Common Mod KEY QUOTES

Question 1

Introduce Topic

Answer 1

Arthur Miller’s 1953 play, set during the Salem witch trials, uses the witch hunt as an allegory for America’s hunt for communists during the Cold War, illustrating the era’s fear and societal paranoia. By drawing parallels between the witch trials and the 1950s communist scare, Miller subtly critiques the intense fear and suspicion prevalent in America at the time.

Question 2

Intolerance / Hysteria topic scentance

Answer 2

In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” hysteria overrides logic, enabling the townsfolk to believe their neighbors are committing unimaginable crimes like communing with the “devils agents”. Set in a theocratic Puritan society, the play explores how moral laws are intertwined with state laws, and any deviation from social norms is seen as a threat to both public order and religious doctrine.

Question 3

Intolerance / Hysteria explination scentance

Answer 3

Miller, facing the intense fear and paranoia of McCarthyism, used the play to critique the era’s irrational fear of communism and the resulting persecution, drawing parallels to how the theocratic Puritan society in Salem conflated moral and state laws to target and punish dissent.

Question 4

Intolerance / Hysteria First analytical scentance (idea)

Answer 4

In “The Crucible,” the theocratic society’s strict Puritanism leaves no room for deviation from social norms, with any dissent viewed as a threat to both public order and religious doctrine.

Question 5

Intolerance / Hysteria First analytical scentance (quote)

Answer 5

“Abundant evidence”

Dialogue, there is no evidence so they want a confession from Martha Corey

Question 6

Intolerance / Hysteria 2nd analytical scentance (idea)

Answer 6

In “The Crucible,” hysteria overrides logic, leading the townsfolk to believe that their neighbors are committing absurd and unbelievable crimes, driven by both genuine religious piety and the opportunity to act on long-held grudges.

Question 7

Intolerance / Hysteria 2nd analytical scentance (quotes)

Answer 7

“Chocked us all to death” “Sent her spirit out” “Tried to kill me”

Dialogue, spectral evidence against Sarah Good

“Thomas Putnam is reaching out for land”

“this man is killing his neighbors for land”

Dialogue, Giles, accusing the motivation of land lust
Dialogue, Giles accuses Putnam

Question 8

Social Status / Ownership and Property 1st analytical scentance (idea)

Answer 8

In “The Crucible,” social status influences the characters’ experiences of the witch trials, with class and racial divisions privileging certain individuals over others, as seen in how Tituba, the only person of color, is the first to confess to witchcraft, and how the girls target the poorest members of society.

Question 9

Social Status / Ownership and Property 1st analytical scentance (quote)

Answer 9

“She makes me drink blood”

Dialogue, moving accusation from Abigail to Tituba

Question 10

Social Status / Ownership and Property 2nd analytical scentance (idea)

Answer 10

In “The Crucible,” the themes of ownership and property are evident as characters like Tituba and Giles Corey navigate the trials; Tituba’s false confession is driven by her status as Parris’s property, while Giles chooses death over false confession to protect his land for his children, reflecting how property was a crucial source of security and power in the new world.

Question 11

Social Status / Ownership and Property 2nd analytical scentance (quote)

Answer 11

“died … Christian” “stand mute” “would not answer”

Dialogue, lexical field, motivations of Giles, chose his fate to save his land

“Trouble in this house … lands on her back”

Stage direction, societal hierarchy, foreshadow

Question 12

Reputation 1st analytical scentance (idea)

Answer 12

In Salem’s theocratic society, reputation is paramount because the intertwining of public and private moralities means that any sign of misconduct can severely damage one’s social standing.

Question 13

Reputation 1st analytical scentance (quote)

Answer 13

“God will not let you wash your hands of this”

Dialogue, biblical allusion to Roman emperor who washed his hands after Jesus was crucified, Proctor to Hale

Question 14

Reputation 2nd analytical scentance (idea)

Answer 14

The pervasive fear of reputational damage in Salem motivates characters like Parris to take extreme measures, as they dread the consequences of any association with scandal or witchcraft.

Question 15

Reputation 2nd analytical scentance (quote)

Answer 15

“How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”

John Proctor utters this cry when he is asked to sign his name on a document stating his culpability for witchcraft.

Question 16

John Proctor

Answer 16

John Proctor, a local farmer who lives just outside town, is Elizabeth Proctor’s husband.
A stern and harsh-tongued man, he hates hypocrisy.
However, he has a hidden sin in his affair with Abigail Williams, which leads to his downfall.
When the hysteria begins, he hesitates to expose Abigail as a fraud because he fears his secret will be revealed and his reputation ruined.
Falsely accused and convicted of witchcraft, he is hanged on August 19, 1692, in Salem Village.
John Proctor declares that he cannot sacrifice his good name by lying, choosing to die instead.

Question 17

Abigail Williams

Answer 17

Abigail, Reverend Parris’s niece, was once a servant for the Proctor household.
Elizabeth Proctor fired her after discovering Abigail was having an affair with her husband, John Proctor.
Abigail ran away from home and made her way to the region of Lake Ontario.
She sneaked on board a cargo ship and ended up working in the fur trading industry on Mackinac Island.
She eventually died there and is buried in the Protestant cemetery.
There are rumors that Abigail became a prostitute in Boston.