“Compare ways in which the authors of two texts you have studied this year explore
the idea that it is difficult to get a fair go in life.”
The play, “The Crucible”, was set in Salem, Massachusetts, in the 16th century. This
is a period made famous for the witch trials that took place in the town. The film
“Goodnight and Good-luck”, was set in America during the 1950’s shortly after
television had made its debut. The two pieces both explore issues surrounding
injustice, an individual’s credibility and people’s reputations and reactions to
information put forward.
In Arthur Miller’s play, “The Crucible”, there are many ways in which people are
portrayed in negative aspects from those in authority. The witch trials that took place
were based mainly upon false accusations from Abigail Williams against a whole host
of individuals, the main one being Elizabeth Proctor. These allegations formed the
basis for the witch trials to commence, with more people accused of witchcraft as the
trials ventured further. For those accused, the punishments they faced, more or less
meant that their fair go at life was diminished, given that there were no redeeming
paths for justice.
Other people became involved with the trials as they progressed and they themselves
became entangled in the intricate web of allegations. Their credibility was placed
under intense scrutiny, as were their pasts, and they too stood accused of actions that
had no bearing on the trials at hand. John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor’s husband, was
one person who became involved with the trials defending his wife. It got to the point
where his reputation became tarnished as a result of the constant discrediting of the
information he bought forward. One of the points he raised was that Abigail had been
a servant to he and Elizabeth and had been dismissed by Elizabeth as a result of an
affair that took place between Abigail and Proctor. Proctor’s reasoning for the
accusations placed against Elizabeth, stated that they were an attempt from Abigail to
regain his loyalty by killing Elizabeth. After he had explained this to the judges, he
was asked to sign the paper on which the transcript of what he had said was written,
however, he would not. He then made this comment:
“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and I
sign lies to myself! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them hang! How
can I not live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave my name!”
The Crucible Act Four, Page 124.
The judges did not take kindly to this comment and decided that he must have been
lying and subsequently came to the conclusion that he must hang. In the end, he
managed to successfully defend Elizabeth, however, in the process he dirtied his own
name and was subsequently sentenced to death.
In George Clooney’s “Goodnight and Good-luck”, one main portrayal of injustice
occurred as a result of United States Military actions against an air force officer
named Milo Radulovich, whose father allegedly had connections to the communist
movement in the United States. He was asked to resign his position in the air force as
a result of his father’s past actions, as he was considered a risk to national security
even though he himself had not committed any offences and had a clean slate. The
person who decided that Milo Radulovich was to leave the air force was Senator
Joseph McCarthy.
Other people once again became involved with the case, claiming that the actions
taken out against the officer were unjust and that it was against the constitution. One
person who became deeply involved in defending the victim and publicly making
known the injustice that had taken place was Edward Murrow of CBS news. He said
this about Senator McCarthy publicly on his CBS documentary show “See it now”.
“His primary achievement has been in confusing the public mind, as between the internal and the
external threats of Communism. We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember
always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law.
We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we
dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men”.
Source: Goodnight and Good-Luck
As a result of Edward making his views known publicly, he came under fire from the
authorities. He was placed under intense public scrutiny and was subjected to slander
and discrimination campaigns administered by Senator McCarthy. These campaigns
publicly accused Edward Murrow of taking sides and publicly broadcasting his views
without knowing the whole story. The accusations were later backed up by Senator
McCarthy appearing on “See it now”, on which he made further efforts to discredit
Murrow, however these efforts did not go down well with the viewers and bought a
further decline in his popularity. In the end Milo was reinstated, and McCarthy’s
popularity was at an all - time low.
In conclusion, from both pieces of literature, we can see clearly that injustice handed
down upon people from authorities, and the way people who tried to defend how the
victims were treated, reduced their chance at a fair go in life. In each case, those
originally accused, Elizabeth Proctor and Milo Radulovich, were let off the hook and
their fair go at life restored. However, Edward Murrow and John Proctor suffered as a
result of it. Edward Murrow managed to win over the public opinion, thus restoring
an element of quality to his life but, John Proctor lost his life as a result of the trials,
thus eliminating any chance he had at a fair go in life.