Tobin/McGeady 1
American Literature, Fall 2012
Unit 1
24 September 2012
Name ________________________________________
Teacher Name _________________________________
Class Name____________________________________
Date _________________________________________
Topic: Revisiting The Crucible
Objective: By the end of this class, you will be able to identify ways that Hawthorne allegorized
McCarthyism in his play, The Crucible.
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EXPECTATIONS
ON YOUR DESK
1. Place proper materials on your desk 
1. Your English binder
2. Fill in MLA heading
2. Two sharpened writing utensils
3. Sit at SLANT
3. This Packet
4. Silently and immediately begin the “Do Now”
4. Your English Textbook
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Do Now
Study the quote about “herd mentalities.” Then answer the question, why do people gang up on each
other? Write a Toulmin paragraph arguing your point, with a premise, evidence, and warrant.
“People who are in a crowd act differently towards people from those who are thinking individually. The
minds of the group would merge to form a way of thinking. Each member's enthusiasm would be
increased as a result, and one becomes less aware of the true nature of one's actions.” -paraphrased
from Sigmund Freud’s Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego.
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McCarthyism and Miller Interview Clips – Notes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9gmj38loQM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07buRRJ6s4k&feature=related

The late 1940’s and 50’s saw the increase in ant- ________________________ sentiments in
America, which culminated in a ______________________________, in which
Tobin/McGeady 2
__________________________________ exploded and led to the loss of jobs and a huge toll on
the lives of individuals, especially those in the ____________________________ industry.

After World War _____, the U.S. felt increase attentions with the ________________ union
(Russia), a communist state.

In 1945, the House Un-_________________ Activities Committee, or H.U.A.C. was formed to
investigate potential communists living in the U.S.

In 1950, Andrew McCarthy, a U.S. ___________________ began to work separately from H.U.A.C
to “hunt” for communists and put them on trial.

The Hollywood _____ were a group of members of the motion picture industry convicted and
blacklisted for refusing to answer some of H.U.A.C’s questions.

Arthur Miller, playwright, was personally affected by McCarthyism. He was put on trial and found
guilty of _________________ of congress for refusing to answer some questions. That
experience and the hysteria around it led him to write _______________________________.

Miller says he decided to set his play in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692 instead of in
contemporary America, was because “it was simply impossible to discuss what was happening to
us in contemporary terms. There had to be some _______________________ given to the
phenomenon (the crazy herd mentality)”

When an author attempts to tell the story of one event, in this case McCarthyism, through the
characters and setting of another event, in this case The Salem Witch Trials, the story is called an
____________________________. In an allegory, the characters usually represent specific
individuals from the event they are allegorizing.

So in The Crucible, the court, led by Judge Hathorne represents the _____________________ .
Likewise, John Proctor who refuses to name names, represents ______________________ and
his friends in the entertainment industry who also stood up the hysteria. Finally, Abigail Williams,
who is the ring-leader of all the accusations, represents senator
________________________________________ who spear-headed the hunt for Communists.
Socratic Seminar
Directions: As a group, we will continue to discuss how Hawthorne allegorized McCarthyism in The
Crucible by participating in a Socratic Seminar. Before we do, let's review our procedures:
Suggested Sentence Starters:
-I agree but would add… (I’d like to piggyback on that, by adding…)
-I respectfully disagree because (slap)…
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-I want to know….(clarifying questions)
-I think the (clip, passage, text, author) is trying to say….(interpreting the text)
Remember you do not need to raise your hand but should only speak one at a time. You will be graded
on the takeaways you write in your exit ticket at the end of class and in order to get full points for that
you must have actively participated at least twice in the seminar.
Prompt 1: What is meant by mob mentality? What are some examples of “mob mentality” in cinema,
literature, or the real world?
Prompt 2: What brings about moral society? What brings about a corrupt society? What do you think
the instances of corruption and immorality in the play say about the society of the time?
Prompt 3: What do you believe motivated the witchcraft hysteria in 1692? How did the Puritan society
make Salem ripe for something like this to happen?
Prompt 4: We know that Miller allegorized McCarthyism in The Crucible, but what do you think he was
trying to accomplish by writing this play?
Exit Ticket
HW: Complete Crucible/McCarthyism Handout
Tobin/McGeady 4
Name ________________________________________
Teacher Name _________________________________
Class Name____________________________________
American Literature, Fall 2012
Unit 1
24 September 2012
Date _________________________________________
Homework: Comparing The Crucible and McCarthyism
Match each statement made about McCarthyism to the way it was allegorized (similarly represented) in
The Crucible.
____ McCarthyism: McCarthy's unsubstantiated
claims ruined lives and led to increased hostility.
____McCarthyism: Those who were accused were
assumed guilty, put on trial, and expected to
divulge the names of other Communist
sympathizers. Failure to do so led to sanctions.
____ McCarthyism: The media were not willing to
stand up to Senator McCarthy for fear of being
accused of being a Communist.
____ McCarthyism: Arthur Miller was called
before the House Un-American Activities
Committee and subsequently blacklisted.
____ McCarthyism: In the 1940s and 1950s
Americans feared the encroachment of
Communism. The Soviet Union was growing in
power and the threat of a nuclear holocaust was
on the forefront of American minds. Eastern
Europe had become a conglomerate of
Communist satellite nations. Throw in China and
Americans began to feel they were surrounded by
a Communist threat. Paranoia ensued.
____ McCarthyism: Joseph McCarthy, U.S.
Senator, made unsubstantiated claims that more
than 200 "card carrying" members of the
Communist party had infiltrated the United States
government. He had no proof.
a) The Crucible: Those who are accused are
assumed guilty, put on trial, expected to confess,
and expected to accuse others of being witches.
Failure to do so leads to death.
b) The Crucible: Delusional girls make
unsubstantiated claims about the existence of
witches in Salem. They have no proof.
c) The Crucible: Townspeople are not willing to
stand up to the court for fear of being accused of
being a witch.
d) The Crucible: The girls unsubstantiated claims
ruin lives and lead to increased hostility in Salem.
e) The Crucible: Salem established itself as a
religious community in the midst of evil. Salemites
considered the forest the domain of the devil.
Salem was surrounded by forest. Paranoia
ensued.
f) The Crucible: Arthur Miller wrote it.