When watching this movie I couldn't really figure out how this all tied into our Cold War Unit. After reading the handouts and doing my own independent research it became clear how this movie tied in with everything we have been learning. The movie was about
many things we have been learning/watching but one of the main things was the Red Scare. The Red Scare was a g
eneral fear of communism. People feared communism because they felt that it was a direct threat to their freedoms as an American and it underminded basic values. When watching the movie I didn't realize how much all we were learning tied into what was happening in the movie but it is now clear. In the movie the main doctor, Dr. Bennel appeared as if he were being paranoid by thinking that some kind of aliens were taking over. As the movie continues he realizes that these pods are taking over his town and that nearly everyone he knows was now being controlled. The pods were clearly a symbol of communism and Dr. Bennel feared becoming just like everyone else. McCarthyism ties into all of this because like Red Scare, communism is a big threat that comes with fear that leads to paranoia.
Independent Research Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/arthur-miller/mccarthyism/484/
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmccarthyism.htm
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Saccov/redscare.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Scare
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