Is it possible to fear an idea? Culture of fear Is it possible to fear an idea?

Culture of fear Reputation assignment Accusation scene: The Crucible (28:30-33:35) Tituba: Harsh interrogation What is she expected to do? Express her holiness through sinful accusation Opportunity to express her desires She’s the true face of this persecution.

The Crucible What are the characters in The Crucible afraid of? The Unknown Race/Differences Emotion/Passion Loss of Power- desperate to cling to what they have. God Idea of Hell

Hale Questions: Miller’s Vision/ Purpose

Fear of Absolute Power… Hell is such a terrifying concept to the people of Salem, and to the rest of the world that Satan is given an enormous amount of power: DUALISM: When God and the Devil are given equal amounts of power and influence. In religion, dualism means the belief in two supreme opposed powers or gods, or sets of divine or demonic beings, that caused the world to exist.

What are our two oppositions in The Crucible? God and the Devil The individual and the collective Order vs. Freedom Arthur Miller creates a society where a set of oppositions is imposed. He highlights the absurdity of complete control over all aspects of life and the ease with which we can turn on each other when our way of life is threatened.

Communism Communism is a socioeconomic order structured upon the common ownership of the means of production and characterized by the absence of social classes, money, and the state, as well as a social, political, and economic ideology and movement that aims to establish this social order. Characteristics: No need for economic competition or private property all share equally in the benefit of success or the consequences of failure. Therefore no one can run private businesses, rather all means of production are owned by the state. (farms, factories, land, trade, mines) Religion was often perceived as creator of inequality and source of great tension so religious practices were often denied. Collective vs. Individual Potential Autocracy/Dictatorship

Capitalism Capitalism is an economic system and a mode of production in which trade, industries, and the means of production are largely or entirely privately owned. Such private firms and proprietorships are usually operated for profit, but may be operated as private nonprofit organizations. Characteristics: Two-class system: Historically a capitalist society was characterized by the split between two classes of individuals--the capitalist class, which owns the means for producing and distributing goods (the owners) and the working class, who sell their labor to the capitalist class in exchange for wages. Needs vs. Wants: Profit motive: Companies exist to make a profit. The motive for all companies is to make and sell goods and services only for profits. Companies do not exist solely to satisfy people's needs. Minimal government Intervention: Capitalist societies believe markets should be left alone to operate without government intervention. However, a completely government-free capitalist society exists in theory, only. Competition….. Individual vs. Collective Order vs. Freedom (What kind of order? What kind of freedom?

Power/Influence = Viable, growing, competitive Economy Americans did not want to lose their claim to this idea or have other beliefs ‘erode’ American minds to believe that other options are possible.

Soooooooo, The threats that Miller creates in The Crucible mirror the threats that he sees taking place around him in the 1950’s…. We need an accuser/ ringleader We seem to need an EVIL ENEMY to make sense of our world.

Witch Hunt Red Scare

What is the real threat???? Fear of an Idea- Supposed threat to a way of life. Red Scare: Communists Homosexuals Jewish people Minority Groups (race)\ Never able to advocate for themselves, ask questions

The Crucible vs. The “Red Scare” 1692 1950s Puritans in Salem, MA Witch-hunts because of fear and tension, paranoia and suspicion of non-Christian activities. Puritans began to point fingers at one another. Americans thought to be Communists Trials because of fear, hysteria, and paranoia for any un-American activities. Workers in Hollywood were told to point the finger.

Are these types of Scares Over?!? Sadly No (1950’s and today)

Bizarre Threat to Other People Sinful, Wrong, Incompetent Civil Rights Don’t Ask Don’t Tell “We want you and you, but not you, you, you, or you, or you…..”

Miller’s Reality Playwright Arthur Miller defies the House Committee on Un-American Activities and refuses to name suspected communists. Came from a Jewish family Miller’s defiance of McCarthyism won him a conviction for contempt of court, which was later reversed by the Supreme Court. His passport had already been denied when he tried to go to Brussels to attend the premiere of his play The Crucible, about the Salem witch trials. In 1952, Miller's close friend (and former Communist) Elia Kazan named eight other artists to the committee. The two did not speak for a decade, and their friendship never fully recovered.

Rosenburg Execution - Extra Tidbit One of the most controversial cases that came out of the red scare and the scapegoating of Jewish individuals was the Rosenburg trial. Julius and Ethel Rosenburg were accused of trading state secrets (atomic espionage). They were accused by their own family members They were sentenced and held in prison for 2 years until they were executed by electric chair. Evidence stacked against them years later, yet at the time the Red Scare Propaganda was heavily responsible for their swift executions and future profiling of ‘communists’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH4_oxjeVVw

Hale Questions