devil. In this remarkably observed gesture of a troubled young girl, I believed, a play became possible. The author writes in a satiric tone to mock the McCarthyism era of communism. The term 'witch-hunt' has become entrenched in our vocabulary and our consciousness to mean, metaphorically, any act which purposely seeks out to punish those who hold unpopular views or. Jone Johnson Lewis is a women's history writer who has been involved with the women's movement since the late 1960s. Arrest warrants were also issued for Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. Miller presents the idea that vengeance ruins peoples lives or reputation so that you can get what you want and be satisfied. Like the Inquisition, the Parlement of Paris (the supreme court of northern France) severely restrained the witch hunts. Biography of Elizabeth Parris, Accuser in the Salem Witch Trials, A Brief History of the Salem Witchcraft Trials, Biography of Rebecca Nurse, Victim of the Salem Witch Trials, Profile of Elizabeth How, Persecuted Salem Witch, Rev. The latter was the greatest evil of the system, for a victim might be forced to name acquaintances, who were in turn coerced into naming others, creating a long chain of accusations. Proctor house. Therefore, to create unity, one also had to exclude and prohibit those who could threaten it. The Salem Witch Trials were a product of this fear and uncertainty that eventually overwhelmed the village for more than a year. For The Crucible, Miller aged Abigail up from her actual age of 11 to a more easily sexualized 17, while aging down John Procter, who was historically 60 at the time the trials went down to 35. Lewis, Jone Johnson. It was also, and as importantly, a long overdue opportunity for every-one so inclined to express publicly his guilt and sins, under the cover of accusations against the victims.'. Countries that were predominantly Catholic such as Spain, did not endure the scourge of witch-hunting to the same extent as those that experienced religious unrest. How does Abigail turn the court against Mary Warren in The Crucible? Ecclesiastical and civil authorities usually tried to restrain witch trials and rarely manipulated witch hunts to obtain money or power. One of the most known is The Holocaust that happened during WWII. EDSITEment lesson Dramatizing History in Arthur Millers The Crucible, offers an engaging series of activities for students to examine the ways in which Miller interpreted the facts of the witch trials and successfully dramatized them. In Mexico the Franciscan friars linked indigenous religion and magic with the Devil; prosecutions for witchcraft in Mexico began in the 1530s, and by the 1600s indigenous peasants were reporting stereotypical pacts with the Devil. Studying the American and European witch hunts today serves as a reminder of how hardship can bring out the very worst in people, turning neighbor against neighbor and brother against brother. Tituba, also known as Tituba Indian, was an enslaved person and servant whose birth and death dates are unknown. Also, the clergy in authority expounded punishment, rather than penitence and forgiveness, for those deemed witches. Fear, accusations, and doing things for personal gain is a natural human instinct. The largest account of witch trials as well as deaths by witch trials occurred in Salem, a village heavily populated with the Puritans. Arthur Miller in the play, The Crucible, suggests that people of society create a separation between outsiders and insiders of the town, often prosecuting the outsiders to make them stand out even more from society. The witch trials offer a window into the anxieties and social tensions that accompanied New England's increasing integration into . Presumably, whoever paid the fine had become Tituba's enslaver. This is highly similar to the homicides that led to rise of the #BlackLivesMatter Movement. Like the Spanish colonies, the English colonies repeated the European stereotype with a few minor differences. In early 1692, three girls with connections to the Parris household began to exhibit strange behavior. How Rye Bread May Have Caused the Salem Witch Trials. As questions of, When witchcraft arose, the state began executing anyone affiliated with witchery. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Tituba, also known as Tituba Indian, was an enslaved person and servant whose birth and death dates are unknown. In an article called The Single Greatest Witch Hunt in American History, For real by Stacy Schiff, a small village in Massachusetts is being accused of being involved with witchcraft and they are testing people and most are giving into the stronger people just to get out of trouble. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is based on the true events of the Salem witch trials. The dramatic changes of the characters show how people in late 1600s managed to get through the accusations of witchcraft and moreover how the accusers and or condemners were able to handle the chaotic event. What is it about this particular tragic segment of American history that appeals to the creative imagination? While people were being falsely accused of witchery without definite facts. Tituba herself is hardly mentioned in the records after her initial arrest, examination, and confession. eNotes Editorial, 4 Aug. 2011, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/in-act-1-what-explanation-does-miller-give-as-to-270640. ", EDSITEment is a project of theNational Endowment for the Humanities, Salem Witch Trials: Understanding the Hysteria, Origins of Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Arthur Miller wrote this play to symbolize 1950s