Crucible Notes Flashcards
Foil
a character whose personality and attitude is the opposite of another character
since the characters contrast it makes them stand out
Foil characters
Proctor and Parris
Elizabeth and Abigail
Ann (Mrs. Putnam) and Rebecca
Flat Characters
only one or two sides of personality
can sum up in 1 or 2 sentences
lacks surprises or complexity
Examples of flat characters
abigail, putnam, danforth
Round characters
a life-like 3D character
believable enough to have actually lived
Examples of round characters
Hale, proctor, Elizabeth
maybe Parris
Dynamic character
fundamentally changes his or her personality or view by the end of the story
Examples of dynamic characters
Hale, Elizabeth
Static characters
remains the same throughout a narrative
does not develop or change beyond the way they were first presented
Putnam, Abigail, Danforth
Theme of Crucible
better to die with self respect and integrity than to give into hypocritical society
External conflict of crucible
Man vs. Society
Proctor vs. puritan community
Internal Conflict
man vs. himself
lie and live or tell truth and die
religious problem
Allusion
a reference in a literary work to a person, place, or thing in history or another work of literature
often indirect references to famous characters or events
Allusions in the Crucible
Cain and Abel (referenced by Proctor)
Raphael the Angel
Denontation
dictionary definition of a word
Connotation
feelings/ideas that go along with a word
witch-hunt: mass hysteria
Dramatic irony
reader has a greater knowledge than the characters themselves
Examples of dramatic irony in the Crucible
Elizabeth saying John and Abigail didn’t have an affair
Watching the girls actions in court because the audience knows they are faking
Allegory
any writing in verse or prose that has a double meaning
extended metaphor
characters, events represent things on a literal and symbolic level
Allegory of the crucible
McCarthy trials
Who started McCarythism
Joe McCarthy
Joe McCarthy
started McCarthyism
republican senator from Wisconsin
1950-54
Red Scare
helped bring about the McCarthy hearings
people were as scared as being accused of communists as they were of being witches
Arthur Miller
author of the Crucible
accused of being a communist in Red Scare
What was going on in the 1950s?
Cold War
Korean War
USSE vs. USA
Communism vs. Democracy
When did Mcarthyism begin?
McCarthy announced there were communists working for the State Department and the Secretary of State knew about it
at this point no communists were found
What allowed McCarthyism to happen?
Country was afraid of communists
Gearing up for Korean war
House of Un-American Activities Committee 3 goals
To prove that communists had heavily infiltrated the Screen Writers’ Guild
To show that these writers were able to insert subversive Communist proganda into films
To show that Hollywood had intentionally produced pro-Soviet films during WWII
The Hollywood Ten
accused of having been Communists in 30s and 40s
Nine screenwriters and one director
What did the Hollywood Ten do in courth
Pleaded the 5th to remain silent
Right against self-incrimination
Could hollywood 10 use 5th amendment?
Only applies to judicial hearings
This was a legislative hearing
Hollywood 10 sentence
Served between 6 months and 10 years in prison
Hollywood 10 choices of what to do
1) Claim they had never been members of the Communist Party (commit perjury)
2) Admit to being Communists and name names but also lose jobs
3) Remain silent and loss their jobs (they did this)
Hollywood Blacklist
hollywood studio bosses said they would not hire any communists
Blacklist
list privately exchanged among employers, containing the names of persons to be barred from employment because of untrustworthiness or for holding opinions considered undesirable
The second phase of McCarthyism
HUAC composed list of 324 suspected members of the Communist Party
Given no due-process rights (trial by jury, etc)
Lost jobs for being Communist
