Ivan

Use of Stage Directions in The Crucible (1) (Hypothetical perspective of Arthur Miller) I use stage directions in my play to set and foreshadow various tones within the scene doesn't make sense to me. To do this I constantly use the description of the character’s feelings and background on their situation in order to illustrate the type of atmosphere that is present. At the beginning of Act one, we can see an example of how I illustrate the feelings Parris is experiencing through the description of the scene. “A candle still burns near the bed, which is at the right”. In this quote it is evident that Parris is in extreme apprehension as he has been unable to sleep. This is represented by the fact that the candle burned through the night and was never blown off in order to fall asleep. quite a lot of your paragraph spent on an insignificant detail This along with other quotes sets the tone of unease which is experienced all through the beginning of the first act especially in the interrogative dialogue. Further on I state in the stage directions the sense of confusion that is occupying Parris’s mind and it’s affect on him. “A sense of confusion hangs about him. He mumbles, then seems about to weep; then he weeps, then prays again; but his daughter does not stir on the bed”. I denote the uncertainty here because it aids again to set the apprehensive tone. This stage direction sets this tone because of the state of unease represented by the confusion and the mumbling. Also the desperation evident due to the weeping and praying of Reverend Parris illustrate the same feeling. In this extract it depicts Parris’s current emotion and foreshadows the unease that the other characters will also feel. These stage directions were crucial in writing this play because it would otherwise be harder for the viewers/readers to get a sense of the tones present. more quoting needs to be well integrated into this

Catalysts in The Crucible (2) The ability Abigail has to manipulate and beguile the town’s people of Salem gives her the ability to falsely accuse the countless people for witchcraft leading to the death of 17 of them while turning any hints of blame away from herself to others. Her manipulative skills are the catalyst in the play because it allows for the calamity to occur. From the beginning of the play, we can already see Abigail’s ability to cover up her mischief when being questioned for having attempted to conjure spirits. In act one Abigail is able to turn all of the blame that was put on her towards Tituba by relentlessly drawing countless false accusations that declare her guilty of compacting with the devil “She made me do it!” and “She makes me drink blood!”. Abigail uses words like “made/makes me” to claim that she had been pressured into compacting with the devil instead of having had the initiative and desire to do so. In the quote “She sends her spirit on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer!” we can see that she also takes advantage of the situation to blame other sins of hers on Tituba. Although Tituba makes an effort to defend herself by stating the fact that Abigail begged for her to conjure, she is overrun by the numerous accusations made by Abigail and is unable to prove her innocence. Again in act three, Abigail exhibits these skills of manipulation on characters of the highest authority who helplessly fall to her trap. Danforth, possibly the character with the most authority and power is seemingly prohibited to blame Abigail in anyway possible. "Danforth, //Turning worriedly//: Is it possible, child, that the spirits you have seen are illusion only, some deception that may cross your mind when –." This quote contradicts Danforth's usual attitude as he would on most occasions speak in an aggressive tone when questioning the other characters. The fact that the stage directions denote the worry in his question to Abigail shows that he does not contain the power he usually has when speaking to Abigail. "Danforth: Child, I would have you consider it – Abigail: I have been hurt, Mr Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin' out!... and this is my reward?... Danforth, //weakening//: Child, I do not mistrust you – Abigail, //in an open threat//: Let //you// beware, Mr Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of hell may not turn //your// wits? Beware of it!" Here we see along with the reduced authority Danforth has the evident power she has over him. This is an example of how she is able to completely annihilate any option of accusing her by manipulating Danforth. In this same "scene", Abigail's ability to deceive is demonstrated when Abigail and her entourage pretend to be attacked by a force of Marry Warren's witchcraft. "Danforth, //himself engaged and entered by Abigail//: Marry Warren, do you witch her?" Once again Abigail is effectively able to escape any sort of blame by diverting the attention onto the "attack", inventing evidence, deceiving the judges and manipulating Marry Warren to the point that she can not contain herself: "//Mary Warren, utterly confounded, and becoming overwhelmed by Abigail's – and the girls'- utter conviction, starts to whimper... pointing at Proctor//: You're the Devil's man!//"// It is evident that throughout the play there is an incredible amount of influence Abigail has on the turnout of events. Although there are many reasons to why the plot developed the way it did, it is clear that the way she had been able to control and deceive the people of Salem contributed substantially to the development of the play.

