between a free bird and a caged bird.
The free
The Toll of Fear
The effects of intoxicating fear seen in The
Crucible and Caged Bird are elaborated on by
The Guardian’s Francesca Foxover
Nowadays, many assumptions are made
about people from the way they present
themselves in society. An example that is
unfortunately relevant to our world is that
Muslims often cannot openly represent their
faith through the wearing of a hijab, niqab,
burka, chador or khimar without undergoing
accusation of being a terrorist. These
assumptions are uninformed and stem from
fear. The media is partially responsible for
creating the profile of a terrorist to be Muslim
and that religious garments suggest
extremism. For example, by showing imagery
of Muslims in religious garments whilst
reporting of an Isis terrorist attack is inducing
this misleading representation.
Source: Pacific press via Getty Images.
Muslims Must Do More Than Distance Themselves
From Terrorism. [online] Available at:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/kacem-el-
ghazzali/fight-terrorism_b_10356954.html
The play, ‘The Crucible’ by renowned author
Arthur Miller and the poem, ‘Caged Bird’ by
Maya Angelou are pieces of literature that
both contain similar references to the theme
of fear. Cleverly, Miller titled The Crucible
after the container that purifies metals by
exposing them to extreme heat. In the play,
fear is a catalyst for the tension between the
characters as they all fear something or
someone. Furthermore, the effect of fear is
seen in Caged Bird through the comparison
bird is flourishing and has desires it can
realize; however, the Caged Bird is perishing
under the premise that it is trapped. Both
birds are singing but to very different rhythms
depicting the oxymoron woven through the
poem. The cage metaphor is also applicable
to the treatment and ‘caging’ of Muslims.
Mary Warren is the well-informed servant of
the Proctors and like many she is deeply
affected by the intoxicating levels of fear in
Salem; which often enforces her to supplant
logic. The high levels of pressure and available
power Mary feels makes her appear unsure,
anxious and unreliable. The extended
metaphor evident in the poem about the free
and caged bird explores the theme of fear and
how it can create a cage like feeling. The free
and caged bird mirrors much of what Mary and
Abigail experience.
The following is a line from the poem that
relates to the toll fear had on Mary, “The caged
bird sings with a fearful trill of things
unknown”. Like Mary, the bird continues to
sing out even with the rising fear and pressure.
As pressure advances, Mary – out of fear of
being accused by the other girls – claims that
Elizabeth Proctor made her sign the devils
book, “That she sometimes made a compact
with Lucifer, and wrote her name in his black
book-with her blood-and bound herself to
torment Christians till God's thrown
down...and we all must worship Hell
forevermore”. Like the caged bird, Mary is
restricted by fear which makes her hesitantly
speak out about occurrences then retract her
statements out of fear.
At the time, Salem was following a very
austere form of Protestantism; Puritanism,
where church and state are one. The highly
modest nature of Puritanism contrasted with
the witch trials shows how this provided an
escapism. The trials gave townspeople an
acceptable reason to act on malicious grudges
as the acts were smoothed over with the
supposed motive of righteousness. Characters
like Abigail used the conflict of trials and
personal fear to benefit themselves even if
this meant creating toxically fearful
environments for others like Mary.
Abigail’s opportunistic attitude in contrast
with Mary’s unsure demeanour shows how
the newfound freedom of accusation alters
them both irrevocably. This is demonstrated
in Caged Bird, “But a caged bird stands on the
grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a
nightmare scream”. Mary is part of the few
who don’t use the trials to expose long
simmering resentments rather she doesn’t
respond well to the fear and pressure. In the
use of “grave of dreams”, aspirations and
dreams of Mary’s have been buried under all
the witch trial hysteria.
is applied to them. Similarly, Mary has power
available to her but due to fear inflicted on
her by John and Abigail, it is not used to
potential. This equates to her feeling trapping
confusion and anger.
Mary made a fair statement to Abigail in Act
1, “Abby, we've got to tell. Witchery's a
hanging' error, a hangin' like they done in
Boston two year ago! We must tell the truth
Abby! You'll only be whipped for the dancin'
and the other things!” The scandalous reason
driving Abigail is convoluted and twisted thus
makes her fail to see the outcome of her
actions. Mary on the other hand could foresee
the outcome and tried to get Abigail to drop
the charade.

Mary’s minor input to the actual beginning of
the hysteria, seemingly makes it unfair that
she became so heavily entwined. Despite
being in a metaphorical cage Mary maintains
some dialogue when she stated to Mercy and
Abigail, “I never done none of it, Abby, I only
looked!”. Mary is again showing her lack of
backbone by proclaiming her own innocence.
Under the pressure of the accusations, some
embrace it and somewhat flourish and others
wilt.
Throughout the play we see Mary’s sense of
right and wrong diminish as she becomes
overcome with fear. Overall, the poem Caged
Bird, the novel The Crucible and the issue of
assuming Muslims are affiliated with
terrorism share many themes relating to the
effects of fear and accusation. Specifically,
Mary Warrens’ perspective assisted in the
understanding of being victimised by fear.

The mass hysteria Salem experiences suspends

basic societal rules and provides low social
status characters like Mary Warren with a
relevant and powerful voice. The Proctors let
their previous servant go and replace her with
Mary. Mary dulls her own voice by giving into
John and Abigail’s orders as she is generally
weak by nature. The following line from Caged
Bird demonstrates the idea of Mary expresses
her lack of ability to formulate her own
opinion, “a bird that stalks down his narrow
cage can seldom see through his bars of rage”.

The context of the cage is that the bird has

been cursed by it and it is angered by the
difficulty to express ones self. “Bars of rage” is
another example of a metaphor as it is
directly representing the rage associated with
not being able to escape the cage. The bars on
a cage are inescapable regardless of any force
Bibliography
Angelou, M. (1969). I know why the caged bird
sings . New York: Random House .

Images, G. (2016, August 6). Retrieved from

Muslims must do more than distance
themselves from terrorism:
https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/kace
m-el-ghazzali/fight-
terrorism_b_10356954.html

Miller, A. (1953). The Crucible . Penguin

Random House Uk .