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Hysteria In The Crucible - College Essay

Hysteria In The Crucible

The state of hysteria in a society can spread faster than a brush fire, and be more dangerous then a San Francisco earthquake. There is a process of four combined steps that will ultimately lead to this disaster; a fearful event, promotion of the event, attacks due to pretense, and total panic and chaos. Webster's dictionary defines hysteria as a state of unmanageable fear or excess.
The process of hysteria is initiated by an event which brings fear, and will eventually cause social unrest, chaos, and distrust. This event usually involves a group of people and an issue that concerns the whole community. In the Crucible this can be seen when Abi and the other girls of Salem are found ...

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is important because without public knowledge of the fear social unrest will not take place. As seen in the Crucible, promotion is shown when Reverend Parris holds a meeting of the largest town gossips to tell them of Betty and Ruth's ailment, and that witchcraft may be involved. This knowledge starts a chain reaction through Salem, which spreads the news to everyone in the town. During the Red scare media exploitation had already plagued America, so promotion was almost instant.
At this point the community is starting to fall apart. The first signs of unrest are noticeable, and control has become a mute point. Members of the community begin lashing out at others making accusations based on pretense, and driven by fear. This is so destructive to a community because no one is safe from false accusations or slander. When this happens "mob mentality" takes effect. A person is calm, responsible, and reasonable; but people are out of control and easily panicked. At this time in ...

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Hysteria In The Crucible. (2005, May 28). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Hysteria-In-The-Crucible/27630

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 5/28/2005 02:40:19 PM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 532
Pages: 2

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