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Act I: Reflections

This week each of you produced a series of five freeze-frames from Act I of The Crucible to create the sense of tension and rivalry within Salem and to clearly show the power/status relationships among the town citizens. You also worked in groups to recreate the scene where Abigail is persuading Tituba to conjure spirits and the scene in the forest which Rev. Parris witnesses.

(image via)

Your assignment is to answer ONE of the four questions below. It would be great if everyone didn't answer the same question!

1. What were you trying to show with your frames? What atmosphere were you trying to create? What did you reveal about the characters and setting? How did you do this? Why did you choose the quotations you did?
2. What did your improvisation on the dancing in the woods add to our understanding of the characters, atmosphere, and setting? Why do you think that Miller chose not to begin the play like this?
3. Which other groups succeeded in adding to your understanding and appreciation of the play through their work? How and why?
4. What is the value, do you think, of doing drama work like this when studying a play or a novel or poetry? How does it help you personally, if it does? Is there anything you’d like to do in its place?

Creating the "Hook"

Dear Ms. K,

When I'm writing an essay, I always struggle with creating an interesting "hook" to pull in my reader. Do you have any suggestions on how I can begin my essay in a more interesting way?

Dear Student:

There isn't a magic formula for introductory paragraph hooks. However, I do have a few suggestions to help you in your writing. Here are a few methods:

1. Make a provocative statement of your own.
2. Begin with a quotation from the play and explain it.
3. Describe the situation.
4. Create an atmosphere.
5. Ask a question

Can you think of any others?

You are going to create a mini-essay on Act I of The Crucible. First, however, you are going to write an introductory paragraph for each of the essay prompts, using a different method for starting each paragraph.

Here are the essay prompts. Make sure you write one introductory paragraph for each essay prompt.

1. What prompts Tituba and the girls to claim they've seen the devil at the end of the act?
2. What conflicts are present in the community of Salem at the beginning of the play and what are the causes of them?
3. What kind of character is Abigail? Explain her behavior in this act.
4. How does Arthur Miller create the atmosphere of Salem in the first act of The Crucible?
5. How has the balance of power shifted by the end of Act I? Why does this happen?

So, now it's your turn! Each of you should post one sample introductory paragraph from today's homework. It needs to be posted by 11:00 pm Monday, March 19th. Your digital copy of five intro paragraphs should be in the class folder by 4:00 pm on Monday, and hardcopy printout put under my door. See you Tuesday!

(p.s. We miss you, M. from Japan. And, to "fatandconfused" at MUN in China, I hope you're doing well. BTW, this assignment is for you, too!)

The Crucible

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, here it is: the book jacket of the play that we're going to be reading this quarter.

First published in 1953 by Arthur Miller, this play has been performed all over the world and has been translated into many languages. The description on the back cover of the play reads as follows: "The place is Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, an enclave of rigid piety huddled on the edge of a wilderness. Its inhabitants believe unquestioningly in their own sanctity. But in Arthur Miller’s edgy masterpiece, this very belief will have poisonous consequences when a vengeful teenager accuses a rival of witchcraft- and then when those accusations multiply to consume the entire village. First produced in 1953, at a time when America was convulsed by a new epidemic of witch-hunting, The Crucible brilliantly explores the threshold between individual guilt and a mass hysteria, personal spite and collective evil. It is a play that is not only relentlessly suspenseful and vastly moving but that compels reader to fathom their hearts and consciences."