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Arthur Miller: Reading Response Journal: The Crucible

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The Crucible Act 1-4 Reading Response Journal 1.a. Speaker: The speaker is Arthur Miller, who was the author of the book, as well as a popular essayist and playwright during the 20th Century. 1.b. Audience: Miller is addressing the reader of the book 1.c. Context: At the time the quote was written, Salem had been established for forty years and was involved in trade amongst other nations. 1.d. Content: Miller is stating that the town of Salem was home to Catholics who extremely valued religion, and were also able to gain success through trade. 1. e. Significance: This quote is significant because it establishes the setting of the book, and the type of people who inhabit it. 2.a. Speaker: The speaker is Arthur Miller 2.b. Audience: The …show more content…

Content: Miller is stating that the townspeople typically have respect for other members of society who have spent a considerable amount of time in Salem. However, many of the villagers did not have that type of advantage, and as a result, people were constantly accusing each other which undoubtedly paved the way for the Salem Witch Trials to take place. 3.e. Significance: This quote is significant because it brings forth the prejudices of the people of Salem, who were in a constant state of paranoia due to the influence of rumors regarding witchcraft. 4.a. Speaker: The speaker is Arthur Miller. 4.b. Audience: The audience is the reader. 4.c. Context: During the time the quote was written, the forests surrounding Salem were inhabited by Indians who did not engage in their type of worship. 4.d. Content: In this quote, Miller is stating that the people of Salem were somewhat secluded to the outside world, and they believed that the majority of the world was worshiping God as well. 4.e. Significance: This quote is significant because it informs the reader of the seclusion and lack of knowledge which Salem faced at the time. 5.a. Speaker: The speaker is Arthur Miller. 5.b. Audience: The audience is the …show more content…

Context: At the time this quote is spoken, Parris is deeply concerned with the well-being of his daughter, Betty, and the past where-abouts of his niece, Abigail Williams. 7.d. Content: Parris is questioning Abigail on the events which took place in the woods, due to his belief that they have committed acts of witchcraft. 7.e. Significance: This quote is significant because it sparks the accusations of witchcraft, and it displays the fragile relationships between the people of Salem. 8.a. Speaker: The speaker is Arthur Miller 8.b. Audience: The audience is the reader 8.c. Context: During the time this quote is spoken, John Proctor, who is a local farmer and the wife of Elizabeth Proctor, enters Parris’ house and begins to speak to Mary Warren and Abigail. 8.d. Content: Miller is stating that Proctor is a man who is seen as a respectable figure of society within Salem, however, he is truly a hypocrite who commits sinful acts despite his own beliefs. 8.e. Significance: This quote is important because it reveals the true characteristics of John Proctor, who is a crucial and impactful character within the story. 9.a. Speaker: The speaker is Rebecca Nurse, who is a respectable figure in Salem and the wife of Francis Nurse. 9.b. Audience: The audience is Parris, Putnam, and the other

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Arthur Miller’s representation of Salem’s society shows that reputation is essential in perceiving others inside and outside of the

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Miller, through Judge Danforth was able to illustrate this individual corruption by his rigidity of purpose, one which we find difficult to sympathise with as he miss uses his power to punish the innocent, in order please the town’s majority. This Is clearly noted at the back end of Act III where he asks a series of short, sharp questions “you are a lecher”, “-do you deny it Mr Parris”, -you deny every scrap and title of this”, in hope the truth will come out. This is significant because he’s combining this illicit fear of the supernatural and political manipulation in order to get a well-regarded individual in John Proctor to confess to witchcraft. With him dealing with political absolutes “witchcraft is an invisible crime … who may possibly be witness to it?” leads to countless flawed and irrational judgements.

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In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the setting is Salem, Massachusetts during the late 1600s where the town’s pious Puritan beliefs directly influence their government. A 17-year-old girl named Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor, a wealthy, married man. Abigail is told by John to move on but instead, Abigail starts accusing the townspeople of witchcraft, including John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth. As this hysteria begins to rise, other people such as Thomas Putnam, a rich landowner, start to also allege Salem villagers. In this play, the author illustrates the central idea that people should not allow jealousy to control their actions.

