Connections

1. Week One Warm-ups September 9th-10th Connections

2. Warm-ups • Starting tomorrow, please bring a spiral notebook for daily warm-ups. • The warm-ups will be brainteasers, questions related to reading homework, discussion points, etc. • When questions are asked, please answer using complete sentences. • The warm-ups are intended as individual work—answer to the best of your ability, without consulting with your neighbors. All questions are “open book,” so feel free to consult your text when needed! • Notebooks will be collected and checked randomly, and will count as participation points.

3. Thursday, September 9th Warm-up • What do you know about the Salem Witch Trials? The Red Scare and the McCarthy Era? • Are there such things as supernatural beings? (e.g. witches, ghosts, demons, spirits, etc.) Please briefly explain/defend your belief.

4. Friday, September 10th Warm-up • How has the theme of authority been introduced in this first act? Please provide specific examples.

5. Themes in Act 1 Hypocrisy: • Parris doesn’t rebuke Abigail because she violated any ethical principle—he is unconcerned with the nature of her deeds. Rather, he reproaches her out of his fear that his “enemies” will exploit her actions to topple him from office. • The scene also makes us suspect that Abigail’s indignant protest when she is accused is hypocritical. (Those suspicions will be confirmed!) Guilt: • Proctor’s guilt at committing adultery • The girl’s guilt makes them wish to shift suspicion elsewhere Authority: • Parris desperately trying to assert his authority in arguments with Putman and Proctor • Putman agrees with Parris that there is a faction in the church that is “against him and all authority” • Hale describes his books as “weighted with authority” Hysteria: • The questioning of Tituba • The girls take up Tituba’s cue in the “crying out” against supposed witches