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The Crucible

The Crucible. By Arthur Miller. Arthur Miller. Born – 1915 Death of a Salesman receives Pulitzer Prize. The Red Scare, fear of the spread of communism, took over the country. People in the entertainment industry were targeted.

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The Crucible

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  1. The Crucible By Arthur Miller

  2. Arthur Miller • Born – 1915 • Death of a Salesman receives Pulitzer Prize. • The Red Scare, fear of the spread of communism, took over the country. People in the entertainment industry were targeted. • Miller’s friend Elia Kazan decides to confess and name names during the McCarthy Trials. • Miller spends time in Salem, MA and writes The Crucible, which showcased on Broadway in 1953. The U.S. State Department refused to renew Miller’s passport in order to attend the Belgian production of the play in late 1953. • In 1956 Miller is called before the House Un-American Activities Committee but refuses to confess or name names. He is charged with contempt, fined, and sentenced to jail. In 1958 his sentence is reversed.

  3. Background • The Time and Place • The Crucible takes place in 1692 in and near Salem, a small town in the Massachusetts Bay Colony that had been founded in the early 1600’s by a group of Christians called Puritans. • The Puritans had fled England for North America to escape religious persecution and to establish a religious community. • As industry grew in Salem, many people did not share the religious beliefs of the Puritan founders. • Many Puritans felt they were losing hold of their ideals. • Insecurity, frustration, and loss of control helped create a climate of guilt and blame. • In the winter of 1691-1692, several teenage girls began behaving strangely. This led to accusations of witchcraft and the execution of 20 people.

  4. The Puritans • In England, the Puritans had been people of means and political influence, but King Charles would not tolerate their attempts to reform the Church of England. Persecution mounted. To many there seemed no hope but to leave England. • They moved to America to establish a colony whose government, society, and church were all based upon the Bible. "New England" could become a light Old England could follow out of the darkness of corruption and be “pure.”

  5. These Christians wanted the church of England “purified” of any ceremonies or practices not found in scripture-the Bible was their sole authority. • 5 Basic Beliefs: • 1. Total Depravity - through Adam and Eve's fall, every person is born sinful - concept of Original Sin. • 2. Unconditional Election - God "saves" those he wishes - only a few are selected for salvation - concept of predestination. • 3. Limited Atonement - Jesus died for the chosen only, not for everyone. • 4. Irresistible Grace - God's grace is freely given, it cannot be earned or denied. Grace is defined as the saving and transfiguring power of God. • 5. Perseverance of the "saints" - those elected by God have full power to interpret the will of God, and to live uprightly. If anyone rejects grace after feeling its power in his life, he will be going against the will of God - something impossible in Puritanism.

  6. Historical Origins: characters and events • Who was the real John Proctor?John Proctor was the real person who inspired a character of the same name in The Crucible, Arthur Miller's 1953 play about witch trials in Massachusetts. • In 1692, doctors and ministers in Salem blamed Satan for a coma-like sickness affecting two village girls. More reported "afflictions" resulted in a trial of some two dozen citizens for witchcraft, largely based on the testimony of pre-teen girls.

  7. John Proctor • Proctor, a tavern keeper on nearby farmland, publicly criticized the hysteria and found himself accused. He was among 20 people executed for refusing to confess. • Portrayed as 30 years old in The Crucible, he was really about 60. He had 18 children by three wives: Martha (died 1659), Elizabeth Thorndike (died 1672), and Elizabeth Bassett, also accused of witchcraft but spared execution because she was pregnant.

  8. Significance of the title • Crucible – a pot or vessel made from highly heat-resistant material. • Used for melting metals to test them for their purity. • Used by chemists to conduct chemical reactions that require high heat. • Has also come to mean – “a severe test,” or “a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development.”

  9. Theme: Community • Community is an important theme in “The Crucible” because the play enacts factual circumstances that arose in a specific community. • A community might be identified by the values, attitudes and actions of its people. • Rules of behaviour, either stated or implied specify what beliefs and behaviours are allowed or not allowed in any community.

  10. School as a Community • What are the duties and responsibilities of various members of your school community? Ex. Students, teachers, administration, secretaries etc

  11. What formal rules of behaviour exist for different members of your school community?

  12. What unspoken rules exist among students in your school?

  13. What values, actions and affiliations (clubs etc) are prized in your school community?

  14. Does your school community include cliques or easily distinguished groups of students? If so what labels and behaviours are attributed to these groups?

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