Throughout time, fear has been the number one thing that keeps people alive. Because people are scared, they run from predators in order to survive. The process of natural selection has ensured that those who are scared will live. The people who realize this can take advantage of it. Two prime examples are Abigail Williams and Judy Johnson. The McMartin Daycare Case of the 1980s shares similar themes with the Salem Witch Trials, as seen in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Without a doubt, there is plenty of hysteria leading to impulsive decision making featured in the McMartin Daycare Case. To recap, in 1983 a woman named Judy Johnson accused Ray Buckley of molesting her two-year-old son. Letters were sent out to parents and word spread quickly …show more content…
After accusing Ray Buckely, she pursued more allegations against the school using weak evidence. According to information about the trial compiled by law Professor Douglas O. Linder, “[Judy Johnson] claimed that Peggy Buckey, Ray’s mother, was involved in satanic practices … most prosecutors would come to recognize Johnson's allegations as the delusions of a paranoid schizophrenic, but the snowball of suspicion had started rolling.'' (Linder). Professor Linder demonstrates that Judy is responsible for the controversy at McMartin Preschool. He illustrates how Judy’s lies led to an unnecessary investigation and wrongful imprisonment. By starting several rumors about rape and satanic practices in the preschool, Johnson was able to manipulate the court into believing her because they were scared. This connects back to the theme of hysteria leading to impulsive decision making, as found in The Crucible and The McMartin Daycare …show more content…
In John Miller’s play, the extremely Christian town’s fear of the devil pushes innocent people to be needlessly killed when they are accused of witchcraft. In act II Reverend Hale warns Proctor and Elizabeth, “‘We dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!’” (Miller 201). The theme of hysteria leading to impulsive decision making is present in The Crucible. In this passage, Hale is saying that he cannot let fear guide his accusations. He knows that fear will inevitably lead to poor decisions. When the court fails to listen, those who are innocent face horrendous punishments. This is comparable to the McMartin Case. According to an article by the History Channel “The McMartin prosecutions represented the height of the hysteria over sexual abuse of children in America. Despite a complete lack of reputable evidence … [procecuters] proceeded against Ray Buckey for more than six years" (“Teachers”). This article reinforces the theme of hysteria leading to impulsive decision making. Although there wasn’t evidence, the lawsuit proceeded for six years because the people were scared. That fear of abuse and satanic practices pushed this case forward more than it should have. The unorthodox decisions from the courts in both instances were clearly driven by fear. Unquestionably, both the McMartin Preschool Case and The Crucible share the theme of mass
This proves the claim of Madam having “more than her share” of evil because Ruth, who is 5 years old, is having a seizure and Madam began to beat her with a broom, while the toddler had no sort of self-defense. On page 265, it exclaims,
In KOVR-TV, the children were subjected to the media bombarding them and revealing sensitive information. The three children, all under twelve and without adult supervision, were “interrogated” by Saxenmyer. (Id. at 432) Saxenmeyer, then, informed three kids that Mrs. Weber murdered the Weber children. He does not stop there; he went on to tell the children that the mother committed suicide. (Id. at 433).
In Act I of the Crucible, by Arthur Miller, we are introduced to Reverend Hale, a “spiritual doctor” who comes to Salem as an authoritative figure on the science of demonology to try and assess whether the presence of witchcraft in Salem is true or false. However, as the play proceeds, we see Hale deviating from his original purpose and ideas. His intentions shift from figuring out whether or not witchcraft is afoot in Salem to the desire of making the accused confess to save themselves from being hanged. In Act II, after Hale has seen all of the girls confessing to seeing others with the Devil, such as Elizabeth Proctor, he goes to John Proctor’s house to find out more.
However, supporters of the case were persistent, so the case was brought back before the judge, and he agreed, seeing that there was no way they would let this go until a real trial took place. While in court, several witnesses were interrogated for the case of the young man, including middle school principal Mary Podlesny, high school principals William Davis and Tom Blauert, one of the main tormentors Roy Grande, and Nabozny himself. Most of the witnesses supported the young man’s case by explaining the relentless bullying and how nobody took action. However, Mrs. Podlesny still denied having any knowledge of the bullying, which was a very stupid move since both Roy Grande and his mother recalled her being present at a meeting about the situation at Ashland Middle School. When Roy was brought from prison to be questioned, he was truthful about everything he did to make Nabozny’s time at school miserable.
