Name: ______Per:______Date:______
The Crucible Packet
Salem Video Questions:
1. How many people were executed for witchcraft in Europe between the 14th and 16th centuries?
2. Where does the persecution of individuals for witchcraft originate from?
3. What event shifted the views of paganism and witchcraft in the 14th century?
4. Name two ways that witchcraft was proven.
5. Why was witchcraft considered treason in England?
6. What was the goal of the Puritans?
7. What factors of Salem in 1692 contributed to the Salem witch trials?
8. What were Puritan expectations for women?
9. What sorts of people were accused of witchcraft in Salem?
10. What is your overall reaction to the video and the overview of the Salem witch trials?
Notes Arthur Miller
Born in ______in the family of ______, a moderately rich Jewish ladies wear manufacturer and shopkeeper, and ______Miller;
His family was ruined in the ______and he had to work in automobile parts warehouse to earn money for college;
Studied ______, but graduated in English from the University of ______. His decision to become a writer was under the impression of Dostoevsky’s ______;
Married his college sweetheart ______.
Some Other Facts
Wrote two short plays under the collective title of ______(1954);
Married ______(1956), wrote screenplays (Misfits) with roles for his wife, and divorced her (1961);
1965 – Miller was elected president of ______, the international literary organization
1968 – At the democratic Party Convention he was elected delegate for ______, whose era of mass hysteria as depicted in Miller’s The Crucible, where “accepted the notion that conscience was no longer a private matter but one of state administration”;
Numerous problems with the ______for being a “romantic marxist”;
After the Fall – a biographical play
Finishing the Picture – last play, depicted the making of Misfits.
Notes The Crucible
In the ______, Puritans settled on the East coast of the United States. They brought with them the hope of ______-, but instead became embroiled in hysteria over the existence of ______. They had been persecuted in their native ______, but they created a theocracy and eventually persecuted others.
Most of those accused of being witches were ______.
Many were ______, and used plants to heal people.
Many were without ______, and this made them easy targets.
They were people who did not fit in with the ______for some reason.
One of the ways most witches were accused was with the use of “______.” If someone said they had seen the accused with the ______in a dream, or that the accused had visited them in the night, or had hurt them, it was taken as evidence that the devil was at work.
20 executed; Between ____ to ______imprisoned
How did it start?
In ______, several girls in the village of ______, Massachusetts became intrigued when a ______servant told them stories of magic and voodoo from her native land.
Bored and restricted by the ______Puritan life, the girls slipped into the woods one night and “______” love charms and ______.
One girl, ______, slipped into ______when her father caught them. She wouldn’t wake up, and this started the discussion of ______. To avoid punishment, the girls created the story of the “witches” who made them ______and ______the spells.
Why did it happen?
It began as a way for the oppressed girls to avoid being ______.
It then became an ideal way to get ______on anyone whom you disliked.
People started accusing their neighbors of being ______- so they could steal their ______.
People accused others of being witches if they wanted to steal their ______or ______or ______.
Those accused of being witches were most often found ______. Sometimes they were sentenced to be tied to a rock and dunked in a pond. If they sank, they were declared ______-. If they somehow survived the dunking, they were obviously ______, and they were ______.
Most of those found guilty of witchcraft were ______.
One man was pressed to death with rocks because he refused to plead ______or ______t to ensure that his sons still inherited his ______.
Why Arthur Miller wrote “The Crucible”
Arthur Miller, one of America’s most famous playwrights, lived during the ______and experienced the ______- hysteria of the era. People thought their were ______- everywhere, and one man, Senator ______, made it his personal mission to find Communists and destroy their lives by bringing them before something called the ______-.
Senator McCarthy accused many people— ______, ______, people in ______, people in the ______— of being Communists. He held hearings where people were commanded to give ______-of other Communists in order for ______. People were afraid they might be named as Communists, and it was called the ______. (‘Red’ was a word used for a Communist.)
The Crucible was Arthur Miller’s way of protesting the House Unamerican Activities Committee hearings. He compared the Communist hearings to the witch hunts of ______, where ______, ______, and ______were evidence enough to convict people.
The term “______” now applies to any activity where people are looking for a ______or where they are using accusations to get ______or to get personal ______or ______.
REFLECTION (100 + words)
Based on what you’ve heard about the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy hearings, write a paragraph detailing any connections you see between the two occurrences.
Why do you think Arthur Miller chose to use the period of history (1692) that he chose? Why didn’t he just write about the Red Scare and the McCarthy trials?s
Are there any differences between the two occurrences (other than the obvious things, like time periods and clothes, etc.)
How do you think both of these “witch hunts” were stopped eventually?
The Crucible
Themes to consider as we read:
1. Puritanism, intolerance, and individuality: Puritan society required that its members follow strict guidelines of social order. Communities that focus primarily on social order leave little room for personal freedom. Those who think or act independently are seen as a threat to the community. Throughout the play consider what effects the religion affects the everyday lives of the townspeople. Consider what way the puritan ideals contribute to the evil acts and accusations. Assess what effect on individuality this restrictive lifestyle has.
2. Hysteria: In The Crucible, neighbors suddenly turn on each other and accuse people they’ve known for years of practicing witchcraft and devil-worship. The town of Salem falls into mass hysteria, a condition in which community-wide fear overwhelms logic and individual thought and ends up justifying its own existence.Consider what causes the town to break into hysteria so quickly and readily. How is this hysteria infectious and what does it feed off of?
