Invasion of the Witch-Alien-Communist-Body-Snatching-Soul-Corruptors

Arthur Miller

Horror author?

Miller wrote the following about Puritan society in the Act One Overture of The Crucible:

"...the people of Salem developed a theocracy, a combine of state and religious power whose function was to keep the community together, and to prevent any kind of disunity that might open it to destruction by material or ideological enemies. It was forged for a necessary purpose and accomplished that purpose. But all organization is and must be grounded on the idea of exclusion and prohibition..."

Let us remember: the Puritans were fighting to survive in the harsh environment that was the Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 17th century. As Miller puts it, "...the people were forced to fight the land like heroes for every grain of corn, and no man had very much time for fooling around."

Thus, it was literally conform or die in those days.

In his book of essays on horror, Danse Macabre, Stephen King writes: "The writer of horror fiction is neither more nor less than an agent of the *status quo."

• *status quo: a Latin phrase which as come to mean, "the way things currently are"

He explains this idea more fully:

"We love and need the concept of monstrosity because it is a reaffirmation of the order we all crave as human beings... and let me further suggest that it is not the physical or mental *aberration in itself which horrifies us, but rather the lack of order which these aberrations seem to imply."

• *Aberration: a departure from what is normal.

Thus, in the days of the Puritans, aberrations were frightening because they were literally associated with death. However, King argues that we continue to be frightened by aberrations and anything that interrupts the status quo.

In his essay, "Are you Now or Were You Ever," Arthur Miller describes the fear of Communism as a "free-floating apprehension." In my opinion, Americans in the 1950's feared Communism because they felt that it was an invisible, intangible force that possessed the power to transform their loved ones into enemies--a force akin to the corrupting power of the devil in 1692.

Your Task: Respond to each of the following four questions in a response posted to this blog post. Your responses must be posted before class on Monday (10/27).

1. Do we continue to be frightened by aberration in America--is this still reflected in contemporary horror? Give me an example.
2. Does this idea of aberration help to explain the underlying terror portrayed in The Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Explain.
3. How did this same sense of fear affect the Puritans in Salem, Massachusetts?
4. Why do you think that I elected to show The Invasion of the Body Snatchers in conjunction with The Crucible?

The Crucible: Act II

"Oh, Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer!"

In lieu of reading Act II together, you will all be responsible for reading it on your own and creating study guide questions and answers.

Requirements:

• 15 questions, 15 answers -
• 10 questions must address or include a specific quote from the text;
• 2 questions must refer to 2 separate AP Lang. devices;
• 3 questions may refer to simple plot comprehension, i.e. they need not include a quote from the text;
• Each question must also include a detailed answer.
• You may work in groups of 2-3.
• Completed questions are due by the end of class on Friday (9/26)
• Questions must be typed; a hard copy must be submitted with all group members' names

The Psychological Power of the Devil

Pictured: Arthur contemplating metaphysical truths regarding religion and human behavior. And , Marilyn Monroe

In Act I of The Crucible, Arthur Miller writes:

"The concept of unity, in which positive and negative are attributes of the same force, in which good and evil are relative, ever-changing, and always joined to the same phenomenon--such a concept is still reserved to the physical sciences and to the few who have grasped the history of ideas."

In laymen's terms, humanity tends to gravitate towards a view of good and evil in which the former is embodied by God and the latter is the work of the Devil. To Miller, a man all too familiar with persecution, the Devil can be used as a tool to control and demonize one's enemies.

Miller phrases this idea succinctly: "A political policy is equated with moral right, and opposition to it with diabolical malevolence."

The Puritans needed the Devil; their world of faith and suffering would almost be too much to bear without him.

But do modern Americans still need him?

Today, we can view the Puritan concept of the Devil under the lense of psychology and a scientific understanding of the brain and human behavior.

This is an idea more fully explored in the following article posted on Scientific American: "The Psychological Power of Satan." The author argues against the traditional view of the Devil and evil. 

Your Assignment:

• Read the article and post a comment on this blog post.
• What does the article have to do with The Crucible? Does it help you make sense of the Miller quote at the beginning of this post?
• What do you make of the author's view of the Devil and evil? Is it a good or bad thing to abandon the concept of "evil" and replace it with a more psychologically sensitive view? Explain.

Your responses are due before class on Thursday, September 25th.