The Crucible
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Witchcraft through the AgesMany people have attempted to explain what kindled the hysteria of Salem in 1692. One historian (Mary K. Matossian, University of Maryland) has argued (in American Scientist, 1982) that it is likely those who felt themselves bewitched were suffering delusions from eating rye grains, contained in breads, that had become diseased through a fungus called ergot. Victims of the disease of ergotism have fits, see visions, and complain of being pricked or bitten - symptoms resembling those of the Salem witches. Ergotism has a similar effect on animals and could thus explain the bewitched behavior of Salems's dogs, two of whom were executed along their the human victims. Matossian's theory findings have been disputed and remain only a theory.
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Witchcraft and the American Literary ImaginationThe idea of witchcraft has had a peculiar fascination for the American literary imagination. In the mid-nineteenth century, Nathaniel Hawthorne, descendant of a judge who had officiated at the trials, based his story "Young Goodman Brown" on descriptions in Cotton Mather's accounts. In this story, all people in the community partake in witchcraft because everyone on earth shares "one stain of guilt, one mighty blood spot."
Another twentieth-century writer who examined the Salem witch trials was Stephen Vincent Benet, who made the following observation in an essay titled "We Aren't Superstitious:" It is well for us to consider Salem. It was a town, like another, and a strange madness took hold of it. But is it stranger madness to hang a man for witchcraft than to hang him for the shape of his nose or the color of his skin? We are not superstitious, no. Well, let us be sure we are not. For persecution follows superstition and intolerance as fire follows a fuse. And, once we light that fuse, we cannot foresee where the fire will burn or what it will consume - any more than they could in Salem, so many years ago" (57). |
McCarthyism
Senator Joseph McCarthy
Arthur Miller published The Crucible in 1953, and debuted it that year at the Martin Beck Theater in New York City. He wrote the play in part to renounce the unfair tactics of congressional committees investigating Americans suspected of subversive behavior. The House Un-American Activities Committee, established in 1938, began holding hearings in the late 1940's to identify Americans with communist sympathies, focusing on Hollywood actors, directors, and writers. Witnesses who refused to identify acquaintances exhibiting suspicious behavior were blacklisted, a penalty that ruined reputations and made it difficult for many in the film industry to get work. When Senator Joseph R. McCarthy began conducting his own investigation in the U.S. Senate in the 1950's, he accused hundreds of innocent people of having communist ties, using tactics not unlike those used in the Salem witch trials. For example, instead of asking a witness “Are you a communist?” he was more likely to ask “Are you still a communist?” The insertion of the word still made it impossible for a witness to answer yes or no to the question while maintaining his innocence. In response to McCarthy’s unfair tactics, journalists coined the term McCarthyism to describe the use of groundless evidence and accusations in public inquiries. Miller himself appeared before Congress in 1956 but refused to provide the names of persons under suspicion. He was found guilty of contempt, but he appealed the verdict and was exonerated.
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August 23rd, 2006
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Essential / Essay Questions:
- How does a collective fear affect the group or individuals?
- Is hypocrisy a natural human flaw?
- Why and how do religion, politics, and persecution interact?
- Is personal integrity more important than survival?
- Does a governing body have the right to dictate morality?
- Can a work of art bring about change in the world?
Discussion Board Questions:
It may not matter if one's sole interest is in Miller's work as literature or theater, but what happens when people only know history through creative works of art and not from primary sources and historical facts, letting someone else pick and choose between facts to include and which to alter for their own artistic purposes and political arguments?
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Theme
What exactly is this elusive thing called theme?
- The theme of a fable is its moral - The theme of a parable is its teaching - In fiction, the them is not intended to teach or preach. in fact, it is not presented directly at all. The reader must extract it from the characters, actions, and setting that make up the story. In other words, you must figure it out for yourself. Writer's task: The writer must be able to use themes in order to communicate on a common ground with the reader. Although the particulars of your experience might be different than the details in the story, the general underlying truths behind the story may be just the connection that booth you and the writer are seeking. The Book's Definition: The underlying meaning of a literary work. - The theme may be stated or implied. - Theme differs from the subject of the work in that it involves a statement or opinion about that subject. - Not every literary work has a theme. - Some literary works have more than one theme. |
Approaches to finding Theme:
- Think through the events in the plot and the effects they've had on the characters. - Remember what theme is not: - Not a moral - Not a subject - Not a summary |
Thematic One Act Play
Write a One Act Play that illustrates a theme found in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.
Possible Themes: - Revenge - Reputation - Greed/Self Interest - The Consequences of Lies - How fear/hysteria affects a group of individuals - Intolerance - Is hypocrisy a natural human flaw? - Why and how do religion, politics, and persecution interact? - Is personal integrity more important than survival? - Does a governing body have the right to dictate morality? - Can a work of art bring about change in the world? Directions: 100 Possible Points 10 Points Total: - Length: 5-10 Pages - Format: Correct Script formatting (see the example attached). 30 Points Total: Adheres to the Classical Unities - Unity of Time: It takes place within a day - Unity of Place: It takes place in one location - Unity of Action: One central plot 30 Points Total: Characterization - At least two round, fully developed characters - The dialogue should reflect the distinct voice and personality of the characters. - At least one of your characters should go through a change due to the conflict and its resolution. |
Sample One Act Play
30 Points Total: Plot & Theme
- The plot moves clearly in a cause and effect pattern, demonstrating: - Exposition: necessary background information revealed through dialogue - Conflict: Man v. Man (outer conflict) or Man v. Himself (inner conflict) - Rising action: the cause and effect events leading to the resolution - Climax: the problem/conflict is resolved - Falling action: the effect of the conflict resolution - Conclusion: what will happen next? - Theme: the actions in the play affect the character in a way that the theme is demonstrated as the underlying idea behind the story. Sample Script Formatting
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