3. Reputation, Integrity, and Pride: Reputation is the way that other people perceive you. Integrity is the way you perceive yourself. Several characters in The Crucible face a tough decision: to protect their reputation or their integrity. What is important about one’s reputation? What value is given to a name in the play?
Study Guide: Answer on a separate piece of paper and attach to the packet.
Act I
1. The various personalities of the girls: Who is the "leader"? How would you describe Mary Warren in relation to the other girls?
2. What have the girls done that violate Puritan codes and could explain their behavior? How does Tituba figure in the event?
3. What are some of the reasons behind Parris’s insecurity? What is Parris’s relationship with Thomas Putman?
4. Why has Goody Proctor turned Abigail out of the Proctor household? How does this "rejection" figure in the build-up of the witch hysteria?
5. What key points does Miller makes about concepts of the Devil in his “exposition” passage introducing Reverend Hale.
6. What must the “accused” of witchcraft do to avoid hanging? Specifically, why does Tituba “open up”?
7. What is the effect of Tituba’s confession on Mrs. Putman, Betty and Abigail at the end of Act I?
8. What “symptoms” are listed as evidence that there are witches in Salem?
Act II
9. What is the primary center of tension in the encounter between John Proctor and Mary Warren?
10. What other “symptoms” can be added to the Act I list of "evidence" that the Devil has invaded Salem?
11. What is your impression of Elizabeth Proctor by the end of Act II?
12. Of Reverend Hale?
13. How does Reverend Hale initiate the hysteria that closes the Act?
14. Describe the methods Miller uses to achieve the climatic build-up at the end of Act II. (Note images, syntax, rhythm, any special effects)
Act III
15. Observe Miller’s description of the physical properties of the courtroom. What specific details make the room “forbidding”?
16. What is Danforth’s role in the proceedings? How would you characterize Danforth’s personality?
17. Clarify Danforth’s statement that “the entire contention of the state in these trials is that the voice of Heaven is speaking through the children.”
18. How would you describe the encounter between Danforth and Abigail? Who “wins”? Why?
19. Define Hale’s stance in the last part of Act III, particularly as it relates to Proctor.
20. The end of Act III is often a climax or turning point in a play. Do you perceive the end of Act III as a “turning point”? Explain your conclusion with evidence from the text.
21. What various techniques does Miller use to achieve such heightened drama at the end of Act III?
Act IV
22. How would you describe the opening of Act IV? What does Miller achieve dramatically with such an opening?
23. What has happened in Andover that has Parris so agitated?
24. What is Reverend Hale doing that brings “hope”? Why does Danforth suggest that Hale has been preaching in Andover?
25. What is the “good purpose” Parris refers to? How will "unconfessed and claiming innocence" contribute to “our good purpose {being} lost in their tears”?
26. What, in your perception, has contributed to Parris’s apparent “softening” in attitude?
27. What "evidence" does Hale give of the effect of the witchcraft accusations on the town?
28. What "law" is Danforth referring to in his assertion: "I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law, and an ocean of salt tears could not melt the resolutions of the statutes”?
29. What is the implication in Elizabeth’s statement that Giles "died Christian under the law"?
30. What is it that Proctor refuses to do to help his sons "walk like men in the world"?
31. Explain what Elizabeth means as, with a "cry," she calls out "He (Proctor) have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!"
32. What dramatic statement, in your perception, does Miller punctuate with his closing simile "the drums rattle like bones in the morning air"?
Short Thematic Essay Paragraph
Lastly, revisit the themes addressed earlier. Choose one of the topics and develop what you believe is one theme from the play. A theme is a statement that a work makes about life in general or human existence. It can be stated in a sentence. After you have identified a theme, write a 150 word paragraph that identifies the theme, provides supporting evidence for the theme, and explains and elaborates on the theme below.
Characters:
Briefly describe each as you read to keep track of who’s who. Consider personality traits, morals, what the character says, how the character acts, and how they are viewed by others.
Tituba:
Parris
Abigail:
Susana:
Mrs. Putnam:
Mr. Putnam:
Mercy Lewis:
Mary Warren:
Betty:
John Proctor:
Giles Corey:
Rebecca Nurse:
John Hale:
Elizabeth:
Francis Nurse:
Ezekiel Cheever:
Judge Hathorne:
Martha Corey:
Deputy Governor Danforth:
Marshal Herrick:
Sarah Good:
Hopkins:
Film and Text Comparison:
Below list 15 differences between the film and the text. In the first column, write how the text portrays something and in the next write how the film portrays it. In the third column, write what you think the reason is for the difference or what effect it has on the audience.
Text: Film: Effect:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
Vocabulary Assignment:
Choose 2 words from each act (4 acts, 8 words total) that are unfamiliar to you.
1. Quote the sentence in which the word is used in MLA citation style.
2. Try to define the word based on the context.
3. Look up and define the word using a dictionary.
4. Create your own sentence using the word.
5. Write a synonym for the word.
6. Write an antonym for the word.
Ex:
1. “Which is not to say that nothing broke into this strict and somber way of life” (15).
2. dull? quiet?
3. dark and gloomy or dull; depressing
4. Mr. Beebout brightened the student’s somber day, merely with his presence.
5. boring
6. invigorating
Act 1:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Act 2
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Attach a paper for the other 2 acts.
Crucible 8