The Crucible by Arthur Miller

The Crucible looks like it's about the Salem Witch Trial, which take place in the late 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts.  Well, I guess it does take place there.  

On the other hand, the play is really a big metaphor.  Arthur Miller purposefully crafted his play to make a comment on the Cold War in general and McCarthyism in particular.  

Of course, during the Cold War, he could not come straight out and say his criticisms of McCarthyism.  McCarthy would have come after him.  And, in fact, McCarthy did come after Miller.  We'll talk about that more later.

For now, look at how much the Salem Witch Trials seem to have in common with McCarthyism.  

Act 1: Who is the Antagonist and who is the Protagonist of this play?  Who is good and who is evil?  What is motivating them?

Extra credit:  Who is McCarthy and who is Murrow?

Note:  The video below is an abridged version of the play and does not contain the full text that we read in class.

Act 2:  Who is a round character and who is a flat character?  Who is a dynamic character and who is a static character?

Act 3:  How is the Puritan Court like HUAC?   According to the courts, what makes a communist?  According to the courts, what makes a witch?

Act 4:  Still a secret so I don't give anything away!

Other Pages in This Series:

More resources:

"Arthur Miller's The Crucible:  Fact and Fiction" by Margaret Burns

"Why I Wrote the Crucible" by Arthur Miller

Overall essay question:  How, by what strategies, does Miller make his comment on the Cold War and McCarthyism?  

Requirements:  
--12-18 pieces of evidence minimum (Ms. Ringelspaugh recommends the higher end of that spectrum)
--Evidence from both The Crucible and the Cold War primary documents
--No secondary document evidence besides the Margaret Burns article