 That’s right… things are going to “heat up”!
 Ah… that’s a metaphorical title! 
 A work with TWO levels of meaning – literal and
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symbolic.
Purpose may be to convey truths about real life or
teach a lesson or point out injustice.
So means one thing literally, symbolizes something
else.
Ever see Avatar? Xmen?
The Matrix?
 6 groups – 3 scenarios, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b
 Step one: write your opinion/respond on your own.
You have 10 minutes.
 Step two: Get with your group and discuss your
decisions. You will present your answers to the rest of
the class.
 1. Manager – keep everyone on task
 2. Timekeeper – keep an eye on the clock
 3. Record Keeper – write down the variety of answers
 4. Speaker – will present to the class
 5. Bouncer – keep the discussions civil
 6. Equalizer (make sure everyone talks, no 1 person
dominates!)
 (COMBINE ROLES IF NEEDED – write names of
group members and roles on your record keeper’s
notes!)
 What is “mob mentality”? What are some examples
you can think of?
 What fuels a mob?
 Please tell me you’ve seen Monty Python and the Holy
Grail
 Arthur Miller
 Takes inspiration from REAL life to
come up with fictional play.
 What did you read?
 Senator Joseph McCarthy (Wisconsin)
was a U.S. Senator from 1946-1957
(when he died). He burst on the scene
in 1950, stating Communists worked in
the State Dept. During the next 3 years,
he charged many with subversive
activities and labeled them
“Communists”. Many equated it to a
witch hunt.
 He was eventually challenged and his ruthless tactics
and questionable motives were revealed. He was
censured by the Senate & his influence declined.
 McCarthyism: the practice of making
accusations of disloyalty, especially of
pro-Communist activity, in many
instances unsupported by proof or
based on slight, doubtful, or irrelevant
evidence.
 Communism: A system of social
organization in which all economic
and social activity is controlled by a
totalitarian state, dominated by a
single & self-perpetuating political
party.
 Cold War: A state of political tension
that stops short of full-scale war.
Rivalry after World War II between the
Soviet Union and its satellites and the
democratic countries of the Western
world, under the leadership of the U.S.
 A Red: Communist
 Red Scare: Widespread fears of Communist
influence on U.S. society and Communist
infiltration of the U.S. government
 Blacklisted: A list of persons or organizations
that have incurred disapproval or suspicion or
are to be boycotted or otherwise penalized.
 Yellow: cowardly
 Pinko: Communist sympathizer
 Subtext (ya know.. Those directions?)
 Those are important to your reading and
comprehension. Don’t skip over!
 Draw a picture of the characters in your head.
 This is why you hear “The book was soooo much better
than the movie!”
 Review: protagonist/antagonist
 Tragedy/comedy
 Exposition/rising action/climax/falling
action/resolution
 Monologue: long speech by a single character to
audience or another char.
 Soliloquy: reflective speech where character speaks
his/her private thoughts aloud, but other char’s don’t
hear it. (Shakespeare!)
 Aside: short speech or comment that is delivered by a
character to the audience but is not heard by the other
char’s who are present.
 Motivation is key in drama – what motivates the
character’s behavior. Think of yourself, in that person’s
body, in that period of time and try to understand
what makes a character do what he/she does.
 Think: what’s motivating ppl in Crucible?
 Conditions in Salem, MA
 Fear
 Real: Native Americans
 Elements, lots of death 50% birth
mortality rate.
 Hard Work: harsh weather, disease
 Other settlers: being killed by others for
religious reasons
 IMAGINARY:
 Ghosts
 Devil
 Witches
 All are used to explain the “unexplained”
 (How is Mrs. Putnam the best example
of this?)
 Hard-fisted rule
 Severe punishments (including
corporal punishment)
 Lead a “pure” life – no dancing,
drinking
 Abide by the 10 Commandments
 Isolated
 Bordered by forest
 Only about 40 years old in 1692 (new)
 No books, little education
 Many lost relatives to “heathens” (N.Am’s)
 Separated from Jamestown for religious independence.
 Ships out products of value
 Focus on the characters – who is motivated by WHAT?
 Jot down what you know about the characters, details
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in your notes and study guides as we move through the
play.
