The Crucible examines the witch hunts that took place in 17th century Salem, Massachusetts. When he wrote it, Arthur Miller was already a successful playwright. The play also subtly refers to the 'communist witch hunts' in the USA in the 1950s.
The context of 'The Crucible'
During the 17th century in Salem, Massachusetts, there really were witch hunts very much like those depicted in this play. Early settlers in North America had fled from religious persecution in England and other European countries but this did not make them more tolerant. They were very intense about religious purity. By modern standards we might call them religious fanatics. They were very intolerant of 'alternative viewpoints.' (Source: BBC GCSE Bite-Size)
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American literature and cinema for over 61 years, writing a wide variety of plays, including celebrated plays such as The Crucible, A View from the Bridge, All My Sons, and Death of a Salesman, which are still studied and performed worldwide. At the time of his death, Miller was considered one of the greatest American playwrights. (Source: Goodreads)
Read more about Arthur Miller.
Symbolism in The Crucible & Similarities to McCarthyism
Enemies from Within”: Senator Joseph R. McCarthy’s Accusations of Disloyalty and Speech
'Enemies from within' : Senator Joe Mc Carthy's Accusations of disloyalty
Literature and culture of the American 1950's
The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts during 1692- 1693. More than 200 young women were accused of practicing witchcraft and the result was a frenzied series of persecutions and investigations by the local townspeople of Salem.
Your can read more about this event here:
History Channel - Salem Witch Trials
Smithsonian Museum - A brief history of the Salem Witch Trials
The Crucible is a play written by American playwright, Arthur Miller.
Set in Puritan times in Salem, Massachusetts the play explores themes of intolerance and hysteria during the infamous witch trials which occurred in 1692-3.
VIEW a summary of the play here
You need to access a variety of media sources for this assignment topic. Consider all forms of media and those which present a variety of viewpoints.
* GLOBAL ISSUES IN CONTEXT is a database which can be searched for information on all topics.
* ISSUES IN SOCIETY is a series of digital magazines which cover current topics of interest. (You can search for these in OLIVER)
| PRINT MEDIA - newspapers, magazines | TELEVISION - news, commentary |
| GOOGLE NEWS SEARCH - worldwide news search database | ABC Online |
| GOOGLE SEARCH - filter by type (News) and date | SBS News |
| NEWSSTREAM - Australian newspaper database (from the SLQ) | BBC News |
| TROVE - database of the National Library of Australia | CNN |
| FOX NEWS | |
| OVERSEAS PUBLICATIONS - Guardian, Huffington Post, NY Times, Al Jazeera | *View specific programs e.g. The Project, Insight |
| RADIO | SOCIAL MEDIA |
| All Australian radio stations | |
| Podcasts - provide a forum for sharing stories, experiences, points of view |
*Search the Twitterverse to see what users are saying in real time [You do not need an account]
|
Use the TWITTER search tool to locate content. Be aware that there is a difference between your view (personal if you have an account) and a public view.
Social media referencing in APA looks like this:
Tweet from The Guardian newspaper, April 15, 2019
Immigration Policy - It's all the Rage - The Australian
Land of the Long White Cloud is neither 100% pure nor one big happy family - The Australian
White Fright - The Australian
Read around the topic
Internet-addicted South Korean children sent to digital detox boot camp - ABC, 2015
How Fortnite has captured the hearts and mind of teenagers - New Yorker, 2018
Read around the topic
Abuse: a fact of life for many Muslims - The Age, 2015
Representations of Muslims in the Western Media - Australian Muslim Times
Christchurch Attacks - Islamaphobia - Al Jazeera
Terror, Muslims and the Culture of Fear - The Conversation
Read around the topic
The Refugee Crisis - New York Times, 2018
Australia allegedly paid smugglers to reverse boat of Indonesian migrants - All Things Considered, 2015 (audio)
What;s really driving our moral panic about asylum seekers? - ABC News
How does the media affect our view of asylum seekers - Junkee
Read around the topic
Belief is just that. It's not the same as orientation - The Age, 2018
The Year of Trans Gender Panic - The Conversation, 2017
Cut through the Noise - BBC (FB page)
Read around the topic
A History of recent attacks linked to white supremism - Guardian newspaper
White Supremacy as a motivator for crime? - listen to the audio podcast
Articles on White Supremacy - The Conversation
Read around the topic
Social Media Me - a 3 part series about the effects of social media on self-esteem
Why 2018 will be the Year of YouTube moral panic - The Intelligencer, 2018
