Monday, September 15, 2014
First Impressions of The Crucible
Hi Everyone: Now that you have read the first act of The Crucible, write down
what you think this play is shaping up to be "about." Clearly the
problem of witchcraft is concocted out of hysteria, but if witchcraft is
not the problem in Salem, what is really the problem? You can
also bring up scenes, situations or statements that stood out to you for
one reason or another. This post needs to be done before Thursday.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the crucible will be about how the community will tear each other down and put off the blame on others. Aside from the witch craft, everyone in that room was trying to blame others in the community to save themselves. A specific scene that points to the community having other bones to pick with each other is when the two men start bickering over the property line and firewood. That scene stands out as it lets the reader know that more secular grievances are being held against people as well.Other scenes are how Abigail and Thomas Putnam have had a dispute too revolving around their affair and Mrs. Proctor. Abigail resents Mrs. Proctor as she thinks Thomas loves her. Also, Mr. Parris feels that others have tried to ruin his reputation as their minister by other ministers. Another scene that comes to mind is how Mrs. Putnam blames Rebecca Nurse for all of her baby's deaths. This is mainly due to her resentment of her babies taken from her so many times. These little conflicts make it very easy for people to accuse others without thinking about what it would do to them. The real problem is that there is a community with petty feuds that are blown up during the witchcraft hysteria. I think that the ultimate message will be about how people blamed each other to get revenge on each other. The story isn't about witchcraft underneath it's face-value, but how a community tore each other apart due to petty grievances.
ReplyDeleteThe first act of The Crucible introduces the problem of witchcraft to the small town of Salem. While at first glance it seems that witchcraft is the biggest issue in the book the problems are much more complicated than the supernatural. In all actuality there are no real witches in the play, but for each character there are plenty of demons. The Crucible is shaping up to be about the conflicts and drama between the people of a small town and how these conflicts have the ability to tear the town apart.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of act one at least ten people have been accused of witchcraft. However, when the reader examines the names of the people being accused and the people who are accusing them the true conflict becomes clearer. Every character has their own agenda and reason for spreading the rumors of witchcraft and unleashing hysteria upon the town. Whether it is to protect their reputation, like Paris and Hale, or to obtain something they desire, like Mr. Putnam and Abigail, the characters use witchcraft as a way to reach their ultimate goals. The problem in Salem is not witchcraft, the problem is the townspeople. This fact becomes evident when the townspeople gather to find the person responsible for unleashing the devil upon Betty. In act one it is revealed that Abigail is in love with Mr. Proctor, Mrs. Putnam blames Rebecca Nurse for the loss of her seven children, and that Mr. Putnam feels that he has been cheated out of land. All of the people mentioned above believe that someone else is to blame for the problems they are faced with. They also believe that their problems can be resolved by getting rid of the person that they blame, and when witchcraft is mentioned the perfect opportunity presents itself. The Crucible is a story of the mounting tensions in a little village that have been unleashed all at once and the destruction that they will leave in their path. By leaving these tensions unspoken things have reached new heights, leaving even more at stake when all is said and done.
The Crucible is not a story based around the trouble of witchcraft, but of blame and trust within the community. Everyone in the village throws everyone else under the bus to protect themselves from what consequences might arise from their actions. Whether it’s for their status in the community or how others perceive them, the people in the village don’t care what lies they tell, as long as it’s for their wellbeing. For example, when Hale was questioning Abigail about the night in the forest, she wasted no time to blame everything on Tituba for what happened to Betty, just so she could appear innocent. In my opinion, The Crucible is shaping up to be about the idea of blame within the community.
ReplyDeleteThe issue of trust is also a main concept in The Crucible. With all the lies that are told, it is hard to separate the truth from the made-up. When Abigail first tells what happened the night in the forest, she says that they were only dancing and no witchcraft or anything of the sort was going on. But as the people of the village pressured Abigail with continuous questions about the night, she began to spill more and more about what actually happened. This scene shows how the people of the village cannot trust or believe the things Abigail said at first because they continued to ask questions, looking for more details about the night than she was sharing. This scene also shows that no one wants to tell the whole truth, so they leave out parts that might sound bad, just as Abigail did. In the first act of The Crucible, it is clear to see that the story is not as much about witchcraft as it is about the conflict of trust and blame within the village.
The Crucible by Arthur Mills is a play that is like an onion. Like a wise green ogre once said, “Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.” Except in this case, it is not the ogre, but The Crucible that has layers.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I have absorbed so far, the conflict is not about witchcraft; it is about the lengths a person will go to save their own skin. This story is a representation of human nature because human nature is all about protecting yourself. A character that comes to mind is Abigail Williams, when she threw Tituba under the bus when confronted about the dancing in the woods. Revererend Hale then asked her about it, and upon first denying it, Tituba gradually admitted to assisting the devil. As soon as Tituba became valuable to the ‘witch hunt’, Abigail stepped right up and stole the spotlight from Tituba who was no longer valued because now Abigail was naming names. Tituba knew that she could either admit to such an awful thing as helping the devil, or die innocent and she chose her life. This sequence will forshadow the rest of the play. I also predict that Abigail is a supreme antagonist and will start naming the names of innocent people just because she feels like it.
