Puritanism, McCarthyism, and the American Drama The Crucible

Words or Phrases associated with fire… In this unit, we will explore how fire is catching and destructive on a symbolic and literal level.

Essential Questions To what extent do cultural anxieties influence us and the choices that define who we are? How can knowing the facts help us make informed decision? How the dramatic genre similar to and different from other dramas? How important is your reputation? How does literature convey ideas and opinions of the time?

Allegory An allegory is a story with a double meaning. A story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation. “Fighters fight with their fists; writers fight with their pens.”

Need to Know Historical Fast Facts The play was first produced on stage in January 1953. Arthur Miller intended to use the Salem With Trials (1692) as an allegory about the anti-communist red scare and the congressional hearings of Sen. Joseph McCarthy going on in the U.S. at the time.

Meet McCarthy: 3,2,1 Task: as you watch the video clip… 3 facts about McCarthy himself 2 facts about the time period 1 outcome of the McCarthysim hysteria https://youtu.be/Lh2-wFRfltI

McCarthyism and the Red Scare The "Red Scare" was a period in the mid-1900s when America enacted strict regulations against citizens espousing "communist" beliefs. The color "red" is commonly associated with "communism."

Arthur Miller and The Crucible Jumping Forward and Backward

Basics of Puritanism: 1.Humans exist to glorify God 2. Predestination: Every person’s spiritual fate is predetermined by God at birth 3. Belief in Original Sin: All humans are inherently evil 4. God’s word is absolute and holy 5. Covenant Theology: They were God’s Elect; in a pact with God on a divine mission to preserve Christianity

Arthur Miller Miller was born in New York City in 1915 into an upper-middle-class family. The family’s comfortable life ended in the 1930’s when Miller’s businessman father was hit hard by the Great Depression. Unable to afford college, Miller worked in a warehouse to earn tuition money. He eventually attended the University of Michigan.

While in college Miller won several awards for his plays. These successes inspired him to pursue a career in the theater. His first Broadway hit, All My Sons (1947), was produced when Miller was in his early 30s. However, it was his masterpiece Death of a Salesman that made Miller a star. The play won a Pulitzer Prize in 1949 and earned rave reviews from both critics and the public.

Although, Miller admitted that he had attended a few meetings years earlier, he refused to implicate others. For his refusal, he was cited for contempt of Congress- a conviction that was later overturned.

Dramatic Years Miller’s rise to fame occurred during a difficult period in American history. In the 1940s and 1950s, a congressional committee was conducting hearings to identify suspected Communists in American society. Miller himself was called before the congressional committee and was questioned about his activities with the American Communist Party.

The Inspiration The hearings provided the inspiration for his 1953 play The Crucible, set during the Salem, Massachusetts, witch trials of 1692. Miller wrote the play to warn against mass hysteria and to plead for freedom and tolerance.

What types of Witch Hunts are still occurring today?

In your journal… Where would you stand if history were to repeat itself once more and you found yourself in the middle of a witch-hunt? Would you agree to say something that wasn’t true in order to save your family? What would you do if you became the scapegoat?

Read pg. 132-133 The American Drama In your notes, write the definitions for: 1. Monologue 2. Soliloquy 3. Aside 4. Stage Directions 5. Protagonist 6. Antagonist 7. Foil