Monday, October 6, 2014

Act 4 Blog

PLEASE READ THESE DIRECTIONS:
We are going to extend our Socratic discussion based on Act 4 of The Crucible. Answer my question first and I want you to respond to at least 2-3 others, make comments, and continue questioning one another.  In terms of comments toward one another, make sure you focus on the real world implications of this text, discussing what is significant and what we can actually take away.
I do not want one word responses; I expect formal writing and intelligent thought showing your discerning observations and analysis. Please keep in mind the ideological statements and central questions as a means of helping you to analyze further.  Depth is a must!


You must choose between question 1 or 2 and everyone must do #3.

1.  As you read this act, what spoke to you the most or evoked the most emotion?  What quote was the most powerful and why?  Make sure you really reflect on what Miller shows through the quote and why.


2.  Think about the definition of an allegory; we know this text is an allegory for the time period during which Miller lived.-list 2-3 characters, events, or facets of setting that you think are allegorical from the play and what do they correspond to specifically?

*3.  As a result of reading the play and seeing the movie, are you more interested in what actually happened in Salem in 1692, what actually happened during McCarthyism in the 1950s, what happens when an illicit teenage lover is spurned, the effects of infidelity on a married couple, etc. (these are just ideas, but there are obviously more)?  What is it about Miller's work that prompts your interest? (Question from Margo Burns)  Hence, tell me what you really walk away with in terms of what this play can teach us on a humanistic level.  This is a critical, yet subjective response and  I expect a detailed.

When you finish, make sure you ask questions and begin responding to others. Make sure to respond to different people; challenge one another, question each other; help each other to see more.

48 comments:

  1. 1. After reading Act IV, what spoke to me the most was some of the character's bravery. There were many characters that would accept death, rather than admitting to witchcraft, such as Rebecca. Proctor also displayed his bravery when he would not risk blackening his name by admitting to witchcraft, so he accepted death instead. The most powerful quote that I came upon was, "How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" I found this powerful because I liked how Miller stated that Proctor's soul is already gone, and he doesn't want the good in his name to vanish too.

    3. After reading the play, I am very interested to learn more about what actually happened in Salem in 1692. I think it was smart of Miller to change what happened compared to what he wrote, I think he made accurate changes that didn't effect the play totally but they put a positive impact on it. This is also one of the reasons why I want to learn more about what actually happened, because Miller made changes to characters and I want to know what the people were actually like, and how they acted.

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    1. I agree with you, I am also interested in learning about what really happened in Salem in 1692. I think that he changed some of the details in order to teach the readers a lesson that he learned or witnessed during his time to something that similarly happened many years before. Do you think that the play would have been different if he didn't add the lessons about our world into it?

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    2. I think it was smart that he added the lessons into the play, otherwise I think it would have been sort of pointless. It also usually makes the play a little more interesting when the author puts some changes into it.

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  2. 2.) I think the message that the Miller was trying to tell through The Crucible is never get caught up in hysteria because it can snowball really quick and that never leads to good things. When people get scared, it can cause them to do things that they would usually never do just to save themselves. Almost all of the people of the village were blaming others to save themselves. I think the biggest "blamer" in the story is Abigail. Abigail was the one that was drinking the blood in the beginning of the story and she was blaming everyone so she wouldn't have to get punished. People need to stay strong with what they believe in and not let what people say change what they think.

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    1. I strongly agree with you and think that because of the hysteria of McCarthyism going around in the time of Miller's life, he was really trying to have his readers draw parallels from his book to modern times and to show people that sometimes you need to take a step back and see how ridiculous things really are. Many times throughout the book characters such as Proctor and Hale try to show how stupid the situation is, but because of the Hysteria, they are always shot down.

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  3. One thing that really spoke to me in this act is when John Proctor said “God is dead” near the end of act 3. At that particular moment in time he is being tried for dealing with the devil, after Mary Warren accuses him. What this quote really said to me is how Proctor had lost his belief not in God but the community in Salem, although it is taken literally by the court. What Miller is trying to show through this quote is how he’s lost his belief in America’s system of law, or America itself even. When Miller wrote this book, McCarthyism was at large, and a whole new kind of “witch hunt” was going on- for communists. Since this was going on it was very easy to relate to the Salem Witch Trials, and I feel like he spoke his mind through Proctor. This is especially true with this quote, where Miller showed us that he lost faith in America.

