After speaking points for Themes in The Crucible…

Individually/silently, read over Arthur Miller info., Salem Witch Trail history, McCarthyism background, and The Characters in The Crucible. Go!

Grab your Miller notes, and line up by height.

Person A is the tallest partner.

Person A, review with Person B the author (Miller) info. & an overview of the Salem Witch Trials…go!

Person B, review with Person A McCarthyism and the main characters with Person B…go!

Thank partner & head back!

The Man behind the Scenes:

Arthur Miller ~ writer & playwright(1915-2005)

“I am trying to, and I will, protect my

sense of myself. I could not use the name of another person and bring trouble on him.” - Arthur Miller

A road of inspiration…more

affectionately called speed bumps:

•Viewed first hand the devastation

of the Great Depression with his

father’s business.

•Born in New York City

•Decided to become a writer, and

went off to college to study

journalism and later English at U of M

• His name was given to the House of Un-American Activities Committee/HUAC as a member of the US communist party; thus being “blacklisted” by the government

• After the 1952 testimony, Miller went to Salem Mass. to research the Salem witch trials of 1692.

• Had a reputation for dealing with contemporary political and moral issues.

And,

for a while,

he was married to

Marilyn Monroe!

What is The Crucible?

A drama of the guilt, fear, and hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials

What is a crucible?

A severe test, as of patience or belief

Arthur Miller and the Age of FaithHow do the witch trials of 1692 compare to

the communist accusations of the 1950’s?

Salem Witch Trials Communist Accusations

Hunt of seemingly innocent people based on suspicion

Right vs. Wrong

Cold war paranoia

US viewed communism as VERY VERY BAD

McCarthyism and the Salem Witch Trials

Senator Joseph McCarthy headed the investigative group known as the House Un-American Committee (HUAC)

In the 1950s, America was involved in a great struggle with Russia whose political ideology was completely incompatible with the American way of life.

America, out of fear, fell prey to the ridiculous charges made by McCarthy and entered into a period, similar to that in Salem, when the rational mind was affected by fear.

The senator often maintained that those who opposed his hearings were Communists

McCarthyism Continued

A large segment of the American public was ready to accept these false and irrational charges

Many in the entertainment industry were “blacklisted” and their careers were ruined

McCarthy’s rampage even forced President Eisenhower to institute a new round of “loyalty” programs to prove that he too was “tough” on Communism

By the end of 1954, McCarthy was condemned by his peers, and his public support eroded

The Crucible as an Allegory

Definition of Allegory: a form of extended metaphor,

in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are

equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative

itself. The underlying meaning has moral, social, religious,

or political significance, and characters are often

personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or

envy. Thus an allegory is a story with two meanings, a

literal meaning and a symbolic meaning.

IN OTHER WORDS: Miller uses the Salem Witch Hunt to

represent what was happening to him during the “U.S.

communist hunt” - clip from Miller Bio.

Opening clip!