Sunday, November 30, 2008

Dear John Proctor,

You astonish me John Proctor. Why would you give yourself to hang? It was not worth it. My spirit ached as I saw you mount the gallows. I had signed 17 death warrants and you became the 18th. What profits you to bleed?

 I respect you for your bravery against the treacherous Danforth and wicked Abigail, but you should not have given to your pride, your vanity. God's most precious gift is life, and yet you squander it out of pride, a vice that had blinded the village. Nothing justifies the taking of it, however glorious the reason. God damns a deceitful person less than a prideful person that throws his life a way for vanity. I pray to God that God takes a kind heart to you.

I wish that you chose life over vanity, because I count myself your murderer. I count myself as the man tying the noose around your neck. And I resent that image. Do you understand me? That day as I came to do the devils work, and get christians to lie, I prayed and pleaded to God that you would lie. But now your body is lifeless in the ground and your spirit in a new court of the divine. And I pray that this judge is more caring and forgiving then the judges of this world.

Sincerely,
Hale

Friday, November 28, 2008

thanksgiving homework 1 (Danforth to Mrs Proctor)

Dear Mrs. Proctor,

This letter has been long over due, there lurks in my heart and in my spirit a sorrow for what had happened on that cold morning many years past. My heart and spirit are ailed with remorse of my ignorance to the righteousness that was so apparent in your husband and the malevolence in myself.

I was so devout in the salvation of my reputation versus the upholding of true puritan values as your husband did. And as I lay here, an old man facing death, looking back on your husband's bravery and my cruelty, I ask for your forgiveness. I am no good man and I do not deserve it, but I cannot bear with the pain of my blindness and cruelty to your husband's devotion to puritan virtues.

I am haunted by my decision to hang your husband. I should not have given into my pride and should have called off the hangings after it was abundantly clear that the trials were nothing but a scheme for revenge. There was nothing more evident of this then when Abigail had run away the very day of the hanging, and yet I was firm on my decision to hang your husband. I thought myself so fondly when I truly was the opposite of good and proper and your husband was the exact definition.

At my final hour, I ask for your forgiveness of my treachery and my cruelty. I bear all my sins of the trial to you and God as I enter another court, a supreme court. I bid you farewell, and I bid you my apologies.

Sincerely,
Danforth

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

First Essay

“Who is responsible, who is guilty?” That is the key question in any trial, including the Salem witch trials. When analyzing this play, one must come to the conclusion that the person most responsible for the Salem witch trials is, John Proctor. John Proctor gave Abigail Williams, the key witness to the case, the incentive to make accusations leading to the Salem witch trials. Proctor is at fault because he committed lechery with Abigail Williams and failed to notify the community of his adulterous actions at the appropriate time.
John Proctor’s affair with Abigail Williams is the seed of these problems. From this small crime of lechery a larger problem grows becoming the incentive for Abigail Williams to convict multiple people of witchcraft, a few of whom were hanged due to her accusations. John Proctor’s affair with Abigail planted a seed of infatuation, a deep infatuation for John Proctor that can be seen through her dialogue with him, “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! […] John, pity me, pity me!” (Miller 24). This infatuation for John Proctor is the root of Abigail’s jealousy of Elizabeth after Elizabeth kicked her out for having an affair with her husband. This jealousy manifests itself into her passion to lead the inquisition for the witches in Salem. This passion is not a true passion to find witches but a visage for her underlying motives of trying to wreak havoc against those she hates, which includes Elizabeth Proctor. Thus by committing adultery with Abigail, John Proctor is the source of Salem’s problems.
After committing adultery John Proctor fails to tell anybody of his wrong doing. His failure to tell anyone about committing adultery from the beginning gave time for Abigail’s jealousy of Elizabeth Proctor to slowly grow. This jealousy was nurtured by her resentment for Elizabeth: “Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be […] blackening my name in the village!” (23). This resentment is what drives her to become a leader of the witch hunts during the Salem witch trials because it gave her the power to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft and try to take her place as John Proctor’s wife.
John Proctor withheld information that he had an affair with Abigail for most of the book because he was afraid to discredit himself, a theme in the story. John Proctor admitted to withholding information later in the story when he tries to show that Abigail was not a witness to witchcraft but a jealous girl: “For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed […] God damns our kind especially” (120). But by delaying his admission to his affair, everyone lacked the knowledge of Abigail’s bad intentions prior to the trials, which could have prevented all of the hangings. When Abigail begins accusing people of witchcraft with faulty evidence, the community does not discard her accusations because they do not know about her underlying jealousy that drives her. Thus by withholding information that could have prevented the hangings, John Proctor is again at fault as the cause of the Salem witch trials. When analyzing the play, a question arises: if Abigail is the person making all of the accusations is she not the person most at fault?
Abigail is the person making the accusations but her motive for her accusations comes from John Proctor. He is the underlying cause for Abigail to begin accusing people of witchcraft. She only makes these accusations out of her infatuation for John Proctor due to the affair he had with her: “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart!” (24). He is the reason why Abigail has taken such a prominent role in the Salem witch trial and that is why he is more to blame for the trials.
Out of all the characters in the play, John Proctor is at fault the most for the Salem witch trials. He was the one who had the affair with Abigail which planted the seeds of infatuation. He was also the one that refrained from telling the community that he had an affair with her, information that could have ended the trials and prevented hangings. He is the character to blame the most: “I am not that man. My honesty is broke. I am no good man” (136).