    Some things that I walk away with after reading this play is to be steadfast, because although John ultimately dies for what he believes in, he is redeemed from his past mistakes. Also instead of lying and going against his own ideals and beliefs to stay alive like many people he tells the truth like many other good people in the play. In other words, standing up for what you believe in will make you happier, even if you lose. For instance, let’s say theres a bully at school who beats kids up for lunch money. Everyone’s scared to go up against him because then they’ll get beat up too, until you decide to stand up for yourself. Even if he beats you up, you’re still a happy person because you stood up against him, also lessening the bullys power over other people.

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    1. I do agree that standing up for yourself and what you believe will have a positive impact on you but I don't believe that Proctor was happy to die or that a kid would be happy he got beat up. I think both the hypothetical bully victim and John are just less fearful of the unknown possibilities because they chose one path and discovered the end result.

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    2. I agree that when Proctor says "God is dead" that is one of the most significant quotes in the whole book. Though he is making a valid point about how Salem's system of government is no longer based upon God do you think he understood what saying that would put him at risk for? Do you think he said that on purpose and sacrificed his name for a reason?

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    3. Honestly I think that Proctor said that to fully prove his point. The court was tusking God as their defense but they were condemning people under the name for GOd which does not make sense. This is why reverend Hale was so apposed to the court, he couldn't stand that they were using Gods name for the reason to hang these people. I also do think that Proctor knew what he was getting himself into with saying that but didn't care at that point because he knew he was right. Do you think what Proctor said was justified?

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    4. I agree with you, I was also surprised when John Proctor said, "God is dead." I thought this was a great quote at the end of the book because it kind of put a turn on everything and it really grabbed my attention. Do you think Arthur Miller thought this quote was going to be as intriguing as it is?

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  4. Reading act 4. I was absolutely compelled by how John Proctor died for a cause, He confessed his major sin of cheating on Abigail, "She thinks to dance with me on my wifes grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whores vengeance." This quote is so powerful in my mind, because John finally went against the grain and took a huge stand for what he believed in. He did it to save his wife, and he took himself down and admitted to a terrible sin. What Miller shows to us through this quote his how despite John took himself down by admitting to his sin, this is the only way he can be happy by doing the right thing.

    After watching the movie and reading the play, I am interested in what happened in Salem. It is a very interesting topic, it is also very real how it connects to the red scare and McCarthyism. In millers work, it interests me how he was able to compare two political scandals, that were very similar but took place about 350 years apart from each other. It is also interesting how he was able to gather so much information on a topic like the Salem Witch trials, which happened such a long time ago. It was cool how he could take the information and turn it into a very cool play/story. This tells a lot about humanity, and how harmful it can be to falsely accuse someone of a certain action. It shows the importance of honesty, and how someone's life can be completely destroyed by a false rumor. As humans we need to focus on ourselves, and not as much about putting others down.

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    1. I really like the quote you chose. I agree that is a really powerful thing for Proctor to say. What was the spark that finally made Proctor stand up for he believes in?

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    2. I think what sparked Proctor to finally stand up for what he believes in was the possibility of loosing his name. By confessing, Proctor was giving his soul to the court, but it also meant that his named would be ruined completely.

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    3. I agree with what you said at the end I think that one of the biggest issues that we encounter is that people do not like to take blame for something that happened to them because they do not want to believe they are the problem. It is easier to blame others than to blame yourself and I think that is why people often make false accusations on one another. Do you think that this will ever change in our society?

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    4. I think it all come down to honesty in the end, and when there's situations like this, it's hard to be honest. Usually people aren't honest and they try to cover themselves up by coming up with some sort of lie. Why do you guys think honesty is so difficult at times even though being honest is always the right choice?

