The Crucible
Final Assessment: Ms. Haschke’s Class
In-Class Essays
This essay must be finished in class today. You have 80 minutes to complete it. You are free to use the textbook and any other assignment/quizzes/etc. we have done in this class. You may type this essay is you wish, but you should not have any other windows open. No internet/cell phones/iPods should be used/out during the assessment.
Directions

Choose one or two questions from each list to address in your essay(s).

Your total word count must be a minimum of 1200 words (600 words per category), so depending on how much you can write on a given question, you may need to address more than one question.

Each short essay must include quotes from the play to support your response. 2-3 quotes per response should be sufficient, but you may use more. You must include the page number of each quote. Format your quotes like this:
“Abigail: You come five mile to see a silly girl fly? I know you better” (1035).
Essay Category One: Characters (choose one or more) 600 word minimum for this category
1.
How does John Proctor’s great dilemma change during the course of the play?
2.
Why are Danforth, Hathorne, and the other authorities so resistant to believing the claim that Abigail and the other girls are lying?
3.
Analyze Reverend Parris. What are his motivations in supporting the witch trials?
4.
Discuss the changes that Reverend Hale undergoes in the course of the play.
5.
Is John Proctor a tragic figure? Discuss why or why not.
6.
At the end of the play, John Proctor recovers his sense of goodness by tearing up the confession that would have saved his life. Given his character and the events which have led up to this moment, do you find this act believable? Fully explain your response.
7.
Compare and contrast the characters of Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor.
Essay Category Two: The Big Picture (choose one or more) 600 word minimum for this category
1.
Examine the dynamics of Puritanism in 1692 and how the play portrays these.
2.
What is your perception of the girls’ allegations in the play? Do they really believe in witchcraft or are they fabricating the events?
3.
Discuss how the themes of The Crucible make it both universal and timeless (relevant in any time period).
4.
How does The Crucible portray justice or injustice?
5.
How do the witch trials empower individuals who were previously powerless?
Remember the outline of literary analysis we used in 10 th grade.
Introduction
Body Paragraphs: Claim (make your argument), support (give examples and quote the text), commentary (pull together how the support enlightens or strengthens your claim.
Conclusion