Thursday, November 20, 2008

crucible homework page 128-145

Quote 1: "Them that will not confess will hang. Twelve are already executed; the names of these seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die this morning. Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now. While I speak God's law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering. If retaliation is your fear, know this- I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law, and an ocean of salt tears could not melt the resolution of the statutes. Now draw yourselves up like men and help me, as you are bound by Heaven to do. Have you spoken with them all, Mr Hale?" -Danforth (page 128)

Explanation: In this quote we see Danforth admitting to having knowledge of his wrong doing. And yet instead of owning up to his mistake, he gives a long winded a speech about how he represents God, and if he admits to his wrong doing he is admitting to God's wrong doing. He even goes on to saying that he would be willing to kill 10,000 people to protect his own reputation. This reflects upon the theme of people doing whatever they can to protect their reputation no matter what even if they "should hang ten thousand" (Miller 128).

Quote 2: supporting herself against collapse, grips the bar of the window, and with a cry: "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him." -Elizabeth (page 145)

Explanation: These are the final words of the play, as Elizabeth's husband is lead off to his death after willfully defying Danforth, Hathorne, and Parris. And in this final statement, Elizabeth sums up the entire story. She says her husband has finally found his goodness. And looking back at the story we see that he has changed. Before he wanted to protect himself and he did not tell anyone about his affair in order to protect himself. And right before his death he is given a chance to live by giving the names of those he thought were witches but instead of giving in he did not give any names and embraced his death. And thus we see a transformation of one person in a community of bad who lived out the true ideas of the protestants, accepting your faults and being honest about it.

Questions:
1. What are similarities Proctor and Danforth share throughout the book?

2. What are their differences between the two?

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

crucible homework page 113-127

Quote 1: "You will confess yourself or you will hang!" He turns her roughly to face him. "Do you know who I am? I say you will hang if you do not open with me?" -Danforth (page 117)

Explanation: Danforth's quote is a threat toward Mary Warren. He gives her two options: either lie about herself or die. This is just another incident where we see that through people's desire to protect themselves they force other people to admit to false accusations that lead a long chain of lies that ends up hurting honest people. And as we see later, Mary Warren breaks under pressure; she starts spouting lies and shifts the blame upon John Proctor who has been truthful throughout the book.

