The Crucible:
Unit Projects
Listed below you will find an assortment of projects and essay prompts relating to
The Crucible. Some can be completed independently while others you will work
on with a group of 4. Your assignment is to choose and complete 1 project or
essay by the due date: Wednesday, October 31st.
Each project includes both factual and creative elements so choose your group
wisely. You will be graded on your individual contributions (which you will list on a
separate document) as well as the overall success of your project as a whole.
Essays must be 3 pages in length, typed, double-spaced, MLA style, and use
textual evidence to support your ideas.
**All essays must clear turnitin.com by Midnight, October 30th.
ESSAY TOPICS:
1. The Crucible as Cautionary Tale: In the opening of Act I, Arthur Miller clearly
establishes that this play is about the Salem Witch Trials. Much has been
made, however, out of the historical moment in which Miller wrote the play
– the McCarthy era – and it has been argued that The Crucible was his
attempt to come to terms with and understand contemporary social
dynamics. If you agree that The Crucible is a cautionary tale, identify what it
cautions the reader against, and how it suggests that society avert or
prevent such a fate. State whether you agree that The Crucible is a timeless
tale or whether you think the relevance of The Crucible will fade over time.
2. The Use of Fear Tactics in The Crucible: The play begins with rumors that
the town has become plagued by witches, generating fear and uncertainty.
This fear escalates to such a dramatic degree that the dominant class must
respond by suppressing the supposed witches with extreme strategies: the
trials and subsequent hangings. Carefully examine how this fear escalates,
identifying who the responsible parties are, what their stakes were, and
what tactics they used to escalate concern in their community. Write an
argumentative essay using examples from The Crucible and The Twilight
Zone in which you state your belief about the inevitability of the witchhunt, and explain how the fear tactics used convinced otherwise rational
people to believe very irrational ideas.
3. Witch Hunts that don’t have Witches: While learning about The Crucible we
have repeatedly discussed hysteria, witch-hunts and the parallels that can
be drawn between McCarthyism, the war on terror, and the Salem Witch
Trials. Write a paper that draws a connection between the mindset,
hysteria, and negative effects that occurred in The Crucible to another
actual event where groups of people were persecuted based on their race,
religion, gender, or beliefs. Provide textual evidence from The Crucible and
the independent research you do in your paper. Possible topics to compare
the hysteria to: The Holocaust, apartheid in South Africa, terrorism, the
Bosnian Civil Wars of 1992-1995.
4. Character Changes: Arthur Miller often creates characters that must choose
between conduct serving only their own self-interests and conduct
demonstrating commitment to the larger community. Discuss the theme of
“individual vs. society” with specific reference to John Proctor OR Reverend
Hale. Discuss the changes that take place over the course of the play, what
is the man’s central conflict? When does Proctor act for himself, when does
he act for the greater good of Salem? What does Hale learn through
interviewing other characters? When/why do their characters change? You
must show a progression from the beginning of the play to end and use
examples that deal with character development. Use your Character Chart
to guide you.
5. Justifying Decisions: Throughout the events that take place in The Crucible,
virtually every character reaches a point where, from some personal sense
of inadequacy, he/she panics. Some exploit this panic to give themselves
power – to rise up and destroy another in the artificial name of goodness.
Others become part of the fanatical crowd and condone the manipulation
of power. Still others overcome their personal fears and sacrifice
themselves for what they consider a higher value. Select a character you
best understand or most sympathize with and write an evaluation, in the
character’s own voice, of the choices he/she made. Show in detail the
moment of decision and the character’s psychological and emotional
response to that moment. Assess the character’s fears and motivations to
judge why his/her actions were perfectly justifiable in terms of their values.
You may write this essay in the form of a letter, journal or testimony if
you’d like to.
6. Essential Questions: We spent a lot of time over the course of our reading
tackling some of the “big questions” raised by Miller’s play: the concept of
right and wrong, our human obligation to uphold universal morals, the
value of a name, vengeance and hysteria, and fear tactics to establish
power. Write an essay examining one Essential Question in extreme detail.
Attempt to answer the Essential Question using The Crucible, The Twilight
Zone, and current global events to justify your response. Dig deep and
make connections. Use your EQ chart to guide you.
PROJECTS/PRESENTATIONS:
1. Tourist Board: Imagine that you’re on the tourist board of Salem,
Massachusetts and you must create a new brochure to use as advertising
material. Your brochure should include historical data, a timeline of events,
points of interest, and any other information that your group deems
necessary to attract tourists to the area. You will present a poster-sized
version of the brochure to the class or bring enough brochures to hand out
to the class for your presentation.
2. Chain of Events: You will create a poster or Power Point presentation in
which you gather detailed information on the Salem Witch Trials and
present it to the class. You must include a timeline of events, commentary
on the major characters involved, and any other related historical
information you think is critical to understanding what took place in 1692.
3. Reimagining The Crucible: Imagine that you are producing a new film
version of The Crucible. You must “pitch” this new version to the class in
hopes of getting the funding you need to produce it. You may change the
historical time of the play, the setting, actors, and even the plot - if
necessary. In doing so, you will need to evaluate the changes you made and
include a short analysis of why your version is better than the original play.
Create a visual of some sort (movie poster, Power Point, video trailer) to
use during your presentation to the class.
4. Graphic Tribute: Using your knowledge of the characters in the play and
research you will conduct, create a tribute to the accused witches of Salem.
See the Witch Trials Memorial for examples of a real-life tribute. Create a
visual of some sort (website, poster, Power Point, 3-D model) to present to
the class.
5. Modern-Day Witch Hunt: Examine and analyze a modern-day witch-hunt
taking place right now somewhere in the world. Identify the root of the
issue, the major players involved, the scapegoat(s) being blamed, and the
level of hysteria currently in place. Research your subject extensively,
concluding your presentation with a prediction for how this particular
witch-hunt might end. Create a visual of some sort (scrapbook, newspaper,
brochure, Power Point, Poster) to illustrate your findings when you present
to the class.
**See Mrs. Yennie if you’re interested in doing a particular project or paper but
aren’t sure where to start. I will do my best to give you some ideas.