superstition in the crucible
The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is based on the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts. The Crucible deals with a community, which everybody lived in a normal society and everybody attended church. However, one night, a group of girls were caught dancing in the woods. Some people accuse them for doing witchcraft. Therefore, they lied to protect not just themselves but the reputation of their families. They claimed that the devil took them over and influenced them to dance. One of the main girls in the group named Tituba, starts pointing her finger at different people, accusing them of being witches. Finally, the other girls also say that they saw members of the town standing with the devil. The community starts pointing their fingers at each other to get themselves out of trouble. In the seventeenth century, superstition of witchcraft made many people lose their lives by being hanged or being in prison. The power of superstition and scapegoating can distort from the truth and change many peoples lives and even led to death for some innocent people. Some people in the community believe that a Parish minister name Parris, his niece, and his daughter were first afflicted for witchcraft.
The motive of revenge often encourages people to accuse others who were innocent. At the beginning of the play, Abigail Williams lied to save her own life, even if it meant that she would hurt somebody. However, later in the play, she realizes that she can also blame somebody for witchcraft for her own benefit. Abigail purposely frames Elizabeth Proctor out of revenge, using the poppet that she saw Mary Warren making in the courtroom and putting a needle in the body of the poppet. Mrs. Putnam cries, blaming witchcraft for the cause of Betty's sickness and being unable to speak. The belief quickly spread over Salem and throughout the state that evil spirits are being seen in Salem. Terror and superstition took control of the minds of nearly all the people because of this event. People immediately accuse some individual seen with the devil. At times, the afflicted and the accused became so numerous that no one was safe from suspicion and its consequences. Superstition causes people to suspect ill health is caused by the devil. They believe that the devil has taken over the person's spirit, causing them to be speechless. The people believe that sickness is not just a natural cause. There was so much superstition going on in the community that the people who were active in the prosecutions can also become objects of suspicion. The actions that Parris's daughter and his niece frightens other young people, who soon shows the same symptoms, such as poor health and a loss of appetite. Cheever explains to everybody about what has
Some common words found in the essay are:
Massachusetts Crucible, Goody Osburn, Massachusetts Salem, Elizabeth Proctor, Salem Terror, Reverend Parris's, Mary Warren, Abigail Williams, Arthur Miller, innocent people, Crucible Crucible, superstition scapegoating, mary warren, people community, goody osburn, salem witch trials, people believe, save own, elizabeth proctor, own life, people accuse, innocent people community,
Approximate Word count = 1036
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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