The Crucible Final Essay Birch English 11, 2014 Respond to ONE of the following prompts with a well developed, five paragraph literary analysis essay. Your essay should include the following elements: an introduction with an attention-­‐getter (or “hook”), a preview of the main ideas of your essay, and a clear thesis statement; three body paragraphs, each with a strong topic sentence, an example from the text that supports your argument, and an explanation of how the example supports your argument; and a strong conclusion which re-­‐states your thesis (but not verbatim), reviews the main ideas of your essay, and answers the implicit question, “so what?” ESSAY TIMELINE : Rough Draft (Hard Copy) due Friday, December 12 (25 points possible) Final Draft due Tuesday, December 16 (Turnitin.com Class Code: 8542583 Password: Birch) 1. The play (to a large extent) revolves around the relationship between John and Elizabeth Proctor; through their marriage, Miller attempts to portray a union between two flawed individuals, each striving for perfection in the eyes of themselves, each other, and God. How does John and Elizabeth Proctor’s relationship drive the play? If Proctor had a “sharp and biting way with hypocrites” (20), then why would his sin torment him so much? Why does Elizabeth feel some guilt herself for Proctor’s sin of adultery? In the last lines of the play, Elizabeth says of her husband, “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him” (145)! How does Proctor achieve this “goodness” at the end of the play? 2. When Arthur Miller wrote the play, he intended to draw a clear parallel between the mass hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare of the 1950’s. To do this, he presents a community hat has driven itself mad with fear, suspicion, and bitterness. How does Miller create this mass hysteria in The Crucible? Specifically, consider the following questions: How does the hysteria in the play get started? What are some of the factors that feed the panic and suspicion in Salem, and why are officials (like Danforth) unable or unwilling to listen to reason? Is there any character (besides Proctor) that represents the voice of common sense amidst the madness? 3. Consider this quote from journalist Edward R. Murrow as featured in the film, Good Night, and Good Luck about the McCarthy Hearings: We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, or of one another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men – not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular. How is the Murrow quote above relevant to the text of the play? Using the above quote and examples from the text of the play, answer the following question: How does Arthur Miller illustrate the issues that Murrow describes in this statement? For example: how do the characters in the play “confuse dissent with disloyalty”? Do the residents of Salem “walk in fear, one of another”? Why? Final Paper Requirements: Final drafts must be typed, 12 point font, double spaced, one inch margins, at least two and no more than four pages long. Name _________________________________
Class Period _______
THE CRUCIBLE FINAL ESSAY RUBRIC ( _______/100 points possible) Exemplary 100-­‐93 INTRODUCTION
THESIS
STATEMENT
TOPIC SENTENCES EVIDENCE COMMENTARY / ANALYSIS CONVENTIONS & SENTENCE FLUENCY CONCLUSION VOCABULARY – must be BOLDED Creative “hook” generates interest in topic; title and author are identified; includes two to three sentences of summary which lead to thesis statement Proficient 92-­‐83 Paragraph begins with an attention grabber or “hook”; title and author are identified; includes two to three sentences of summary; ends with thesis statement Sophisticated thesis is Thesis is clearly clearly stated and stated and contains reveals a unique idea to an idea to prove prove Emerging 82-­‐73 Incomplete 72-­‐50 Title or author are not identified; summary is incomplete or includes too much detail; ends with thesis statement Title or author are not identified; no summary; thesis statement somewhere other than end of paragraph Thesis is not clearly stated or does not go beyond the obvious Thesis is missing or does not address one of the prompts provided Each body paragraph’s Each body Some topic sentences There are no topic sentence is a paragraph’s topic are clear & clear topic polished mini-­‐thesis, sentence makes reasonable, others sentences at the covering the whole clear what will be don’t cover whole beginning of each paragraph shown in the whole paragraph paragraph paragraph Quotes/references to Various quotes & Either quoting/ Quotes or the book are used examples used to paraphrasing or paraphrasing are skillfully to illuminate adequately prove documenting needs not there or not thesis -­‐ documentation thesis, correction; &/or correct is right, at least 3 documentation is fewer than 3 quotations used right, & at least 3 quotations are cited quotations used in the essay—not enough evidence or irrelevant evidence Each body paragraph Each body Body paragraphs Analysis is not shows how the topic paragraph shows need more analysis; present. Body sentence is true with how the topic too much summary paragraphs do sophisticated analysis sentence is true and strung together not go beyond a of novel. The writer supports the thesis. without analysis or summary of the convincingly proves the insight. The writer novel. thesis. doesn’t prove the thesis No errors, sentence Very few errors, Errors distract from Errors are fluency brings variety adequate sentence the essay or sentence confusing and interest. Creates variety fluency is either too emphasis using repetitive or too repetition, parallelism, choppy or position. A sophisticated The conclusion The conclusion falls The conclusion conclusion connects the connects the thesis flat by reviewing doesn’t exist or is thesis with the real with the real world paper &/or didn’t all summary and world and leaves the connect the thesis to no commentary reader thinking the “bigger picture” Appropriately Appropriately Appropriately Appropriately incorporates eight to incorporates five to incorporates two to incorporates two ten vocabulary terms seven terms four terms or less terms