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Before you begin…

In a journal, respond to the following:

1) What is a reputation? 2) Why is it or is it not important? 3) Describe your reputation.

Journal This

Objectives

Bloom’s: knowledge, comprehension

1. Identify the Author of

The Crucible

Objective

Bloom’s: knowledge, comprehension

About the Author

Arthur’s parents were Austrian immigrants. Arthur Miller was born in New York in 1915.

Growing up during the Great Depression, money was scarce. Because of this, Arthur was unable to attend college.

Arthur did not read much as a little boy; the only thing Arthur liked to do was play football.

After reading Dostoyevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov while riding the train to work, Arthur decided to become a writer.

Arthur saved his money and enrolled in the University of Michigan as a journalism major. Arthur believed getting an education

would help him become a better writer.

Does this sound like any one you know?

Did You Know?

• Due to an old football injury, Miller could not join the military during World War II, so he wrote patriotic plays for the radio.

• Miller was married to the famous actress Marilyn Monroe in 1956.

• The Crucible was written as a response to McCarthyism after Miller himself was blacklisted.

• The movie The Crucible premiered in 1996.

• The movie made $62, 995.00 in its opening weekend.

• The actor who played the protagonist, John Proctor, married Miller's daughter Rebecca after the movie’s filming.

Marilyn Monroe was also married to the great baseball player, Joe DiMaggio!

Not a lot of money for an opening weekend by today’s standards.

Hike one, hike two. hike three…

Directions: Select the best answer to each question.

1. Who is the author of The Crucible? a) John Smith b) Arthur Miller c) Marilyn Monroe

b) Arthur Miller

2. Most of Miller’s plays are set in a) America b) Japan c) England a) America

3. Because Miller refused to name other Communists, he was a) laughed at b) ignored c) fined and sentenced to prison c) fined and sentenced to prison

Comprehension Check

1. Examine the Historical2. Background of

The Play

Objective

Bloom’s: knowledge, comprehension

This was during the 16th and 17th centuries – a long time ago! While the Puritan community still exists, it is much smaller.

Can you imagine what it wouldbe like to leave everything you knowbehind and go to a foreign country?

Have you ever treated someone badly because they were different from you?

The Puritans

The play is set in the 17th century during a time when Puritans were fleeing England for religious freedom.

A Puritan was a member of a group of English Protestants who strictly follows religious values and beliefs. They had a binding duty to the church and were ruled by the words of the Bible.

Adhering to strict, religious ways, the Puritans were not accepted in England. Because the Puritan’s were different, they were treated badly.

In 1620, many Puritans sailed on the Mayflower to North America to escape religious persecution.

Over the top superstitious and gullible! They would have to be or else this incident could never have happened, and historically the Salem Witch Trials REALLY did happen.

How would you defend yourself against such and accusation?

These accusations gave a whole new meaning to, “The devil made me do it”.

Salem Witch Trials

Because the story takes place during the 17th century is important to understand that the Puritan community was VERY superstitious, and VERY gullible. The Puritans had a strong aversion to witches and their ignorance and fear ruled over them.

In 1692, the theocratic rulers accused several men and women of witchcraft, and stood trial. The Puritans believed the devil gave these people special powers.

In all, nineteen people were judged and found guilty of being witches. These nineteen people were hanged. Others suffered and even died because of these ridiculous accusations.

An accusation during this time did not necessarily have its foundation in truth, but rather promoted hysteria during an uncertain time in American history.

Those in the entertainment industry were put on a list that came to be known as the “Hollywood Blacklist”.

McCarthyism was a widespread and the only way to guarantee your safety was to name other people. Because of this, many people lost their jobs during McCarthy’s “witch-hunt”.

McCarthyism

Miller wrote The Crucible in the 1950s when Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed he had a list of 205 people who were known to be members of the American Communist Party. Because of McCarthy’s accusations, America became paranoid and suspicious.

“McCarthyism” is the term that describes this time period in the United States known as the “Second Red Scare”.

Thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or of being Communist sympathizers.

These accusations brought investigations and questioning of government employees, educators, and those in the entertainment industry.

