Who said it
A dedicated husband who fought for his wife's innocence, died in Salem after saying "More weight."
Giles Corey
Salem, Mass. operated on this type of government, which viewed the Bible/Religion as law.
What is theocracy?
Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible as a protest to this widespread hysteria in the United States during the 1950s.
What is The Red Scare?
Abigail threatened this young girl, the daughter of her uncle, Rev. Parris, if she told the truth of what happened in the forrest.
Who is Betty Parris?
In Act II, Elizabeth asks John to complete one task that could have prevented the witch trials.
What is ask John to go and admit Abigail lied about the witchcraft?
Hale suggests his books are heavy because they “are weighted with authority.” This statement means:
What Puritans believed, understood and reasoned with came from books and not common knowledge or individual understanding.
In 1692, this mass hysteria broke out in Massachusetts, killing more than a dozen innocent men and women.
What is the Salem Witch Trials?
In The Crucible, Abigail carries similar traits to this dominant leader during The Red Scare.
Who is Senator Joseph McCarthy?
Abigail and the rest of the girls begin to convince the court this girl's spirit is attacking the courtroom.
Who is Mary Warren?
By the end of Act II, Rev. Hale has begun to worry that:
What is "Perhaps innocent people are being accused."
What does John Proctor mean when he says, “My wife will never die for me”?
He knows his adultery has caused Elizabeth to be arrested.
Abigail, Mary and the other girls may have started the witch craft rumors because:
They enjoyed the attention and status they received from crying witch craft.
What is a crucible?
A conflict erupted between these two families after one couple accused the other of killing their babies, being land greedy and bitter because a campaign to keep their brother-in-law out of office.
Who are the Putnams and Nurses?
In Act III, this man who came to Salem to aid in the witch hunts says, "I denounce these proceedings!" and quits the court.
Who is Rev. Hale?
Gov. Danforth stated: “A person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between.” What is the importance of Danforth’s statement?
The statement shows how serious Salem and its citizens applied theocracy. One was either with God and the Bible or against it and with the Devil, or one was either with the court in cleansing Salem of witch craft or he or she was a witch.
What might be some reasons behind the start of and the widespread hysteria of the Salem Witch Trials?
Ergot, which was in the rye used in bread; the tensions among neighbors and other outsiders in Salem; tensions among those who were wanting to leave the theocracy government; women looking for attention in Salem.
What is the House of Un-American Activities Association? (HUAC)
Abigail threatened Governor Danforth in court when he questioned her about her accusations toward Elizabeth Proctor. Why did Gov. Danforth side with Abigail?
He, along with others in Salem, feared Abigail and the "children" in the court.
John Proctor refused to do what in order to keep a voice of reason and his good name in Salem despite outlandish witch craft accusations.
Sign his name to a piece of paper admitting to witch craft.
Which individual accused of witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials said: “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”
John Proctor
What do the first accusations of witchcraft suggest about human nature?
As humans we fear change, are quick to judge, and perhaps are easily swayed by public opinion and greed.
Arthur Miller has a strong connection to The Red Scare. Why?
Miller was accused of communism and placed on the Hollywood Ten list. Miller refused to admit to communism nor would he accuse others of communist actions. He was blacklisted from work and was charged with Contempt of Congress.
Which individual is compared to Pontius Pilate and why?
Gov. Danforth is compared to Pontius Pilate. Pontius Pilate was a man who crucified Jesus. Gov. Danforth is being compared to him due to his condemning innocent individuals of witchcraft.
“The tragedy of The Crucible is the everlasting conflict between people so fanatically wedded to this orthodoxy (adherence to correct or accepted creeds, especially in terms of religion) that they could not cope with the evidence of their senses.” What does he mean by “this orthodoxy”? What is “the evidence of their senses”?
Individuals simply were so aligned to the theocracy or religious way of life presented in the Bible that they ignored their own common sense or even gut intuitions during the trials.