The Crucible Initial Character Mini-essay Worksheet
Name _______
You must have these in your essay….
1. A general, topical interest opener
2. An opening paragraph which includes story background, title, and playwright
3. A clear thesis statement (about the initial state or condition of your character)
4. A body paragraph or two which develops and proves your thesis, which includes…
5. Two quotations from the play, properly cited, from Act 1 or early in Act 2 of The Crucible
6. A concluding paragraph where you consider the predicament of the character or predict the future of
the character. You should spend some time in your conclusion generalizing to the “real world”.
Your character? (circle one): Mary Warren, John Proctor, Abby Williams, Eliz. Proctor, Rev. Hale
First Paragraph Necessities
(Once you being writing your mini-essay you will, of course, be starting with a general, topical
interest opener!) You also need:
Play title (underlined!): _______________________Playwright: __________________________________
Smidge of story background: “The Crucible is a play about ….” __________________________
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How would you describe this person’s character… in one sentence… when we first meet him/her? (Not
looks or actions, (although actions might give you insight into character), rather the character (or
personality, perhaps) of your this person. (This will be your thesis!)
______________________________________________________________________________
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Body Paragraph: Some Guts! Remember, the guts isn’t just a quotation – it’s analysis and
explanation of the topic (topic sentence) of that paragraph.
Be sure to start body paragraph(s) with a topic sentence. NO PLOT RECAP topic sentences! No “history
lesson” topic sentences! Topic sentences must “forward the cause” of your thesis.
Quotation from text which shows this person’s character, or reveals what kind of a person we’re dealing
with. (It’s a worksheet. Just write the first few words of the good lines from the play. Don’t forget pg. #):
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Quotation from text which shows this person’s character, or reveals what kind of a person we’re dealing
with. (Same as above. Just enough to remind you of the line. The page number, though, is a must.)
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Concluding Paragraph: Not just a rewrite of intro!
Be sure to write a concluding paragraph where you consider the predicament of the character or predict the
future of the character. You should spend some time in your conclusion generalizing to the “real world”.
Once you are finished with this worksheet, you should know enough about your character to write a
general, topical interest opener. Please refer to the example online if you don’t understand the concept
of a general, topical interest opener!