The scapegoats of this trial were Ray Buckey, and several teachers at the preschool. Ray Buckey did have power, as the owner of the school, but he was accused of molesting a child, which then influenced every other parent's opinion on him. As people started to become suspicious of Buckey, the police took action; "the police conducted searches of Buckey's home, confiscating such 'evidence' as a rubber duck, a graduation robe, and Playboy magazines. Detective Hoag arrested Buckey on September 7, 1983. (Linder 1)
In Arthur Miller’s play “the Crucible”, Rev. Hale changes from narrow minded to regretful through Miller’s use of Rev. Hale’s actions, other characters reactions of him and his stage directions. Hale strictly follows the law to maintain order, and contributes to the beginning of the witch trials. As Hale arrives in Salem he shows that he is very serious about what he does. As Hale enters “He appears loaded down with half a dozen heavy books”(36). Hale seems to want to impress the others with his amazing knowledge on the subject of witchcraft.
Injustice and hysteria are all too frequent in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, as people become convinced that false statements and accusations with insufficient evidence are truthful. The people in Salem fall victim to false preconceptions of guilt about those accused, making it almost impossible for the accused to defend themself. Now, they have to prove innocence on top of already having to defend themselves from further accusations. In The Crucible, Miller conveys the idea that people tried in court should be seen as innocent until proven guilty to prevent hysteria and preconceptions ruin a fair trial through the actions of Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Reverend Hale. Abigail Williams, the main accuser in The Crucible, plays a big
Linda Sterling, her husband Ron, and their son Travis Sterling were accused of sexually abusing children at the Preschool. One day a little girl came home from daycare and her mother found redness and broken skin on her bottom, so she asked her about it and she replied “a stranger had been poking me with a pink rope, lives at Linda’s” (Pasiuk “Satanic Panic”). From there Martensville police was called and an investigation was opened up to investigate the incident and to take up statements. Soon after the Sterling’s were accused of ritual abuse, another teacher, Ray Buckey was accused of performing ritual abuse on his students in the underground tunnels of cemeteries near his Preschool.
The McMartin preschool trial took place in Manhattan Beach, California where a 39-year-old psychotic mother accused Virgina McMartin, ‘the owner of the preschool,’ her daughter, her two grandkids, and three other teachers of molesting her 2-year-old child. The Council of Institutional Investigators, also known as the CII, interviewed the children who went to the preschool. The CII claimed that “more than 90% of the 400 preschoolers experienced sexual abuse” New York Times stated the kids used dolls to show the CII what had happened to them and due to the book Michelle Remembers sexual and ritual abuse was just starting to be talked about and people all around the world did not know quite yet how to handle
The child was considered a victim of child abuse and she was beaten to death. Mr. Jenkins knew had a record a spent 5 year in the Bronx prison for attempted murder. The form of child maltreatment that falls back on the mother is that she had a daughter in the care of a criminal who known already had a record and was considered as dangerous. The autopsy revealed that Bella had died from force trauma to her abdomen, and her death was considered a homicide.
The discretion of the case was significant in the regard of the defense, which countered some contradicted evidences. The evidences from the trial and the hearing preliminaries have revealed that the children were coached. The testimony showed lack of credibility on the issues and showing the significance of the discretion on the defense. McMartin told his attorney that he did not do it and his attorney used his discretion and believed him.
Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" is a timeless portrayal of the destructive impact of hysteria, the power of reputation, and the truth of justice. Set in the Puritan society of 17th-century Salem, Massachusetts, the play is a dramatization of the infamous witch trials that plagued the town. The play explores how a community can be consumed by irrational fear, leading to the persecution of innocent people. As one character notes, "The devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite" (Miller 38). This quote highlights the pervasive sense of paranoia and the desire to find scapegoats that characterize the world of the play.
The witches are on the hunt for the innocent souls of Salem with Hale stating, “The Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points” (Miller 1251). Hale is determined to use God’s mighty hand against the “evil witches”. This shows that Hale is faithful to Abigail’s accusations against the common people of Salem. At first, Reverend Hale is eager to prosecute, but as more innocent people are condemned, his compliance turns into distaste. His dissatisfaction eventually turns into rage when Hale shouts, “I denounce these proceedings!”
Human Nature has always been about survival and self-preservation. We see this repeated over and over in history, literature, and even in our own lives. “The Crucible”, written by Arthur Miller, is a web spun on deceit, lies, fear, and the strong will to preserve one’s self. Set in the late 1600’s, a witch hunt grips the small town of Salem throwing its residents into a state of constant hysteria. Many characters if not all, have been the spider and the fly, some more obvious to one side than others.
Innocent people who are incriminated under improper evidence are hanged. Parallel in the McMartin day care abuse case, the McMartin family, who administrate the establishment, and other members are accused illegally of having abused sexually numerously of the children under their vigilance. The accusations used against the McMartin