McCarthyism. In pointing out this paradox, Miller suggests that the witch hunts exposed the failure of the Puritan theocracy. Accessed 4 Mar. They believed in short that they held in their steady hands the candle that would light the world. In a piece over at The Daily Beast, Maria Dahvana Headley writes about Arthur Millers history with Marilyn Monroe, and how that affected his plays, which perpetuated very specific ideas about women through the American literary canon. Because we are all taught that if we listen to women too closely, that way lies the unraveling of the fabric of society. It would, however, be incorrect to suggest that witch-hunting was something wielded against ones opponents during the many cases of civil unrest ignited by the Reformation. Though the Salem trials took place just as. Tituba and The Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Students can make very profitable comparisons between the two tragic heroes: The Manchurian Candidates Staff Sergeant Raymond Shaw, and The Crucible's John Proctor. Poor, poor men and their cold wives and their not being able to help being drawn to younger women only to ruin their lives, too. "What are the reasons Miller gives for the Salem witch hunts?" Also the fact people would accuse people of witchcraft which would then accuse other people of witchcraft and etc. In act 4 of The Crucible, why does John Proctor decide to confess but refuse to sign a written confession? The events in Salem and other towns in New England took place in a region of isolated villages and towns. Soon, people feared, communist ways would come to the United States and would quickly corrupt the government system. In act 4 of The Crucible, why does John Proctor decide to confess but refuse to sign a written confession? . Other peers of Miller's, such as playwright Clifford Odets and actor Lee J. Cobb, also testified. With The Crucible, Miller extrapolated that, citing womens instability when it came to the instability of an entire community. Accusations originated with the ill-will of the accuser, or, more often, the accusers fear of someone having ill-will toward him. 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Essential Quotes by Character: John Proctor, Critical Context (Masterplots II: Juvenile & Young Adult Literature Series), Critical Context (Comprehensive Guide to Drama). So for a brief explanation, McCarthyism was carried out under senator Joseph McCarthy during 1950-1954 against alleged communist in the US government and in other institutions. The next day, Betty and Abigail named Tituba as a cause of their behavior. It makes one wonder why older men continuously try to have relationships with them, huh? Indeed, Miller uses witchcraft and the Salem witch trials as a metaphor for situations wherein those who are in power accuse those who challenge them of suspect behavior in order to destroy them. She is a tour guide in Glasnevin Cemetery Museum, a popular historical site in Dublin, and a published fiction and non-fiction writer. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Conventional wisdom has it that mankind has evolved so far that the idea of targeting innocents is no longer an issue; however, Senator McCarthy and targeting of innocent Muslims after 9/11 remind us that witch hunts still exists in modern times. In Spain, Portugal, and southern Italy, witch prosecutions seldom occurred, and executions were very rare. The settlers of New England faced innumerable struggles and hardships. In that examination, Tituba confessed, naming both Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good as witches and describing their spectral movements, including meeting with the devil. Thus creating the different movements to bring awareness to the situations and hope that the citizens will work to change and or stop these homicides from happening. The overwhelming majority of processes, however, went no farther than the rumour stage, for actually accusing someone of witchcraft was a dangerous and expensive business. (Include at least one play by an American dramatist.). Sarah Good claimed her innocence but implicated Tituba and Osborne. I Need To Know What 'Very Bland' Opinion Got J.K. Rowling Kicked Out of a Harry Potter Forum, Disney Found a Way To Make Us Care About Peter Pan Again, 'The Mandalorian' Makes It Pretty Clear Where Gina Carano's Cara Dune Went, 'Quantumania' Writer Shares Painful Thoughts on All the Negative Reviews, Jack Black Once Again Proves His Excellence in Super Mario Bros. Movie, Is Grogu Related to Yoda? Miller's extensive stage directions suggest several reasons why the Witch Trials had to take place in Salem. Very few accusations went beyond the village level. To fully understand what caused the witch-hunt, one must analyze the triggers behind these feelings. He presents a situation of opposition where some characters are, In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, several innocent citizens were killed or harmed in some way for unjustified reasons. The witch hunts varied enormously in place and in time, but they were united by a common and coherent theological and legal worldview. Describe a relatively recent historical event that resembles the situation that unfolded in Salem. What is a quote said by John Proctor in Act 3 in which he reveals his sin of adultery? The play is set in Puritan Society in the late 1600s in Salem, where most people are devout Christians and hold a strong belief of both God and the Devil. Both he and you are wrong. This was a dissertation that endorsed witch-hunting and is believed to have inspired Shakespeares Macbeth. If theyre that much trouble? By directing blame for misfortune upon others, various populations across Europe succumbed to the mass panic and collective fear ignited by those in authority. Folklore and accounts of trials indicate that a woman who was not protected by a male family member might have been the most likely candidate for an accusation, but the evidence is inconclusive. The most common suspicions concerned livestock, crops, storms, disease, property and inheritance, sexual dysfunction or rivalry, family feuds, marital discord, stepparents, sibling rivalries, and local politics. Another was Abigail Williams, age 12, called "kinfolk" or a "niece" of Rev. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/tituba-salem-witch-trials-3530572. The Salem witch trials, which resulted in several deaths in 1692 in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, have never been adequately explained. This was a time when paranoia, hysteria, and deceit gripped the Puritan towns of New England. He says they were caused by everyone being paranoid of the witches. Although the lurid trials at Salem (now in Massachusetts) continue to draw much attention from American authors, they were only a swirl in the backwater of the witch hunts. B.A. Society was undeniably affected by witch hunts, as people did everything in their power to either free themselves from blame or accuse someone else. More differences existed among Protestants and among Catholics than between the two religious groups, and regions in which Protestant-Catholic tensions were high did not produce significantly more trials than other regions. While she was imprisoned, two others accused her of being one of two or three women whose specters they'd seen flying. The visible role played by women in some heresies during this period may have contributed to the stereotype of the witch as female. In 1692 hundreds of people were sitting in jail for being witches, but none of them were really witches. Most readers are unfamiliar with McCarthyism. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. Where previously it was believed no mortal could control the weather, European Christians gradually came to believe that witches could. Yet one general explanation is valid: the unique character of the witch hunts was consistent with the prevailing worldview of intelligent, educated, experienced people for more than three centuries. How can history be dramatic, and how can drama bring history to life? We do not know if the enslavement of Tituba was the settlement of a debt, though that story has been accepted by some. For example, The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, an episode of Rod Serlings Twilight Zone series, may provide students and teachers an opportunity to examine the phenomenon of mass hysteria. The outbreak at Salem, where 19 people were executed, was the result of a combination of church politics, family feuds, and hysterical children, all in a vacuum of political authority. They were a wide cultural, social, political phenomenon. For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as Latest answer posted November 22, 2020 at 12:05:25 PM, In The Crucible, explain what Elizabeth means when she says, "He have his goodness now, God forbid I take it from him. 2023. Who are the experts?Our certified Educators are real professors, teachers, and scholars who use their academic expertise to tackle your toughest questions. As a result of such ideas, by the late 15th century, witches were considered as followers of the Devil. What is the setting for Act 2? Arthur Miller includes Tituba in his 1952 play, "The Crucible", which uses the Salem witch trials as a metaphor or analogy to 20th century McCarthyism, the pursuit, and "blacklisting" of accused Communists. . Young women were sometimes accused of infanticide, but midwives and nurses were not particularly at risk. These witch hunts warn against collective thought and unjust persecution and even to this day provide a useful and relevant metaphor for all those who believe themselves victims of unjustified outrage. Copyright 2023 IPL.org All rights reserved. The story in The Crucible begins with how the paranoia and the following witch hunt started in Salem. John Hale, were called in by Parris. They believe that witches work with the devil and that they can see the devil and his followers. For instance Putnam accuses people whose land he covets, while Abigail wants rid of Elizabeth Proctor, her rival for John Proctor's affections. ", In their book Salem Possessed, Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum remark upon the prominent place the Salem witch trials have in America's cultural consciousness. In 1689 Parris was formally called as the minister, given a full deed to the parsonage, and the Salem Village church charter was signed. Latest answer posted December 16, 2019 at 7:31:02 AM. The "parochial snobbery" as well as a "predilection for minding other people's businesses" helped to make Salem a prime place for the trials to emerge and the charges of witchcraft to emerge on such a wide scale. Already a member? But since the controversy included withholding salary and payment in firewood, and Parris complained about the effect on his family, Tituba probably would also have felt the shortage of firewood and food in the house. This definitely often refers to a courtroom trial in particular. According to a theory posited by economists Leeson and Russ, churches across Europe sought to prove their strength and orthodoxy by relentlessly pursuing witches, demonstrating their prowess against the Devil and his followers. On February 29, 1692, an arrest warrant was issued for Tituba in Salem Town. The events in 1692 parallel the witch hunts in 