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Crucible Thematic Essay/First Draft Process Step-by-Step
Directions: Follow each step of this assignment to help you shape and write a first draft of your essay. This
assignment is part of the Process Grade, so be sure to complete it thoroughly.
I. THESIS STATEMENT AND SETUP
Prompt: In his play The Crucible, through the character of ________________, what thematic idea
does Arthur Miller communicate?
A) THESIS: Write out your post-feedback revised thesis statement:
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B) Breaking Down Your Thesis: Now, look at your thesis above and look at the outline you worked on for
your essay. Identify the different parts of your argument and number them. *See the model for help with this.
C) Premise Sentences: Stop and consider the needs of someone reading your essay who has not read the play.
What basic information needs to be set up first—before you launch into proving your theme? This is not a full
summary that includes the ending. (Think more about what a movie preview might provide.)This is not opinion or
commentary; provide the basic facts. Also, what does a reader need to know about the character you selected?
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II. BODY – FIRST DRAFT OF DEC #1
A) Finding a Cluster of Details for DEC#1
1) Look back at the numbered parts of your thesis and your outline. Find DETAILS (quote
fragments/words) from the play that offer the best support for that particular part of your thesis—
the first point in your outline. (Unless you selected Elizabeth Proctor, for most thesis sentences, your DEC#1 details
should come from ACT I of the play.)
2) Copy the full pieces of dialogue and/or stage description into the spaces below. Copy Miller’s text wordfor word, no ellipses. *Yes, this may seem like a pain, but having the full text will help you with elaboration
and quote weaving accuracy. Write down the PAGE NUMBER and the LINE NUMBERS.
3) In GREEN, highlight the DETAILS from the text that are commentary-rich and quote-worthy—the words
or phrases you want to directly quote. In BLUE, highlight the information that would be easy to paraphrase.
LINE NUMBERS AND PAGE NUMBER: ______________
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B) FINDING ELABORATION for your DEC #1 – WHAT CONTEXT WILL A READER NEED?
Complete this chart for the cluster of details you selected for DEC #1.
 WHO is saying, thinking, or
doing this?
 About WHAT/WHOM is the
character talking or thinking?
 TO WHOM is he or she
speaking? (it could be more
than one character)
WHAT is currently happening in
the scene?
*Consider—what is the conflict in
this moment? (What does the
character want? What are the
obstacles? What’s at stake)?
DEC #1 Elaboration Cont’d
WHAT has previously happened
that is important for
understanding the detail?
*Consider there may be multiple
events or exchanges that have
occurred. Some may have
occurred off-stage, even before
the Act begins.
WHY is the character saying or
thinking this? (What is at the
heart of the character’s
motivation?) Consider: Is there
subtext or dramatic irony? (The
character appears to express
____, but really wants ____.)
 WHERE (setting)
 WHERE is the detail occurring
in the text? (Act I, II, III, IV;
end of Act II, etc.)
C) PROVIDING A BIG CUSHION OF E FOR THE D THAT YOU WEAVE
*This is the step we have struggled with the most—adding complete and accurate context to our D so it will be
clear for any reader. Do all of the following in the space below:
 You may need some sentences of paraphrased elaboration before you start directly quoting the text.
 Weave your cluster of direct quote fragments into sentences. Provide a cushion of elaboration for your direct
quotes. Do NOT dump your quotes. The goal—there should be more you than Miller.
 Any sentence that contains direct quotes must end with a properly-formatted page citation. First quote
in this essay should include Miller’s name (Miller 142).
 Write in 3rd person, present tense. (For some direct quotes, this may require the use of brackets [ ] ).
 When finished, highlight your E in blue. Highlight your D in green. LABEL each part of your E with
the question it answers (Who? To Whom? Where? What’s happening? What happened prior? Why?
etc.) See the Putnam model as an example.
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D) Commentary Development for D&E #1
Remember what this commentary is for—to comment on the details you selected for D&E #1. Also remember, you cannot
“comment” on something that isn’t proven by or supported with the details you selected for D&E #1.
Your Answer:
Which of the following
best describes the details?
Check all that apply.
___Dialogue
___Miller’s initial description of the character
___Stage directions for how an actor should deliver the line
___Stage directions for what the character should do or what emotions he/she should portray
___Background information Miller provides based on research
___Other? (Write your own description):
Why do these particular details
support your thesis (or a certain
part of your argument?)
*Consider: What inferences
you made when you chose the
details? Explain your thinking.
