MASS HYSTERIA
FRONTLOADING DAY
1
JUNIORS 11H
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Goal: SWBAT …gather background
information on The Crucible
QUICK WRITE: Choose one
O Have you ever blamed someone for something you did?
O Why did you do it and did you get caught?
O How did you feel?
O Have you ever known about someone blaming something
on someone else
O Did you get involved?
O If not, why not?
O If you did, what did you do?
O Homework: Finish reading Miller’s Essay in SRP. As you
read, underline key points. Write first journal response.
GOSSIP
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SCAPEGOATING
O scape·goat
/ˈskeɪpˌgoʊt/ Show Spelled[skeyp-goht]
noun 1. a person or group made to bear the
blame for others or to suffer in their place.
O
O
SOURCE: DICTIONARY.COM
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What is mass hysteria?
O mass hysteria: [noun Psychology] a
condition affecting a group of persons,
characterized by excitement or anxiety,
irrational behavior or beliefs, or inexplicable
symptoms of illness.
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WATCH CLIP
O THINK ABOUT HOW ALL THESE WORDS COULD
APPLY TO THESE TWO CLIPS
O GOSSIP
O SCAPEGOATING
O MASS HYSTERIA
Clip 1
Clip 2
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CONNECTION
O In what way do all three terms apply?
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HISTORICAL SEGWAY
Puritanism
+
Witchcraft
+
McCarthyism
+
Arthur Miller
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PURITANISM
O Christian faith that originated in England
O
O
O
O
during the early 1600s
Puritans believed in predestination
They split from the Church of England in
1633
Many emigrated to the American colonies
Their radical beliefs flourished in the new
world
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Witchcraft in
Salem
O Like all Puritans, the residents of Salem
Village believed in witches and in witchcraft.
O They believed that witchcraft was “entering
into a compact with the devil in exchange for
certain powers to do evil.”
O They considered witchcraft both a sin and a
crime; it was a very serious accusation,
which was carefully and thoroughly
investigated.
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Witchcraft in Salem
O A recently published book of
the time detailed the
symptoms of witchcraft; the
girls’ fits were much like
those described in the book.
O Therefore, the Puritans of
Salem were quick to believe
the doctor’s diagnosis.
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Witchcraft in Salem
O During the next eight months of
terror, more than 150 people
were imprisoned for witchcraft.
O By the time court was dismissed,
27 people had been convicted, 19
hanged, and 1 pressed to death.
O The hysteria that snowballed in
Salem reveals how deep the
belief in the supernatural ran in
colonial America.
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ALLEGORY
O an extended metaphor in which a person,
abstract idea, or event stands for itself and
for something else. It usually involves moral
or spiritual concepts which are more
significant than the actual narrative.
O The term is from the Greek allegoria, a
joining of two other Greek words: allos,
meaning “other”, and agoreuein, meaning
“to speak.”
O Other famous allegories Animal Farm
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McCarthyism
O McCarthyism is the term used to describe a
period of intense suspicion in the United States
during the early 1950s.
O It began when Senator Joseph McCarthy, a U.S.
senator from Wisconsin, claimed that
communists had infiltrated the Department of
State.
O A special House Committee on Un-American
Activities was formed to investigate allegations
of communism.
O During this period, people from all walks of life
became the subjects of aggressive “witch hunts”
often based on inconclusive, questionable
evidence.
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McCarthyism
O Persons accused of being
communists were often denied
employment in both the public
and private sector.
O In the film industry alone, over
300 actors, writers, and
directors were denied work in
the U.S.
O American writer, Arthur Miller,
was one of those alleged to
have been “blacklisted.”
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McCarthyism
O McCarthy’s influence finally
faltered in 1954 when a famous
CBS newsman, Edward R.
Murrow, aired an investigative
news report which revealed
McCarthy as dishonest in his
speeches and abusive in his
interrogation of witnesses.
O The public was finally made
aware of how McCarthy was
ruining the reputations of many
individuals through false
accusations of communism.
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Edward R. Murrow
Reflection
O Complete your reflection for
today.
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