1950s. Four-year-old accused witch Dorcas Good went insane after spending months in prison and watching her baby sister die while in jail with their mother, who was later hanged. In his telling, witch hunts are perpetrated by the marginalized rather than upon them, since, when sex is involved, women are inclined toward group-malice, sexual irrationality, and wholesale. why did the witch-hunts occur? Maleficium was a threat not only to individuals but also to public order, for a community wracked by suspicions about witches could split asunder. Charges of maleficium were prompted by a wide array of suspicions. In the article Are You Now or Were You Ever, Arthur Miller claims that the McCarthy era and the Salem witch trials were similar and he does this through his choice of diction, figurative language, and rhetorical questions. Miller sums up his experience with the benefit of hindsight: "I am glad that I managed to write The Crucible, but looking back I have often wished I'd had the temperament to do an absurd comedy, which is what the situation deserved. The Little Ice Age was a period of climate change characterized by severe weather, famine, sequential epidemics, and chaos. The Reformation, Counter-Reformation, war, conflict, climate change, and economic recession are all some of the factors that influenced the witch hunts across the two continents in various ways. Under the rules of the colony, similar to rules in England, even someone found innocent had to pay for expenses incurred to imprison and feed them before they could be released. For example, if something bad happened to John that could not be readily explained, and if John felt that Richard disliked him, John may have suspected Richard of harming him by occult means. Already a member? It used to be that women were only madthemselvesbecause of their lusts. According to Miller, what caused the witch-hunts? Headquarters: 49 W. 45th Street 2nd Floor New York, NY 10036, Our Collection: 170 Central Park West New York, NY 10024 Located on the lower level of the New-York Historical Society, 20092023 The effects of conflicts such as the Thirty Years War were exacerbated by the drastic Little Ice Age with which they coincided, especially in regard to the European witch hunts. "It would probably never have occurred to me to write a play about the Salem witch trials of 1692 had I not seen some astonishing correspondences with that calamity in the America of the late 40s and early 50s. Become a subscriber and support the site! Witches sought to gain or preserve health, to acquire or retain property, to protect against natural disasters or evil spirits, to help friends, and to seek revenge. The North Berwick trials serve as one of the more famous examples of witches being held responsible for bad weather. Scholars have attempted to answer these questions with a variety of economic and physiological theories. During this time, witches and conspiring with the devil were frowned upon by the Puritan church, and were the cause of much fear and suspicion. Another approach would be to have students read and analyze the following informational text by Miller, which recollects his personal experience with the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1956 when he refused to name names. Miller was convicted June 1, 1957 for contempt of Congress. But there was one entry in Upham in which the thousands of pieces I had come across were jogged into place. With tensions running high, many turned to inculcate the more vulnerable members of society. As competition flared up following the Reformation, churches turned towards offering salvation from sin and evil to their congregations. In the play "The Crucible," Arthur Miller uses a great trial in the Salem witch trials to describe how he felt during the Red Scare in the 1950's. The Red Scare was a national hunt for Communists, or "Reds" as they were called. And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! How do you think Miller uses setting to help create mood in Act I? They believed that witches were quite real and a gateway into the dark side, the Devil and all that. In his telling, witch hunts are perpetrated by the marginalized rather than upon them, since, when sex is involved, women are inclined toward group-malice, sexual irrationality, and wholesale invention. The accusations of witchcraft - at a time when many peope did actively believe in the supernatural - become both a means and a cover for the pursuit of private conflicts. Tituba was among the first three people accused of being a witch during the Salem witch trials of 1692. Little is known of Tituba's background or even origin. How Does Arthur Miller Use Witch Hunts In The Crucible. While the European witch hunts had more or less declined by the mid to late 17th century, they increased in the American Colonies, particularly in Puritan societies. Three women and two infants died while imprisoned. The witch executions occurred in the early modern period, the time in Western history when capital punishment and torture were most widespread. The number of trials and executions varied widely according to time and place, but in fact no more than about 110,000 persons in all were tried for witchcraft, and no more than 40,000 to 60,000 executed. It drew upon preexisting rivalries and disputes within the rapidly growing Massachusetts port town: between urban and rural residents; between wealthier commercial merchants and subsistence-oriented farmers; between Congregationalists and other religious denominationsAnglicans, Baptists, and Quakers; and between American Indians and Englishmen on the frontier.
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