The Crucible Essay Assignment
Write a 250-350 word essay which:
1. Identifies and discusses a theme or issue from a work of literature.
2. Provides evidence (three examples) of that theme from that work of literature.
3. Compares that theme or issue to another work or event.
4. Provides evidence (three examples) of that theme in another work or event.
5. Includes MLA reference to the original work and at least one outside source.
6. Includes Work Cited of both sources.
7. Submit to turnitin.com
Introduction:
Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is about _______________ during the Salem Witch Trials. This
idea is also shown/evident in the _________________. The Crucible and ____________ both show
that ______________.
First body paragraph – plot summary:
The Crucible, set in 1692, uses the events of the Salem witch trials to illustrate the injustices of the
events surrounding the House Un-American Activities Committee and Senator Joseph McCarthy’s
attempted to eliminate the communist threat during the Cold War era. In Miller’s play, ____________
causes the people of Salem to become _______________ over the threat of witches. In one scene,
______________ ( ). In another instance, ______________ ( ). Finally, _____________ ( ).
Second body paragraph:
This is similar to ____________ where ____________ experienced _____________( ).
_____________ found that _____________ and ____________ made it difficult to ____________( ).
Because of ______________ , they were forced to ______________ in order to _____________( ).
Conclusion:
The Crucible and __________ show that _____________. This is important because
_________________. Readers of the Crucible, like _____________, learned/experienced
_________________.
Works Cited
Miller, Arthur. “The Crucible.” Language of Literature: American Literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee.
Boston: McDougal Littell, 2002. 164-241.
____________________
Themes from The Crucible:
1. The need for social responsibility.
2. The need for human connection and social integrity.
3. Societal problems traced to individual human failings.
4. Societies that try to suppress individual freedom in order to maintain social order.
5. The consequences of viewing everything or everyone as 'black or white'.
6. Abuse of power.
7. Mass hysteria.
8. Prejudice toward people who have little or no power.
9. Women’s rights and roles.
10. Separation of church and state.
11. Individual vs. community rights.
12. Democracy and the rights of the individual.
Writing an Introduction and a Thesis Statement
An Introduction should:
 Capture the attention of the readers to make them read on.
 Reveal the essay’s central idea as expressed in the thesis.
 Guide readers to important ideas in the body of the essay.
 Provide background or explanatory information to help readers understand the essay’s purpose
and thesis.
A thesis is the statement of your essay’s main point. It provides the scope of your paper, and it serves
as the focus of you essay (the one point that organizes the essay). All points in a body paragraph
should focus on supporting the thesis.
Use following guidelines when you draft your thesis:
 It expresses a point of view about the topic that needs to be supported in the body of the essay.
 It should clearly express the main point of the essay to the reader.
 It cannot be a statement of fact. (Facts do not need support.)
 It should not announce your topic. (An announcement forecasts rather than states the main
point of an essay.)