Directing pages 108 – 109 in Act 3 (3)

In pages 108 – 109 the plot reaches a climax of tension in the enactment of the "attack" on Abigail supposedly done through Marry Warren's ability to send her spirit on Abigail. The tension in the atmosphere starts to develop franticly as more commotion and disorder accumulates in the scene. In order to portray the development of tension that is evident in this scene, the dialogue should start to rise in volume and in speed to create this sense of apprehension that is present. Coupled with this should be an evident sign of agitation in the movement of the characters similar to how Parris acted in the beginning of Act One. This needs to be enacted especially in Danforth’s questioning of Marry Warren because of the immense amount of pressure that is put onto the helpless girl. “Danforth: ...//He is an inch from her face.// Speak!” Examples like these demonstrate the stress that is forced onto Marry Warren who unlike Abigail does not possess the skill or able to escape it. It should be made clear that Marry Warren’s bearing starts to crumble under the pressure when acting the scene. To manifest the tension that she experiences, not only should her tone of voice express the tension but her posture should too. Marry Warren should have somewhat of an enclosed posture, one that represents her attempts to shield herself helplessly from the force put on her. Focus should be put onto her posture because it can clearly demonstrate whether the character is experiencing self assurance or uncertainty in her actions. The predominant tension in the scene should evidently increase till the end in which Mary Warren is unable compose herself and blames Proctor for compacting with the devil. It is important to focus on the rise in tension because it has lead many of the characters in the play to wrongly admit to witchcraft and to wrongly accuse others for witchcraft.

How relevant is "The Crucible" to contemporary society (5)

Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" is still very relevant in contemporary society because of how predominant the theme of Hysteria and fear still is in our society. These two states of mind can dominate the actions of people within a society because it develops a sense of unease and distress. Once in this state of mind, one looks for solutions and when met with none, desperation arises which can remove the filter protecting logic. The comparison made by Miller between the "witch-hunts" of the 1600s and the anti-communist hysteria of the cold war era dealt with themes that have echoed throughout history. The "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast of 1938 is an excellent example of how fear had created mass Hysteria. What was a radio drama Halloween special created a large panic in the USA. This is primarily due to the realism exerted in the broadcast and the lack of many reminders during the broadcast that stated it was fictional. Newspapers reported after the incident that citizens attempted to flea the cities they were in to avoid the apparent Martian attack and that many claimed they could smell poison gas and could see the destruction occurring in the distance. This is one of many examples which demonstrate the effect fear can have on population. There are many examples of mass hysteria that are still present in our modern society. It could be argued that the fear of terrorism in the USA after the September 11 Bombings created mass hysteria within the US population. Days after the Bombings of September 11th, there was a significant rise in crimes against Southeast Asians, Muslims and Muslim "looking" people in the USA. These Hate crimes were being reported across the whole country. These included attacks on religious sites on American soil some of which were not even Muslim mosques, Murder and Battery of Muslim "looking" people. Sikhs were also a main target in the uprising of hate crimes post September 11th. They were mistakenly perceived as Muslims for their beards and Turbans which were a part of religious tradition. The hysteria created did not only affect the actions of the population, it also lead the government of the USA to take action in what has been deemed by many to be excessive. One of many clear examples is the creation of the Guantanamo Bay detention centre. There have been numerous reports from released prisoners that accuse the US Government for conducting methods of interrogation that contradicted the Geneva Convention on prisoners of war and Human Rights Laws. The theme that is portrayed in the crucible reflected off of the "red scare", is still extremely relevant today because of how easily fear and hysteria can control people. This theme will most likely continue to be relevant in the future because of the inability the human race has had to learn from their countless mistakes regarding mass hysteria. Some interesting and detailed ideas here Ivan and you have a clear understanding of the opening of the play. At times you tend to overexplain which means that you lose a little clarity in your writing - please be careful with this in the future. I like your final paragraph which links the play to contemporary issues and ideas.

K&U - 4 Lit Features - 3 Interpretation - 3

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Iván Bosch Chen