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  5. 1. "Parris: 'Now Mr. Hale has returned, there is hope, I think-- for if he bring even one of these to God, that confession surely damns the others in the public eye, and none may doubt more that they are all linked to Hell. This way, unconfessed and claiming innocence, doubts are multiplied, many honest people will weep for them, and our good purpose is lost in their tears' " (Miller 128).
    "Proctor, with a cry of his whole soul: 'Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given my soul; leave my name!' " (Miller 142). These two quotes really resonated with me because it shows that everyone in the world is somewhat selfish and fears what others think of them. Parris has a job, a child, money, a home, and "freedom", yet he still worries about his image in the eyes of others. He worries more about people doubting him and the trials than he does about the humans that are being killed. Proctor is on his death bed and contemplates lying just to save himself, but he is unwilling to give up his name/identity in the town to do so. Proctor and Parris are opposites and yet both worry about image and I think that all people in Salem and the modern world worry to some degree about image as well.


    3. After reading the book, watching the movie, and completing the Witchy Witchy Webquest I am very curious about what actually happened in Salem. I want to figure out which relationships were real and which relationships he tweaked to make the story more interesting. This would really shed light on what messages Miller was really trying to get across. Although learning about the relationships of Salem would be very interesting, I am mostly interested to learn what role Ergot had in the witch trials. It would be very cool to be able to figure out who was under the influence of ergot, and who was not, and how that may have affected each persons behavior. I think that throughout the play Miller tries to expose the true nature of humans beings and show how experiences shape the invisible drive of each individual. I think that this idea shows that humans all have some similar characteristics such as selfishness, and self consciousness, but each person also has their own experiences and own drive that shapes who they are; humans can not be lumped into one group to determine motives and the "ideal" human because each person is completely different.

    Do you think the people of Salem would have been capable/ as willing to hold and execute the witch trials to the extent they did if they were not under the influence of ergot?

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    1. I think that it would have been possible for the trials to go to the extent that they did, but I'm not sure if they would've been an inevitable event. The girls wouldn't have had the strange episodes of seizures and such. If they were pretending from the get go, I think it would have been hard for them to come up with what ergot made them see, hear, and feel. But if they were exclusively pretending, I think the town would've believed it just as easily.

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  6. 2. I think the message that Miller was trying to get across to his readers is to not get caught up in the madness of life; only allow people to positively influence you. It is human nature to go blaming other people for your own wrong doings. But, it is up to us to overcome that and stay true to yourself. You want people to trust you and if you go and blame other people for what you did, like they did in The Crucible, it will cause a lot of conflict in your life. I think the person who blamed others the most is Abigail. She drank the blood and then wanted to get out of everything she did so her solution was to blame others which caused a chain of other people in the story doing the same thing.
    3. After reading/ seeing the The Crucible in different forms, I want to know how everything happened in Salem. I want to know which relationships were told the same way in the story and which ones were changed for entertainment. But, going beyond that I want to know what happened in the whole story and what was changed. I want to know what Miller changed exactly, he made everything in the story fit perfectly. I want to know what he changed that changed the story the most.

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    1. Using the knowledge you now have what do you think actually happened in Salem? How does it compare to what we read and watched?

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  7. 1. What amazes me the most in act four would be the courage and bravery or lack there of that people started to gain/loose. Danforth was talking to people about how weak Paris has become. Paris is freaking out about what the town will think of him and his name. Speaking of names John proctor would prefer to die than have his name "blackened" in the village. On page 143 " because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!" Proctor would die for his name. That says a lot.

    3. I was intrigued leading about the Puritanical culture but I don't think I would want to learn anymore in my free time. It was really interesting to see the beliefs of other people and what they would stand up for. It was even interesting finding out what people thought. I think the mystery and deception really pulled me in. I was curious to find out what would happen and to whom. I think Abigail Williams was the most interesting because of how she had people wrapped around her finger at such a young age.

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    1. I agree with you that the fact that Proctor would die for his name says a ton about his character because that was all he was truly dying for, he had no hope of going to Heaven. Reputation is a tricky thing, and I am wondering if Proctor did the right thing and if in some cases, reputation is truly worth dying for?

