The Crucible A VESSEL OR MELTING POT A TEST OF THE MOST DECISIVE KIND, A SEVERE TRIAL

The Crucible A VESSEL OR MELTING POT A TEST OF THE MOST DECISIVE KIND, A SEVERE TRIAL

So who is this Arthur Miller dude? One of the major 4 American playwrights One of the husbands of Marilyn Monroe Most famous for Death of a Salesman One of the people persecuted during the Red Scare

And so back to the 1600 s

The Puritans a religious group in England who had very strict rules about how people should behave. Eventually, the English people got sick of them, and so many Puritans fled to the US to escape religious persecution. They settled in North America in 1620.

Just an example of Puritan persecution One Englishman who had written a pamphlet to reform the Church of England was put in jail, fined, whipped, had the top of his ears cut off, his forehead burned with a hot iron, and his nose slit.

They established a theocracy Government, society, and colony based on Bible law They believed in universal education (so everyone could read the Bible) They established Harvard to train ministers

For now When it comes to Puritan religious belief, you can assume two things The Devil is everywhere If you don t know 112% otherwise, just assume you re going to Hell

And so you get the Salem Witch Trials

So back to Arthur Miller, 1956 We call it the Red Scare the paranoia-laden hunt for Communists hiding in America the common perception was that the Communists were an empire of Evil.

Enter Senator Joseph McCarthy Made a speech claiming to have a list of 200+ Communists lurking in the American State Department After that, the accusations spread outside the government People were encouraged to turn on each other, and to name suspected Communists.

So HUAC got involved This committee was formed in 1938, and its focus soon shifted to identifying Communists. Its most notorious investigation was into the Hollywood film industry. Actors, writers, and directors were called to testify about the Communist beliefs of themselves and their colleagues.

The Hollywood Ten Initially, ten guys refused to answer under the First Amendment. They were sentenced to prison for contempt of Congress.

Blacklists All of this investigation and suspicion led to blacklists. Hundreds of people working in the entertainment industry were denied work because they had been accused of being Communists, or refused to cooperate with inquiries.

Consequences Hundreds were imprisoned Tens of thousands lost their jobs Some of these people did have a past or present connection with the Communist Party, however, may not have meant any harm to the United States at all. For most, the evidence linking them to the Communist Party was dubious at best.

And thus: The Crucible Arthur Miller was in the middle of all of this hysteria about Communism. He saw clear parallels between that and the hysteria over witches that had existed 4 centuries earlier. He wrote The Crucible as an allegory to illustrate how ridiculous the paranoia about Communism in the US was.

Clashing Cultures In Act I, Abigail talks about how she watched Indians violently bash in her parents skulls So, what do we infer about Puritan views on Native Americans? Why might they have had those views?

Actual Native Americans These were cultures as varied and diverse as the Europeans. Matriarchal; Patriarchal; delineated roles Typically nature-based and polytheistic; shaman; highly ceremonial Link with nature Hunter-gatherer; some agriculture

Native American Creation Myths Characteristics: Contain supernatural elements Oral Tradition Often explain the unexplainable Have also been told in order to teach a moral lesson. Archetypal

Four Functions To inspire wonder To teach societal values To explain how the world came to exist as it does To serve as a basis for religious beliefs

Creation Myth Round Robin Step 1: Read The World on Turtle s Back pg 38-44. Complete the Iroquois section of your chart Step 2: Read your second myth Step 3: Complete your column ONLY of the myth sheet Step 4: Find and sit with the people in the room who have different myths Step 5: Return to your group and share your column for group mates to complete and let them share with you so you can fill out the whole chart

More on the Iroquois The major tribe in the Northeast (upstate NY) Comprised of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora Confederation was very well-organized and highly effective Persuaded colonists to adopt their ceremonies in their joint negotioations Their Constitution is one of the earliest and best documents on democratic rule.

Assignment Within your group, appoint A reader A writer A speaker The reader should read your group s section of the Constitution aloud to everyone. The group should discuss what things were clearly important to Iroquois culture, and the writer should jot these things down. The speaker will share these things with the class.

So let s back up and talk about these Puritan values that are about to run amok Things we know so far: 1. These guys practice very, very strict Bible law. 2. These guys believe the Devil is alive and real and running around Salem. 3. For all they came to America looking for religious freedom, they re just a smidge intolerant.

Other Values Women were deemed subservient to men Children were expected to be seen and not heard and strictly obey their elders They believed it was their divine mission to eradicate sin and evil from the world

The Puritan 10 Commandments 1) Thou shalt not miss church and community meetings. 2) Thou shalt work hard and support thy fellow pilgrims. 3) Thou shalt worship a strict and Christian God. 4) Thou shalt put the Lord first in my life and obey his words. 5) Thou shalt live by the 10 Commandments as written in the Holy Bible. 6) Thou shalt not dress in bright colors or dance in a wicked manner. 7) Thou shalt not perform witchery nor conjure the devil. 8) Thou shalt not have any opinions or beliefs not held by the entire community. 9) Thou shalt build my home simply and not clutter it with decorations. 10) Thou whom shalt disobey these commandments will be banished or be hanged.

Terms Predestination: The people who would make it to Heaven were already pre-selected and there s nothing anyone can do about it covenant of works: the promise that man would receive life and blessing from God (Adam killed this one) covenant of grace: promises blessing in return for obedience and punishment for disobedience covenant of redemption: God appointed his son to die for humanity when in doubt, just assume you re going to Hell

Puritan Poetry Anne Bradstreet: the first famous American poet Edward Taylor Develops religious themes but usually stick to everyday topics

Device Upon the Burning of Our House To My Dear and Loving Husband Huswifery Metaphor Extended Metaphor Personification Hyperbole Allusion Theme

For Homework Read pgs 155-157

For Homework Answer pg 163 (4,5,7,10)

So why did the Witch Hunts gain so much traction? https://prezi.com/qfropghl6jdr/mob-mentality/

Puritan Sermons Jonathan Edwards: Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Given as part of the Great Awakening kind of a last ditch effort at keeping Puritanism a major part of colonial life Words to learn: abhor, abominable, appease, ascribe, deliverance, discern, incense, induce, mitigation, whet

Persuasive Devices: Emotional Appeals Appeal Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Fear: makes the audience afraid Pity: makes the audience feel sympathetic towards others Guilt: relies on the audience s sense of morality

For Homework Answer 4, 8, 9, 10 pg 179

And that brings us to our next American Issues Go to www.procon.org Sort Topic A-Z, instead of by category Select one of the faith-based issues to build your argument: churches and taxes, under God in the Pledge, WTC Muslim Center Or search for school prayer Or run a Google search for teaching evolution/creationism, the Burqa, religious freedom act You must be prepared to investigate both the pro and con of your chosen debate (so that you can create a valid counterargument) Other issues arguments may be suggested based on teacher approval

Be Prepared To discuss your argument in class during the course of our Socratic seminar class

For homework Pg 199: answer 5, 6, 9

The End of Puritanism Never really bounced back after the witch trials super embarrassing scandal

The Legacy of Puritanism You re required to go to school. Blame a Puritan Most Americans value hard work. Puritans were some of the first people in America to hold town hall style meetings (seeds of democracy)

So what s the argument? Do we still fall for that kind of stuff?