The Setting

The 17th Century

The 17th century lasted from 1601 to 1700. During this time America became a religious refuge as religious persecution drove settlers from Europe to the American colonies.

America's founders believed religious freedom to be so important they included it in the United States’ Constitution— “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

Stage directions tell the actors when they should be on the stage and what they should do while on the stage.

Showing where a scene takes place and what it looks like is another purpose of stage directions.

The directions are easy to find while reading The Crucible because they are in italics.

While reading the play, note the detailed information Miller gives in the stage directions. This information will help you to understand the motives of the characters.

Stage Directions

While reading the play, visualize the characters following the directions.

ReputationReputation - In Salem your reputation was connected to the church. If you did exactly what the church told you to do, you were considered a good person.

PridePride - The people of Salem let pride, or self-respect, alter the course of their lives. If a person was accused of being a witch, all they had to do was repent and ask the Lord to forgive them. But, because people thought they had to keep a good name, they died because their pride got in the way.

Theme

SymbolsSymbols are colors, characters, figures, or objects used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.

The Crucible is a story about the Puritans. Before we begin reading, let’s look at the word crucible.

A crucible is a vessel (a cup or container) in which metals are heated to very high temperatures and melt. Once they are melted, they become purified, or clean.

This is important because the play, The Crucible, is about a community that ignites and burns with charges of witchcraft. The play examines the struggle of the main character’s morals and values during these times and eventually, his purification.

While reading, remember the title and connect it to the events that are going on in the story.

Literary Elements

Symbols are very powerful literary elements!

Why do you suppose Miller title his play this?

This will help you to understand the title’s connection to the story.

Who’s Who in the Play

Characters are the people in the story. There are many different kinds of characters in a story, just like there are many different people in the world.

While reading the play, write down what you think about the actions of the characters.

The reader plays an important role, although sometimes the director chooses to leave the reader out of the play.

The reader is an actor who comes onto the stage to give background information that allows you to better understand the motives of the characters. The reader literally sets the scene for the audience.

The Reader, You!

Elizabeth ProctorJohn Proctor

John Proctor is the main character. He is a man of strong character and viewed as a man of integrity by his peers. Proctor is consumed with guilt over his affair with Abigail.

Elizabeth is John’s wife. She is deeply religious as well as a good and moral wife. Elizabeth and other wives are often referred to as “goody” which means good wife.

The Characters

Act I

It is spring 1692. The openingscene is in the home ofReverend Samuel Parris whois praying for his ten year olddaughter, Betty.

The doctor sends Susanna toreport that he is unable to find anything in his medicine books

tohelp Betty. Susanna reports

that the problem may be unnatural.

Earlier, Reverend Parris found Betty in the woods with other girls and Tituba.

Frightened of the punishmentfor their behavior, some of the girls become “ill” including Reverend Parris’ daughter,

Betty.

Note that it is spring, a time of rebirth and renewal.

I called the doctor and woke him up, I said, “Doctor ain’t there nothing I can take?”

Have you ever faked being sick to get out of trouble?

Summarize the events fromAct II in list form.

1. Elizabeth claims that the people of Salem part for Abigail like the sea for ‘Israel’.

2.

3.

4.

Journal This

Predict

List three things you think might happen in Act III. Write one sentence to support your prediction.

1.John tells the truth about Abigail and she is arrested.

2.

3.

Act IV

Three months have passed; Sarah Good and Tituba wait to be hanged. Reverend Hale returns to Salem. He wants the accused to be pardoned.

Reverend Parris reports that Abigail and Mercy have vanished from Salem after robbing him.

Parris is worried about hanging respected citizens and tries to postpone the hangings. He begs the men to pardon the accused.

Reverend Hale has a change of heart; what do you thinkhappened?

Poof! Just like that, the girls disappear.

So now Parris is worried about other people; it’s a little late for that, isn’t it?

Character What the character is like

Honorable, prideful, courageous, bold

Identifying Character Traits

Elizabeth Proctor:

John Proctor: He chooses deathinstead of handing over hisconfession.

Abigail Williams:

Reverend Hale:

Reverend Parris:

Danforth: