The Crucible
Warm-Up
Introduction to “The Crucible”
Homework
Essential Question:
WARM-UP:
What do you
already know
about the
Salem Witch
Trials and/or
Puritan life in
early
America?
How does history shape literature?
Student Objectives:



Students will understand how a text is
shaped by the historical context of a
time period.
Students will demonstrate knowledge
of early American Literature including
how two or more texts from the same
period treat similar themes or topics.
Students will understand how the
structure of text impacts reader
understanding.
Written Response
Greed: How do you define greed? Is greed ever a
good thing?
 Guilt: What leads people to feel guilt?
 Motivation: What is the biggest motivator in
your life?
 Morality: List your top three “moral rules.”


How do these fit into our ideas of America?
Remember, this class is about American
literature as much as possible! Be thinking
about this question every time we read a text.
What does “crucible” mean?
1.
2.
3.
a vessel of a very refractory material (as
porcelain) used for melting and calcining
a substance that requires a high degree of
heat
a severe test
a place or situation in which
concentrated forces interact to cause or
influence change or development
Overview: Salem, Massachusetts
Located on the coast of Massachusetts
 Settled mainly by Puritans in 1626

– A group of people who left England so they
could practice religious freedom
– Often let their religious beliefs guide their
daily lives

Most known for the Salem Witch Trials of
1692
– Nickname: “The Witch City”
Puritans arriving in Massachusetts
Salem Witch Trials Memorial
THE TRIALS
-Most of those accused
of being witches were
women.
-Many were healers, and
used plants to heal
people.
-Many were without family, and this made them
easy targets.
-They were people who did not fit in with the
mainstream for some reason.
The Facts

Young girl named Betty Parris became ill
– Fever, extreme pain, running around the
house

More children in Salem became ill
– Ann Putnam, Mercy Lewis, Mary Walcott

Doctors were called in to find the reason
for this sickness
But…

Doctors couldn’t explain illness, so they
defaulted to “witchcraft”
– Townspeople were easily convinced
– A servant in town was suspected of witchcraft

Townspeople decided to arrest the servant,
Tituba, and an older woman for witchcraft
The Casualties
Nineteen men and
women were put to
death for witchcraft.
 One man, Giles
Corey, was also
pressed to death.

Why did this happen?

People were
suspicious/fearful
– A book about witchcraft had just
been published by Cotton
Mather
– People were at war with Native
Americans
– Death/evil were on the mind of
many (because of fighting and
disease)
– Puritan culture easily accepted
the devil as the source of
evil/wrong in life
Other Explanations

Teenagers in town were bored and got carried
away
– Dancing, flirting, etc. not allowed at all!
– All of the accusers were teenage girls

Some of the accusers were jealous people
– An easy way to get rid of people they didn’t like!

General sense of depression in town
– Not a lot of wealth/happiness/freedom
Homework
Read the Introduction Articles
The Crucible
Warm-Up
Introduction to “The Crucible” Continued
McCarthyism
Homework
WARM-UP:
Summarize last
night’s reading in
at least a
paragraph.
Essential Question:
How does history shape
literature?
Student Objectives:



Students will understand how a
text is shaped by the historical
context of a time period.
Students will demonstrate
knowledge of early American
Literature including how two or
more texts from the same
period treat similar themes or
topics.
Students will understand how
the structure of text impacts
reader understanding.
Context: American Drama

1950s drama was heavily influenced by:
– World War II just ending
– The desire for change
– Feelings of guilt and exploration of identity

The Crucible premiered in January 1953 in
New York City.
Arthur Miller




Born in 1915 in New York
City
His father’s business
failed because of the
Depression
Family moved around a
lot because of poverty
Attended the University
of Michigan
Arthur Miller

Returned to NYC after
graduating college
– No luck with writing!

