The Crucible Theme Research Paper
English III Honors
Objective:
Due Date:
Using evidence from the play and additional research from at least two outside sources,
decide whether you will argue for or against the below statement, supporting your argument
in a well-organized 5-PARAGRAPH ESSAY. Your argument for or against will be your thesis
statement.
The themes of discrimination, corruption of power and intolerance in The Crucible relate to today’s world where
modern day witch hunts continue to take place. Provide evidence to defend or refute this statement.
You will also choose ONE of the following 20th century historic events to research and use to
support your thesis statement. Your evidence will come from the play and from at least one
outside source that you have found while researching your historic event. Use both the play
and your outside source to support your thesis.
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Genocide in Rwanda in 1994
Japanese Internment Camps of 1940s
Darfur, Sudan 2003 - 2009
Muslims/Arab Americans in the US after
9/11
The Holocaust/WWII
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The Srebrenica Massacre during the
Bosnian War 1995
The Khmer Rouge in Cambodia 1975 –
1979
Any other relevant event in history Post
1900
Process:
1.
Make sure your THESIS STATEMENT is present in your INTRO PARAGRAPH. Make sure it
CLEARLY answers the question above.
2.
Each BODY PARAGRAPH (3) will summarize/paraphrase evidence that supports your
argument. Each BODY PARAGRAPH will have quoted evidence from BOTH texts. This is
called FACTUAL REASONING. You must CITE the source it comes from.
3.
After each piece of evidence, you will explain HOW that evidence PROVES your THESIS
STATEMENT. This is called ANALYSIS, or LOGICAL REASONING.
4.
You will CONCLUDE your essay with a summary of your main points, a statement
reinforcing your thesis and a persuasive call to action where you make reasonable
suggestions about what can be done to prevent similar situations in the future.
5.
We will spend a few days in the media center researching these topics, but you will be
required to work on these papers outside of class.
REQUIREMENTS:
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Typed, double-spaced, 12 point font
MLA format throughout essay
MLA Format Works Cited
A quoted passage from BOTH sources in EACH body paragraph.
Article source must be credible- be careful of sites like The Onion. Cannot use OP-Ed, blogs,
letters to the editor, or editorials
Terms to know: from Merriam-webster.com
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Scapegoat:
a person who is unfairly blamed for something that others have done
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Mass Hysteria:
behavior exhibiting overwhelming or unmanageable fear or emotional excess
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Witch Hunt:
the act of unfairly looking for and punishing people who are accused of having
opinions that are believed to be dangerous or evil
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McCarthyism:
the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, especially of pro-Communist activity, in
many instances unsupported by proof or based on slight, doubtful, or irrelevant
evidence.
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Vindictive:
having or showing a desire to hurt someone who has hurt or caused problems for you
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Intolerance:
not willing to allow some people to have equality, freedom, or other social rights
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Integrity:
the quality of being honest and fair
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Crucible:
a difficult test or challenge
If you need help using MLA citations, refer to easybib.com, see me, or ask Mrs. Tart in the Media Center.