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    2. I agree, I think that Miller kind of left us hanging. He gave a short blurb at the end giving some details, but only few characters stories got wrapped up. Despite my curiosity, I too do not desire spend my free time studying the play and or the lives/deaths of actual people of Salem.

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    3. I think it is very interesting that Parris weakens as Proctor grows braver, I think that this point in the book was a breaking point, everyones "true self" came out in a way. It shows how a hysteria like this can either break you down or it can drive you to overcome the situation in order to do good.

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    4. I don't necessary think that reputation is worth dying for, I think that dying to save your reputation is the same thing as dying for what you believe in. I feel that reputation is more selfish.(you have to much self pride to give up), But dying for what you believe in is more to help others and open their eyes to what is really going on.

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  8. 1) What spoke to me most as I read the end of this book is how Proctor died. Unlike, Rebecca and the others, he was already damned for committing adultery, and he knew that if he didn't confess he was going to be hung and then going to hell. Therefore, the fact that he didn't commit is even more powerful and shows a lot about his character and makes one ponder what is truly worth dying for. On page 136 this is shown when Proctor says, "I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before." This quote shows how if Proctor lied and confessed he would have lived and in the end still faced the same fate. So the fact that he didn't confess just to save his name and set an example for his kids is really powerful.

    3) As far as learning more history about what really happened in Salem I am not really interested in learning about it at all. The story has made an impression in my mind and I can take a lot away from what happened, so learning what really happened might just ruin the book for me a little bit. I am interested in learning a little more about how trust in a relationship changes over situations. This was a huge theme that Miller brought up multiple times, and is something that is very relevant in the world around us. Although I do believe Miller portrayed the trust between the characters very well throughout the play, I would be a little interested in seeing some other examples of how trust has played a major role in important relationships throughout history.

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    1. I agree with you I think that one of the biggest ideas that Miller was trying to show us is how you can fully trust someone one day but then as soon as the situation changes or something comes up the trust is broken. With this people start to falsely accuse one another on thing they did not do. How do you think this relates to the lives we live today?

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    2. I think today people want to trust everyone but they need to be given a reason to put trust in others. People are hesitant to put trust in others. Today people don't give the trust so its not as easily broken. What do you think makes us so hesitant to trust people?

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  9. 1. What spoke to me the most in act four was the sacrifice of Rebecca, Proctor, and even Elizabeth. Life is precious, sacrificing it isn't taken lightly, and it wouldn't be an easy thing to do. Elizabeth made a sacrifice in a way here because she didn't want to lose her husband, but she knew what the right thing was, and didn't change Proctor's mind. The quote that was most powerful to me was when Elizabeth said "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!" This was the most powerful partially because its the last quote of the play, but its also because of the message behind it. Its better to die with the smallest shred of goodness still in you than dying with nothing at all. If she convinced him to "confess" than everything he'd been fighting for would be gone. He would live the rest of his life with that weight on his shoulders, and it would rest on the shoulders of his family too.
    3. What prompts my interest most about Miller's work was the hysteria. How illogical and barbaric people become of hysteria, and the great lengths it causes people to go. Its scary how easily people break and what they'll believe. But what I walk away with, what could be taught on a humanistic level is the strength of people like Proctor. Even though most people will be broken down by the fear, that doesn't mean everyone will. Its important to stay strong and stick up for what you believe in, even if that means getting put down by everyone else. But its also important to know that you aren't always right, and to have the strength to consider the logic of others (I mean if you were someone like Danforth).

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  10. After reading act 4 of The Crucible, The main character John Proctor really spoke out to me near the end because of his persistent bravery to stand up to the courts. During his hearing where he was supposed to sign his confession, he brings out all the corruption of the courts and shows it to the people of Salem. I guess you could call it his last stand. This strong farmer and influential figure in Salem was brought to his knees in tears expressing his thoughts on the situation. It was the end to logic. An end to belief but he still fell. Crying out he yells, "Damn the village! I confess to God, and God has seen my name on this! It is enough!" but they believe him just saying it isn't a confession. They want him fully broken down but he resists until the bitter end.

