You are the Critic!
Did you enjoy reading The Crucible? Did you enjoy studying The Crucible? Why/why not? What was your biggest takeaway from the play? Do you think it should be read in high schools? Should it be included in the American canon of literature (books that "everyone should read")? Explain.
I enjoyed reading and studying the crucible. The play had kept me engaged and wondering what is going to happen next after each read. The snowballing plot in the book never stopped growing adding different elements in each act. The plot went from a simple rule breaking group of kids to one of the main characters battling the idea of getting hanged to save his family. The one part that I did not enjoy was how abigail was cut from the play at act 4 and was never seen despite her role in the town, Miller cut her out as if though she is not the reason for the Crucible story. The point of views of the important characters also make the play interesting because you see everything that is happening and the reactions and responses all at once. There is not a one sided story.Studying the Crucible has also made me understand the importance of digging deeper into works of literature, looking for underlying messages or symbols that the story might represent. An example is the church and its corrupt ministers were not put in place to make readers mad at the fact that Danforth can easily call off the trials but to represent Andrew McCarthy and his abused tactics to keep power. Miller made us understand that power can make people act differently and clouds people's judgement. This is seen with Abigail and her love for John and Danforth and his want for power for the church. Their actions ultimately changed the story and impacted the entire town. This should be read in highschools and be included in the American canon of literature because it has many different aspects incorporated in the play. It teaches us the tough and hard to understand the language of the 1800s while also opening our minds to diving deeper into a story overall meaning. This also was used to represent a rough time in the Americas in the 1800s and the 1950s at one time incorporating the seriousness of witchcraft from the 1800s to the corruption of government in the 1950s. This shows how the Crucible not only gives a story to help us develop deeper thinking but a brief American history lesson
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree with the way you explain how “the snowballing plot in the book never stopped adding different elements in each act” and how the whole story began with the girls breaking the rules of typical Puritan culture to the idea of sacrificing yourself to save your family. The students in the class would turn the next page with anticipation, would eat up all of the words on each page, and once Ms. Dishner said that we are stopping at a given page on that day, everyone was hooked onto the plot, the suspense kept them wanting more, and everyone kept saying that they wanted to read some more. I also agree with the fact that reading the language of the 1800s will definitely help the students in high school improve their reading comprehension skills and analytical skills. By analyzing this book, students can understand this play as a piece of literature, but also as an allegory. The witch hunt that occurs in the play can be compared to the communist hunt that was led by Andrew McCarthy in America during the Cold War. The people who were accused of witchcraft like John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, and Goody Nurse can also be compared to the individuals who were journalists, actors, directors, and in other professions who were suspected of being part of a communist organization. Therefore, I strongly agree with the idea that this play can help high school students open up their minds and make connections with other historical events as well as maybe some current events that can be similar to what the Puritans experienced during the Salem Witch Trials.
DeleteI think the snowballing of the plot really contributed to the emotions we felt as we read it. I think the amount of crazy things being added onto each other in such a short amount of time really shocked us, the lack of time to process every small piece really made the play like a smack in the face. The escalation was very intense and there was no way any of us could've predicted what would happen next. And understanding and reacting along with the characters as things happened had a big part in how immersed we were. The many layers of the play really made it a really good piece of literature, the use of the infamous Salem Witch Trials, the subtle allegory to the red scare and etc, all make us think and criticize things differently now.
DeleteI agree with how the snowball affect added elements to the plot that only made the reader stay engaged and want to read. Many of the characters especially Abigail played a big part in making the crucible come to life with everything happening behind closed doors. A big part of the play being interesting was I think contributed to how each of the events were connected and we’re the effect of one action, the affair between Abigail and Proctor. There were parts however that I found to be less than interesting as I found them predictable in a book about witch’s. One gets accused the others take advantage and the whole thing gets out of hand. The build up to the hanging of proctor showed the perspective of not only proctor but of Danforth, Elizabeth etc and i think that added an element to the play that we usually don’t see in other forms of writing.
DeleteI strongly agree with you Lamont. I agree with the fact that this book should be read in high school because it would teach the students how to think deeply in literature and make students observe more in text. With that being said, the book the Crucible also show a connection in our world with the historic times, which would help people understand the book and evaluate more on what happened during the red scare ( The Cold War). Also, reading the book can help us understand peoples mindset back in the days and evil and corrupted people can be. And it make us realize how much we changed over time in a positive way.
DeleteI really enjoy reading the Crucible. First, it reflects about McCarthyism, it against Communist, and I lived in a communist country for 12 years, all I hear is how good is communist, so it’s very interesting to learn the Communist Party from a different country. （The Communist Party is not terribly）Second, the author Author Miller is the few people dare to against McCarthyism under high risk, he put witchcraft as bad communist, and we know there's no such thing as witchcraft, so Author Miller is telling people, especially Westerners and that Communist Party is not evil. By reading his book could giving people a new perspective on the Communist Party, especially in countries and societies that are strongly biased against the Communist Party. I believe all American High School students should read The Crucible, and it is the American canon of literature.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest takeaway from the Crucible is to keep a certain distance between people. The word distance is not physical distance but psychological distance. I will keep a certain distance between friends, parents, children and even a couple(not yet). One main reason that John Proctor is Infidelity to Elizabeth is Elizabeth are tightly attached to John Proctor. Just because Elizabeth herself is 100% honest, 100% pure, but not everybody else does. John Proctor can last very long under the water, but he'll need to breathe someday.
Xiong Di I agree with you that people only know and told that communism is good all the time in china as I am a Chinese. Also I think that Author Miller does not really like all system of government as there are no complete black and white in this world. Also I agree with keeping distance (psychological) as you could never truly know their background and intentions as humans are complex. Just like a hand has 5 fingers each finger is not as long as the middle one or as short as the pinky finger. With Elizabeth saying a lie for john and her love over whelms God's loyalty. Nice work Chuan wu.
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DeleteI agree with you that the Crucible reflects McCarthyism and that it is against communism. The author reflects McCarthyism with people being jailed in Act III of the book. In McCarthyism, McCarthy was trying to weed out communists in the government. McCarthy also used false evidence in court, and attacked his adversaries when he was found to have no evidence in court. This is shown in the Crucible with the characters blaming each other in court when they did not have evidence.
DeleteI agree with chuan wu about how countries and society view communism as something horrible and has strong bias against it. Sure communist has so things about it that doesn't work or well liked but at the same time there are also merits to communism. People have a strong bias against communism and dislikes it which leads to thing like McCarthyism but then in the end doesn't other forms of government have some sort of flaws too then why do people only have a strong bias against communism.