Though not directly stated, how
did you reach your conclusion?
How/Why did Miller include
Is the D? What was his purpose in
making this particular choice?
Remember—he could have made
a different choice. Why might he
have chosen this particular word,
this particular character reaction,
this particular metaphor, etc.?
?
D&E#1
Commentary: Now that you’ve brainstormed commentary ideas, use the Commentary Sentence Templates
handout to setup your commentary. (No, one sentence is NOT enough). Remember, you are commenting on the details you
selected for D&E#1 and connecting them to ideas in your thesis. You may need to use synonyms so you don’t repeat your thesis.
Highlight words or phrases that touch back on ideas from your thesis in PINK.
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III. BODY – FIRST DRAFT OF DEC #2
A) Finding a Cluster of Details for DEC#2
1) Look back at the numbered parts of your thesis and your outline. Find DETAILS (quote
fragments/words) from the play that offer the best support for that particular part of your thesis—
the first point in your outline. (Make sure these details occur AFTER the details you picked for DEC#1)
2) Copy the full pieces of dialogue and/or stage description into the spaces below. Copy Miller’s text wordfor word, no ellipses. *Yes, this may seem like a pain, but having the full text will help you with elaboration
and quote weaving accuracy. Write down the PAGE NUMBER and the LINE NUMBERS.
3) In GREEN, highlight the DETAILS from the text that are commentary-rich and quote-worthy—the words
or phrases you want to directly quote. In BLUE, highlight the information that would be easy to paraphrase.
LINE NUMBERS AND PAGE NUMBER: ______________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
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B) FINDING ELABORATION for your DEC #2 – WHAT CONTEXT WILL A READER NEED?
Complete this chart for the cluster of details you selected for DEC #2.
 WHO is saying, thinking, or
doing this?
 About WHAT/WHOM is the
character talking or thinking?
 TO WHOM is he or she
speaking? (it could be more
than one character)
WHAT is currently happening in
the scene?
*Consider—what is the conflict in
this moment? (What does the
character want? What are the
obstacles? What’s at stake)?
DEC #2 Elaboration Cont’d
WHAT has previously happened
that is important for
understanding the detail?
*Consider there may be multiple
events or exchanges that have
occurred. Some may have
occurred off-stage, even before
the Act begins.
WHY is the character saying or
thinking this? (What is at the
heart of the character’s
motivation?) Consider: Is there
subtext or dramatic irony? (The
character appears to express
____, but really wants ____.)
 WHERE (setting)
 WHERE is the detail occurring
in the text? (Act II, III, IV; end
of Act II, etc.)
C) PROVIDING A BIG CUSHION OF E FOR THE D THAT YOU WEAVE
*This is the step we have struggled with the most—adding complete and accurate context to our D so it will be
clear for any reader. Do all of the following in the space below:
 You may need some sentences of paraphrased elaboration before you start directly quoting the text.
 Weave your cluster of direct quote fragments into sentences. Provide a cushion of elaboration for your direct
quotes. Do NOT dump your quotes. The goal—there should be more you than Miller.
 Any sentence that contains direct quotes must end with a properly-formatted page citation.
 Write in 3rd person, present tense. (For some direct quotes, this may require the use of brackets [ ] ).
 When finished, highlight your E in blue. Highlight your D in green. LABEL each part of your E with
the question it answers (Who? To Whom? Where? What’s happening? What happened prior? Why?
etc.) See the Putnam model as an example.
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D) Commentary Development for D&E #2
Remember what this commentary is for—to comment on the details you selected for D&E #2. Also remember, you cannot
“comment” on something that isn’t proven by or supported with the details you selected for D&E #2.
Your Answer:
Which of the following
best describes the details?
Check all that apply.
___Dialogue
___Miller’s initial description of the character
___Stage directions for how an actor should deliver the line
___Stage directions for what the character should do or what emotions he/she should portray
___Background information Miller provides based on research
___Other? (Write your own description):
Why do these particular details
support your thesis (or a certain
part of your argument?)
*Consider: What inferences
you made when you chose the
details? Explain your thinking.
Though not directly stated, how
did you reach your conclusion?
How/Why did Miller include
Is the D? What was his purpose in
making this particular choice?
Remember—he could have made
a different choice. Why might he
have chosen this particular word,
this particular character reaction,
this particular metaphor, etc.?
?