    Taking away from this reading, I am more interested in McCarthyism in the 1950's because it has an actual historical factor that I can see. Arthur Miller did a great job at relating the Salem witch trials to the McCarthy hearings by showing us the corruption and force of one sided opinions. In which case everybody was put onto trial and everybody was guilty until proven innocent. Even then it gave them a bad name at the time. Relating to John Proctor, how he didn't want his name to be spoiled by witchcraft, the celebrities and politicians didn't want their name to be squandered by communism. This truly shows how humanity works because we tend to follow the larger groups and and up on those who don't believe in it. I still see it today in our society so i see no way of stopping it until we all come to a single sense of logic. Call it conformity but when you really think about it, it makes sense.

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  11. 1) What I found most impactful in Act Four was the bravery of John Proctor to finally stand up for what is right and sacrifice his life for his beliefs. This is very significant because throughout the story Proctor is characterized as being "suspicious" and a bad Christian because he does not attend church. But in the end he is one of the only people that proves that he has genuine intentions towards his beliefs, which contradicts what the other people thought about him. The most impactful quote I found is on page 143, Proctor is talking to Danforth ," Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" Proctor is really trying to express that giving up his life to be a good example to the others is worth stopping the chaos in Salem. The only thing he has that is valuable to Salem is his name, by that he means his "legacy", he wants to put is name out there as being a good person by doing to the right thing and setting an example, he doesn't want to be known as a lair. He feels that he is not a very good person in the first place so the only thing he has left to restore his name is to not lie to save his life.

    3)After reading "The Crucible" I am interested in learning more about what really happened in Salem in 1692. After reading this I walked away with a different idea on how ego/selfishness and a persons morals tend to contradict under societies pressures. For example Miller expresses a lot about how the people of Salem did not want to spoil their name, yet they all have hidden some type sin that they are hiding from others. Also the people of Salem would put themselves before their morals by lying to save their lives.

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    1. I agree Chelsea.. Proctor finally standing up for what's right is a huge step for Salem. Because now the villages know that Proctor felt so strongly about it that he was willing to die to prove a point.

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    2. Going of Payton's point I think Proctor standing up for what he believes in and taking the fall for his wife gives people less opportunity to place blame on others for their actions. He admitted to his wrong doing and was put to death. People can't challenge someone admitting something when put to death.

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    3. I agree with all of the above. I think that the ultimate leason that was shown here was that doing what you think is right is always better then doing what others think is right. Standing up for what you believe in when everyone else around you isn't truly shows character and your moral strength. Also when he did what he did that opened the eyes of others not only that they shouldnt be afraid of the consequences but that either way your going to die so you should do what is right.

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  13. 3. The message Arthur Miller was trying to give us in The Crucible, is "don't just follow the majority of people if you know they are wrong." Be a leader and stand up for what you believe in. Everyone in The Crucible was a coward, also Abigail pisses me off to a new level because she blamed so many people for witch craft and it ended up hurting an innocent human. When people get scared, it can cause them to do things that they would usually never do just to save themselves. No one wants to stand up for what the believe in. I would like to believe that if I was put in the same situation of Proctor I would stand up for what I believe in..Like he did. Abigal deserved to be hanged because she literally caused so much drama in the town. Also her who life was based on lies. To conclude I think the message of the story is.. Stand up for what you believe in...

    2. The quote that made me think of the whole book was the cut scene in Act Two, Scene 2. Proctor says to Abigail "You mad, you murderous bitch!"(pg. 152). This quote effected me the most because it is true! None of this would have happened if Abigail just confessed to doing witch craft. Proctor didn't have to die. Proctor stood up for what he believe in and paid the ultimate price. It just mind boggles me how naive the village is.