DeleteI truly enjoyed reading The Crucible because it helped present a historical event that has happened in America, which was the Salem Witch Trials, and it also helped the reader understand the culture and mentality of the Puritans. Through this play, the reader is able to understand how society worked and how the daily lives of the Puritans looked like. We are also able to understand the flaws of having grudges as well as how these grudges, guilt, lies, hatred, the idea of superiority, and the idea of keeping your name clean and highly valued can lead to horrible events where vengeance tries to take over people’s lives. One of the biggest takeaways from the play is that even though a person may commit a horrible action that may seem irreversible, it will help build upon a strong future. For instance, when John Proctor commits adultery, he felt extremely guilty for his actions, which led to him trying to find various ways to make up his horrific mistake. This not only leads to his relationship with Elizabeth to slowly blossom as trust begins to build up because of each of their sacrifices, but it also leads to Salem understanding how corrupted the court and the church became in the town. Even though John broke one of the most important commandments, his actions were forgiven by Elizabeth and their relationship strengthens, while compared to today’s society, people hold a lot of pride and have a difficult time forgiving others. This is why there are many more people who have split up or have had a divorce in today’s society. Therefore, even though someone may have become a sinner, their actions can help develop a better future. I believe that The Crucible should be read in high school and should be included in the American canon of literature because it presents an important historical event in American history that can help the youth understand the importance of why freedom of speech, freedom to petition, and freedom to assemble as well as the importance of why trying to prevent corruption from happening should be promoted. This play also conveys many important themes, such as the one that I previously mentioned. These various themes help make an impact on the readers life whether it is to understand that nobody is perfect or whether to understand that hatred is the source of vengeance. All in all, this play helps the reader understand various important concepts in history and can help them make connections whether it is to historical topics like the Red Scare or to concepts that are found in today’s society like trying to prevent the spread of hatred.
ReplyDeleteI agree with how the Crucible allowed the reader to better understand the Puritans way of life and help them comprehend the reasons for there actions; jealousy and the need to keep there name clean. I also think that the Crucible was a good way for the reader to compare the ideas the puritans had with the ones that we have today and see how things have changed. The Crucible was also successful in creating a better understanding of how people who are suppressed there entire life by society will change in a way that allows fear to get the best of them and cause innocent people to suffer in addition to people getting power who don't deserve it
DeleteMichelle I agree with you completely I had gotten a true understanding of the Puritans and their lifestyles. The strict and church going people had a unique style of living that was centered around god and their devotion and getting land. The way Arthur Miller used the lifestyle to develop the story of the guilty and lying puritans. I also agree with the idea that their actions are irreversible and ultimately caused the demise of the town.
DeleteAs a whole I did enjoy the book. The twist and turns in the book gave it a more interesting and appealing story. What made it more interesting was how Abigail was just your average house servant to becoming the most powerful and influential person in the entire village. Ever since Act 1 she used her power to control the girls like puppets. The girls feared Abigail because they knew if they disobeyed her then Abigail would kill them. Also, in Act 1 you find out that John Proctor had an affair with Abigail. At that moment I thought John Proctor was your ordinary farmer and a bad person/husband. But as the story went on, I could tell he was actually a good person willing to change for himself and his wife. And I was correct. In the end, John does a noble act by not confessing to the court in order to protect his name for the future of his sons. He is a tragic hero. After his, the people of Salem rebels against the court because of the lives lost for doing nothing wrong. This was an important part in history. One thing I would take away from this novel is that people tend to follow the wrong crowd.Even in present day. Mob mentality can be a positive thing and a negative thing, but the negative side was mostly shown in this novel. It’s also important to stand up for yourself and others. If John Proctor never went to salem to go against Abigail who knows what would’ve went down. This is an important thing to teach to anyone. Overall, The Crucible is a book that’s very entertaining and even educational.
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DeleteI agree that the twists and turns in the crucible gave it a more interesting and appealing story, because the story developed around the main characters who were trying to keep good reputations in Salem. I also agree that John Proctor was a tragic hero, because in the book John Proctor tried to do what was right, and in Act 4 John proctor confessed to having an affair with Abigail in the Salem court. I enjoyed how the characters advanced in the crucible.
DeleteThe plot twists definitely made the story more interesting and appealing. And the rise of Abigail's power was one of the best parts to see throughout the story!! Abigail's horrific leadership skills and powerful characteristics were amazing. Additionally, the mob mentality that was created by Abigail was indeed negative and I completely agree that it could give a sense of one willing to stand up for one's self.
DeleteI agree with him a lot. I had similar thoughts about the book and I am also impressed about the twist that the characters took. Mob mentality is a big thing like he said and the book gives us a big example of that and I think the mob mentality help with the books captivity. For me is mind blowing how Abigail goes from a house servant to a person in control of Elizabeths life and to be honest I think mob mentality help with that .
DeleteI did enjoy reading The Crucible, and studies of it due to the fact that I personally like to read play style works, also play it self contain a lot of fun little predictable elements for the reader if they know about human grudges and outcomes for human interactions. My biggest take away from the play is when Elizabeth lied for John to protect his name and she never lied in her life, as she did not know John had confessed. Then when she was in her cell, her love for john overcomes loyalty for God which showed when she lied. The remorse of how she fails to give John love, warm home, and flexibility for changes or acceptance, just intoxicating. I think the book should be read in high schools, it is a great allegory for the infamous “Red Scare” of America. The American canon of literature should include this book, due to Miller joined the League of American Writers on May 1, 1935,a group of elite writers. And it serves as the primary source of the “Red Scare”. With it’s blow of dust for the “The Salem Witch Trial” with more human attribute that adds to the irony and paradox, where two event, that is centuries apart shares.
ReplyDeleteNihao Zen! I really agree you that you said this is a great allegory for the infamous "Red Scare" of America. I am surprised that the Salem Witchcraft and Red Scare are hundreds of years apart. Author Miller is truly a seer.
DeleteI do agree with what you said about Elizabeth and how in the end she chose John Proctor over God when she decided to lie for him in order to try to protect him. And I also agree that the crucible is inspired by the red scare with the communism accusations of many people which caused a lot of harm to their lives and which ruined a lot of innocent peoples reputation, based on what other people ought them to be. What I don't agree with is that the book was predictable. I didn't think so at all, and that's the feeling I got from the whole class, since when we were reading the book everyone was so surprised when something new and spicy happened, this is why I think the book is not predictable. I would've never thought that in the end of the book they would just let Abigail out of the story, by saying she ran away. But it was a book filled with drama, which made me focus on the details more.
Delete-Emma Jumpelt
I agree with zhen about how the crucible is a great allegory for the "Red Scare" it's kind of like what Emily Dickinson talked about in her poem "Witchcraft was Hung in History" in the poem Emily Dickinson was talking about how witch craft was hung or died in history, and how she says "But History and I/ Find all the Witchcraft that we need/ Around us, Every Day" that kind of relates to how the "Red Scare" was an allegory for the Salem Witch trial, a similar event happened due to people's fear, greed, and grudges which can be seen in both events and yet they were events that was 220 years apart.
DeleteI totally agree with your point and your opinion on the Crucible! The play is beautifully written and many of its essence are tightly tied with the history of the 50s. Human grudges have caused many problems in our American history and just history in general and I think this play totally grabs that gist in. It's very interesting to know that you enjoy plays, very unique.
DeleteZhen I agree with you on the biggest takeaway from the was the importance of Elizabeth lying for the first time to save John Proctor. It signified the growing relationship and power of love in the story. It shows so much that they had a rocky start and they did not only find love back to save the family, but save the town. It was the first time that we have seen someone put themselves before God to do good when this all started when John put him self before God for bad.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading The Crucible for many reasons. Reading it as a class, we contributed emotions, we got into the characters head. Some argued as to why Arthur Miller’s characters had so many flaws. We felt hate for Abigail Williams. Studying The Crucible was very interesting because it showed historical context and events. An example of an event is the Salem Witch Trials. This event keep the book interesting, and in full honesty, I kept comparing it to “The Adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch” on Netflix. My biggest take away from this play is that people will always talk. It seems that because of human nature, people cannot and will never mind their own business. There will always be people who judge your every move. I believe that The Crucible should be part of the high school curriculum because few books that are read for class are based on historical events. The English curriculum and the Global Studies/History/U.S/ or APUSH curriculum could Intertwine and could add emphasis to the understanding and comprehension of what’s being read, making it easier for teenagers to learn from. Reading about these events is important because students can learn from mistakes made in the past and know better for the future. It should be included to the American canon of literature because The Crucible centers around the Salem Witch Trials which occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. It also helps us understand that the judicial system from centuries ago was very different then today’s judicial system. The crucible teaches many life lessons and it is important for others to read it.
ReplyDelete-Carlos Nazario
I agree with you Carlos on how you said that human nature contain the element in consistency for judgement even for things not your reach. As I personally think that human nature is evil, Those who are different will be ejected from majority rule society, and forget by ones you know since they want to preserve their presence, status. This is all nothing but natural, as humans. Histories repeat it self as long as preservation of sins and beneficial differences is in our DNA by process of successive evolution. So I like how they study past for better future, as time can only tell 4 ant can be 2000 in a week. So Nice Job Carlos.
DeleteI agree with Carlos in The Crucible teaches life lessons because this story did happen in real life and there were big consequences and changes to make sure it never happens again. All humans have some evil in them for their own reasons and in history played a big factor on that with grudges on one another. I also agree with The Crucible helps with history because sometimes history is boring but mixed with a story can make it interesting.
DeleteI really did enjoy the Crucible, I especially loved where it was in a form of a play and not in a format of a story. If it was in form of a story book then we wouldn't have enjoyed it like the way we enjoyed it reading in class and act like the characters in the book. I learned so much about what fear can do to a person? How pride gets in some people lives and ruin their whole lives? How a simple mistake can turn into a huge mistake? How mob mentality ruins someone live and putting fear in them to the point where they don't know what to do? How people lifestyle was back in the day with all those rules? Learning all of these was such a great experience b/c in some levels I can relate to what everyone went through in Salem. The biggest takeaway from this play is how a one night stand b/w a kid and an adult can make everyone in town turn against each other and accuse each other from something they didn't do. This shows who those people really, they're fake, everything was about their own reputation. They didn't care if they were screwing someone else live as long as their reputation was still intact. In that time people didn't believe in mistakes, everyone had to be perfect and holy, if you weren't then right away you were accused with working with devil. If you confess than you get to live but if you don't you get hanged, even if you aren't even working with the devil. This book should be read in High school b/c if a middle school would have read this then they wouldn't have fully understand what going on in the play, they wouldn't have grasp the full meaning behind the play. As well as they'd be immature to handle the intimate stuff that happens in the play. However, thats not the whole reason, it's b/c as a High student theres many ideas where I don't fully understand so it would be even harder for a middle schooler or a elementary schooler to understand. Yes, this book should be included in the American Canon Of Literature , only b/c theres many ideas that you can learn from the book. As well as theres many interesting parts in the midst of the crazy events that happens in each Act. Also, people can understand how life was for a person back then. People can learn that no matter how hard it is, own up to your mistake. Don't try to hide it, it will only make it worse. As more you try to hide it from anyone ever finding out, you're just digging up your own grave. Sooner or later someone is going find out and make it into a huge deal, after all no secrets are hidden forever, they will come up to the surface when it wants to. That also works for lies, theres no lie that goes unsaid. Oliver Wendell Holmes once said "Sins have many tools, but the lie is the handle of them all" which means that the more sins you commit, the more lies you say. Overall this book was a really good book to read, especially with with the whole class.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the fact that The Crucible in the form of a play made the story come alive and helped the class become more engaged while reading this story. Everyday most of the students in class truly wanted to play a role by reading a character’s lines. Everyone truly loved the suspense even if we had to stop reading in the middle of the spicy and tense parts in order to get a lesson done. This shows how the students were truly engaged and how they really enjoyed the plot of the story. I truly wonder how The Crucible would look like if it was written as a novel. I wonder if the author would have explained every characters’ background a bit deeper and if the author would explain the actual trials in court in much greater detail. I also agree with how you explained that as you try to hide secrets about yourself, you dig your grave deeper. For instance, John Proctor committed adultery and kept Abigail’s confession about how the witchcraft was just a pretense a secret. He continuously tried to hide his previous mistakes from the town, which eventually led to the climax of the Salem Witch Trials. Many people were accused of witchcraft, the court became corrupted, and John could have tried to prevent the whole situation from getting out of hand. However, he faltered. Therefore, John Proctor’s actions truly convey how even though you may think that by hiding your previous mistakes you can prevent your reputation from being blackened, the lies and secrets that are kept will eventually be risen to the surface of truth and reality.
DeleteTasnia, for my "Should we read it in HS question," what I mean is, should I teach it next year? Do you think it should always be included in the curriculum? etc.
DeleteI personally did enjoy reading the crucible, it's different from what I've ever read before that's why i thought it was interesting and I think I will remember this book for a while. It helped me understand more about the infamous Salem Witch trials which I have previously heard a lot about. Even though Arthur Miller added his own little twists and turns to it to make the book more interesting, the story and the background history of the trials and the puritans was still very much presented in the book. I also enjoyed that the crucible wasn't something we had to learn and read by ourselves, since in the environment in which we studied in was very helpful. I got to hear everyones thoughts and own interpretations of the book. And reading and keeping track of all those characters by myself would've been a challenge. One of the things which I am taking away from this lesson is that everybody makes mistakes, and that nobody is perfect. There are many examples of that in the play. More bad than good, but a good example for this is Proctor. He cheated on Elizabeth and deeply regrets it. Even though I personally wouldn't have ever forgiven him, those were different times, and they're married and have children together. That's why I understand why Elizabeth stayed with him, and he eventually gets hanged because he wants to secure the future of his family. I also think that this is a very appropriate book to read in High School, as long as the students get some guidance on things, since there are also very unfamiliar words included in the book, and things a younger audience might not understand. I'm not sure on how I feel for the book being included in the the American canon of literature since I would never want to read this book by myself, due to the fact that it is written as a play. I would lose track of the characters unless I would write them down and pay really close attention. And when I read a book I don't want to have to pay attention to every little detail and what every persons motives are which are very important in this book. That's why I think this is a tricky question to answer, since it depends on the person and what they like to read. I think everyone should give it a try but I also don't think that it's that important to read this book as to put it in the American canon of literature. Overall I enjoyed reading this book, since everybody was so into it and fascinated with what was going to happen next everytime we read, I enjoyed that everybody got to read certain parts and we could try to be the character, in a way and think and feel how their doing. I also liked the lessons which were taught along the way, for example the templets where we had to act out certain scenes. Another bonus of this lesson was that there is a movie to this play and we got to watch the movie too. In conclusion this was a very enjoyable lesson.
ReplyDelete-Emma Jumpelt
Emma I would love to agree with the idea that we didn't have to read "The Crucible" by our own. Since some of the words or sentences were a little confusing and the class helped me understand it even more!
DeleteI enjoyed reading The Crucible very much. I enjoyed studying The Crucible because even though we were learning true events the lessons were fun and interesting. Every time class finished i wanted to learn more and read more about the book and what was going to happen next. My biggest take away from this play is that it really showed me how corrupt people can be and behind closed doors people are different from what you see them to be. I also learned learned that you can never make assumptions about people and hoe you think they are going to act before you meet them because i had many assumptions about the characters in the play but then i turned out wrong in the end and a big example of that was John Proctor I never thought he would man up to the things that he has done I thought he would always falter and shy away every time it came for him to speak upon the sins he committed but towards the ending of the play i realized that John Proctor is more then what people see him as and even his wife realizes that. I absolutely think that The Crucible should be read in high schools because I believe students will be more engaged in what they are learning if there is more spice to it, and they would probably remember it better if they were reading something that interested them. I strongly believe that that this play should be included in the American canon of literature because everyone should have something to learn from this book from middle school up because even though not all the events are real in The Crucible the concept of it is real and a lot of people can to relate to it. Even if you never got cheated on there had to be a point in your life were you felt as though people were against you because of something you did good or bad. Overall i loved this book and i highly recommend this book to be in the NYC curriculum to read.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the book was very nice to read due to all the drama and I also wanted to know more every time we stopped reading. And I strongly agree that you shouldn't make assumptions about people when you don't even know them that well, since they can always prove you wrong, but John Proctor changed and grew and matured over time while we were reading the book so I don't think my first assumption about John Proctor was wrong since he matured through out the book and I think he was true to what I judged him to be the first time he was introduced to me in book.
Delete-Emma Jumpelt
Malakelly, I totally agree with you on achieving financial stability and not having to worry wear the next meal will come from or paying rent . But I do disagree on the use of the term “American Dream” . I don’t think this term applies to people who have seen America inside and out. We are lucky enough to be born and raised in America, a place where we have a voice on what goes on with the government, unlike in other countries were the people have no voice and are ruled over by a tyrant or dictator. Refugees and immigrants uproot their entire lives to come to America for a better life for themselves and families. I don’t strive to be a legend or role model like you but I know when you become those things you me a great impact on society and the world.
DeleteI enjoyed reading the crucible because we got to learn about McCarthyism and about a event that happened along time ago that is the witch trails. I also enjoyed it because it was very interesting and every time I read I wanted to see what happened next we also learned about a group of people name the puritans and how they followed the Bible and the commandments I also have to follow them but I got to see how they were more Strict on them then in my generation. Also I got to see how people were back then they had no fun and no child hood. I enjoyed studying the crucible because it’s crazy to think that it really happened and people were hanged because of fear and being different if I was born in that time I think I would be hanged as well. We can also see how people’s actions are influenced by other people and how fear can lead to bad decisions.My biggest takeaway is that fear and being different can make people take bad actions towards you. Also that people’s intentions aren’t always good and you can’t judge people. As you can see Danforth did what he did for his reputation and you would never think Ruth or Betty would like to get people hanged. Yes it should be read in high schools because it’s very interesting and has a lot of jaw dropping moments and you can see how kids our age at the time acted. Yes I think the crucible should be included in the American canon of literature because this book informs you about a event in history and it’s and analogy to communism and many people can relate to the characters when they are pressured and scared they lie like Mary Warren and Betty. You can also relate to doing mistakes and wanting forgiveness and not being perfect like John proctor.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you Carlos that fear did blind the town and had each other on the ropes. It's much more interesting that we learned about the Puritans before reading the book to have that element of shock to these so called "Pure Christians" it shows that not everyone is perfect and we all have our flaws. I would also like to add on that it gives us a better perspective of our race and how we act today as a society.
DeleteCarlos I agree with you in all cases. I feel like the play was well written. We talked about McCarthyism with Mr.Moore but I feel like this play gave us a full understanding on what it really is. When we did group works I tend to enjoy them a lot. This is so if one of my peers didn't quite get something I would go ahead and help. Same as the vise versa. This play not only taught me but my peers as well. Many themes, motifs, and just relatable things were put out there. Lastly, I do recommend it to the upcoming and just high school students.
DeleteI thoroughly enjoyed The Crucible because of the drama in the book, how the plot played out with turning points and how the book taught us history in a fun way. Usually I don't like plays but this play was very interesting and I learnt how the past was like for puritans which was way different from today. I still feel like it's fiction even tho I learnt how life was back then was very harsh and was a theocracy. My biggest takeaway is how people's greed never keeps elevating and how they would do anything to get what they want even to the extreme of murder. Abigail has a small amount of greed to only be with Mr. Proctor and to get rid of Elizabeth but slowly it grew and grew into wanting to have more and more power because no one would listen to her and she never had a voice but as soon as she knew what she would gain from pretending got be a witch she didn't hesitate to take the chance to earn power. This book should definitely be read i high school because it is interesting and you learn history while not getting bored and see the drama and how life was very harsh. Today might've not happen because of this part in history that we aren't a Theocracy anymore.
ReplyDeleteHey Susanna,
DeleteI have to agree with you too, I loved that occurred in this book. This play was pretty interesting if I say so myself. The living conditions during the 1800's was really tough and aggressive. When you stated "My biggest takeaway is how people's greed never keeps elevating and how they would do anything to get what they want even to the extreme of murder. " I felt this, this is the basis around the entire book. People are so greedy, perhaps it human nature, but I agree with your statement, and as to why you enjoyed reading "The Crucible." Nice job explaining Susanna!
Susanna I totally agree with you. When it comes to plays I'm usually not interested in it. I don't find any point out of them. However this play was something different. It had a lot of twists and turns which made the play spicer. The charcters in the play were amazing. Us reading the play in class just made it even funnier with all the "emotions' and comments we put out there. My biggest takeaway is that how powerful someones love can be. Abagail and John had something called an affair. However John and Elizabeth somehow end up together. John even went ahead and dies in the end to save his sons and wife's life.
DeleteI very much enjoyed the Crucible in its style it was written as if was real Puritans talking. Using words of the past, like aye and lechery really got attached to me.But the same reading it got me confused on reading the sentences, as i always had to reread to understand what they were saying, as I always mispronounced words and phrases when reading. My biggest take away from the play is to just do the right thing. As in the play John Proctors flaws led to his death and letting evil in Salem to takeover. I believe high schools should read this book as it'll help with text comprehension, this book can be viewed in many different ways and be taught many different ways as well. The Crucible should be in American literature because of its different elements placed inside the book and because the plot is overall well made and because of its thrillering vibe in whats gonna happen next in the Acts. The book and also help you read carefully and not just read through it but to understand it. Overall its a good book that should be read and be put in American literature.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there's lechery in the book. I think Author Miller wants to tell his readers don't be lechery because being lechery could ruin many families and children and the people right now is very open.
DeleteI agree with you I like the style of writing it was written in as if it was in that time and the puritans wrote it. I agree with your takeaway to do the right thing always if John would have done the right thing and not cheat on Elizabeth nothing bad would have happen. Reading it I also got the thrilling vibe of what’s gonna happen next.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading the book "The Crucible" because it showed me the life in 1800s and I just love the settings and the captivity that the book had on me. I liked that when ever we would have stopped reading in class, that we would have predicted what would have happened after and when we were continuing reading it is like something unexpected happened.The biggest take away I had was in act 4 because Abigail was not in it mostly because of the author decision. In many different ways i disagree with the Miller's decision of take her out because i feel like she made Abigail such a strong character and in act 4 she is the little girl running away with Parris's money. I think is a great book to read as a high schooler but I also think is should be thought in a english class because has a different description of the 1800s and I also think it should it be included in the American canon of literature because it presents an important historical event in American history that can help to understand the importance of why freedom of speech such an important right.
ReplyDeleteGood job explaining as to why you enjoyed reading "The Crucible." I also agree with you in that it showed me how life was during the 1800's. I also agree with your statement in which we stopped reading it in class to spark up the intensity in reading it. Good job Diana!
Deletethe 1600s, guys! :)
DeleteI absolutely loved reading the crucible. Something about the suspense and all of the towns people motivations really juts capitivated me. When studying the crucible, I really enjoyed when we looked farther into the authors purposes for writing this story. For example, we studied McCarthyism and how it realted to the crucible, or the idea on weather John Proctor is a tragic hero. These stylistic choices made by the author, made the reading more interesting because you know the history behind why these characters were written they way they were. My biggest take away from this reading is that we all have choices, and we can choose to do the right thing, or choose to do something bad and face the consequences. We see alot of the characters in this play having to make hard decisions, and weather they faltered or not really affected the lives of everyone else in the town.
ReplyDeleteI think this book should be taught in High schools, and should be included in the American Canon of literature because we are taught about not one, but two historical events in American. We focus on the Salem Witch trials and McCarthyismwhich changed the way our government is run today.
The Crucible was indeed a good book. The suspense and the drama were the things that made the whole book interesting along with the deep reasons to why this book was so important to the author. I think this book is also a way to understand society, and as you said is a different perception to history and gives us a glimpse to the era that it was written. I also agree that that this book should be taught in more High Schools because it not only connects the past and the present but it also a way students can enjoy literature while learning about history and for those who like psychology, it is a great book to analysis the human mind.
DeleteI also liked reading the Crucible. The book definitely was filled with suspense and thrill. Even though this book had some lows and highs it was definitely an enjoyable book. This book gave us a perspective on how Puritans thought and gave us a view on their beliefs. God was always the first thing that popped into their minds. Religion had a definite impact in society. As religion structured their society, it also caused problems. Everyone puritans would honor god but with Abigail the power of the church/religion was abused. She took advantage of it and slowly started to gain power. Being a Purtain meant that you had to be truthful. Abigail made up lies about witchery which lead to court believing her.
DeleteI liked the Crucible and enjoyed reading it, although the First Act to me didn't fully explain the other grudges that were in the town such as Martha Corey. Some of the motivations were very interesting to me and the story really highlights the journey that John Proctor makes throughout the story. My biggest takeaway from this story, was fear enabling others to act irrationally and effect others by methods that infringe others natural rights. The parallels in the book coincide with McCarthyism as both trials ignored evidence and stopped suspected communists from infiltrating the general public and government. This book should be taught in High Schools as it reflects the worst attributes of superstitions and how government can enable people to commit horrible actions.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that fear was one of the things enabling how everyone acted. Such as Abigail and having her name blackened in the village and threatening to kill anyone who told the full story of what happened in the woods in Act 1. People back then were scared of the unknown and knowing the background info about Salem's people, religion and culture really added to the enjoyment of the book. But I also believe that power had played a big part as well. Like neighbors executed just for their land and just obsessed with having a high status in the town of Salem. Power also has the same influence as fear because both are connected to each other in the book as Abigail used fear to get what she wanted.
DeleteI also liked how as the story went on it showed how John changes or how he becomes a better person for himself and his family. I also agree that this book shows similarities with McCarthyism because of how accusations lead to ruining people's lives. In the Crucible accusations lead to innocent lives being hanged and during McCarthyism, accusations lead to people being blacklisted or losing their job.
DeleteThe Crucible is one of the best books I've ever read in class. The Crucible was structured in a way that it kept the reader connected to the book. It had the main components that attract readers, which is drama, romance, and suspense. This book effectively portrays the wonders of human nature and how humans are easily affected by their own "evil", their selfish and fondest desires. In a psychological aspect, Arthur Miller who is emotionally connected to the events in the book, transmit various messages regarding the complexity of the human state of mind; the motivation or driving action behind each character and how time has passed yet motivations are stagnant in the historical spectrum of disaster since humans were adapted to drive themselves for better, for more and tend to develop different perspective based on their experience. It really connects to the analogy that is made since it was written within the period of the Red Scare and the author, Arthur Miller, was directly affected by this known event. Arthur Miller fused his personal life to the Salem Witch Trials that remarkably show how society's prejudices and mentality are easily affected by fear and through his life, he introduces the theme of love and betrayal throughout progressing obstacles that The Crucible does not fail to depict. In the majority of his works, Miller refers frequently to the unbalance of society and the lack of acceptance and connection in respect of identities to the environment and members of the community that are part of our daily life. Through The Crucible, Miller shows the shadows and faces of society that can still impact the world today and serve as a catalyst to major turning points. The Crucible provides a broader perspective regarding the connection between history, ,the past the present and the future that eventually will interlace and create a new outcome. The Crucible's ways to show these ideas were through the connection of government, the church and corruption who came together and formed the idea that power is often linked to the united objective of avarice within society. In addition, it challenges the idea of childhood or the process of growing up by showing that the nature of an adolescent can easily be affected by minor changes and that its development it's not solely unaffected but the life of different people are affected too leading to something much bigger; Abigail desire for Proctor's attention who was only a move of a dangerous obsession. Although The Crucible doesn't meet some of the reader's expectations, it doesn't fail to give an interesting piece of literature for the audience to analyze, and encourages readers to think deeper of current events in our society that only incentives for further research, which personally I think it's amazing.
ReplyDeleteI agree on how you said this book easily portrayed how humans were selfish for their needs. I feel like it gave us a better understanding of the consequences when we are selfish. How we can avoid the punishment the comes with the mistakes we made. Also Miller did a really good job on how he showed that the world isn’t always sunshines and rainbows, but how everyone has a dark side to them that no one really sees until something happens to them. As well as, we are very fortunate to be living in the 21st century, where everything is advanced and we have so many supporters. However if we were to them travel back in time, it would be very hard to adapt to the old lifestyle.
DeleteI agree Francis on how the structure really connects the book with the reader. you almost feel like your apart of all the drama, and your a character as well because a lot of times we are figuring things out as the characters are. i also feel like the structure keeps you on the edge of your seat. with all of the romance, lies, and drama you can't help but say "oh my god", and thats whats so good about this book because you feel like you can't put it down; you have to know what happened next.
DeleteThe Crucible by Arthur Miller is an astounding play. Beautifully written, with every single crisp detail accentuated. I loved reading, studying, and watching the play entirely. The plot was suspenseful. The gradual rise and fall were perfectly timed. The play even successfully related to the commies mess of the 50's. It was enjoyable, you were entertained while taught different insights to American history. Throughout this book we were given first point of view perspective of the Salem Witch Trials. While reading the book, a ton of details was also made connections to McCarthyism. My biggest takeaway from this play was the power of mob mentality. The phrase "anyone can make a difference" is so very true. The phrase greatly advocates the storyline of this play since the whole thing was really started off by one girl spreading like a "disease" to others. This book should definitely be taught in schools and there should be ample time given to fully embrace the book. The book may give many students lessons on society as a whole and teach them a thing or two about our "wonderful" history. Even if the book is not used in schools, to study upon, students should take their time to read it and grasp every detail.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I didn't find this play as enjoyable as you did, I agree the plot was suspenseful. Even as I was getting more frustrated with the story I couldn't help but want to know what happened next. I wanted to know how the problems were going to be resolved and how each character would overcome their conflict, and I believe Arthur Miller does a good job moving the story forward. I also like the point you made about how many details correlate to McCarthyism. I think that proves how this book was more than just a story.
DeleteI loved reading and working with "The Crucible" throughout this marking period. It made me realized that how throughout time the way people or society has changed. During the Puritan time period you were considered as a high standard person if you had the most land. But now you are considered as a high social class person if you are rich or even popular. During class we talked about McCarthyism and basically The Crucible was an allegory to McCarthyism. As Puritan you were afraid of being part of witchcraft. In McCarthyism people were afraid of being a communist. I think that "The Crucible" should be read throughout every High School and also include it in the American Canon of literature. For the reason in one single book we get two events in America that has maybe even shaped America to where it is at, at the moment. In the crucible we learn about the Salem Witch trials but at the same time we are learning about McCarthyism but in a way that will make people more interested in the story.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see that the book is able to point out some differences between the era when the book was written and the time the book is solely centered. I think the book rather it's trying to portray on how technology and standards might have advanced yet fear is the insidious enemy that will strike unknowingly and cause the same results. It shows that society it's still an self- centered community (ironically) that is only driven to advocate for better yet is harming others along the way. I think this piece of American literature is the perfect example of the ideals that shape America and it also leaves a message where one can assume is "the future is in your hands", because aftercall, it us who build the future and it's better if we don't let fear or power control us and rather walk towards a path where everyone respects and cares of each other.
DeleteYes I enjoyed reading and studying The Crucible because it tells a story about and from during the Salem witch trials, but at the same also help conveys about McCarthyism. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible during the time and event of McCarthyism, Arthur Miller was a victim of McCarthyism but couldn’t express his opinion openly so he wrote about the Salem witch trial instead with a hidden message or expression of McCarthyism. My biggest takeaway from the play would be the development of John Proctor and Elizabeth’s relationship with each other and how it changes as the story developed. I believe that The Crucible should be read in high school since it is a good play but also relates to what we learn in U.S. History when talking about the Salem witch trials in 1690s and McCarthyism in the late 1940s through the 1950s, and how they relate to each other. The Crucible should be included in the American canon of literature because it’s a story that relates to American History, and in a way can be used can be used to talk about what it was like during the Salem witch trials, but also for talking about McCarthyism and the Red Scare event that occurred during the Cold War and between the late 1940s through 1950s.
ReplyDeleteTrue, as we got deeper into the story we see how John and Elizabeth's relationship goes from stale and awkward to both of them actually loving each other again. In Act 3, we see them both commit acts of care/love. John confesses for Elizabeth and Elizabeth lies for John to protect him.
Deletei agree that the book holds a deeper meaning than just the Salem witch trials. on the surface you see all the drama, lies, and romance, but if you look closer you see a lot of forms of Mccarthyism that Miller couldn't express, but decided to express in this book instead. yo can definitely find the hidden messages within the book.
DeleteI also enjoyed reading the crucible because it tells a story and informs you about a event in history. I also agree that the crucible should be in American canon of literature because we could be informed and learned about McCarthyism something I never knew about and the Salem witch trials which is very interesting and crazy to think that it could happen.
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ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading the crucible, and what was particularly interesting about the book was the authors writing style, which was a historical style. The author uses literary devices such as allusion to affirm his themes. I also enjoyed that Arthur Miller used play format in the crucible. Arthur Miller developed his characters throughout the crucible using literary elements and the main theme, which was integrity as John Proctor tried to keep a good reputation in Salem. I enjoyed Act 2 in the crucible because it was where the author started to develop the characters. Act 4 of the crucible was interesting because the author started to resolve the main conflict, Act 4 was when the main characters assimilated in the Salem courthouse so that Danforth could make his decision. Furthermore, the author has the theme of individual vs authority with Abigail going against Danforth in the Salem courthouse. I think that crucible should be read in high schools, and should be in the American canon of literature because it has interesting themes, and the author used a nice writing style.
It is interesting to know that you enjoy historical fiction books. Arthur Miller did this in a very intriguing way, mixing both the Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare in together. Creating a boiling melting pot, hence the name. My favorite act of all was act 4 which you seemed to focus deeply on in your response. The Crucible should definitely be read for entertainment and teaching purposes.
DeleteI personally enjoyed reading the crucible. It wasn't just the story line that interested me but the characters did too. Maybe even more than the story itself. For example, Abigail was my favorite character because she reminded me of a modern day Regina George from the past. The book also had everything a good book should have. It had scandals, false accusations, romance, and etc. The Crucible literally had me on the edge of my seat all the time. I also found it creative how Arthur Miller, the author of the book snuck in small messages. At the time he wrote the book, he was falsely accused of being a communist during the time of McCarthyism. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, although most did not in fact belong to the Communist Party. So the way Arthur Miller put this in his book in a way was creative to me. Having the people of the village being falsely accused of witchcraft then, having to take the blame and punishment although they were innocent. It also spread awareness in a way to show readers how dumb McCarthyism really was. I was kind of upset with the ending. I didn't like how Abigail got off Scott free, how innocent people died like Rebecca Nurse but mostly John Proctor. I still loved the book overall.
ReplyDeleteI strongly agree and didn’t expect Abigail to not be punished. I was hoping that Proctor and Elizabeth would be able to love each other more than they had before while Abigail goes to jail and suffers for lying and claiming most of the villagers witches. Everyone had to deal with her false claims and being stressed out just for her to get off easily. Not everything is fair but there is not much we can do about it.
DeleteThe Crucible was definitely an enjoyable play to read. The Salem Witch trials was very interesting to learn about because blaming others for being witches, is not something you would see everyday. However, in my opinion, John Proctor was definitely a tragic hero and his death had an impact on society. John finally was able to realize that not confessing his affair with the court had affected people into being blamed for being witches. If only he hadn’t faltered...would the Salem Witch trials been the same? The Salem Witch Trials had actually happened in real life, but there were different events and twists Aurthor Miller made of this case in the book. It was interesting on how Aurthor Miller added little events that could have possibly made the Salem Witch Trials more spicy. I enjoyed studying The Crucible because we learned about mob mentality which is the concept in which people follow others not feel like they are left out. Everyone wants to feel included, people would follow others, whether the ideas/intentions the mob had was good or bad. We also studied about the intentions of the characters in the play had with each other, which was intense, because no one would know about them until later in the play. My biggest takeaway was the fact that Abigail never wanted to admit her affair she had with John Proctor. This kind of triggered me because Abigail is dishonest and selfish. All she cared for was herself and she only fought for what she wanted and never cared for others. Even if it meant the people were at risk of being hanged because she would blame them of witchery. This was messed up. Abigail should of being the one dying in the first place. Anyways, I definitely agree that this book should be read in high schools because there are lots of literary techniques presented in this play. There was also lots of intentions and emotions that would change over time. Students would be able to realize what they were and in some situations know what to do if they were in one of them. There are lots of good themes in this play. For example, one of the themes was to always tell the truth before it was too late, which teaches students to try to be honest because soon it could lead them into situations that they wouldn't like to be in. This book should be included in the American Canon of literature because everyone deserves to learn the morals and themes that this play holds.
ReplyDeleteThe Crucible wasn't extremely enjoyable to read but studying about it in class was fun and easy to understand. The book doesn't interest me because plays are not my cup of tea. I do not enjoy dialogues and the fast pace of time between acts in plays. However, taking apart the texts and dialogues of the characters and making it simpler to understand the meaning behind them, I personally enjoyed it. Having conversations and group work for each act was a good strategy and my classmates reactions were always funny. On top of that, learning about the author, Arthur Miller, the purpose of him writing The Crucible, and the time period when he wrote it was really fascinating to learn about. I believe it should be read in high schools because the Salem Witch Trials was an event in American history. By learning this event, students can connect with other events in American history to similar to this event, such as McCarthyism, which is also an important event. And knowing these events can prevent the same events from happening ever again since this event isn't joyous but heinous and should've never happened. It should be included in the American canon of literature because the book itself can be a form of allegory, a literary device that is important in American literature. Not only can you learn themes from this book that'll be useful in real life, but also in writing.
ReplyDeleteI truly loved reading the crucible as it had so much action and suspicion. From the beginning the events were strange and characters were questionable. Especially since all the acts the characters were taking part in were against the law, as readers, the class looked forward to seeing how the citizens of Salem were punished. It wasn’t that easy while Abigail had forced her “friends” not to tell the truth as they were interrogated after Betty pretended to be sick. After being caught in the woods singing, dancing and doing witchcraft knowing it was illicit, Betty was afraid of the consequences. As she pretended to be sick she also received the caring attention she wanted. Abigail also didn’t want to get caught so tried to cover up her mistakes with lies and pushed others under the bus. Not caring that it would cost theirs life’s she stopped at nothing to keep her name clean. So madly in love with John, Abigail tried to get his wife who he cared for so much, arrested and hung. Abigail is selfish. The whole Acts or scenes in this book does not have to be the same to any situation but is similar with the intentions of characters. Some want to come clean, others protect their name, be selfish and have their way, or just to protect the town. All schools do not have to read this book but I would recommend it for students because many can relate to either lying, being lied on, peer pressure (mob mentality) or facing the consequences of actions.
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ReplyDeleteI did enjoy reading The Crucible. I think reading it in class and understanding it together made it much more enjoyable. I would’ve had a harder time understanding the play because of some of the harder language. This is the first play I’ve read where I was engaged with the story the whole time. For Romeo and Juliet and Antigone, I ended up being lost at certain points and I never really fully understood what was happening. The story itself was made better through our class interpretations and ideas. I did enjoy studying it because it made me think. The book made me reevaluate morality and being human. It also made me think about human psychology and why people do the things they do. It was interesting to analyze “fictional” people and apply that to our lives. The biggest takeaway is that your sins don’t make you a sinner. And that everyone is still a human despite the things you do. Abigail is still human, all her bad actions are a reflection of humanity. She has her own motives and justification like everyone else. John is human, he makes mistakes, he beats himself over it and has his own morals. But all the things they’ve done don’t determine who they are as a person. I think it should be taught in high schools. There is history that influenced the writing of this play and despite this, it can be applied to modern life as well. It’s also an interesting story that can make people feel emotions the same way we did in class. I think it’s not absolutely necessary to be a part of canon literature but it would definitely be enhancing reading. It’s a good book that can teach important lessons. I feel this book isn’t what people call “iconic” but it does offer a lot of potential critical thinking like those. The fact that the book can spread across many different time periods and still connect to each other makes the book timeless in a way.
Although I don't see the meaning of analyzing characters, I completely agree with you. Humans would try to divide themselves into "normal" and "abnormal" when in the end we are still humans. It's hilarious and disturbing at the same time. However, if humans still want to thrive and build a better future, this book definitely should be read and understood. You also seem very interested in psychology :D
DeleteI really enjoyed the crucible’s. It was like a television show where it kept me waiting for the “next episodes” to come on. There was a lot of drama,love,hate and sins committed in this book. This book wasn’t like the other books I read in the past years of high school. I did read Romeo and Juliet but I feel like it was more in the romance side. This book had many plot twists , it did teach not only me but my my whole class lessons/themes. The fact that we all read it in class with different student’s and tone just made the play even better and funnier. I definitely recommend it to high school students to read. My biggest take away from this book is that people will always judge and talk about you but just let it be. All in all, I really liked this book it taught be a lot and I do recommend it to the high school curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI agree that The Crucible has many plot twists. I feel that the author had included them to keep the readers interested and hungry for more events and suspicion.
DeleteMirza, I agree with you that this book is not any ordinary book like the others we have read. It had multiple plot twist in it, as soon as you think it was going to be over it would hit you with another plot twist. But what are some lessons that you got out of this book? Did this lesson change your mindset towards a certain topic?
DeleteI agree with you Mirza, that the crucible was like a television show. Since, it was like a television show it keeps wanting you to read it because the amount of plot twist. It's like you watching a show and at the end of the episode, there's something that happened and you have to watch the next episode to figure it out. I would say that's like the crucible, a non- stop of plot twist. I also, agree that the crucible isn't like the other books I read in the past. I've never read a book about witchcraft, which I found it as a good thing since, I can say I read a book about witchcraft.
DeleteI would say that I really enjoyed reading the book The Crucible because reading the book in class with your classmates it's very entertaining for me. It made me feel like I was in a book club and it nice hearing people's reaction from the scenes. Especially, hearing people's sides comment when we were reading. I found those to be very hilarious. Since, The Crucible was in a form of a play it was more enjoyable because it was like watching a show but instead its your imagination and not the TV. I feel like if it was in the form of a story I would get tired of the book easily. For that reason, The Crucible being in a form a play made it more dramatic and more like a reality show. I also enjoyed studying The Crucible because it's more of a realistic event in the form of a play. The Crucible made a connection with Mycarthisym and the time of the Cold War. Therefore, I found it being cool in the view of the fact that im learning about the Cold War in other classes. So, it helps me to educate myself in our ancient times and it's beneficial to know how people's mindset was like during the time and during the salem witchcraft trials. It helped me understand why people did blamed women and why women were so downgraded. In addition, knowing how the times changed and how much we developed from that time. Now women get to do whatever they want and needing a man to do anything for them. My biggest takeaway from the play is having John Proctor sign his name away and him being hung. It was a sad ending for Elizabeth and John love story. I really thought they would end up together and kind of like a happily ever after but I guess not. It makes sense for John wanting to sign his name away because then his kids doesn't have to carry his name and him being hung is his way of saving the town. If it wasn't for John, I would think that the Salem Witch trials would have still gone on. However, I was still hoping for there to be a happy ending and not having one of the main characters dying. To conclude, the play The Crucible should definitely be read in High schools because it will make the students think deep in a deeper level especially since, the play is a bit complicated text. It’ll help the students understand different types of personalities and different types of situations during the salem witch trials. Moreover, the play connects to our times of the Cold War and the Red Scare which made a huge impact in our history and the Salem witch trails made a huge impact for the people during the 1600s.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion the Crucible was not one of my favorite books but I also thought it was important in understanding how people being stubborn can go as far as killing people. I thought the love between Proctor and Elizabeth was complete nonsense. If they were actually in love proctor wouldn’t have cheated with Abigail. Abigail is a spoiled brat that is only capable of seeing her own needs and wants as the only thing that matters. The higher powers in Salem are complete idiots who are blind like bats without the amazing hearing. They fail to understand there wrong and as a consequence aren’t able to improve on them themselves. There dignity is mistaken for arrogance as it is there downfall as well as there inability to understand when they are wrong. Abigail running away from Salem is just another way to prove that she is a pathetic excuse for a decent human being. Her philosophy is flawed and her actions prove it. She thought of no one but her self and couldn’t care less about the feelings and thoughts of other people. I feel sorry for those in Salem who actually believe saying things about other people that isn’t true, in order to make themselves feel better is justified because they want it to be. The person that I have empathy towards is Elizabeth. She had everything taken away from her and was left with nothing but some of her dignity. Abigail probably did become a prostitute, but who really knows, we already know the people in Salem know how to keep a grudge and spread rumors. Judge Danforth was one of my least favorite characters as he was the one character that stayed the same through out the entire play, he had little character development and was just an old man who couldn’t see past his own shadow. Proctor in my opinion was undeserving of all his wealth, because he didn’t want to be apart of it. He took know one else’s feelings into account when fooling around with Abigail and really believed Elizabeth should be fine with it because he apologized. Some things take longer to heal then others. Wounds aren’t always as shallow as they might appear. But Elizabeth doesn't express her self until the end of the book when she admits that she thinks she is not an adequate wife because if she was then Proctor wouldn’t have cheated on her. The crucible was a lesson to be learned and was a good way to help make sense of what really goes on in the minds of people who are too into themselves. It gave an inside look into what the people of Salem believed they were doing and what was actually happening. I thought the book was predictable and everything that happened was pretty typical of a sob story trying to express a greater meaning.My favorite part of the book was when they hanged proctor because it finally put him out of his misery which he so desperately wanted. I would recommend the book for students to read in school, it gives an important lesson in how you should view the world and what you should do in certain situations like the ones the characters were put it.
ReplyDeleteI personally didn’t enjoy reading the Crucible as much as everyone else. I was intrigued by the plot of the story but I couldn’t find myself to enjoying the book because I just knew the book wouldn’t have a happy ending. I don’t necessarily only enjoy books with happy endings, but I didn’t see a point in the story where the protagonist had the upper hand. I even found myself getting frustrated and even angry at the selfish people in the book. My biggest takeaway from the book was realizing how much God and religion influenced people’s lives. People can still devote their lives to religion but in America now, people would lie to avoid the trouble. It was almost painful watching people dying because they can’t lie, but it was almost impressive watching people not changing even when facing death. However, despite all this, I enjoyed studying the Crucible. The topics we learned such as fear, pride, and mob mentality does connect with us. These topics we’ve talked about really highlight the things that make us human. Diving into the psychological reasons between the characters actions has made us realize we aren’t that different from them. Without an omniscient narrator, we didn’t get to go into depth of the reasons behind all of the characters actions but it allowed us to make inferences of questions such as “Is Abigail a sympathetic character” or “Did John Proctor die because of his pride or because he found his goodness”? With room for interpretation the readers are able to decide for themselves if it's appropriate to like certain characters or not. The Crucible should be read in high schools because it is packed with various important concepts that can’t be ignored. Although Arthur Miller purposely chose to not make the story 100% accurate, this books still does a good job portraying the overall gist of the Salem Witch Trials. I believe the actual story of the witch trials were dramatized and partially fictionalized for the purpose of targeting us. This book does hold significant educational values because after learning how the witch trials was an allegory for McCarthyism we realize once again that history repeats itself. The Crucible should be included in the American canon of literature because there are so many different concepts to take away from the book. The book is organized in a way it’s pretty simple for anyone to understand but there’s more layers and the themes being touched on is valuable. Ultimately, I didn’t enjoy the book very much but I do recognize what makes this story an important piece of American literature.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your frustration with how things ended up being handled. Especially when the antagonists got little to no retribution for their crimes. It did make me wonder what was the point of this story if these people never got what they deserved and that all the good people suffered the most. As we read more, it was definitely depressing and emotional to see this unfold. It was the purest of people that suffered the consequences of those that are power hungry and selfish. It kind of made me sad that this a mirror of real life, in a way that was way to realistic for comfort. More people get away with things than those that don't. It is always the undeserving that must bear the weight of society's imperfections. The only difference in opinion is that this is sort of why I enjoyed the book because it was hard hitting and made me reevaluate our world.
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DeleteI agree with you Joanna. Although the crucible was interesting, I didn't enjoy how some of the characters handled the problems in some situations. I didn’t like how Abigail tried to gain power through lying. Puritans were supposed to be truthful and honest, which is why people that lived in that village believed all the lies Abigail had created about blaming others for witchery. This also had led to some deaths in the village. People that was truly innocent died and were hung because they were blamed for witchery. Proctor on the other hand tried to help out his wife by cleaning her name and stating the affair he had with Abigail. If though he knew this could ruin his reputation, he did it because he loved Elizabeth. Some characters had good intentions but others didn’t. Abigail was the character that frustrated me the most.
I agree on how you said Miller added Spicy events to keep us captivated. This true b/c in my opinion if he didn’t add any spicy events, the readers wouldn’t be as interested. That’s one of the main reason of a book, keep the readers interested to keep on reading. Also, I agree on how you said that it’s important to read so we won’t make mistakes. By learning from others mistake, we know now what not to do. As well as if we did make a mistake, how can we fix it and help create a whole new world. Also we can learn more how life was back then before we were born. It’s an amazing opportunity to see how many hardships people our age and older went through.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting point I think you made was how "John and other characters were tested between whether they wanted their reputation/pride/power or their beliefs and faith towards God". I believe Arthur Miller did a good job conveying the internal conflicts and motivations of each character. Dissecting their inner thoughts allowed us to analyze the reasons behind each of the characters actions. That is similar to when we asked ourselves if Abigail was a sympathetic character because we tried to put ourselves in the antagonist shoes. Watching each character struggle through each obstacle showed us how they were also only human which is why many of them didn't get their "happy ending".
ReplyDeleteThe spice added to the book is kind of like today where there is a lot of drama which is why I think a lot of us liked the book because we can feel the emotions coming out of the book like making mistakes and how we try to change ourselves to make sure we don't become something we don't want to be. I agree with Joanna with the characters are only humans like us and we all can't be perfect.
ReplyDeleteThe Crucible is a play a very much did enjoy acting out in our class. It was filled with tons of plot,drama,motifs and memorable characters. I enjoyed studying the crucible because the way the society of the salem witch trials is set up is the same as our socitey today. Status and reputation mattered highly to everyone and words spread around so easily, plus added in with today’s social media protecting your reputation is very much harder than it was back then. My biggest takeaway from the play was that morals mean a lot and when you put away your morals and give into bad or harmful behavior prepare to face the consequences. I defintely think it should be read in other high schools because it’s a fun play that gets people out of their comfort zones and what reality they live in and go into the midset of those before them with of course added drama. It should be included in the American canon of literature because it’s a very symbolic play about the society that was happening before, during the time the play was written, and in the present. Overall the Crucible is a huge thumbs up for me.
ReplyDeleteUnlike the rest of my classmates, I did not enjoy The Crucible. In my opinion, The Crucible was boring, prolonged, and underwhelming. Without the commentary of others *cough cough* Malakelly, and having to read out loud to stay focused, I would probably be sleeping. Most of the actions that the characters took out of their own selfishness and idiocy angered and frustrated me.
ReplyDeleteNow I won't completely bash The Crucible. There were a few parts that were actually interesting, not too much but just enough. The drama is intriguing. The choices that certain characters make do cause the rise of emotion. Reading about characters arguing and fighting does cause the book to be more interesting. Additionally, you may even sympathize or connect with some of the characters, for me it was none of the main characters like Abigail, Elizabeth, John, etc but side characters like Giles Corey. I genuinely sympathize with Giles and him trying so hard to save his wife and dying to protect someone for the harsh reality of Salem’s judicial system. Now I know it’s contradicting to sympathize with Giles for trying to save his wife and dying for something so “noble” and not sympathizing with John who essentially did the same thing. I just think that overall as a character and person I did not like John Proctor. He wasn’t some one I enjoyed, I did not like anything about him whatsoever, even in the movie.
I can see why many enjoy The Crucible but I don’t think it should be ready by everyone. It can be useful to study in High Schools because it combines the subjects of English and Social Studies, but beyond that The Crucible shouldn’t be given much praise.