Quote 2: laughs insanely, then: "A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud- God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!" -Proctor (page 120)

Explanation: Proctor in one of his final comments mocks everything that has happened in the court by saying that he saw Lucifer and that Lucifer bore the face of men like Danforth and himself, men who quailed in the face of danger. And here we see that though Proctor is a flawed man, as he openly admits, "I see his filthy face! And it is my face" (Miller 120), he is willing to still oppose Danforth and fight for what is right. This can be seen when he compares Danforth to Lucifer saying that Lucifer bears Danforth's face. And to top that off stating that Danforth and him are alike so if he is to burn in hell so will Danforth.

Questions:
1. How does Proctors actions in the court compare to others in the story, and how does the affects of his actions compare to others?

2. Seeing how Danforth acts against Proctor and Corey, do you think that there may be an uprising against his verdicts from the people led by Hale?

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

crucible homework page 98-113

Quote 1: "Excellency, I have signed seventy-two death warrants; I am a minister of the Lord, and I dare not take a life without there be a proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience may doubt it." -Hale (page 99)

Explanation: Hale says this quote after Proctor hands Danforth the deposition. The quote is a plea to Danforth to look upon the evidence with a keen eye and to only convict those convicted on hard evidence. This is out of character for him; prior to this court scene, he was interrogating the Proctors on their knowledge of the 10 commandments. It seems that he has begun to regret starting this witch hunt.

Question: Knowing that he regrets that 72 people may die due to him, will he help defend any of the accused?

Quote 2: "His first real outburst, in which his contempt for Parris is clear: Mr. Parris, I bid you be silent! He stands in silence, looking out the window. Now, having established that he will set the gait: Mr. Cheever will you go into the court and bring the children here? Cheever gets up and goes out upstage. Danforth now turns to Mary. Mary Warren, how came you to this turnabout? Has Mr. Proctor threatened you for this deposition?" -Danforth (page 101)

Explanation: This quote comes from Danforth's response after reading the deposition and Parris butts in. It is clear that he is somewhat agitated from the letter of deposition. And later in the quote the first thing he asks Mary Warren is, "has Mr. Proctor threatened you?" This shows Danforths agitation in Mr. Procotor's attempt to "go against the court." And with this it can be deducted that Danforth is worried about his reputation because people are questioning his verdicts. His actions may be affected by this desire to protect his reputation.

Question: "Knowing that Danforth has a desire to protect his reputation how will this affect how he deals with people trying to overturn his verdicts?

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Crucible Homework page 83-98

Quote 1: "There lurks nowhere in your heart, nor hidden in your spirit, any desire 'to undermine this court?" - Danforth (page 90)

Explanation: Here Danforth is questioning the Proctor's motives to free his wife. And in his question he brings up the words, "undermining this court." This is a sign that Danforth is worried about people questioning his verdicts and is showing his resentment for Proctor 's appeal to over turn his arrest of Proctor's wife.

Question: Is Danforth a fair judge or is he driven by his own bias?

Quote 2: "But you understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between" -Danforth (page 94)

Explanation: This excerpt comes from Danforth's response to when Francis stated that he did not want to bring trouble on those who signed a paper acknowledging the purity of Martha, Elizabeth, and Rebecca. In the quote a Danforth states that in this crisis, there is no gray area but only a black and white area. This quote also shows Danforth's resentment to those opposing the verdicts of the court, because he is openly admitting this idea that you are either with him or against him. And what can be taken from this is that those trying to challenge Judge Danforth's verdict (Francis, John, Giles) will be punished for it. This underlines the main theme of the story of people doing everything  in their power to defend their reputation.

Question: Knowing his position on people oppossing his verdicts, will Danforth free any of the accused?

Thursday, November 13, 2008

crucible homework page 68-83

Quote 1: Conjures me? Why, no, sir, I am entirely myself, I think. Let you ask Susanna Walcott- she saw me sewin' it in court. OR BETTER STILL: Ask Abby, Abby sat beside me when I made it" -Mary Warren (page 76)

Explanation: In the quote above, Mary Warren is listing people that can testify to her making the poppet in which is said to have been used by Elizabeth as a weapon against Abigail. But right in the quote it is made clear that Abigail is quite aware of Mary Warren's creating of the poppet and most likely the placement of the needle in which she said she was stabbed. A hole is made in Abigail's accusation but only Proctor and Elizabeth are aware of this due to them being one of the few who now the crucial grudges held between Abigail and Elizabeth.