The first act of The Crucible, the characters introduce witchcraft as their main problem but they are blind to see that they are the main problem. Most of the characters so far have blamed each other for all types of things. At first, Abigail doesn't admit to anything, not singing along with Tituba or drinking mysterious mixtures. Yet when Tituba says there were demons that followed them into the woods, Abigail says that it was all her and she conjured Ruth's dead siblings, danced, and sang. Not only is there a big problem with blame, there is also an issue with rumors. There was a rumor that Mrs. Putnam saw Betty flying over a neighbors barn do to witchcraft, along with many more that have to do with witchcraft.
ReplyDeleteAnother main problem in this first act of The Crucible is honesty. Many of the characters so far have yet to be completely honest with each other. When Abigail and Mercy are alone together, Mercy thinks that they should tell everyone the truth, that they drank blood to kill Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctors wife. When she suggests this Abigail strikes her across the face. Another example of dishonesty is how John Proctor had an affair with Abigail but when faced with it, denied then swore he'd never touch her again. In this way John is being dishonest to his wife.This book has a lot of conflicts so far but I'm not sure if the main one is witchcraft, for the people are far more contradicting towards each other and cause more conflict than witchcraft, in my opinion.
The novel 'The crucible' by Arthur miller begins in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The main issue is the 'possibility' of Reverend Paris' daughter Betty being afflicted by the devil. There is just a couple reasons why this continues to be a problem while many are being blamed. It all roots from basic instinctual urges to protect yourself. I predict this book will uncover the human mind and how people think, and why they do these things. It will show you how far some people will go to be able to hold back terrible thoughts and get what they want. This book is not just about woman accused of being a witch, but the relationships around it, and eventually a downfall from the way these minds work.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the play "The Crucible" written by Arthur Miller, is not necessarily a work of literature about witchcraft, I believe that it exhibits the flaws of humanity. At first, one may think that witchcraft is basically the main conflict of the book as many characters are afflicted with witchcraft, but thats not the case. In the beginning of the play, Reverend Parris is with his daughter, Betty Parris, praying for her. She is in a bed passed out and unresponsive. It is believed that Betty is a victim of witchcraft. Parris is angered at the fact of this because he knows he will receive a very bad reputation from the townspeople. This a is a great example since Parris is embarrassed of his daughter, and cares what other people think of him more than his daughter's health and being, which is a huge flaw. As we rebound towards the end of Act I, numerous amount of people are convicted of witchcraft. A small light goes off in your head as you come to a conclusion that people are actually not blaming people because they know for a fact that they have actually committed witchcraft. Everyone starts to use each other as scapegoats, simply so that they wont get in trouble or that they are blaming other people instead of facing their own problems, or even jealousy. An example would be when Abigail all of a sudden blamed Tituba for a deranged woods scene, also Mrs. Putnam blames Rebecca Nurse since she had many babies, while Mrs. Putnam had seven and all died. This strictly portrays flaws in humanity on how all the townspeople start to act like animals, and forgot how they are accusing simple humans of something as foolish as witchcraft. To sum it up, the townspeople forgot to use their senses and go against each other knowing the barbaric consequences that that person who they blamed will receive and not caring, disclosing the flaws of humanity.
ReplyDeleteAt first glance, Act I of The Crucible could “appear” to be about witchcraft. However, it is obvious that the main conflict in this play is not that of witchcraft. In the closing of Act I, the characters began accusing several different people, of these supposed supernatural behaviors. This led me to believe that the true underlying issue was reputation, and responsibility. Each character has secrets, but it isn’t until these secrets are unveiled that they’ll go to extreme measures in order to protect themselves.
ReplyDeleteA perfect example of a character protecting their reputation is when Tituba is accused of conjuring the devil. When she realizes that she is between a rock and a hard place, her immediate reaction is to accuse others of practicing the devil’s ways. Tituba knows that she’ll be hanged immediately if she is tried for conjuring. In a way, the essence of witchcraft is a scapegoat for everyone. Abigail was the one to blame Tituba in the first place, and then Tituba accused four people. This accusation and self preservation creates a vicious cycle. The characters seem to believe that by blaming everything on this hocus-pocus, their own personal issues will be hid under the carpet again. However, they have failed to realize that these issues will only get worse the longer they are hidden. As each person continually blames another, relationships in this tightly knit community will be destroyed, only further tearing apart the town.