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  14. 1) In act IV I thought that there were a lot of very impactful quotes. To me the most powerful one was on page 143 when John Proctor says "Because it is my name!...I have given my soul; leave me my name!" I think that this is a very powerful quote because Proctor is talking about how the court took basically everything that he has and all he wants to keep in his life is his name so that he knows inside that he did not "give up" himself to the court and he stood up for what he believed in and stayed true to himself and his morals. I think that he also wanted to preserve his name so that his kids will grow up with his name and not be ashamed of it. I also thought that this was a powerful quote because he doesn't want to display that he confessed to the false accusations that were place on him. To add on if he did let the court put his confession on the wall that would prove to the people of Salem that they have power over their people when in reality they don't.

    3) I think that I am more interested in what happen in Salem in 1692. I am very interested in the idea that this all started from one girl who believed she was bewitched and as more and more people heard about it and started to believe it the more the hysteria grew. I think is relates very well the what happened to Arthur Miller. It just took a very small group of people to start such mass chaos. As a whole something I took away from reading the crucible is that in life you have to pick and choose what you want to believe in and stand up for. I think that most people tend to believe in or similarly believe in the same morals and ideas that their parents did. However some choose to believe in their own morals and not follow what everyone else is doing. I believe that we need more people like John Procter in the world who don't just follow everyone else but actually stand up for something they truly believe in.

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    1. I agree with you. Proctor wanted to ensure that his kids have a safe upbringing and if he confessed to enacting witchcraft his family would be treated poorly for many generations. Proctor is a responsible father and he set out to stand up for the other non-believers in the community.

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    2. I agree as well. Proctor not only wanted to ensure a safe upbringing of his kids but he wanted to shows his kids the right thing to do. Not to fall into pure pressure and to stick with what you know is the right thing to do even if there is a consiquence. Also that if youre going to die it should be for something you believe in so you can leave a legacy.

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  15. 1. What spoke to me when reading the end of the book was John Proctors bravery and courage. He didn’t have to be honest when he died. He choose to die with dignity instead of worrying about his reputation among the town. When he confesses his affair with Abigail and took a stand to save his wife and other people in the town. On page 136 Proctor states, “I think it is honest, I think so; I am no saint.” I think this is a very powerful quote because he is showing that we all have things we do wrong and we need to face them, but facing them doesn’t make us a hero. When Elizabeth is telling him she has thought no judgment on him and earlier on page 137 states, “John- I never knew such goodness in the world!” I think this just shows how John wasn’t willing to except her forgiveness on his sin because he knows it was wrong. What John does know is that he is at peace now and has self pride for admitting his wrong doing. What I took away from this scene is sometimes it takes a lot of courage to say the things that need to be said. The things you say that need to be said are altogether what earns you the respect and self pride that makes you not fear death as much.

    3. I am not as interested in what happened in Salem in terms of what I take away from what I’ve read or seen. Then again I am to learn the history of the situation and to learn from the mistakes of the people that lived in Salem at the time. In terms of the play and book I walked away with learning that religion can be a cause for a lot of problems. It was an eye opener because you always think religion unites people. Religion causes issues with the law and can change peoples values in a negative way because they can turn to wrong doings as a relief for their tension. From the play, I also took away tendencies people get when a large disruption of problems occurs. Most people tend to blame others right away and look for a way to get out of their responsibilities. I think the book taught me a lot about myself and about how naïve I am about religion's affects.

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    1. I agree with you on how Proctor was so brave. Many people lied and blamed others just to save their own lives but he really earned his way to heaven by admitting what he's done wrong and telling the truth that no one was willing to bring up.

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  16. 1. The quote that really helped me define the book and the protagonist, Proctor was "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given my soul; leave my name!" (Miller 142). This quote told me what Proctor values the most, honor and dignity. In the quote, Proctor is basically saying that he would rather have no life than a blackened name. This is a powerful part of the book because Proctor is giving his life away so that his family can prosper under a respectable title. Proctor sacrificed himself for the benefit of his family and this shows how selfless Proctor became in the end.

    Miller does a good job of finding a way for Proctor to become who he originally was, a figurehead of the non-believers. Proctor realized that he has to stand up for the community and uphold his state of nobility, so he sacrificed himself for the greater good. He also defied the girls and the accusers and certainly made Abigail regret her decision to start this turmoil.

