Essay about Mass Hysteria - 1229 Words

The play â€Å"The Crucible† by Arthur Miller was written in response to McCarthyism in the 1950’s. In 1692 and 1693 the Salem witch trials took place in Salem Massachusetts. Girls believed to be involved in witchcraft were responsible for these trials. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s senator McCarthy came to office. Senator McCarthy and some of his allies were responsible for hysteria in the United States of America in the 1950’s. The scare was also in result of a communist scare after World War II and leading to the cold war. The behavior of the people of the Salem witch trials and Americans in the 19050’s resulted in a big scare in reaction to hysteria. McCarthy was elected senate after becoming a lawyer in his sate of Wisconsin.†¦show more content†¦Republicans willingly used the fear of the people to take control of congress and the government. Once people were accused of being a communist they would have to testify in front of organizations such as the House of Un-American Activities Committee. This committee would do what ever necessary to prove someone guilty. They would use the smallest evidence against u to prove you guilty. Despite someone being able to claim their Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination, the accused would lose their jobs. All the people that the were accused of being communist were put on black lists created by the House of Un-American Activities Committee. One of the most popular of these lists was the Hollywood ten lists. It contained a list of some screen writers who went against HUAC in 1947. Important industries in the United States of America contained some of these black lists of people who were believed to be communists or communist sympathizers. Because of that fact anybody on these black lists could not get a real job to support them. The people on these black lists were accused of being communists based on no real solid information that the Un ited States government really had. About 20 percent of the people affected were college faculty or graduate students. (Anne Marie Hacht and Dwayne D. Hayes 3) By the republicans having control of Washington this would ironically be the end of McCarthyism. He was unable to make up tales of communistShow MoreRelatedEssay On Mass Hysteria831 Words   |  4 PagesMass Hysteria Outbreaks Many students were taken to the hospital with a wide variety of symptoms.People pondered on what this could be.According to dictionary.com,mass hysteria is,†a condition affecting a group of persons, characterized by excitementor anxiety, irrational behavior or beliefs, or inexplicable symptoms ofillness.†There are many incidents were mass hysteria is seen.It is a psychological thing where many people are coerced into thinking that something is thought to be something thatRead MoreMass Hysteria Essay1191 Words   |  5 PagesMass hysteria can strike anywhere, anytime. Mass hysteria is an illusion or condition that affects a group of people, and is caused by anxiety, fear or stress. It can sometimes put people at risk because in most cases, it makes people sick. Mass hysteria has a negative impact on people like it did on the people of Salem who were killed and locked away. The Crucible was one of many examples of how fear can cause mass hysteria and unfortunately there are many more. Fear causes mass hysteria and hasRead MoreAn Age Of Mass Hysteria1623 Words   |  7 PagesAn Age of Mass Hysteria: Salem in 1692 and 1693 Over 200 people were falsely accused of witchcraft from 1692 to 1693 in Salem, Massachusetts and 20 of those people were executed. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible follows a group of people in Salem and their struggle to find an answer that explains the tragedies of life through religion. Their faith plays such an influential role in their life that they use it to explain things that modern science would explain. They believe that the bad things thatRead MoreSexting Among Teenage Girls and Boys1435 Words   |  6 Pagesboys, men and women who participate are rapidly increasing, and with this too comes the rise of moral panic within societies. Individuals within the communities are becoming more and more fearful, afraid and shocked at this new form of youth culture hysteria. Although young people ‘expressing’ their sexuality has become much more open and free as of the last decade or so, the real uproar of panic is due to the risks they involving themselves in as well as the damage and harm they are inflicting on themselvesRead MoreTerror Of A Mass Hysteria Hoax1082 Words   |  5 PagesJena Rex-LaRue 18 April 2016 English 11 Prompt 4 Imagine the terror of a mass hysteria hoax. During the sixteenth century, witch trials caused the deaths of thousands as chaos spread throughout Europe. Many European villages in history have witnessed witch executions and the imprisonment of suspected witches. The Crucible, along with the Salem Witch Trials and the European witch trials, have many similarities and differences that make them both memorable and important. The Salem Witch Trials lastedRead MoreMass Hysteria And The Red Scare1366 Words   |  6 Pages Mass Hysteria â€Å"Mass hysteria is a condition affecting a group of persons, characterized by excitement or anxiety, irrational behavior or beliefs, or inexplicable symptoms of illness† (dictionary.com). Mass hysteria has been part of history since the beginning of time. It happened in the United States the years 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. In Salem, two young girls were responsible for starting mass hysteria by showing erratic behavior and accusing other people of witchcraft. This resultedRead MoreMass Hysteria In The Crucible Essay713 Words   |  3 PagesThe Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, was a historical play written about the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692-93. The Salem witch trials created mass hysteria throughout the entire village of Salem, which was also mainly inhabited by Puritans. Puritans had a set ideal of firm beliefs that managed how they lived. Essentially, they were living as an elect, which meant they (referring to the Puritans) had a place in heaven for the righteous acts they haveRead MoreThe Crucible Mass Hysteria Analysis1012 Words   |  5 PagesMass hysteria is when a group bans together and acts as one as a result of rumors and fear, that may cause one to think irrationally. Mass hysteria has been seen in many events throughout history, that has led to an overwhelming outbreak of fear. In the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller presents how mass hysteria can quickly and easily overtake a group of people and wreak havoc on everyone by inflicting fear. Mass hysteria is a controlling force in the play and is seen in the accusations of the guiltyRead MoreTheme Of Mass Hysteria In The Crucible1032 Words   |  5 Pagesfarmer incites the outset of mass hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts by convincing the villagers that witchcraft is being practiced by those in their midst. Mass hysteria is defined in Witchcraft and Mass Hysteria in Terms of Current Psychological Theories as â€Å"a phenomenon that transmits collective illusions of threats, whether real or imaginary, through a population in society as a result of rumors and fear† (Wolf 23-28). As written by Gary Small M.D. in â€Å"Mas s Hysteria Can Strike Anywhere, Anytime†Read MoreExamples Of Mass Hysteria In The Crucible1413 Words   |  6 PagesDuring the Salem Witch Trials of 1962, nearly 20 people were sentenced to death, upon being accused as â€Å"hosts† of the devil and his evil ways of life. In the novel, The Crucible by Arthur Miller he depicts the mass hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials. The Witch Trials were provoked by the strict religious beliefs of the Puritan community, in which the people believed that the devil was constantly trying to pervade their religious communities and their Christian beliefs. Within the Crucible, Abigails