D&E#2
Commentary: Now that you’ve brainstormed commentary ideas, use the Commentary Sentence Templates
handout to setup your commentary. (No, one sentence is NOT enough). Remember, you are commenting on the details you
selected for D&E#2 and connecting them to ideas in your thesis. You may need to use synonyms so you don’t repeat your thesis.
Highlight words or phrases that touch back on ideas from your thesis in PINK.
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IV. BODY – FIRST DRAFT OF DEC #3
A) Finding a Cluster of Details for DEC#3
1) Look back at the numbered parts of your thesis and your outline. Find DETAILS (quote
fragments/words) from the play that offer the best support for that particular part of your thesis—
the first point in your outline. (Make sure these details occur AFTER the details you picked for DEC#2. In fact,
these details should come from Act IV, unless your character’s final appearance is in Act III.)
2) Copy the full pieces of dialogue and/or stage description into the spaces below. Copy Miller’s text wordfor word, no ellipses. *Yes, this may seem like a pain, but having the full text will help you with elaboration
and quote weaving accuracy. Write down the PAGE NUMBER and the LINE NUMBERS.
3) In GREEN, highlight the DETAILS from the text that are commentary-rich and quote-worthy—the words
or phrases you want to directly quote. In BLUE, highlight the information that would be easy to paraphrase.
LINE NUMBERS AND PAGE NUMBER: ______________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
B) FINDING ELABORATION for your DEC #3 – WHAT CONTEXT WILL A READER NEED?
Complete this chart for the cluster of details you selected for DEC #3.
 WHO is saying, thinking, or
doing this?
 About WHAT/WHOM is the
character talking or thinking?
 TO WHOM is he or she
speaking? (it could be more
than one character)
WHAT is currently happening in
the scene?
*Consider—what is the conflict in
this moment? (What does the
character want? What are the
obstacles? What’s at stake)?
DEC #3 Elaboration Cont’d
WHAT has previously happened
that is important for
understanding the detail?
*Consider there may be multiple
events or exchanges that have
occurred. Some may have
occurred off-stage, even before
the Act begins.
WHY is the character saying or
thinking this? (What is at the
heart of the character’s
motivation?) Consider: Is there
subtext or dramatic irony? (The
character appears to express
____, but really wants ____.)
 WHERE (setting)
 WHERE is the detail occurring
in the text? (III, IV; end of Act
IV, etc.)
C) PROVIDING A BIG CUSHION OF E FOR THE D THAT YOU WEAVE
*This is the step we have struggled with the most—adding complete and accurate context to our D so it will be
clear for any reader. Do all of the following in the space below:
 You may need some sentences of paraphrased elaboration before you start directly quoting the text.
 Weave your cluster of direct quote fragments into sentences. Provide a cushion of elaboration for your direct
quotes. Do NOT dump your quotes. The goal—there should be more you than Miller.
 Any sentence that contains direct quotes must end with a properly-formatted page citation.
 Write in 3rd person, present tense. (For some direct quotes, this may require the use of brackets [ ] ).
 When finished, highlight your E in blue. Highlight your D in green. LABEL each part of your E with
the question it answers (Who? To Whom? Where? What’s happening? What happened prior? Why?
etc.) See the Putnam model as an example.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
D) Commentary Development for D&E #3
Remember what this commentary is for—to comment on the details you selected for D&E #3. Also remember, you cannot
“comment” on something that isn’t proven by or supported with the details you selected for D&E #3.
Your Answer:
Which of the following
best describes the details?
Check all that apply.
___Dialogue
___Miller’s initial description of the character
___Stage directions for how an actor should deliver the line
___Stage directions for what the character should do or what emotions he/she should portray
___Background information Miller provides based on research
___Other? (Write your own description):
Why do these particular details
support your thesis (or a certain
part of your argument?)
*Consider: What inferences
you made when you chose the
details? Explain your thinking.
Though not directly stated, how
did you reach your conclusion?
How/Why did Miller include
Is the D? What was his purpose in
making this particular choice?
Remember—he could have made
a different choice. Why might he
have chosen this particular word,
this particular character reaction,
this particular metaphor, etc.?
?
D&E#3
Commentary: Now that you’ve brainstormed commentary ideas, use the Commentary Sentence Templates
handout to setup your commentary. (No, one sentence is NOT enough). Remember, you are commenting on the details you
selected for D&E#3 and connecting them to ideas in your thesis. You may need to use synonyms so you don’t repeat your thesis.
Highlight words or phrases that touch back on ideas from your thesis in PINK.
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