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In The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, he writes about a story of witches in Salem, Massachusetts. The play is about a group of young girls who control the village with the fake pretense of having seen the devil and who he has worked with John Proctor and Reverend Parris are two characters within the play who both have similar experiences to each other. The story teaches us that different actions lead to different circumstances. Reverend Parris is the uncle of abigail, one of the girls in the wood who chanted.

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He achieves this by utilizing word choice. By using words such as “darkness” and “seeping,” Miller takes advantage of these words’ negative connotations to produce a dreary and depressing mood. In addition, Miller also sets the scene at a jail to show the kind of conditions many of the accused people were imprisoned in. It reveals a reason behind why the people of Salem accused others or refused to speak any names in court. In order to protect themselves or others from

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Arthur Miller constructs his play upon the famous Salem witch trails. Miller's Crucible was written in the early 1950s. Miller wrote his drama during the brief reign of the American senator Joseph McCarthy whose bitter criticized anti- communism sparkled the need for the United States to be a dramatic anti- communist society during the early tense years of the cold war. By orders from McCarthy himself, committees of the Congress commenced highly controversial investigations against communists in the U.S similar to the alleged Salem witches situation. Convict communists were ordered to confess their crime and name others to avoid the retribution.

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In a setting of Salem, Massachusetts 1692, religion is the direct reflection of one's social standing. Reputation is extremely important for the town, as it is your only way to get a fair hearing and respect from the people. The protectiveness of reputation is necessary in The Crucible to justify yourself when presented with fallacious arguments. In this play the importance of reputation is revealed though the uses of ethos, logos and pathos. The protectiveness of reputation is uncovered through various characters such as Reverend Hale, Reverend Parris, and John Proctor.

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Miller believed that there was an “element of the marvelous in it” that he had to make into a play (Miller 96). Since there was so much going on in America with mass panic, it made Miller think of other points in history when Americans were put into a great panic over something so inane. He had studied witchcraft slightly in college, so once he went back to it and read a book by  Charles W. Upham he “knew (he) had to write about the period” (Miller 96). Once Miller had researched enough about the people surrounding the events, he began writing. The witch trials are a perfect comparison to the HUAC trials of Miller’s time.

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Abigail Williams: The First True Witch of Salem, Massachusetts “Controlled hysteria is what’s required. To exist constantly in a state of controlled hysteria. It’s agony. But everyone has agony. The difference is that I try to take my agony home and teach it to sing” (Arthur Miller, AZ Quotes).

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Miller conveys his point that allowing selfishness and fear to consume society can be devastating and harmful to life through his use of the witch trials and the mass hysteria that occurs during

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In the small town of Salem, religion was a strict priority, and strange illnesses like these were often thought to be the devil’s work. Miller demonstrated the paradox in The Crucible from the beginning of the play by allowing Abigail Williams and the other girls to unjustly accuse whomever they wanted of witchcraft. The play presented us how too much power is dangerous, for the temptation was always there to abuse it. Under the justification of a theocratic government, the people in authority in Salem abused their almost absolute power, destroying many innocent people in the process. What theocracy illustrates is how the law is not always based on truth, and that if it is not we should stand up to it.

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Arthur Miller’s portrayal of a town in the midst of a downfall “The Crucible”, tells the story of how mob mentality and hysteria can significantly influence not only individuals but the whole town. This mob mentality leads to unthoughtful acts and false accusations. Two characters who demonstrate how mob mentality can lead to the demise of Salem are Abigail and Mary Warren. As Abigail begins to be accused she is pressured to deter from the truth. While Mary Warren gets pressured by Proctor to reveal the truth about Abigail, but the overwhelming pressure from the mob makes her turn from the truth.

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