The Crucible

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The Crucible
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The Crucible

• During 1692, The Salem Witch Trials occurred in
  New England. Many were accused of witchcraft.
• Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953 about
  the witch trials. He wrote the play during a time
  of unrest in America during anti-communist witch
  hunts.
• The term witch-hunt refers to whenever a person
  decides to target another person for reasons
  which may, or may not, be obvious.

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The Crucible

• Even though the Puritans did believe in witches
  and goblins during the Salem Witch Trials, their
  fear of the Indians fueled the fear. Also, there
  were false accusations made to meet a political
  agenda. This is why Arthur Miller wrote The
  Crucible in the 1950s - he compared the
  accusations that were being made then to those
  made during the Salem Witch trials.

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Intro to The Crucible

• 1. 1692
• 2. 6 months
• 3. 150
• 4. 23
• 5. young girls
• 6. an apparition would come to you in the night
  telling you to sign the Devils book

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Intro to The Crucible

• 7. The Indians and Indian War
• 8. main frontier
• 9. He was a minister who didnt baptize his
  children and who disagreed with the war.
  Accusations were made against him, and he was
  hanged.

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Intro to The Crucible

• 10. They were not hanged like todays executions,
  so they suffocated or were strangled to death.
• 11. His death was by means of death by weight or
  crushing.
• 12. His last words were more weight.

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Intro to The Crucible

• 13. If one were accused of being a witch, the
  land that was left would be seized by the
  government. False accusations were made so land
  could be seized.
• 14. Lack of sunlight could cause hysteria in the
  girls due to a chemical imbalance.
• 15. During a wet growing season, ergot may have
  grown in the rye and can survive the baking
  process this may have made the girls sick.

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Intro to The Crucible

• 16. Once a few girls became sick, the fear of
  Indians and witches, allowed the belief that they
  were bewitched to spread just by suggestion.
  This was shown and proven in the video that
  people can believe in things based on suggestion.

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Intro to The Crucible

• Most likely explanation of the Salem Witch
  Trials
• Some girls became sick from something like ergot
  poisoning
• The Puritans already were fearful of the Indians
  and Indian war
• This fear of the Indians and the girls sickness
  escalated their fear of witchcraft
• The Magistrates twisted the girls testimonies
• The judges allowed the accusation to continue to
  suit their political needs

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The Crucible

• The word crucible comes from the Latin word for
  cross. A crucible is any pot made of material
  strong enough to withstand the intense heat
  necessary to melt down metals. Crucible also
  means a severe trial or test.
• What test or trial have you had to go through
  that is your crucible?

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The Crucible, Act One guided reading

• Is Parris more concerned about Betty or his
  reputation (1239)?
• Support with textual information-what did Parris
  say that leads you to believe what you wrote in
  your response.

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The Crucible, Act One guided reading

• Reverend Parris questions Abigails reputation.
  Who fired Abigail? (1240)
• Textual evidence
• Who heard that Betty flew?
• Textual evidence

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The Crucible, Act One guided reading

• What is the suspected cause of Bettys illness?
  (1241)
• When the girls are alone, what do they discuss
  about the night before?
• What does Betty think they should do?
• What is Abigails reaction?

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The Crucible, Act One

• 1. Reverend Parris is the minister of the
  village. He is Bettys father and Abigails
  uncle. Abigail lives with them.
• 2. Tituba is the servant from Barbados for the
  Parris family. She is very close to Betty.
• 3. Betty is in bed pretending to be sick. She is
  unresponsive and seems to be sleeping.

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The Crucible, Act One

• 4. The doctor cant find a medical reason for
  Bettys behavior.
• 5. The Putnams are neighbors who have a sick
  daughter, Ruth. They suggest Betty is witched
  because Tom Putnam is angry his brother in law
  didnt become minister.
• 6. He worries that she has jeopardized his
  position as minister.

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The Crucible, Act One

• 7. Ruth is the Putnams daughter. She is acting
  the same as Betty. The connection is they were
  both in the forest the night before.
• 8. The girls were in the forest dancing. They
  were with Tituba who made a potion and Abigail
  wished that Proctors wife would die. Some drank
  blood.

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The Crucible, Act One

• 9. She says she will bring a pointy reckoning in
  the dark night. This reveals she is manipulative,
  violent, and a bully.
• 10. Proctor is handsome, upstanding in the
  community, and strong. He speaks the truth and
  calls out others who are false.

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The Crucible, Act One

• 11. Abigail and John had an affair.
• 12. She said Elizabeth told lies about her and
  called her a cold, sniveling woman.
• 13. Francis Nurse was in a land battle with
  Putnam. The Nurses also prevented Putnams
  brother in law from becoming minister.

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The Crucible, Act One

• 14. Rebecca says Betty is playing and will come
  around when she bores of this game.
• 15. Parris only speaks about hell and damnation
  during his sermons. They also say he is only
  concerned about money and the deed to his house.

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The Crucible, Act One

• 16. Putnams father left the largest portion of
  land to the stepbrother and was denied when he
  tried to break the will.
• 17. Giles is old, new to religion, and grumpy.
• 18. Reverend Hale is educated and takes his role
  as demonologist very seriously.

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The Crucible, Act One

• 19. Hale fires questions at Tituba and makes her
  nervous. During the conversation, Tituba realizes
  that to save herself, she must accuse others.
• 20. The girls join in on the accusations when
  they see Tituba is not in trouble. The girls are
  motivated by their involvement in dancing in the
  woods and want to get out of trouble. Eleven are
  accused.

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Write a potential problem you foresee as
accusations from the girls are believed as being
true just based on their words.  
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The Crucible, Act Two

• 1. They have issues in their marriage because of
  Johns affair and Elizabeth doesnt trust him.
  She is a good housewife and he is trying to earn
  her trust again.
• 2. This scene is to show the reader how tense
  their relationship is from the affair.

