2. Miller explains the surreal "sensation" of the 1950's as, "...being trapped inside a perverse work of art, one of those Escher constructs in which it is impossible to make out whether a stairway is going up or down". Miller had many friends who shared the same, or similar beliefs, and he had never perceived them as anything close to a traitor. However, many who shared beliefs with him and his friends were being fired from simple jobs like teaching to highly qualified jobs in government or large corporations. This left him in a "sensation" of not knowing how things will turn out next, as the Land of the Free seemed to be "contradicting" itself.
3. Miller describes the "radical right" as an, "...apprehension toward anything that never happens in the middle of Missouri". Anything that happened that was out of the ordinary was questioned and inevitably related to Communism.
This paragraph does show Miller's personal bias. During the 50's, the Cold War was raging on. There was fear of invasion by a Communist Russia. Tensions were high, and people were. obviously, paranoid. The people had a right to question one another as much as those being questioned had the right to believe in what they wished.
4. Arthur Miller used impotence to describe the fear felt by the leftists of America in the 50's. Many people were being revealed to Communists, and with the fact that the 1st Amendment protects their right to be a Communist, many leftists felt powerless and out of control.
5. America was afraid of the spread of Communism because they felt as though their efforts in ending the Axis power in Europe would be futile. They felt that they would be unable to control the world so soon after winning it back from Axis power.
6. Miller was subpoenaed for not identifying two other writers that he had met at a Communist writers' meetings he had attended a few years back. This is similar to the Crucible because, at one point in the play, the judge requires those that confessed to witchcraft had to rat out 2 other people for their confession to be taken seriously.
7. Miller was planning on marrying Marilyn Monroe. Miller's subpoena was connected with this marriage, and was confirmed when the chairman of the HUAC said, "...he would be inclined to cancel my hearing if Miss Monroe would consent to have a picture taken with him".
8. Miller had written a script about the, "...murderous curroption in the gangster-ridden Brooklyn longshoremen's union" and sent it to the head of Columbia Pictures, Harry Cohn. The script had been vetted by the FBI, but they saw nothing subversive in it. However, Roy Brewer, the head of the AFL motion pictures unions in Hollywood, condemned it as "untrue communist propoganda", because, "...there were no gangsters on the Brooklyn waterfront". Cohn knew that Brewer was only trying to protect Joe Ryan, who was the head of the Brooklyn longshoremen. After threats of strike on theaters that projected the movie, Cohn agreed to show the movie only if Miller would change the longshoremen to Communists. Miller ended up withdrawing the script.
Miller decided that returning to the theater would be his best bet, as the theater did not have any type of blacklist or complications concerning Communism.
9. According to Miller, the heart of darkness was, "...the belief that a massive, profoundly organised conspiracy was in place and carried forward mainly by a concealed phalanx of intellectuals, including labor activists, teachers, professionals, sworn to undermine the American government". The fact that there was little evidence but strong belief for this claim scared the American public even more.
10. "There were witches, if not to most of us then certainly to everyone in Salem; and there were communists, but what was the content of their menace?" In this quote, Miller describes to us perspective towards witches and Communists. To the people in Salem, witches were bad, evil people whose only intent was to harm others. However, according to Tituba, in the Barbados, witchery was a part of life, and was very rarely used with the intent of harm on someone else. The same goes for Communists. According to Miller, he had grown up on Marxist views, and never viewed fellow Communists as spies or traitors. However, the general public was raised to believe that Communism was a horrible, evil thing that would ruin the world.
11. "Spectral Evidence" is the evidence provided by some witness who has "seen" someone's spirit commit a crime.
12. Miller learns that there was no irony or humour in the trials. "...the provincial governor's or son who, with a college friend, came from Boston to watch the strange proceedings. Both boys burst out laughing at some absurd testimony: they were promptly jailed, and faced possible hanging".
13. Miller wishes that he had made The Crucible a comedy. He felt that the situation deserved to be told as a comedy, as that was what it was.
14. Miller is saying that, only by giving into those accusing you by leaving your beliefs would you be aqquited of questioning. This shows that Danforth was intent with Proctor's confession because he had finally broken him. He had made Proctor give up his pride and dignity, which made Danforth feel very highly of himself.
15. Miller is telling us in this quote that one cannot dwell on decisions for too long. One must take action on what they feel is right, and live with the effects.
Miller basically describes delusion as "ignorance is bliss". He says that, while deluded, one will passionately believe whatever one believes in with a red hot fury. One will not search for evidence, just continue to support their own position.
Miller sided with the left in 2000. This is only because the right would wish to kill him at the time. He had almost no choice where to be on the political "scale". He compares the right side hating him as much as the Nazis hating the Jews.
12. Miller learns that there was no irony or humour in the trials. "...the provincial governor's or son who, with a college friend, came from Boston to watch the strange proceedings. Both boys burst out laughing at some absurd testimony: they were promptly jailed, and faced possible hanging".
13. Miller wishes that he had made The Crucible a comedy. He felt that the situation deserved to be told as a comedy, as that was what it was.
14. Miller is saying that, only by giving into those accusing you by leaving your beliefs would you be aqquited of questioning. This shows that Danforth was intent with Proctor's confession because he had finally broken him. He had made Proctor give up his pride and dignity, which made Danforth feel very highly of himself.
15. Miller is telling us in this quote that one cannot dwell on decisions for too long. One must take action on what they feel is right, and live with the effects.
Miller basically describes delusion as "ignorance is bliss". He says that, while deluded, one will passionately believe whatever one believes in with a red hot fury. One will not search for evidence, just continue to support their own position.
Miller sided with the left in 2000. This is only because the right would wish to kill him at the time. He had almost no choice where to be on the political "scale". He compares the right side hating him as much as the Nazis hating the Jews.
