Unit 1 Review
Terms and Applications
Terminology of Philosophy
 Philosophy—the study of truth in all its
various forms
 Epistemology—the study of how and what
we can truly know
 Metaphysics—the study of the fundamental
nature of reality and being
 Ethics—the study of right and wrong
 Aesthetics—the study of the nature and
effect of art
Critical Thinking Skills
 Reflection—taking time rather than making a snap
decision; requires effort—integrity rather than
expedience (not always the proper way to go)
 Reason, logic—rather than emotion; trying to figure
out the truly right answer rather than simply what we
want; being dispassionate and objective, scientific
method
 Source evaluation—being able to find and evaluate
sources of information
 Creativity—the ability to see possibilities on your
own rather than merely regurgitating what you’ve
been told
Terminology of Moral Systems
 Puritanism—absolute sovereignty of god,
total depravity of humans, unconditional
election, God’s intentions are present in the
world, Satan’s presence in the world—re: The
Crucible
 Utilitarianism—the greatest good for the
greatest number (quality of “good”
considered)
 Absolute vs. Relative Ethics—applying
ethical precepts to all situations or believing
that there could be exceptions
Terminology of Moral Systems
Shermer’s Secular Morality
 The Ask First Principle—ask the affected
person(s) if behavior is moral; the Golden
Rule with more emphasis on avoiding harm
 The Happiness Principle—always seek
happiness with someone else’s happiness in
mind; never seek happiness when it leads to
someone else’s unhappiness
Terminology of Moral Systems
Shermer’s Secular Morality
 The Liberty Principle—it is a higher moral
principle to always seek liberty with someone
else’s liberty in mind, and never seek liberty
when it leads to someone else’s loss of liberty
 The Moderation Principle—when innocent
people die, extremism in the defense of
anything is no virtue, and moderation in the
protection of everything is no vice
Terminology of Moral Systems
 Four Standards of “Right Action”
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Obedience to Authority—”do it because I say
so”
Effect on Others—consider how an action
helps or harms other people
Model of an Ideal Figure—”WWJD,”
“WWMCD,” basing ethical choices on
someone you admire
Intention—considering what the motive was
rather than merely the result of an action
Literary Terms
 Narrative (Literary) Frame—that stands for
something else, as a flag symbolizing a
country
 Realism—a literary movement in which
writers represented ordinary people in
extraordinary, but real situations, rejecting the
fantastic, heroic, mythic, etc. Began in the
19th century
 Levels of Interpretation—Action,
Character’s Motivation, Author’s Motivation,
Evaluation
Practice: Identify the concept or
principle identified in each sentence
 “If I’m taught there is a God I’m responsible
to, I know I have to treat people right. But if
there’s no creator to answer to, it changes
your whole lifestyle. Then it’s just survival of
the fittest. That’s where our society is headed.
That’s why we have some of the problems we
do.”
 Elizabeth Proctor, who never lies, lies to save
her husband’s reputation, which ruins it
 Literature creates a virtual world that we
respond to as if it were real.
Practice: Identify the concept or
principle identified in each sentence
 I know it is true because I am at one with
nature
 “Sleeping on” a difficult decision
 Considering who tells us a fact before we
decide to believe it
 The Puritans’ belief in a corporeal devil
belongs to this branch of philosophy
 Choosing a new car based on gas mileage
and reliability instead of how “cool” it looks
Practice: Identify the concept or
principle identified in each sentence
 The world is a battleground between good
and evil, and God will ultimately defeat Satan
 Take no actions that hurt others
 Using a noose to stand for the corrupt use of
power in The Crucible
 To know right, seek to know if it hurts others
 To know right, emulate Buddha
 The sum of all knowledge is the search for
truth in all its forms
Practice: Identify the concept or
principle identified in each sentence
 Refraining from fighting a religious war
 If Abby had refused to falsely accuse others
 The first and last sections of Ethan Frome
 Coming up with multiple options to solve a
problem
 The Earth is a cold, empty ball—we just live
and die
 Hurricanes are God’s punishment of evil
 Finish your essay because Mr. Cook said so
Practice: Identify the concept or
principle identified in each sentence
 Choosing to raise taxes only on the rich
 Choosing to forego the last cookie because
you know your little sister wants it
 Forgiving your brother for hitting you because
he was only trying to knock a bee off
 The “red pen poised” could stand for an
English teacher
 This could be seen as an introduction and
conclusion to a novel, in a way
 Ethan Frome is about a farmer, not a king
Practice: Identify the concept or
principle identified in each sentence
 Portraying John Proctor as an admirable man
who refuses to lie or give in to protect himself
 Portraying Ethan Frome is weak and passive
 Ethan agreeing to sled into the tree rather
than facing his problems
 Proctor facing hanging bravely rather than
whining or complaining about the unfairness
of it all
Practice: Identify the concept or
principle identified in each sentence
 Did The Crucible succeed in showing the
effects of mass hysteria on reason and
justice?
 Who took Zeena to the train station?
 Why did Ethan decide not to borrow money
from the Hales?
 Why did Arthur Miller choose the Salem Witch
Trials for his allegory about the Red Scare?
 It is always wrong to steal.
 Stealing may be acceptable if it saves a child
from starving.
The Crucible
 What events originally start off the witchcraft
hysteria?
 What rifts existed in Salem that increased the
town’s susceptibility to the cries of witchcraft?
 How do Abby’s motives change from the first
accusation to later in the play?
 What is the state of the Proctors’ marriage at
the beginning and end of the play? What
caused the change?
 What are Putnam’s motivations?
The Crucible
 What are John Proctor’s conflicts at the
beginning and end of the play?
 Explain Giles Corey’s character and actions.
 How is Rebecca Nurse different from the
other people of Salem?
 What is Parris’s primary motivation
throughout the play?
 How is Reverend Hale different from the other
believers in witchcraft? How does this affect
his actions?
The Crucible
 Explain the Puritan metaphysical beliefs that
led to the court’s acceptance of the girls’
testimony.
 What belief lies at the bottom of Danforth’s
refusal to let Proctor get a lawyer?
 Why does Elizabeth lie for John?
 Why are Parris and Danforth so eager for
Proctor to confess at the end of the play?
 How is Hale’s motivation different from theirs?
The Crucible
 Why does Proctor at first decide to confess?
 Why does he change his mind?
 Why does Elizabeth refuse to try to change
his mind?
 Why do you think Arthur Miller saw Proctor’s
final decision as the right action to take?
 What parallels exist between this play and the
Red Scare of the 1950’s?
 What can we learn about our society today
from this play?
Ethan Frome
 What is Starkfield like, according to the
narrator?
 How does Ethan Frome act in the opening
frame section?
 What is the state of Ethan and Zeena’s
marriage as the “past” section begins?
 What is Zeena’s illness?
 What attracts Ethan to Mattie?
 What are Ethan’s plans for his night alone
with Mattie?
Ethan Frome
 What happens during their night alone?
 What news does Zeena bring back from
Bettsbridge?
 Why can’t Ethan run away with Mattie?
 Where will Mattie most likely go?
 What is the first and only time Ethan stands
up to Zeena?
 What do Ethan and Mattie talk about on their
ride to the train station?
Ethan Frome
 Why do they decide to take the final sled
ride?
 What does the narrator find at Ethan’s
house?
 What is Ruth Hale’s judgment of life at the
Frome’s?
 Explain the symbolism of the pickle dish.
 Explain the simile of the butterfly in winter.
 In what ways could Ethan be considered a
tragic hero?