Question:
How can this be used to support John Proctor's case in court that Abigail is being deceitful about her accusations of witch craft?

Quote 2:
"If she is innocent! Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? I s the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God's fingers? I'll tell you what's walking Salem- vengeance is walking Salem. are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law! This warrant's vengeance! I'll not give my wife to vengeance!" -Proctor (page 77)

Explanation: John Proctor, in the quote above, is acknowledging the fact that for the past week those that have actually been accusing people (aka Abigail) have been considered to be truthful in their accusations and that their word is fact. While those accused are given choice of admiting to the witchcraft or death. And with this benefit of complete trust in the accusers, the accusers are given the power to decide the fate of a person, death or infamy. And in the case of Abigail, vengence.

Question: Why does everyone in the village give their full trust to these accusations, even though they lack the proper evidence to support them?

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

crucible homework page 49-67

Quote 1: "I'm- I am an official of the court, they say... I'll not stand whipping any more! They Devil's loose in Salem Mr, Proctor; we must discover where he's hiding" -Mary Warren (page 59).

Explanation: In the quote above Mary Warren makes her rising importance and her so called duty to help find the devil known to the Proctors. But in all reality we see that she as Abigail is doing, is taking advantage of the situation by using it as a means to gain importance in the village by using the devil as a tool to either whiten or blacken people.

Question: What does Mary Warren have to gain from her rising status as an "official?"

Quote 2: "I am a stranger here, as you know. And in my ignorance I find it hard to draw a clear opinion of them that come accused before the court. And so this afternoon, and now tonight, I go from house to house" -Hale (page 63-64).

Explanation: Here we see that Reverend Hale, here is also a person seeking to find the devil as does Mary Warren. In the quote above, we see that Reverend Hale has a sincere desire to find the devil by going house to house to make sure those convicted are real witches.

Question: What is the difference between Reverend Hale and Mary Warren and their call to hunt out the devil an his worshipers?

Sunday, November 9, 2008

crucible homework page 36-49

Character List
  • Reverend Parris: Father of Betty Parris, Overbearing, paranoid.
  • Betty Parris: daughter of Betty Parris, ill, also miraculously recovers and blames multiple people of witch craft.
  • Abigail: niece of Reverend Parris, infatuated with John Proctor, 18 year old, friends with Mercy and Mary, blames multiple people of witch craft.
  • John Proctor: affair with Abigail, farmer, hates hypocrites, even tempered, "morally corrupt."
  • Elizabeth Proctor: wife of John Proctor, has dislike for Abigail due to affair.
  • Thomas Putnam: arrogant, condescending, embittered, bad blood with the Nurse Clan
  • Ann Putnam: wife of Thomas Putnam, gave birth to eight children 7 of whom died (she blames supernatural powers).
  • Giles Corey: eighty year old farmer who is blamed for most of the town's hardships, nuisance but an innocent and brave man.
  • Martha Corey: wife of Giles Corey, reads mysterious books.
  • Francis Nurse: bad blood with the Putnams, respected man among peers.
  • Rebecca Nurse: wife of Francis Nurse, bad blood with the Putnams.
  • Mercy: Putnam's servant, merciless, sly, fat, 18 years old, friends with Abigail and Mercy.
  • Mary Warren: subservient, naive, lonely, friends with Mercy and Abigail.
  • Tituba: slave of Reverend Parris, Barbados person, accused of associating with the devil, blames multiple people of witch craft.
  • Reverend Hale: considered an expert of diagnosing and fighting witch craft, comes to the village to diagnose Betty, starts a witch hunt.
Quotes:

  1. "You are God's instument put in our hands to discover the Devil's agents among us, You are selected, Tituba, you are chosen to help us cleanse our village. So speak utterly, Tituba, turn your back on him and face God- face God, Tituba, and God will protect you" (page 46).
Explanation: This quote shows that all accusations of people being blamed of witch craft and association with the devil are not based on facts but are based on the testimony of bias and hateful people.

Question: Why would they trust a person accused of associating with the devil to point other people that associate with the devil?

2. Said with a tasty love of intellectual pursuit: "Here is all the invisible world, caught, defined, and calculated. In these books the Devil stands stripped of all his brute disguises. Here are all your familiar spirits...have no fear now- we shall find him out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face!" -Hale (page 39)

Explanation: This quote shows Hale's belief that that the problem is witch craft and that it will be solved with his intellectual wit. Also this quote suggests that there is a science to identify witches. Even though they pretty much use the testimony of two alleged witches that could have lied to identify the other witches.

Question: If he had all these books that could help identify witches why did he request the help of Tituba?

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Crucible homework pages 20 to 36

"The necessity of the Devil may become evident as a weapon, a weapon designed and used time and time again every age to whip men into a surrender to a particular church or church state" (Miller 34).

Explanation: This quote explains how the Devil can be used as a weapon to force people to join the church. Its revelence to this story is that by calling people witches and incorporating people with the devil people can be coarsed to live the puritanical life that society wants them to live.


"Our oppisites are always robed in sexual sin, and it is from this unconcious conviction that demonology gains both its attractive sensuality and its capacity to infuriate and frighten" (Miller 36).

Explanation: Here the author explains how the "enemy" is always included with sexual sin, making it seem so enticing and sensual yet evil and maniacal. This sensual evilness is related to the story because the characters view witchcraft as mysterious and evil, yet it has this alluring aspect. It is mysterious and intriguing. This mysteriousness and intrigue is what makes them fear witchcraft so much because they fail to understand its mysteries and their interest in it. So they incorporate it with evil because they cannot explain it.

Questions:
Why did Abigail and Proctor cut their relationship?

How might the family rivalries in the town affect the witchcraft theories? And why?

Monday, November 3, 2008

crucible homework

1. Narrator: "So it is not surprising to find that so many accusations against people are in the handwriting of Thomas Putnam... or that his daughter led the crying out at the most opportunate junctures of the trials, especailly when-" pg 15

In the quote above it is made clear that Thomas Putnam has made many accusations against other people and has spoken poorly about others. And that his daughter in the future will accuse others of wrong doings. But the quote is cut off at "especially when-" posing the question, "At what vital point did she interject her so called testimony of heresy.

2. Mary Warren: "What's got her? Abby, she's going to die! It's a sin to conjure, and we-" (pg 20)

This quatation is a perfect example of the common belief of the time that "witch craft" existed and that it was considered a sin. This quote also cuts off short at the word "we," so it is made clear that Mary and Abigail are some how involved with this "witch craft" that has hurt Betty. But this leads us to the question, "What did they do?"

Class Work

Reverend Parris- middle aged father, overbearing, condescending: "He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went... he felt insulted if someone rose to shut the door without first asking his permission."

Betty Parris- daughter, sick: "Reverend Parris... his daughter, Betty Parris, aged ten, lying in bed, inert."

Martha Corey- adulterous, sketchy: "It suddenly beccam possible for a man to say that Martha Corey had come into his bedroom at night, and that, while his wife was sleeping at his side, Martha laid herself down on his chest and "nearly suffocated him."

Tituba- caring, slave, concerned, cautious: "She enters as one does who can no longer bear to be barred from the sight of her beloved, but she is also very frightened because her slave sense has warned her that, as always, trouble in this house eventually lands on her back."

Info:

The story takes place in Salem Massachusetts during the salem witch trials. This story is based off a true story but most of the details that provided by this book are fiction. The general plot idea is borrowed from historical events but the story itself is partly taken from letters and trial records and the large remainder from the authors imagination.
Basically we know that the general plot of story would follow what we knew happened during the trials. But the dialogues and the interactions that occur among the characters of the book will be solely the creation of the author and whatever he thought might have happened during the trial will be how the story is written.