National University of Singapore Mass Hysteria in The Crucible Essay

The paper prompt (Links to an external site.), outlining that you are writing a five-page close reading of one of the two literary works we have studied.
The two literary works for you to choose from to craft your original argument, with the background provided earlier:
King Charles III: In England, their system of government is a constitutional monarchy: they have a Queen (or King) who holds an inherited title, but no political power. Instead, the British elect a party to lead the government, with the Prime Minister holding the power, and laws passed in the Houses of Lords and Commons (similar to our President and two congressional bodies). At the beginning of this play, after the fictional death of the current Queen Elizabeth, her son Charles ascends the throne; he himself has two sons William (next in line, with two children of his own) and Harry; their mother is Charles’ deceased ex-wife, Princess Diana, who was tragically killed in a car accident attempting to flee the paparazzi in 1997.
The Crucible: The Crucible is based on actual witch trials held in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692-3. We are looking at a different form of government, a theocracy, in which religious officials (doing God’s work) hold political power. Written during the 1950s, Arthur Miller captured the fear and finger-pointing going on in the Communist scare of the ’40s and ’50s. Much like the Salem Witch Trials, in mid-twentieth-century America, the House on Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was holding public hearings to root out communism; many famous people, including Miller, were called forward to testify and give up names of potential communists. Those that were labeled as communists were blacklisted, finding it difficult to get work, and facing potential judicial repercussions.