texts and human experiences Flashcards
The Crucible
why did Arthur Miller write ‘The Crucible’?
Arthur Miller wrote ‘The Crucible’ as his response to the United States’ Cold War and the introduction of McCarthyism, as he drew parallels between the witch trials of Salem in the 1500s and the McCarthy hearings, both of which led to people being falsely accused of crimes and facing severe consequences based on little evidence, thus leading to hysteria in the community
what are the major themes of ‘The Crucible’?
- the nature of love and human relationships
- the individual within and against society
- reputation vs truth
- collective hysteria/madness
what are some ‘The Crucible’ quotes that relate to the theme of the nature of love and human relationships?
- “Whatever you will do, it is a good man does it.” -Elizabeth, Act 4: she is speaking to John following his arrest, showing that she wholeheartedly loves him
- “I have known her.” -John, Act 1: he speaks about how he has committed adultery against Elizabeth with Abigail
- “She believe in the Gospel, every word!” -John, Act 2: he speaks about Elizabeth’s holiness, trying to make the point that she is without flaw
- “Answer my question! Is your husband a lecher?” / “[faintly]: No, sir.” -Danforth/Elizabeth, Act 3: in lying for John’s sake, thus committing her only ‘sin’ up to that point of the play, Elizabeth proves her love for her husband
how does the theme of the nature of love and human relationships in ‘The Crucible’ reflect human experiences?
‘The Crucible’’s exploration of the theme of the nature of love and human relationships presents a dilemma in the human experience as, despite Elizabeth being seemingly without flaw and John having evidently betrayed her trust in ‘knowing’ Abigail, she still fully and dutifully loves her husband, thus giving light to the tragedy in his death at the conclusion of the play
what are some ‘The Crucible’ quotes that relate to the theme of the individual within and against society?
- “There is either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is burning!” / “Can you speak one minute without we land in Hell again? I am sick of Hell!” -Parris/John, Act 1: early in the play, Parris and John’s dislike for one another is shown
- “How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” - John, Act 4: John, having become significantly more confident over the course of the play, openly speaks against Parris
- “I say- I say- God is dead!” / “Hear it, hear it!” - John/Parris, Act 3: John, out of stress and impulsivity, makes a claim against the church, which Parris quickly uses to his advantage
- “God in Heaven, what is John Proctor, what is John Proctor?” - John, Act 4: after being forced out of Salem, John speaks on his own name and moral beliefs
how does the theme of the individual within and against society in ‘The Crucible’ reflect human experiences?
‘The Crucible’’s exploration of the theme of the individual within and against society is present through the feud of Parris and John; a human experience is present in the way that Parris and John’s reputations are in effect switched across the course of the play, with John going from a highly respected member of society and Parris as extremely paranoid and self-pitying, to the people of Salem beginning to revere Parris as a personification of the Lord, and by contrast, John as an advocate of the Devil
what are some ‘The Crucible’ quotes that relate to the theme of reputation vs truth?
- “I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people—and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, questioned like a—” -Abigail, Act 3: Abigail speaks on her reputation as given to her by the people of Salem
- “You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore!” -John, Act 3: John yells to the court about Abigail, calling her a ‘whore’ despite having slept with her himself
- “We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment.” -Danforth, Act 3: Danforth speaks on how the court will come to the truth, making a metaphor about hell
- “I will not give you no name. I mentioned my wife’s name once and I’ll burn in hell long enough for that. I stand mute.” -Giles, Act 3: Giles stands mute to the court, later being punished with peine forte et dure- execution by stone pressing- for doing so, thus exemplifying his issue with the court
how does the theme of reputation vs truth in ‘The Crucible’ reflect human experiences?
‘The Crucible’’s exploration of the theme of reputation vs truth is explored in how the characters- primarily John and Abigail- are confronted with difficult choices between preserving their reputation and telling the truth, and these choices often have severe consequence; this reflects the human experience of the danger of conformity and the anomaly of not allowing people to go against the norm of society
what are some ‘The Crucible’ quotes that relate to the theme of collective hysteria/madness?
- “I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” -Abigail, Act 1: Abigail pretends to be speaking with the Devil, by making wild accusations against other women in Salem, in order to increase the town’s collective hysteria
- “Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God’s fingers?” -John, Act 3: John speaks against the court, making a point about the importance of rational thought and skepticism
- “The Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!” -Hale, Act 1: Hale speaks early on about the rising fears of witchcraft, not yet knowing the extent that it will rise to
- “I am not a witch! I am innocent! Why do you accuse me of this?” -Rebecca, Act 3: Rebecca Nurse, a person who is evidently innocent to the reader, is accused, allowing the madness of what the town is feeling to become more evident to the responder
how does the theme of collective hysteria/madness in ‘The Crucible’ reflect human experiences?
‘The Crucible’’s exploration of the theme of collective hysteria/madness speaks to the human experience of mob mentality, in which, in times of distress, people tend to follow the majority’s way of thinking as opposed to finding their own way; this is an inconsistency in humanity as it directly goes against the instinct to protect oneself from danger
what is the key language from the rubric for the Texts and Human Experiences module?
- anomalies
- paradoxes
- inconsistencies
what is an anomaly in human experiences?
anomalies in human experiences are behaviours or motivations outside the norms and conventions of a particular social context
what is a paradox in human experiences?
paradoxes in human experiences are behaviours or motivations which do not make sense on the surface, and are contradictory
what is an inconsistency in human experiences?
inconsistencies in human experiences are behaviours or motivations which change in some way