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The Crucible, Act Two

• 3. Mary brings her a poppet (a rag doll).
• 4. She reports that many are being accused of
  witchcraft. Her role in the trial is to report
  whether or not she has witnessed any witchcraft.
  John doesnt want his household involved in the
  trials.
• 5. 39

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The Crucible, Act Two

• 6. You have to confess that you are a witch.
• 7. Mary Warren has a role in the trials now and
  she is threatening Elizabeth with this comment.

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The Crucible, Act Two

• 8. Hale comes to investigate the Proctor
  household. He may be called as a witness during
  the trial.
• 9. Abigail accused Elizabeth because she wants
  John Proctor as her own.
• 10. He forgets adultery. This is significant
  because he committed adultery with Abigail.

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The Crucible, Act Two

• 11. Walcott bought the pig from Corey and she
  wont give the money back to Walcott. He says she
  bewitched the pig and thats why it died.
• 12. allusion reference to another piece of lit.
  He compares Hale to PP because he knows something
  is wrong but wont stand up and speak the truth.

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The Crucible, Act Two

• 13. He wants Mary to tell that she put the pin in
  the doll because Abigail told her to. She wont
  tell because she is afraid of what Abigail will
  do to her.
• 14. Her motives are to keep Abigail happy. She
  gave her the poppet to make Elizabeth look
  guilty.
• 15. She confesses.
• 16. They believed she was out of the Devils
  control if she confessed.

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The Crucible, Act Two

• 17. Vengeance
• 18. Abigails motivation for accusing Elizabeth
  Walcotts accusation of Corey.
• 19. Proctor says this ironic statement because
  the trials themselves are black mischief and
  evil.
• 20. She is a kind and a good Christian woman.
• 21. He is the one that Elizabeth told John to go
  to about Abigail.

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Do Now

• Explain why Proctor compares Reverend Hale to
  Pontius Pilate.
• Why is this reference called an allusion?
  (explain this as fully as you can based on what I
  explained in class yesterday and name the
  literary piece that is being compared)

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The Crucible, Act Three

• 1. It gives us background info about Marthas
  arrest. It also shows us how hard-hearted the
  courts have become and their willingness to
  arrest anyone who interferes with their
  proceedings. They are favoring anyone who sides
  with their already made arrests and discredits
  anyone trying to prove the truth. It shows the
  snap judgments and prejudiced nature of the
  judges themselves.

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The Crucible, Act Three

• 2.
• The first says Thomas Putnam was given a great
  deal of land.
• The second says 91 people give their good opinion
  of Rebecca and Martha.
• The third states the girls are lying.

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The Crucible, Act Three

• 3. They accuse and arrest whoever comes to the
  defense of those accused of being a witch.
• 4. He confesses to adultery with Abigail.
• 5. He tries to explain the motivation behind
  Abigails accusation of Elizabeth in order to
  save Elizabeth.

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The Crucible, Act Three

• 6. Mary tells him it was all pretend.
• 7. Elizabeth tells him John never committed
  adultery, and John is imprisoned as a liar.
• 8. He tells John she is pregnant.
• 9. They will not hang Elizabeth until after the
  baby is born.

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The Crucible, Act Three

• 10. There are 91 signatures for Martha, Rebecca
  and Elizabeth.
• 11. Mary has never seen spirits.

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The Crucible, Act Three

• 12. This is true because you cant be in the
  middle when it deals with the law or the courts.
• 13. If you are honest with God, you will be safe.

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The Crucible, Act Three

• 14. Corey claims that Putnam wanted Jacobs
  property and accused him.
• 15. He withholds the name of the witness.
• 16. If they signed the Devils book.
• 17. Hale is beginning to realize that the trials
  are evil, and people are making false
  accusations.

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The Crucible, Act Three

• 18. Mary cannot faint. Hathorne points out that
  if she cant pretend faint, she must have fainted
  earlier from the witches.
• 19. He had an affair with Abigail.
• 20. Elizabeth tries to say John is lying about
  the affair in order to save her.
• 21. She says John is a witch and has been
  bewitching her.

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The Crucible, Act Three

• 22. Hale says Abigail seems false to him and he
  views Proctor as an honest man.
• 23. The girls start to repeat Marys words and
  act like Marys spirit is attacking them. Mary is
  confused and bullied.
• 24. Opinion

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The Crucible, Act Four

• 1. Morning
• 2. Mr. Hale and others in the town urge those
  accused to confess to save themselves.
• 3. Herrick is drunk.
• 4. Abigail because the truth is out about her
  having an affair with John.

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The Crucible, Act Four

• 5. 12 have hanged and its not fair that the
  others accused are still alive.
• 6. orphans are wandering house to house
  abandoned cattle are loose on the roads rotting
  crops and making the town smell no one knows if
  they will be accused and die.
• 7. John Proctor

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The Crucible, Act Four

• 8. No
• 9. His property would stay in family and he kept
  his good name.
• 10. more weight
• 11. He will not sign a document confessing to
  witchcraft.
• 12. whether or not to confess

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The Crucible, Act Four

• 13. She doesnt want her husband to die, but she
  wont order him to confess.
• 14. He will not incriminate others who have been
  accused.
• 15. He will not tarnish his name it is all he
  has.
• 16. Proctor thinks Danforth is using him to get
  others to confess.

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The Crucible, Act Four

• 17. Proctor tears it up.
• 18. He does not sign a confession, so he is
  hanged.
• 19. Proctor has remained true to himself and not
  lied and confessed.
• 20. opinion

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The Crucible, Act Four
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The Crucible, Act Four
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The Crucible, Act Four
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The Crucible, Act Four
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