An Introduction

What do you know about the play? What do you think it is about? PREDICTIONS

1.Grab a Post-It note from the pretty table. 2.Write your name on the back of the Post-It (the sticky side). 3.Using what you already know about the play from our discussion yesterday and the picture below, make a prediction about TWO THEMES in The Crucible. POST-IT BELLRINGER

Theocracy: A form of government that is heavily influenced by religion. “God” is the supreme authority. Hysteria: Uncontrollable or exaggerated emotion or excitement among a group of people. TERMS TO KNOW

Crucible: A container for melting or purifying metals when subjected to extreme heat. A place or occasion of severe test or trial. Allegory: A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning—typically a moral or political one. Communism: Big government, no privately owned business; everybody shares in the work and the reward TERMS TO KNOW

What should I focus on while reading? The author? The history? Human behavior? Gender? What are possible themes? READING CRITICALLY

ARTHUR MILLER

In 1915, Arthur Miller was born in Manhattan to a wealthy Jewish family. When Wall Street crashed in 1929, the family lost nearly everything and moved to Brooklyn. Arthur graduated high school in 1932 and worked several jobs to pay his way through college at the University of Michigan. He started in journalism but later switched to major in English. Here he found success in creative writing. Miller’s success lead him to become a prominent playwright and essayist in the twentieth century; he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. A FOCUS ON ARTHUR MILLER

He wrote The Crucible as a student at the University of Michigan in the early 1950s while researching The Salem Witch Trials. He also wrote All My Sons and Death of a Salesman— considered the first Great American Tragedy. He was married three times, one of which was Marilyn Monroe in They divorced 10 years later in 1961 A FOCUS ON ARTHUR MILLER

Miller was inspired to write based on things that were happening in his life. In 1964, After the Fall was said to be an extremely personal play about his relationship with Marilyn Monroe. The Crucible also had its share of controversy. It is said to be an allegory of the communist witch hunt of the time. A FOCUS ON ARTHUR MILLER

In 1956, The Crucible was believed to be one of the reasons why Miller came under scrutiny. Miller refused to comply with a committee's demands to "out" people who had been active in certain political activities centered around communism and was thus cited in contempt of congress. The contempt ruling was overturned two years later. Arthur Miller died in 2005 at the age of 89 A FOCUS ON ARTHUR MILLER

Throughout the 1940s and 1950s America was overwhelmed with concerns about the threat of communism growing in Eastern Europe and China. Convinced that it was spreading to America, Senator Joseph McCarthy launched a “witch hunt” to expose communists. Suspected to support communism, many entertainers and playwrights were subject to highly publicized trials and had their careers destroyed, they were jailed, and had their passports taken away. AN ALLEGORY?

The infamous Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft. Salem Witch Trials A FOCUS ON HISTORY

Why are women mostly accused of witchcraft? In Salem, the males hold the power and authority over the women, who are merely servants to the townsmen until they are old enough to be married off. A FOCUS ON GENDER

Something to think about: In a time period when women have such little power, in what ways do you think they will seek power? Is there a double standard between men and women when it comes to infidelity? How are women treated in comparison to men? A FOCUS ON GENDER

How do people behave when the Powerball grows to 160 billion? How do people behave when the weather station says we are predicted to get several feet of snow? Given the same situations as characters in your contemporary novels, how would you behave? A FOCUS ON HUMAN BEHAVIOR

Pay attention to examples of moral ambiguity. How is the play influenced by Arthur Miller’s life? What does the play tell us about Arthur Miller? What does the play tell us about gender roles of the time period? What can we learn about human behavior? What does the play teach us about history? What does history teach us about the play? AS YOU READ

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Books, Print. WORK CITED