    3. After reading the book and watching the movie, my interest in this matter has grown slightly but I am definitely more intrigued by McCarthyism. The fact that the red scare was a national issue and how Americans were turning each other in is very interesting to me. Government propaganda influenced the public to hate and think down upon Russia and the Soviets. This was a much more widespread hysteria and that is why I am more interested. As for 'The Crucible", I have learned that just because an event or idea is widely supported doesn't mean that it is morally just. For a long time in the U.S. slavery was legal and supported by millions and yet, millions more slaves that were abused and killed. What seemed like a fair concept was eventually outlawed around the world.

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  17. After reading act 4 I was taken back by some of the characters bravery/realization. John Procter died for something that he believed in and while this whole hysteria was happening that was a noble thing to do. John displayed courage, he knew that he was going to die one way or another so he died for something right something that was gonna make him happy and not fall into the pure pressure of fitting in with society. One quote that stood out to me was "He says he is a good man if he does not confess and be hung" this shows his pride in what he stood for.

    After reading this book I was in aw in how easily people could betray what they stood for and fall into pure pressure and lies. I also found many similarities in our society today and their society back then. I learned that sticking to what you know and what you stand for is always best and that no matter what happens around you, you should be confident in your beliefs and yourself. Historically from this book it spark my interest that one girl/ person could distroy and turn a whole society and this was purely becuase of their views and religion not their morals or common sense.

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    1. I like the point you made about how he displayed courage. A quote about courage is courage is being scared of something but doing what scares you anyways. I think that is exactly what Proctor did and that is why he dies with dignity.

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  18. 1. What impacted me the most when reading the crucible you saw that more than one character proposed that the girls were frauds but the court wouldn't hear it. It just spoke to me because it shows how ignorant people can be. The girls were obviously were lying but there beliefs got in the way from the reality of life. No one is perfect especially these "children". Miller provokes anger in this book with these children because personally I was mad that only a few of the towns people saw the truth. I think miller wants the reader to get this way show how frustrating it is when something so obvious can be overlooked.

    2. After reading this play I walk away with a new outlook on what people will do to save themselves. When the children start to mention names of witches, it is to save themselves from being punished. Not only later do they do it to get back at others. It teaches me that there are a lot of cruel people in the world that don't care about anything as long as it doesn't affect them. No, I don't believe there is only evil in the world but the play just showed me that it exists. It interests me what people will do just to save themselves. The probability of any of us ding for what we believe in are very slim because no one wants to die. Death is this unknown happening and I don't know any one who would accept it so easily. Miller did a great job of showing how quick people are to saving themselves.

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    1. I agree with you on how you said that how this book proves that everyone is selfish. It really doesn't make a different between modern people and people back in the days when it comes to that and this book shows it.

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  19. 1. In Act 4, it really hit me when Proctor rips off the confession paper and stood up for what he believed in and for his name, choosing to die instead. It made me emotional because he chose to leave a good name behind and for his children and family and showed that he cared for them, and also because when others couldn’t really confess the truth, Proctor did even though many didn’t approve.

    3. I am more interested in what really happened in Salem and during McCarthyism because Miller makes the play really dramatic and so tragic that I wanted to find out what the real story was behind it. Although this play is not one hundred percent real, it really makes me curious what actually happened because it is interesting how people take it as, like a witchcraft, and many other interpretations. This play really shows how innocent and sheltered Puritans were.

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  20. The most powerful quote that I found in this text was, "God sees my name; God sees how black my sins are". This connected with me because of the weight behind it and the figurative language. When all Proctor wanted was to be left with a shred of dignity and pride, after he confessed, it was almost heartbreaking to see him come so close to being stripped of it.

    What most interests me in this play is the effect of manipulation on a community. It makes me curious on wether this happens in today's world. Are our politics corrupt and run by lies? If so, how did they get like this? Can we fix them? Will we be able to even discover it? This book makes me question the day to day running a of our own lives

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