Hysteria In The Crucible - 1452 Words

Within Arthur Miller’s award-winning play, The Crucible, there is a constant trend that flows through time. As the tale persists, Salem, Massachusetts gets wound up in the witch hunt of 1692, creating an infectious hysteria on all the villagers. City-wide fear overtakes individual thought and reasoning as well as it can today in America’s â€Å"trivial† matters. The Crucible has many components where the characters experience moments of hysteria. The play introduces the concept of witchcraft where in a Puritan society is strictly forbidden as it goes against all God-like practice. Hysteria is introduced with Abigail Williams, and the other girls, who concoct a lie to prevent themselves from punishment. Abigail lies, â€Å"I want to open myself! . .†¦show more content†¦Hysteria is shown as everyone was afraid of finding the truth so they used a topic of debate to point fingers at. A recent hysteria has spread over the United States as fast as it did in Salem over three-hundred years ago. When people can not understand a negative reaction from the medicine they look towards rumors as answers. An instance is â€Å" most prominently actress and model Jenny McCarthy, who has attributed her son s diagnosis of autism to vaccination,† (Smuskiewicz). There has been a growing number of rumors where parents attribute disorders to vaccines like multiple sclerosis, â€Å"other claims have drawn associations between the hepatitis B vaccine and multiple sclerosis,† (Smuskiewicz). All these disorders are known to deal with a weakened immune system, taking advantage of that fact upset parents are talking about â€Å" toxic factors responsible for causing diseases and disabilities† to which doctors have logical counterclaims. Many talk of how those vaccines are used in order to keep the public as a whole protected from the spreading of diseases, but â€Å"...vaccine opponents fail to support their claims with plausible explan ations for the biochemical mechanisms by which vaccines could cause the diseases, disabilities, or deaths that are claimed,† (Smuskiewicz). Experts were able to prove doctors correctly as the proportions of mercury to the vaccine were â€Å"too small† to cause any actual harm over a few minor effects. A multitude ofShow MoreRelatedHysteria and the Crucible1695 Words   |  7 PagesHysteria What is hysteria? By definition, hysteria is a state of intense agitation, anxiety, or excitement, especially as manifested by large groups or segments of society. In a broader sense however, hysteria is a killer, the delitescent devil. More specifically, hysteria was the main cause of nineteen deaths in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, and countless ruined reputations on account of Joe McCarthy. Hysteria does not just appear out of nowhere though. There are driving forces such as revengeRead MoreHysteria In The Crucible1474 Words   |  6 Pagess behavior and thoughts. Hysteria, uncontrollable emotion among groups, is a major leader in past and present day society when it comes to how people act and think in different situations. The Crucible provides great examples with how hysteria can affect a group of people. Back in Salem, Massachusetts 1692, hysterics swept the town, creating a storm of emotions. Everyone wondering, what to do? What to think? In The Crucible, Arthur Miller us es the effects of mass hysteria to reveal his purpose ofRead MoreHysteria, By The Crucible1230 Words   |  5 PagesHysteria was a major factor in the many accusations of witchcraft that transpired throughout The Crucible. It helps to comprehend what hysteria is--an overwhelming fear and elation that overrides all logic, and is often heightened and augmented by the presence of others who are acting out on that fear as well. Fear is the emotion of being terror-stricken of someone or something that is likely to cause you impairment, pain, or a risk.() In the play, the characters are intolerant of people who doRead MoreTheme Of Hysteria In The Crucible1060 Words   |  5 PagesHysteria, reputation, and fear. All words that sum up the plot of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. The Crucible is about the Salem witch trials in 1692. Several young girls claim to be afflicted by witchcraft, starting with Reverend Parriss daughter, Betty. The â€Å"afflicted† girls accuse people in the town of witchcraft, often choosing those who they or their families dislike. This leads to hysteria in the town and people being wrongly accused of witchcraft and being hung from it. In The CrucibleRead MoreExamples Of Hysteria In The Crucible1095 Words   |  5 Pages Hysteria is displayed by communities all over the world. It is an important factor in making and especially breaking relationships. In The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, hysteria plays an important role of tearing apart the community of Salem by creating an environment where peo ple act on their grudges. It is shown by many of the characters throughout the play as they eventually ruin one another as the book goes on. Mass hysteria negatively affects the lives of people around us. Many thingsRead MoreTheme Of Hysteria In The Crucible909 Words   |  4 Pages Hysteria is an uncontrollable emotion, usually involving a group of people. In the play The Crucible, hysteria is shown throughout many ways. The small Massachusetts Bay Colony forwent many changes over the span of a year. In this religious town, innocent people were martyred, neighbors turned against neighbors, and even the minister became corrupt and turned away from God. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, irony helps to depict hysteria in the town of Salem through the Theocracy of the town, theRead MoreExamples Of Hysteria In The Crucible1048 Words   |  5 Pagesthere are many cases of mass hysteria just like long ago. In the book John Proctor says a quote that hits big time for mass hysteria, he says â€Å"God is dead† while laughing insanely, and if that does not cause mass hysteria then nothing does. In The Crucible, many are tested with regards to their faith and put on trial for witchcraft. In this play, nineteen are hanged and one is pressed to death for the crime of being a witch, for that being John Proctor. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses McCarthyismRead MoreThe Effects Of Hysteria In The Crucible1489 Words   |  6 Pagescountless number of elements can be accounted for. Hysteria is a major leader in past and present day society when it comes to how people act and think in different situations. The Crucible provides great examples with how hysteria can affect a group of people. Back in Salem, Massachusetts 1692, hysterics swept the town, creating storms of emotion. Everyone is wondering, what to do? What to think? In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the effects of mass hysteria to reveal his purpose of using it in his writingRead MoreHysteria In The Crucible Analysis827 Words   |  4 Pages18th century, Salem had witness one of the most appalling, unforgivable and unjust executions that would leave a forever lasting stain on the human history. The crucible, by Arthur Miller depicts how hysteria, political injustice and prejudice began the historical ‘witch hunt’ which resulted 19 innocents killed. Two centuries later hysteria, political injustice and prejudice have again affected the lives of three innocent teenagers, Damien Echols (18), Jessie Misskelly (17), and Jason Baldwin (16)Read MoreThe Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice1650 Words   |  7 PagesThe Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice Thesis Statement: The purpose is to educate and display to the reader the hysteria and injustice that can come from a group of people that thinks its doing the right thing for society in relation to The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I. Introduction: The play is based on the real life witch hunts that occurred in the late 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts. It shows the peoples fear of what they felt was the Devils work and shows how a small group of powerful