Crucible
During the 1600s in Europe and the New American colonies was a time of religious turmoil with the Puritans that led to fear and prejudice. The crucible is an account of how those fears can get completely out of hand. It also demonstrates our fear of that which is different can lead to tragedy.
Throughout the Crucible we saw major conflict in Salem, Massachusetts dealing with the Salem witch trials. During these trials there were religious problems. It is set in a theocratic society, meaning the church and the state are one, and the religion is strict form of Protestantism known as Puritanism. Because of this type of society moral laws and state laws are one and the same; sin and statues of ones individuals soul are matters of public concern. In Salem where these witch trials take place everything and everyone belongs to either god or the devil. As one of the judges named Danforth who was a prosecutor of witch trials said, a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it. Once these witch trials were said and done the witches were hung which is a mean of restoring the communities purity and an expression of intolerance. The trials caused social problems due to the worship of the devil and made these people be executed from the community.
The Crucible brings about a lot of prejudice and hysteria, which can tear apart a community. It makes people believe that their neighbors, who they used to think were upstanding, now are being blamed for absurd and unbelievable crimes. The people in the town of Salem get so caught up in this not only out of religious piety but also express long-held grudges. One of the most remarkable cases of hysteria is when Abigail Williams, who uses the situation to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft and has her sent to jail. In the end, hysteria can thrive only because people benefit from it. It suspends the rules of daily life and allows acting out of every dark desire and hateful urge of doing it. So it is just better to live happily without hysteria.
The Crucible can be associated with todays world by comparing the paranoia and aftermath of 9/11. As many people of Salem, Massachusetts posed a threat on witches it is no way comparable to modern terrorists. Witches threatened the souls of the unwary and terrorists killed thousands of fellow New Yorkers. Witches were putative threats and all of the accused people denied charges even though they mounted the gallows for the hangings. However terrorists are real threats and their charges should not be questioned. As once said, it were better that ten suspected witches should escape, than that one innocent person be condemned. Meaning witches during he 17th century should not be compared to 21st century terrorists who killed thousand of innocent people. Sadly these two incidents have left people paranoid about what the future will bring.
The Crucible and 9/11 are tragedies that have been major turning points in our society. They have both made changes to the way people view the world as a whole. The devastation has made people become very paranoid, however they need to look at the bigger picture and realize there was nothing we could do to stop these things from happening. The Crucible and 9/11 are still looked upon today and will never be forgotten.
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