Proctor vs. Parris
Putnam vs. Parris
Putnam vs. Proctor
Ann Putnam vs. Rebecca Nurse
Proctor vs. Abigail
Elizabeth vs. Proctor
 How do you see the beginnings of hysteria?
 What fuels a mob?
 Please tell me you’ve seen Monty Python and the Holy
Grail
 What conclusions can you draw about Abigail’s
character?
 How are the neighbors getting along in this town?
Who’s got “beef” with whom?
 Rev. Parris – describe him. Why hesitant to say
“witchcraft”?
 Who is Tituba? Why do they blame her? What is a
scapegoat?
 Who is Rev. Hale?
 How does Abigail react to John calling her a child?
(FYI – watch how Abigail acts depending on who is
there/situation)
 Why does John not go to church?
 Who is Rebecca Nurse? Giles Corey?
 What’s Rebecca’s take on the girls’ sickness?
 What motivates these characters to behave how they
do?
 Rev. Parris?
 Abigail?
 Hale?
 Mr. Putnam?
 Mrs. Putnam? (first mentions witchcraft!!!!)
 Betty and Ruth?
 CHOICE: Read alone or with a partner or with your
table (yes, you can move around the room).
 Question to Consider: What influence did
McCarthy and the Red Scare have on Arthur Miller
and his writings?
 What is a red herring? (Look up!)
 Be ready to reconvene for a Focus Q in 10-15
minutes.
 CHOICE: Read alone or with a partner or with your table
(yes, you can move around the room).
 Question to Consider: What influence did McCarthy
and the Red Scare have on Arthur Miller and his
writings?
 What is a red herring? (Look up!)
 Description of Red Herring
 Topic A is under discussion.
 Topic B is introduced under the guise of being
relevant to topic A (when topic B is actually not
relevant to topic A).
 Topic A is abandoned.
 The student dress code is strict, but because
there are so many other discipline issues, we
should abandon dress code
 Should Elizabeth forgive John for his affair? I mean, it’s
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been 7 months!
What do the people in town think of Abigail?
Allusion – “…where she walks the crowd will part like the
sea for Israel” p. 166
How does power affect Mary Warren?
Why is John Proctor hesitant to testify in court about
Abigail’s private admission that the girls’ sickness had
nothing to do with witchcraft?
 What is motivating Mary Warren?
 Why were Sarah Good & Sarah Osbourne easy targets?
 Who is Ezekiel Cheever?
 Why is Hale being so stubborn about believing this
fake?
 Why is John forcing Mary to go to court? How has
Abigail taken this to the next level?
 Is Elizabeth right to continue to mistrust John even
though his affair with Abigail has been over for seven
months? Or is John right in believing that by now
Elizabeth should have forgiven and forgotten his affair
with Abigail and come to trust him again? Choose to
support either Elizabeth’s or John’s viewpoint in your
answer.
 Answer Plan:
 1. Restate the question into a topic sentence, taking a position.
 2. Cite TWO reasons, backing up reasoning with textual evidence from the
play.
 3. Conclude your paragraph by not merely repeating information.
 Judge Hathorne (FYI.. American writer Nathaniel
Hawthorne was a descendent).
 Why does Francis Nurse fear he has brought trouble to
the 91 people who signed their names to the document
presented in court?
 What problems does Mary Warren’s testimony create
for the court?
 What change are you seeing in Rev. Hale?
 Why is Giles Corey in contempt of court?
 Why does John Proctor say “God is dead”?
 The real Abigail was 11 or 12 years old in 1692 and no
evidence of an affair (ew!). Why did Arthur Miller put
this in? How would the play be different?
 Why did John Proctor disclose his affair with
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Abigail?
Answer Plan
1. Restate the question.
2. Write a number of sentences that detail what John
hoped to achieve by disclosing the affair.
3. Conclude by giving your opinion of his decision.
 The beginning is different from the movie: see the jail.
Why are the women acting this way? The scene w/John
in jail did not happen in the play.
 What became of Abigail?
 Both Parris and Hale ask Danforth to postpone the
executions, but their reasons for wanting a
postponement are vastly different. What motivates
each one?
 After the shift in “evidence”, why does Danforth STILL
not stay the executions?
 John will confess, but what will he NOT do? Why?
 What are the themes in the play?
 How is The Crucible still relevant today?
 Answer Plan
 You develop!