The Crucible - How does Arthur Miller use dramatic devices in Act 1 to reveal the impact of the witch hunt on individuals in Salem?

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How does Arthur Miller use dramatic devices in Act 1 to reveal the impact of the witch hunt on individuals in Salem?

What does this reveal about Miller’s concerns about society?

               To fully explain how Arthur Miller used dramatic devices in ‘The Crucible’ we must investigate what the question means and why he used dramatic devices and in which context. To do this, it is necessary to investigate the main characters used and how it affected the witch hunt on the Salem society and consider what the term ‘dramatic devices’ refers to. Dramatic devices are elements of a play, which allow the writer to build tension or other intended effects. These effects influence the actions of the play and the response of the characters and audience. Let’s start off with some history of what ‘The Crucible’ was based on and why Arthur Miller wrote it. ‘The Crucible’ was obviously based on the Salem Witch Trials and was written in 1953. The play’s theme of hysteria and fear within average citizens is similar to that created by Joseph McCarthy in 1950, often called McCarthyism. McCarthy was responsible for creating fear in America that Russian Communism would take over the world thus crushing the American Dream. Miller was disgusted by the way that people were forced to name names, and in response to this he decided to write ‘The Crucible’. Miller noticed the parallels between the witch hunts of the 1600’s and the present day McCarthyism situation, and wrote this play in response. Miller’s intentions are very clear in the play. It is a parable or a lesson taught by means of a true story, investigating and re-creating the events which took place in Salem.

               In 1692, hysteria ran through the community as a consequence of allegations of witchcraft amongst its members. Dozens of innocent people were hanged; to avoid hanging, once convicted on the evidence of children alone, the accused had to confess and to accuse others of this crime. This shows that the story obviously suited Miller’s purposes exactly. Miller wants us to see Salem and the events which took place in it, not as an isolated example of collective hysteria, but as a metaphor for what can and does still happen when individuals allow their judgement to be clouded by totally irrational fear and return to their primitive ways of life e.g. pointing the finger away from themselves. Miller made the key characters in the play so that they are not unique; even in the twenty first century we can recognize them in our own society because he wanted it to be obvious to his audience how we react to these problems and go back to our primitive ways. Miller relates to the victims in ‘The Crucible’ and the McCarthy trials to make a point to McCarthy. They both have many similar aspects. The accused were not fairly tried and were convicted on limited evidence. During the witch trials the girls would point at someone they disliked, and accuse them of practicing witchcraft. It did not matter whether they were innocent or guilty, since they were accused, they would be convicted.

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               Arthur Miller used stage directions in act one of ‘The Crucible’ to create the impact of suspicion and mystery. With Reverend Parris, Miller did this to emphasize the characters main dilemma in the play which is the threat to Parris’ power in the community that his niece (Abigail) has caused. The stage directions used at the start of act one when Parris is praying fervently over his daughter indicate that the room is quite dark with only a candle burning and sunlight through the window lighting the room. The significance of this is ...

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The essay starts well, with quite a good introduction, setting the historical and social context of both the setting of the action and the date of writing. Some good points are made about the use of stage directions and how the impact of the witch trials is delivered upon the characters in the play. However, the essay then drifts into a general summary of plot elements and character analysis. There is also only an analysis of Act 1, Scene 1 and nothing on Act 1, Scene 2. The conclusion, again, does not focus effectively on the requirements of the prompt. There is quite good paragraph management and sentence control, marred by a few slips in grammar and punctuation. 3 stars.