Finally had a play on
Broadway
– “All My Sons” (1947)

In 1949, wrote “Death
of a Salesman”
Arthur Miller

Married Marilyn
Monroe (lucky guy!)
– Divorced after a few
years
– Had three wives
altogether

Wrote “The Crucible”
in the early 1950s
– Was accused of being a
Communist

Died in 2005
HISTORIC CONTEXT
The Appeals of Communism

America’s Great
Depression left people
upset about the American
government
– Everyone deserves basics
(food, clothing)
– Communism offers that
promise

1939: 50,000 Americans
were members of the
Communist party.
Then, World War II Begins



1941: America begins
fighting against Germany
(and others)
Communism was seen as
“un-American” because of
the surge in patriotism
1945: America won World
War II
– Defeated the German
government of fascism
 Fascism: government led by
a dictator that suppressed
opposition of any kind
America vs. The Soviet Union

America was emerging as a world power, but:
– The Soviet Union was its main competition

And:
– The Soviet Union was Communist

America and The Soviet Union competed against each
other for world power in:
– Space travel
– Nuclear weapon development
– In effect, government style
Communism came to be seen as
“evil”

1950: Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg arrested
– Charged with supplying
atomic bomb secrets to the
Soviet Union


Soviet Union developed
the atomic bomb (from
the secrets provided)
Communism became the
opposite of everything
America represented!
The Effects of Hysteria:
The “Red Scare” Begins
Red: color of
Communism
 Symbol of
Communism:
Hammer and Sickle

– Why is this the symbol
of communism?
Enter: Joseph McCarthy and the
HUAC
HUAC

HUAC: House Committee of Un-American
Activities
– This committee questioned Americans who
were suspected of being Communists
– They summoned thousands of people to
testify
 Goal: to get as many names of “Communists” as
possible
Joseph McCarthy
The ruthless head of the HUAC
 Claimed he had a list of 205 Communists
who worked for the US Government
 Was the ringleader of the Red Scare

Who Was Suspected of Being a
Communist?
Filmmakers, directors, actors were accused of
attending communist meetings
 Certain politicians were also targeted
 These people had two options:

– Admit to being a Communist and tell McCarthy
names of other people who attended Communist
meetings
– OR
– Refuse to admit anything (or rat out others) and be
blacklisted
 Can’t get work if blacklisted!
Homework
Read the McCarthyism Articles
Read pages 3 - 25
of Act I of The Crucible
While you read, be sure to take Cornell
Notes on the scene
The Crucible
Warm-Up
“The Crucible” Act I
Homework
WARM-UP:
Based on the
opening passage
of Act I, what is
going on in
Salem? Explain
your answer with
at least one quote
from the text.
Essential Question:
How does history shape
literature?
Student Objectives:



Students will understand how a
text is shaped by the historical
context of a time period.
Students will demonstrate
knowledge of early American
Literature including how two or
more texts from the same
period treat similar themes or
topics.
Students will understand how
the structure of text impacts
reader understanding.
The Crucible
Act I
Tituba (40s)
Parris (mid 40s)
Abigail (17)
Susanna (slightly younger than Abigail)
Goody Putman (45)
Thomas Putnam (near 50)
Mercy Lewis (18)
Mary Warren (17)
Betty Parris (10)
John Proctor (mid 30s)
Rebecca Nurse (72)
Giles Corey (83)
Reverend John Hale (40)
Setting
Setting is the time and place of a literary work and,
by extension, the cultural environment in which it
occurs.
1. What is the setting of the first act of The
Crucible?
2. What connections can you make between the
setting and the mood it creates?
3. What connections can you make between the
setting and the cultural environment of the
Puritan community?
Rhetorical Devices
As you read, be sure to note the following devices within the
play (we will be completing device studies while reading).
– Allusion
– Anaphora
– Appeals
– Euphemism
– Irony
– Paradox
– Parallelism
– Repetition
– Restatement
– Rhetorical ?s
– Anastrophe
– Anadiplosis
– Metaphor/Simile
– Hypophora
– Diacope
– Antithesis
– Appeals
– Metonym
Reverend Parris
What is the relationship between Betty, Abby, and Parris?
What is Tituba’s relationship to the Parris family?
What is his standing in the
community? (What opinions
are held of him?)
What are Parris’s concerns in
this act?
What is your impression of
him so far?
Thomas and Ann Putnum
What has happened in the
past to Mrs. Putnum?
Why do they suggest Betty
has been bedeviled?
What is your
impression/opinion of the
Putnum’s so far?
Act I
Witches?
Abigail
Mercy
Putnam
Mrs. Putnam
Parris
Mary
Betty
Proctor
Read through the end of Act I, page 51
HOMEWORK
The Crucible, Act 1
Warm-Up
Act I Discussion Points
Act II – John and Elizabeth
Homework
Unit Understanding:
Warm-Up:
Great literature provides key
insights into challenges and
dilemmas still faced today.
Based solely on your
reading of Act I, what Student Objectives:
motivates each of the  Students will make
following characters:
connections between texts
•
•
•
•
•
Abigail
Parris
Goody Putnam
Putnam
Hale
and context.
 Students will analyze a text
for complex ideas.
 Students will analyze and
evaluate author’s
effectiveness.
Antagonist/Protagonist
Who is the protagonist of the story?
Who is the antagonist, so far?
How would you describe her?
Who is Rebecca Nurse? How
would you characterize her?
How does Tituba react when
being questioned by Hale?
What is the benefit in naming names? What does it achieve?
The Proctor Household
Eight days have passed. Things have moved on in
Salem.
Pages 52 – 59: John and Elizabeth
► The
stage directions and dialogue establish this
as a domestic setting.
► The talk is of planting, children and dinner
► In some ways they both seem happy:
► Elizabeth
“blushing with pleasure”.
► Proctor “Lilacs is the smell of nightfall...Massachusetts
is a beauty in the spring”.
How would you define John and Elizabeth’s relationship?
Characterization
Proctor and his women
As we watch the scene, keep in mind
the different interpretations discussed.
What choices does the director make?
Why might this be?
Read Act II, pages 59 - 85
HOMEWORK
“The Crucible” Act II
Warm-Up
Text Quiz
Act II Discussion and Questions
Homework
Warm – Up
Are you surprised by the
reactions in ACT II?
Explain how each
character has changed
since ACT I.
•Proctor
•Mary Warren
•Hale
•Putnam
ENDURING
UNDERSTANDING:
 Great literature
provides rich and
timeless insights into
key themes,
dilemmas, and
challenges we still
face today.
ESSENTIAL QUIESTIONS:
 How does Miller use
characterization in
ACT I to define
Abigail and John
Proctor?
 What is a literary foil?
TEXT QUIZ
The Crucible
Act Two
"The little crazy children are jangling the keys of the
kingdom and common vengeance writes the law!”
Answer the questions on a separate sheet of paper
while we move through the PowerPoint. Questions are
due at the end of class.
Tension
1.
What do the following quotes suggest about
the Proctor’s relationship?
Proctor “Learn charity, woman...an everlasting
funeral marches round your heart”- p.58
 Judgement- Proctor says that he feels that his house
has become a courtroom where he is judged.
 Elizabeth replies that the judgement is in his heart.

Mary Warren
2. How has Mary Warren changed since the opening of
the play?





Mary seems to have convinced herself that she is telling the
truth.
“I feel a clamp around my neck...I hear a voice, a screamin'
voice”
Mary has made a doll for Elizabeth
Mary stands up to Proctor
Mary says that Elizabeth was mentioned but that she saved
her.
Proctor and Elizabeth
Proctor is disturbed by Mary’s report of
events
 Elizabeth realizes the seriousness: “She
want’s me dead.”
3. Who wants her dead and more importantly
why?
Hale
“there is a quality of deference, even of guilt about
his manner now”
4. What does this stage direction tell us about Mr Hale?


He Questions the Proctors about not visiting church and
their son not having been baptised.
Hale: “No – no, I come of my own…your wife’s name is –
mentioned in the court”
5. What does Miller do to show Hale’s uncertainty?
 Think about sentence structure and use of punctuation
Hale Continued
Proctor criticises Parris (tone)
 “it tells me that a minister may pray to God
without he have golden candlesticks upon
the altar.”
Hale makes him recite the ten commandmentsProctor forgets the one about adultery
 “Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a
fortress may be accounted small” Hale pg 65
Rebecca's charged!
It is the charging of Rebecca Nurse that
makes the Proctors realize how out of hand
the situation has become
 And which cause doubts in Hale's mind
 But he convinces himself the court is right:
“No man may longer doubt the powers of the
dark are gathered in monstrous attack upon
this village” (Millier, 1952, 68).

Accusing Abigail
Miller provides various points in the play
where he suggests that things might be
brought under control.
 “I know the children's sickness had naught to
do with witchcraft” (Miller, 1952, 72).
 Hale seems shocked but Proctor convinces
him by his honesty and with flattery, “such a
steadyminded minister as you”

HOMEWORK
Writing Prompt:
In at least a paragraph, make a prediction
about Abigail and John now that
Elizabeth has been accused. What will
Abigail do? How will John react to his
wife’s arrest?