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Context of The Crucible – Arthur Miller

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179K views 6 years ago

Warm-up Questions

What do you already know about Arthur Miller’s play *The Crucible*?
When a story is based on real history, what can it help us understand about the writer’s own time?
What kinds of fear or “panic” do you think can spread through a society?

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Context of The Crucible – Arthur Miller

Why Miller wrote The Crucible: Salem and the Red Scare (00:00 – 06:42)

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1. Why did Arthur Miller use the Salem witch trials as the basis for *The Crucible*?

To explain how capitalism began in Massachusetts
To compare witch-trial paranoia with 1950s fear of communism
To show that communism caused the Salem trials
To accurately recreate 17th-century court procedures for historians

2. What example does the speaker use to illustrate the difference between capitalism and communism?

Two political parties in an election
Two houses and a mortgage
Two cows and how the milk/profit is handled
A factory and worker strikes

3. According to the video, what could happen to people who refused to answer HUAC’s questions or provide names?

They could immediately be deported to the USSR
They could be imprisoned for contempt of Congress
They could be forced to join a labor union
They could be rewarded for protecting free speech

Context of The Crucible – Arthur Miller

Religion and theocracy as context (06:42 – 08:50)

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1. What does the video say Salem became as a result of Puritan beliefs?

A secular democracy focused on trade
A multicultural port city with religious freedom
An isolated theocratic society ruled by priests
A socialist community with equal income

2. What critique does the video make about political and religious power structures?

When they become entangled, they can distort religion and justice
They always strengthen justice when combined
They only cause problems in modern times, not historically
They are unrelated to the Salem trials

3. Why was communism presented as especially threatening in 1950s America, according to the video?

Because it encouraged people to move to rural areas
Because it promised higher wages for everyone
Because it required everyone to own private property
Because it was linked to an atheist identity opposing Christian life

Context of The Crucible – Arthur Miller

Gender, power, and the nuclear family (08:50 – 13:27)

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1. What proportion of the accused in Salem does the video say were women?

About half
More than three-quarters
Less than one quarter
Almost none

2. What is meant by the term “nuclear family” in the video?

A large extended family living together
A family living near a nuclear power plant
A traditional model with a breadwinner husband and a wife managing the home
A family where both parents must join the military

3. What final principle about analyzing literary texts does the video emphasize?

Texts always subvert societal expectations
Texts sometimes reflect societal expectations as well as challenge them
The best analysis avoids historical context
Only the author’s biography matters in interpretation

Context of The Crucible – Arthur Miller

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1. What is the main connection the video makes between the Salem witch trials and 1950s America?

Both periods had no legal systems at all
Both involved fear-driven accusations that harmed innocent people
Both were caused by the same religious group
Both ended because of a foreign invasion

2. In the video, what is “McCarthyism” best described as?

A movement to end all investigations into government corruption
A phenomenon of widespread fear, suspicion, and unsubstantiated accusations
A legal principle that protects witnesses from questions
A policy that increased private property rights

3. Why does the video discuss capitalism vs communism?

To argue that communism is identical to capitalism
To show that Salem’s economy depended on cows
To teach business skills for making profit
To explain why the USA and USSR were ideologically opposite during the Cold War

Discussion Questions

Discuss the ideas from this video

Context of The Crucible – Arthur Miller

Do you think fear can make people accept unfair laws or unfair trials? Why or why not?
What are some modern examples of “fear-mongering” (in media, politics, or social networks)? What effects can it have?
How can religion influence politics in positive ways and negative ways?
When you study a novel or play, how can you decide whether it challenges society or reflects society? Give an example from something you’ve read or watched.