Crucible / Puritan Lit
"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
He developed the monomyth, also known as the "Hero's Journey"
Joseph Campbell
These "stood side by side in our cellar and would stand there forever, a poem by the Blackwood women"
The jarred jams and preserves made from the garden
How should quotations be properly MLA-cited (in-text) in your writing?
end of quote" (AuthorLastName #).
What was the significance of John Proctor forgetting one commandment?
Forgetting adultery shows how his past affair still threatens him; he attempts to forget it and move beyond it, but it does not go away and instead puts him in danger.
The Coyote often represented this character type throughout Native American mythology
The Trickster
This is one of the few people in the village who are kind to the Blackwoods, and allowed into their home.
Helen Clarke
"I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men!"
Abigail Williams
"I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died...cleave to no faith when faith brings blood."
Rev. Hale
Name the Myth: A father loses his daughter in a storm, who is taken in by creatures friendlier than they appear
When Grizzlies Walked Upright
Why was Merricat never suspected in the trial about the incident?
She was sent to her room and was not at dinner that night
Why is Merricat no longer able to visit the garden after the fire?
She buried his pencil there after he died, and now feels his presence there
What historical event inspired Arthur Miller to write "The Crucible"?
The Red Scare
Name the myth: Coyote is offered a feast if he will help a local tribe find warmth
Coyote the Fire Thief
This "witchcraft" attempt of protection failing suggests Merricat may not possess any real supernatural ability
The three words "melody, Gloucester, pegasus" remaining unspoken
How did Arthur Miller use "The Crucible" as a social commentary of his time?
Arthur Miller used "The Crucible" as a commentary on the political climate at the time, highlighting the dangers of false accusations
"While I speak God’s law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering. If retaliation is your fear, know this - I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law, and an ocean of salt tears could not melt the resolution of the statutes"
Judge Danforth
Name the myth: A Coyote gets in over his head when he finds himself in the belly of a monster and needs to fight his way out.
Coyote kills the Giant
Name two symbols of Cousin Charles' obsession with the Blackwood family money and material wealth
the father's watch and chain, his signet ring, the buried silver dollars, the safe
This person is who people always are looking for when they come to the Blackwood house
Constance
How does personal guilt play a role in the play thematically?
John's guilt over the affair, Mary Warren's guilt over lying in court, Abigail's fleeing at the end of the play, etc.
Choose a story of your own (from literature, movies, television) and explain how it follows the monomyth structure.
Responses may vary; see Hero's Journey notes
What symbolically represents repressed or hidden truths in Gothic Literature, bringing things literally closer to the dead?
Burial / the Underground
How many stages of the Hero's Journey are there? (in the version we studied)
Twelve
Explain the role of conformity and the pressure to fit in within the play
Responses could include the girls testifying with Abigail, Danforth's commitment to the trial proceedings, Hale's persuading convicted people to lie as a form of breaking this theme, etc.
Name three storytelling purposes behind myths in Native American culture.
Answers may include:
pass down societal & moral values, explain universal creation, explain bond between humanity, nature, and spirituality, share tales of heroic adventure
When does Merricat see the house as her castle?
After the fire has destroyed the top half, turning parts of the debris into "turrets in the sky"
What does Goody Putnam's sending for Tituba reveal about the citizens of Salem?
They are inconsistent and two-faced in their judgement of others vs. themselves
"I heard the other girls screaming, and you, Your Honor, you seemed to believe them, and I – It were only sport in the beginning, sir, but then the whole world cried spirits"
Mary Warren
Name five Stages of the Hero's Journey
Answers may include:
The Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Meeting the Mentor, Crossing the Threshold, Tests Allies & Enemies, the Approach, the Ordeal (Death & Rebirth), The Treasure, The Road Back, Atonement, The Reward
Explain how the Gothic motif of Nature, a symbol of both life and decay, appears in WHALITC
Response should note Merricat's interest in plants and the field as something that provides protection and safety to her, or how the Blackwood women have preserved and stored food from the garden and kept it as a symbol of their care for family. As a symbol of decay, both the mushroom and arsenic come from nature, and Merricat's burial of things her family members values down underground as a form of repressing or hiding the truth.
Use two of your word war words to explain how a text we've studied captures a major aspect of American Literature. Whoever chose this square on your team must answer.
Responses will obviously vary depending on your words.
For example: "We Have Always Lived in the Castle" shows the country's superfluous interest in all things dark and gloomy. Jackson, fortunately, maintains a tactful reverence in the way she approaches her characters. While the family is certainly reclusive, they still are relatable and intriguing to readers"