I think the Crucible is based on assumptions and not witchcraft. So far, we have seen everyone under the moon blaming others for what’s going on with Betty. The Crucible seems to revolve around the town and the noxious citizens that are slowly killing Salem’s reputation. When we first began to read the Crucible, I was partially confused on what Mr and Mrs. Putnam’s problem was. Why were they so resentful? I understand now that they are grudge-holders. Mrs. Putnam blames a woman for the death of her children, however this isn't exactly “witchcraft.” It definitely could have been, but in this time period they were not technologically advanced as we are today. That’s one example of assumption. Another is from Abigail. Abigail seems to be a compulsive liar - she always has a backup plan or a finger to point. By the end of Act one, many people were accused of witchcraft. Tituba, the black slave, was pounded with interrogations from almost everyone in Salem. I think this play is shaping up to be a lesson learned, not just a historical event that was put into a play. People are so ignorant that they will blame innocent bystanders just so they will not have to face the consequences of either being hanged or stoned or indicted.
ReplyDeleteJust from reading the first act of The Crucible, I think its pretty clear to see that the real threat in Salem is the people themselves. They may claim to be completely righteous Godly people, but whenever they get the slightest chance to dump dirt on each other they gladly seize the opportunity. The talk of witchcraft just makes it easier for people to carry out their own personal agenda of knocking down others with more power, and to better their own name. In some cases, like Tituba’s, many are simply too powerless to even defend themselves from the accusations that are going around. And although this makes things worse, they are left with no choice but to put the blame on others for the sake of their own lives. But as for the people that do have power, they simply use this vicious name giving cycle to their advantage. If somebody has wronged them in the past or they simply do not like the person, they charge them with being a witch to ruin their name and hopefully gain some of what that person has. In Abigail's case, she wishes to gain John Proctor and take his wife out of the picture. As this cycle continues, more and more relationships will be torn until there is no unity or ties keeping the town together.
ReplyDeleteIn the first act of the Crucible by Arthur Mills, a witch hunt begins in the small town of Salem Massachusetts. As the hysteria begins to pick up, you start to see the real intentions behind the many witch accusations, and witchcraft isn't one of them.
ReplyDeleteMany of the characters in the play named witches and/or claimed witch craft to serve in their favor. One of these people was reverend Parris, who is a trusted public figure among the towns people. When this daughter Betty falls under a mysterious trance, everyone believes that she is being possesed. At first Pairs opposes the statement, but when he learns about the things his daughter, niece and other girls from the town were doing in the woods, he claims that she infact is possessed to use as an excuse for her unacceptable behavior. Another person who took advantage of the situation and names “witches” was Abigail Williams who took advantage of the situation that presented itself before her, and starting naming off people who she did not like or wanted to get rid of, like Goody Proctor. Abigail and Goody Proctor had a mutual dislike for each other because of the affair Abigail had with Elizabeth's husband. Abigail dislikes Elizabeth because she thinks that she is standing in the way of her and John Proctors love. When she finds the chance she, jumps at it, naming Elizabeth Proctor as one of the witches. Elizabeth Proctor also used witchcraft to her advantage by having it explain the mysterious deaths of her 7 newborn babies. Because knowledge of childbirth wasn't as good then as it was today, Goody Proctor relies on the theory of witchcraft as an excuse for the deaths. Along with the others, reverend John Hale also uses the witchcraft hysteria to his benefit when he is called to the city to help get rid of the witches. Hale wants to be seen as the hero and uses the witchcraft accusations to his advantage. The crazier the situation gets, the more famous he would become if he was to rid the town of the witches. Many of the characters, like Hale, advantage of the accused “witch craft” that is spreading hysteria through the town, and began to use it to their advantage.
The Crucible by: Arthur Mills takes place in the 1692 Salem Witch Trial hysteria it was a time period where many were hanged because they were though to practice witchcraft. This book I think is going to be about an entire community in fear of there lives are going to single out many innocent people who are going to be tried and hanged because they are thought to practice witchcraft. The problem is not witchcraft in Salem it is everyone has a problem with everyone life for example Abigail a 18 year old young girl had an affair with John Proctor a married man. She is trying to throw Elizabeth Proctor under the bus in hopes she will be tried and hanged so she is the only one there so John will have to love her because he has no one else. Another big example is Mrs. Putnam tries to find out who “murdered” her seven children by blaming everyone in sight. In my opinion it will all end harsh and they will earn their lesson.
ReplyDeleteThe Crucible may seem to be all about witchcraft but mainly it is all about the people in the town. The townspeople all believe that there are witches and demons when none of this is true. The people in the town all have inner demons themselves, and grudges on other people. Most of the characters in the book blame everything on other people, who they want to see hurt. For example, Abigail tells Reverend Paris that she was dancing in the woods ,when actually she was summoning the devil. Later in the novel in order to save herself Abigail names a group of people and throws them all under the bus. The Crucible is shaping up to be about the townspeople blaming other townspeople to save themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe primary problem in the Crucible is dishonesty. Everyone lies to protect his or her reputation. At the end of Act I Tituba is talking about how she was summoning the devil and while she is speaking Abigail interrupts Tituba and starts naming names. She goes on and on to protect herself. A text-to-text connection to the Crucible is Darwin’s theory, “survival of the fittest”. The smartest people survive.