Essay Do’s and Don’ts
The Crucible Character Analysis Essay
No No’s
 Do NOT use first or second person in
your essays.
 No ‘You’ ‘Your’ ‘I’ ‘Me’ ‘Us’ or ‘We’
 Wrong: I really think that John Proctor
changes a lot in The Crucible.
 Right: John Proctor’s character changes
greatly in Arthur Miller’s play, The
Crucible.
No No’s
 Do NOT use slang.
 Wrong: Abigail Williams is a ratchet
whore who totally ruined everyone’s life.
 Right: Abigail Williams, a compulsive liar
and harlot, ruined many lives by
accusing innocent people of witchcraft.
No-No’s
 Don’t (I mean do not) use
contractions.
 Wrong: Abigail isn’t interested in the
well-being of others.
 Right: Abigail is not interested in the
well-being of others.
 Do not use past or future tense
 Present tense ONLY!
 Wrong: In “The Crucible” John Proctor
wanted his wife’s forgiveness.
 Right: In “The Crucible” John Proctor
wants his wife’s forgiveness.
No No’s
 Do NOT use Plagiarize.
 When you quote, paraphrase, or summarize
a section of the play, you MUST give Arthur
Miller credit.
 Right: In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible,
John Proctor exclaims, “Because it is my
name!” (211).
 Right: During John Proctor’s confession in
Act IV, he states, “I speak my own sins’ I
cannot judge another” (Miller 211).
No No’s
 For more information on how to use
parenthetical citation, look at the PPT
titled In-Text Citations on My website.
 It has trouble opening on cell phones,
so only use a computer.
No No’s
 Do NOT Plagiarize.
 You MUST have a Work Cited Page.
Bibliographical Information:
Miller, Arthur. "The Crucible." Holt
McDougal Literature: Grade 11.
[s.l.]: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
2012. 136-212. Print.
Do’s
 Use Present Tense through out your paper!
 Wrong: Reverend Hale left Salem at the end of
Act III because he was angry that John and
Elizabeth Procter were accused and arrested. He
came back to try and save the innocent in Act
IV.
 Right: Reverend Hale leaves Salem when John
and Elizabeth Proctor are accused and arrested.
He comes back to try and save them and the
other innocent people after living with his guilt
for 3 months.
Do’s!
 Do use MLA format through out your paper.
 Head your paper like we’ve been practicing.
Don’t for get your last name and page
number in the upper right corner! (This is
called a Header.)
 Double space the whole essay!
 Make sure there is a 1 inch margin around
all edges of your paper.
MLA Youtube tutorials
 For Microsoft Word:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
22CPQoLE4U0