Alex+G

__**Topic 1**__

You are Arthur Miller – write a short (300 word) paragraph explaining your use of stage directions in Act 1. You should focus on one specific area such as the building of suspense, the relationship between stage directions and tone, stage directions and characterisation e.t.c. However, you can choose anything which interests you.

The stage directions within Act 1 of the crucible are used to develop the characters as to emphasise what the meaning of their words are; in this case it would be to focus on the mounting tension between characters. The main method in which the stage directions are used is to set the scene and dictate precisely what the characters emotions are. For instance, in the opening scene the stage directions coupled with Parris’s diction gives us a clear portray of his character, “//He clamps his teeth against them [the tears], closes the door and leans against it, exhausted:// Oh, my God! God help me!” In this scene his daughter Abigail is lying ill in bed and the words that Parris wails is “help __me__” indicating that he is more concerned about his own image than the health of his daughter. The stage directions are also often singled out as a single emotion before the characters speak such as “Abigail: //innocently// (...) Abigail: //in terror// “ At this point we know that Abigail is blatantly lying to her uncle, and the stage directions emphasize that she is acting out the lie carefully as to convince her uncle fully that she is not mistaken. Therefore, we can state that the stage directions are used to a main effect of dictating the character of the play in detail and giving the reader a real sense of what is going on. 
 * __Topic 2 - 6th November __**

Earlier this week we began debating 'catalysts' and this was interesting in regard to our study of the play. The next topic response is simply who or what do you feel is the catalyst in The Crucible? As usual a 300 word response. Feel free to respond and comment on other students' opinions.

In my opinion, the main catalyst of the play is when Abigail finally discovers how much influence she could have over the court and John Proctor rejecting her; P20: “Abigail: Give me a soft word John, Just one. Proctor: No Abby that’s done with.” Followed by the scene on P40 with the accusation and conviction of Tituba upon Abby’s “confession”, “ Abigail: She made me do it! She made betty do it”. This is where Abigail finally realises that her desire for John Proctor can be satisfied with by manipulating the village into thinking that she can tell whether or not someone is a witch. I believe that the catalyst are the major events concerning Abigail within Act 1, as this will set the tone and story for the rest of the play; it marks the event that we see as the start of the witch hunt; all because Abigail realises that she can have manipulate the people to her free will and her advantage, in all circumstance, that she is always in charge.


 * __Topic 3 - 10th November __**

You are the director of the play. Choose an extract of between 1 and 2 pages from anywhere in the play and write a short paragraph explaining how you would direct this extract to convey an underlying sense of tension and hysteria.

Extract Chosen: From page 40: Abigail: I never called him! Tituba... Tituba; To page 42: Tituba: //frightened by the coming process:// Mister reverend, I do believe someone else be witching these children.

During the course of these two pages, we see (as mentioned in the previous topic) a crucial turning point in the play; it’s where Abigail comes to realise that she can manipulate and use the witch hunts to her advantage. In this scene we see Tituba crumble under pressure and admits to being in collaboration with the devil when threatened by Parris with being whipped and Putnam with being hung. Also during the course of this scene we see Abigail shift the blame upon Tituba for the accusations of witchcraft. The stage directions in this scene should definitely be significant to whatever the character is trying to achieve. This means that Tituba should genuinely be terrified in every sentence she speaks, where as Abigail will fear what is to become of her, but will not let herself be sentenced as the person to have done wrong in this scene, but rather the victim; this therefore would mean her stage directions would be exaggerated and highly emotional a (personal) example would be where Abigail says: I never sold myself! There, I would put any word in the lexical field of “innocence” followed by an underlining tone of accusation. This would show how much she can manipulate the people around her, but also would underline her sense of innocence that becomes vital for her when people are getting judged. For Hale I would have calm but accusative (as he is only trying to solve the matter but not being as forceful as Putnam). Parris’ stage directions should be directly parallel to Hale’s as this would show that he is trying his best to make himself seem as if he is one of the “good guys” per say.


 * __Topic 4 - Friday 13th November __**

Having just watched the film version of the film 'The Crucible' please write a paragraph focusing on how far you feel the film adaptation follows Miller's original play. Perhaps chose one area you can hone in on i.e. character, theme, atmosphere, structure e.t.c.

The structure of the film differs greatly from the one in the play. The most noticeable difference is the repartitions of the scenes within the play has been changed as to add dramatic effect within the film; the best example of this would be the scene between John and Elizabeth Proctor in their home, where rising suspicion and tension occurs between them. In the actual play this scene is set out to be just one, with the build up of John Proctor’s slight “distance” in mind from the whole conversation and the way that Elizabeth sort of bursts out with slight accusation and disappointment with him. In the film however, we see that this is varied throughout as to have a more growing sensation of what their relationship really is all about. This makes our interpretation of the book different to the film about the characters. For instance, in the play, this scene makes John Proctor seem less like a good man than he really is, for the way that he is portrayed to speak to his wife is unpleasant and “distant” from her. Yet in the film, the way that they have structured it suggests that he is in fact a good man who’s admitted fault and come to recognize that he has done something wrong (which in fact the perspective we are deemed to have on him by the end of act III and IV, both in the play and the film)


 * __Topic 5 - Monday 16th November __**

Find one article or research paper on The Crucible from the Literary Reference Center which you vehemently agree or disagree with a write a one paragraph response explaining why or why not. Make sure you are presenting your own ideas rather than simply summarising the article.

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This literary reference states that Arthur Miller “falls shorts at fusing the two genres [sex and fear, according to the opinionated narrator of the article]” He continues to suggest that Arthur Miller makes the characters of Hathorne and Danforth “pure evil”. However, I beg to suggest a contrary opinion towards these two statements in particular. The first part is that I disagree completely, first, with the way that the author of this article has interpreted the text. He tries to say that we are meant to take the plays meaning from the themes, I would argue that in fact the play is made to spur pathos upon the ignorance of the people at the time; the themes are only an underlining factor that would emphasize the reader’s pathos when taking in the crucible. The main source of Pathos, is our interpretation at these two intricate themes, they stir mixed emotions in our minds, conjuring what we think of Proctor, for example. Is it guilt or love that spurs him to sacrificing himself at the end? Or is it a mixture of both. The conclusion is that the crucible was designed to make us truly interpret every character differently for every different person reading it, and from this article alone, we can say that he successfully managed in doing so.

Well done Alex. These pargagraphs show a depth of knowledge and thought about the play The Crucible. You are clearly aware of character motivations and key thematic issues and your enthusiasm for the play (and literature) shines through. At times the paragraphs lack your usual sophistication and closeness of referencing and that is something to consider in future literary responses. However, your points are generally quite clear and interesting to consider. It's important for you to consider a redrafting of your work at all times (or careful proofreading) to make sure all sentences come across clearly. 