Name: _____________________________________
Hour: ________
English 10a
Acts III. & IV. The Crucible Essay
Respond using clear organization and make sure to use evidence from the play (textual
examples & details) to support your response!! Your response should be a minimum of
one page in length. It should use parenthetical notation and include at least one direct
quote. You may use any book, packet, or notes on the essay test.
Writing Prompt:
Every individual has power: the power to affect change in his or her own life, the lives of
friends and family, the community, and the world. Using individual power can have a
positive or negative outcome. In The Crucible, the theme topic of power is used in various
ways. While some characters use their power to destroy and harm, others attempt to use
their power to assist and stop the madness.
Write about the theme: The Power of the Individual
Do one of the following:
 Describe how individuals attempted to affect change positively in Salem.
OR
 Describe how individuals used their power negatively in Salem, thus
harming others/the community.
OR
 Describe the various ways the theme of power is used in the play.
OR
 Write about the various lessons the reader learns about power as he/she
reads the play.
OR
 Write about the theme in your own way.
Begin by filling in a paragraph diagram to pre-write and plan. As you write, follow this
plan and remember to discuss each point carefully and thoroughly; include specific
details and at least one quote from the play. Your audience is interested adults.
After you write, you should read through your work giving careful thought to revision
(ideas and their organization) and proofreading (correcting spelling, capitalization, and
punctuation).
Example Student Essay
Prompt: Discuss the role that grudges and personal rivalries play in the witch trial
hysteria.
In Arthur Miller’s classic drama, The Crucible, grudges and personal rivalries play a
key role in the witch trial hysteria. To begin, one must examine the historical background
of the play in order to understand the grudges and rivalries. The trials in The Crucible take
place against the backdrop of a deeply religious and superstitious society, and most of the
characters in the play seem to believe that rooting out witches from their community is
God’s work. However, there are plenty of simmering feuds and rivalries in the small town
that have nothing to do with religion, and many Salem residents take advantage of the trials
to express long-held grudges and exact revenge on their enemies. On example is the
teenage antagonist Abigail Williams. She is the original source of the hysteria and has a
grudge against Elizabeth Proctor because Elizabeth fired her after she discovered that
Abigail was having an affair with her husband, John Proctor. As the ringleader of the girls
whose “visions” prompt the witch craze, Abigail happily uses the situation to accuse
Elizabeth and have her sent to jail. As she declares in open court, “I have been hurt, Mr.
Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin’ out! I have been near to murdered every day
because I done my duty” (219). She falsely accuses poor Elizabeth and goes so far as to lie
under oath and stab herself with a needle in the stomach; she will stop an nothing to get
John. Meanwhile, Reverend Parris, a paranoid and insecure figure, begins the play with a
precarious hold on his office, and the trials enable him to strengthen his position within the
village by making scapegoats of people like Proctor who question his authority.
Furthermore, among the minor characters, the wealthy, ambitious Thomas Putnam has a
bitter grudge against Francis Nurse for a number of reasons: Nurse prevented Putnam’s
brother-in-law from being elected to the Salem ministry, and Nurse is also engaged in a
bitter land dispute with Putnam. In the end, Rebecca, Francis’s virtuous wife, is convicted
of the supernatural murders of Ann Putnam’s dead babies. Thus, the Putnams not only
strike a blow against the Nurse family but also gain some measure of twisted satisfaction
for the tragedy of seven stillbirths. Overall, this bizarre pursuit of “justice” typifies the way
that many of the villagers approach the witch trials as an opportunity to gain the ultimate
satisfaction. The simmering resentments, feuds, and grudges are resolved by people like
Abigail, Rev. Parris, and Thomas Putnam convincing themselves that their rivals should be
brought to justice once and for all.