Robert Martinez

Per. 4
10/15/15
The Crucible
The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller, which was published in the year 1953. It
is a play about The Salem Witch Trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts during 1692 and
1693. The Salem Witch Trials consisted of persecutions and hearings of people who were
accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. The results of the hysteria in Massachusetts
were the executions of 20 innocent people. Women were mainly targeted with accusations of
witchcraft during these trials. The Crucible was published at a time in American history where
Senator Joseph McCarthy made accusations of communism within our government. McCarthy
created a great hysteria in the United States, such as the Salem Witch Trials did in Massachusetts,
when he presented a list of 205 supposed communist working within the State Department
(1950). Arthur Millers play, The Crucible, has a great parallelism between the Salem Witch
Trials and McCarthyism. Miller uses many forms of logical fallacies throughout his play which
helps create a sense of the hysteria taking place during the Salem witch trials.

Throughout

The Crucible, there are various forms of logical fallacies scattered within the play. Arthur Miller
uses logical fallacies within his play and through his characters so that the audience can capture
the idea of the hysteria that was taking place in Massachusetts in late 1600s. In Act 1, page 36,
Mr. Putnam, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris are all in the room trying to figure out what is
going on with Betty Parris, Reverend Parriss daughter.Reverend Parris caught his daughter and
other girls dancing in the forest one night with his slave Tituba. After they were caught dancing
Betty became sick and unresponsive, she wouldnt open her eyes, they began to make

accusations of witchcraft once this event occurred. Mrs. Putnam and Reverend Hale quickly
came up with the accusations that witchcraft was taking place, evident when Mrs. Putnam makes
a claim about Betty to Reverend Hale and Parris which was that She cannot bear to hear the
Lords name.Mr Hale agrees with Mrs. Putnams accusation by saying thats a sure sign of
witchcraft afloat (Miller 36) Arthur Miller uses a logical fallacy through Mrs. Putnam and
Reverend Hale in this scene.The form of the logical fallacy used within this scene was argument
from ignorance because during the time of the Salem Witch Trials, Puritan society was extremely
based on religion. Any event that people found out of the ordinary or that didnt fit their views in
such a religious society would be blamed on the Devil of witchcraft without any evidence. With
the accusations of witchcraft within Salem and Betty becoming bewitched, the hysteria began.
In Puritan societies such as Salem Massachusetts, anything people found was out of the
ordinary would be wrongfully accused of being associated with the Devil. The people of Salem
made many accusations. Most of these accusations were of women being witches and having
communication or a pact with the devil. Within The Crucible, Arthur Miller used his characters
to give the audience many examples of these accusations in Salem. In Act 1, Reverend Parris, the
minister of Salems church, was trying to find out if his niece, Abigail, an intelligent, seductive
women in this woman who also had an affair with John Proctor, was involved with the witchcraft
within Salem. Parris tells Abigail Now look child, your punishment will come in its time. But if
you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will & they
will ruin me with it (Miller 10). In this scene, Parris is worried that if his niece is associated
with the devil people might accuse him of also being associated with the devil, making him
guilty by association, another form of a logical fallacy used by Arthur Miller to create a sense of
hysteria. Reverend Parris cared about his reputation within Salem, he was a power hungry person

within his community, he wanted a confession out of his niece, to make sure his reputation was
secure. Paranoia was common during the Salem Witch Trials, it was one of the many effects
caused by the hysteria around the persecutions and accusations of witches and witchcraft,
Accusations that people made in Salem of others being witches were biased and were
based on things that didnt fit the Puritan way of life. Accusations would usually involve people
who had a recent dispute or something they didnt like and felt wasnt ordinary. People talking
bad about each other would also result in accusations of someone being a witch or being
associated with the devil such as Goody Proctor and Abigails dispute in Act 1. During Abigails
dispute with Goody Proctor she says ... I will not have it said my name is soiled ! Goody
Proctor is a gossiping liar (Miller 12). Abigail who had an affair with Goody Proctors husband,
John Proctor, is attacking her, she calls her a gossiping liar which is ad hominem Later in the
play Abigail will have both John and Goody proctor persecuted for witchcraft. Abigail was upset
with John Proctor when he ended his affair with Abigail, she looks for vengeance through his
wife, Goody Proctor. She used the hysteria building in Salem and blames Goody Proctor for
witchcraft. The people of Salem used the Salem Witch Trials to their advantage by accusing
people who had land they wanted or people they did not get along with for witchcraft and being
associated with the Devil.
Arthur Millers play was published in a controversial time in the United States, with
McCarthys claim of communism within our government officials. His use of logical fallacies
helped create parallelism between the hysteria of Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. Both of
the accusations people made in Salem and Joseph McCarthy were backed up with zero evidence,
which ultimately led to the executions of innocent people blamed for witchcraft. These events

occurred centuries apart but the effect of these events were very similar. The hysteria around
these accusations caused people to lose their jobs and also their lives.
Robert: you show a very good understanding of the play and the concepts within; overall
you maintain very good control of your writing; I can see the effort you put into it; there are
some moments in which the consistency of your formal writing language falters; some minor
grammatical and mechanical errors; focus on the small details for the next essay to have an even
more polished essay; overall very nice job.

Essay Score: 15 out of 16

Score
4

Thesis and Focus

Organization
Clear and well-written Clear sense of structure;

Development
Develops and supports

Use of Language
Uses academic language

thesis statement;

each main idea with clear

throughout essay; uses clear

begins with a thesis in

essay remains focused introduction and topic

and appropriate examples; and proper syntax; minimal to no

throughout

sentence in body

elaborates on examples

grammar and spelling errors

paragraphs; Supporting

with consistent focus on

throughout essay

points are presented in a

thesis statement

logical progression with

transition sentences
3

Clear thesis statement; Overall sense of

Develops and supports

Uses academic language

remains focused

structure;begins with a thesis most of the main ideas with generally throughout essay; has

throughout most of

in introduction and topic

examples; few examples

few syntactical and grammatical

essay; very few

sentence in body

lacks elaboration and

errors; few spelling errors

sections off-topic

paragraphs; Supporting

explanation; for the most

throughout essay

points are generally

part focuses on thesis

presented in a logical

through explanations of

progression with transition

examples

sentence
Underdeveloped thesis Logic of argument is

Few examples provided to

several areas of informal

statement; often lacks minimally perceivable.

support main ideas; poor

language used; various unclear

focus throughout

Points presented in a

choice and/or use of

and syntactical issues; multiple

essay

seemingly random fashion,

examples to support thesis spelling errors throughout essay

thesis statement is

but all support argument.

Lacks clear organizational

minimal or no existing

Lacks use of academic language

unclear and

plan. Difficult to follow and

examples; unfocused in

throughout essay; multiple

unidentifiable; poor

lacks basic essay structure

explanations of any existing syntactical and grammar issues;

focus throughout
entirety of essay; does
not respond to essay

examples

multiple spelling errors leading

to difficulty of reading essay

prompt