The Crucible

1
The Crucible

• Background
• LA 3
• Mrs. Trippy

2
Puritans

• Fled England to the New World to be able to
  practice their religion
• Persecuted others in the New World for not having
  the same religion.
• The New England Primer New England Primer video
• The text used to teach children to read and
  write, about religion, and about morals.
• Used in New England until the 1800s

Persecuted- mistreated, victimized
3
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692

• Because of the harsh conditions the Puritans
  endured, there was safety in numbers.
• This caused a fear of anything different than the
  common belief
• The causes included politics, religion, family
  feuds, economics, and the imaginations and fears
  of the people.
• Causes of the Salem Witch Trials

4
Arthur Miller the Playwright

• Wrote such famous plays as The Death of a
  Salesman and The Misfits
• Wrote The Crucible in 1953
• Earned many honors and awards including The
  Pulitzer Prize (writing award) and 7 Tony awards
  (theater honor)!

5
Arthur Miller the Communist?

• In 1956 and 1957, Miller was subpoenaed by the
  House Un-American Activities Committee and was
  convicted of contempt of Congress
• Miller refused to identify writers believed to
  hold Communist sympathies.
• In 1958 Court of Appeals overturned his
  conviction

Subpoenaed- to be called by the court to defend
accusations Convicted- to be found guilty of a
crime
6
The Witch Hunt of the 1950s

• Senator John McCarthy headed a department called
  the House Un-American Activities Committee
• He claimed that he had a list of members of the
  Communist party and members of a spy ring
• His reign of terror was a modern day Witch Hunt
  known as the Red Scare or McCarthyism
• McCarthy "Witch hunts"

7
The Witch Hunt of the 1950s

• Comprehend- In your groups, first read your
  assigned article(s) and then answer the
  questions in complete sentences on a separate
  sheet of paper.
• Mix it up! Share your information with another
  group with a different topic and discuss the
  answers to the questions
• Record- As each group shares answers and
  information on their topic, write down the
  answers on your paper.

8
Communist Connection to Salem Witch Trials

• Miller saw a parallel between his experience with
  the Red Scare of the 1950s and the witch hunts
  and trials of Salem, Mass in 1692

Parallel- comparison, similarity
9
The Big Questions!

1. What are the similarities between the Salem Witch
   Trials and the Trials of the Red Scare?
2. What was the authors purpose of writing this
   play?
3. How did the Puritan culture provoke the witch
   trials?
4. How do the characters motives affect the plot?