Playwright Arthur Miller was not only a prominent figure in American theater, but also an activist. Using his work and fame to promote social and political activism, Miller most notably criticized the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) for its controversial anti-Communism trials. However, Miller did also support various other causes, including civil rights, human rights, anti-war protests, and HIV/AIDS awareness (Srdjak).

A current even that Miller would be saddened to hear about is the recent refusal of the Milton Hersey School in Hershey, Pennsylvania, to admit a 13-year-old boy because he is HIV positive, and thus poses a threat to the other student’s health (Martinez). Miller would be saddened about the discrimination against the boy not only because he was involved in the funding of HIV campaigns, but also because of the fact that the school argued the boy would put the other students in “danger.” Being involved in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and with the advancement in the treatment of HIV over the recent years, Miller would know that the boy would pose no threat to the other students, and that there were most likely other reasons behind the refusal to admit the boy. As he did with the many other causes he supported during his lifetime, Miller would use his prominence to criticize the school and support the boy who has now filed a lawsuit.

With his strong support for social and political activism, Miller would call on politicians to make sure that the discrimination against people with HIV is prevented in the future. Often described as an “activist for the common man” (Watson), Miller would support the boy in his lawsuit against the school. With resemblances between the boy’s case and the McCarthy trials, in which in innocent people were accused of crimes due to personal dislike and fear and rejected (Watson), Miller would try to make sure that the boy is not discriminated against because of his unfortunate health condition.

Works Cited

Martinez, Michael. "Student with HIV Sues Private Residential School for Denied Admission." CNN U.S. 01 Dec. 2011. Web. 05 Dec. 2011. <http://articles.cnn.com/2011-12-01/us/us_pennsylvania-hiv-hershey-school_1_hiv-milton-hershey-school-middle-school>.

Srdjak, Ken. "From the Daily: Arthur Miller." The Michigan Daily. 11 Feb. 2005. Web. 5 Dec. 2011. <http://www.michigandaily.com/content/daily-arthur-miller>.

Watson, Jerilyn. "Arthur Miller: 1915-2005:  One of the Greatest American Playwrights of the 20th Century." Voice of America. 28 Nov. 2009. Web. 04 Dec. 2011. <http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/a-23-2009-11-28-voa5-83144292.html>.

Arthur Asher Miller was one of the most prominent American playwrights in the twentieth century, and is often referred to as a “genius of modern drama” (“Arthur Miller”). Born on October 17, 1915, in Manhattan, New York, to Isidore Miller, a coat-manufacturer, and Augusta Miller, a schoolteacher, Miller’s childhood was surrounded by the effects and poverty brought along by the Great Depression as his dad lost almost everything (“Arthur Miller: Biography”).

Regardless of the challenges brought on by the Great Depression, Miller had an active childhood, attending school and playing several sports, including baseball and football. He loved to read adventure stories, and had several jobs, working with his dad, for a bakery, and at a warehouse (Bradford). After having graduated from the Abraham Lincoln High School in 1932, and having saved enough money to pay for his college tuition, Miller left New York to study journalism at the University of Michigan. It was there Miller wrote his first play, No Villain, after having entered a drama competition, for which he later received an award from the University (Bradford).

After graduating in 1938, Miller joined the Federal Theater Project, established as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal. Following its shutdown in 1939, Miller worked as a freelance writer, writing plays for the radio (“Arthur Miller: Biography”). Not having to serve in World War II due to an old Football injury, Miller wrote his first Broadway-bound play, The Man Who Had All the Luck, in 1944, which was pulled from Broadway just after four days due to horrible reviews (Bradford).

However, three years later, Miller had his first success on Broadway with his critically acclaimed drama All My Sons. This time, Miller’s play ran for 328 performances and earned him the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award as the best play of 1947. In 1949, Miller’s most famous play, Death of a Salesman, debuted on Broadway, running for an astounding 742 performances (“Arthur Miller: Biography”). Winning both the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for Death of a Salesman, Miller quickly earned international recognition (Bradford).

In 1953, Miller published his most controversial play, The Crucible, in which he used the Salem witch trials as an analogy for McCarthy’s anti-communism hearings in the 1950s (“Arthur Miller”). Miller later found himself in front of the House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), where he was found guilty and added to the Hollywood blacklist. However, after having his conviction overturned by Congress in 1958, Miller was eventually pulled from the blacklist (“Arthur Miller: Biography”).

By the 1950s, Miller had become one of the most famous playwrights in the world, partially because of his marriage to Marilyn Monroe in 1956, which brought him into the limelight. Miller divorced Monroe in 1961, one year before her death, and shortly after married Inge Morath, with whom he had two children (Bradford).

Throughout his writing career Miller went on to write dozens of more plays, including A View from the Bridge (1955), After the Fall (1964), Broken Glass (1994), Resurrection Blues (2002), and Finishing the Picture (2004). During his later years, Miller predominantly spent his time working on his autobiography and the film adaptions of Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, which earned him an Academy Award nomination (Bradford). In 2005, on February 10, Miller passed away at the age of 89 (“Arthur Miller: Biography”).

Works Cited

"Arthur Miller: Biography." Spartacus Educational. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmillerA.htm>.

Arthur Miller. Digital image. Famous People Info. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://www.famouspeopleinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Arthur_Miller-834x1024.jpg>. 

"Arthur Miller." The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Web. 13 Nov. 2011. <http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/artists/?entity_id=3762>.

Bradford, Wade. "Arthur Miller - Biography of an American Playwright." About.com: Plays & Drama. Web. 14 Nov. 2011. <http://plays.about.com/od/playwrights/p/arthurmiller.htm>.