THE CRUCIBLE Literary Analysis Essay - PowerPoint Presentation

THE CRUCIBLE Literary Analysis Essay

The Individual Conscience “ There were moments when an individual conscience was all that could keep the world from falling apart.” Arthur Miller on The Crucible What does this quote mean? Paraphrase

MEANING OF QUOTE Author’s message: When people listen to their conscience, then justice, truth, and kindness will prevail. In the situation of the Salem witch trials, if people had used their conscience, then they would not have made accusations against others based on grudges, hatred, fear, or desire for more wealth. The lack of conscience is what fueled the hunt and led to Salem’s undoing.

Choose One Which character can you best evaluate for not following their moral conscience when it mattered? Reverend Hale Judge Danforth Mary Warren Reverend Parris

Supporting Evidence 1. Find 2 passages (2 pages in separate Acts) that show the character… Deliberately ignoring his/her conscience Being slow to act upon his/her conscience Wavering back and forth (outside forces interfering) 2. Tag at least 2 pages/passages in 2 separate Acts and then get teacher approval. When choosing the 2 passages, ask yourself this question: Is this passage the best piece of evidence to prove that this character lacks or struggles with his or her moral conscience?

YOU MUST ANALYZE ! It is NOT ENOUGH TO quote and then JUST SAY that the character lacks a moral conscience. YOU MUST SHOW HOW they lack the fortitude to do the right thing or struggle with their conscience. What clues in the dialogue and stage directions reveal the character knows he is not following his conscience?Word choiceactions & reactions Facial expression, posture, demeanor/behavior, & feelings that obviously show or imply the characters… and/or A. disregard, negligence, ignorance, indifference, carelessness, etc. B. guilt, remorse, sorrow, regret, shame, pang of conscience etc .

Create a Graphic Organizer for each Passage Type of Evidence A. Ignorance, Disregard B. Guilt, Remorse Word Choice (quote dialogue) Actions/Reactions (paraphrase) Facial expressions, posture, behavior, demeanor, & feelings (quote stage direct.)

Essay Introduction Fill in the blank to form your claim In the play The Crucible , Arthur Miller reveals his purpose through the characters. Miller’s characters send a clear message and warning to the audience that the cause of Salem’s “falling apart” is due to a loss of the “individual conscience.” It is indisputable that (fill in character’s name) stands out as the character who most recklessly (a) disregards his/her moral conscience or (b) hesitates in following his/her moral conscience , which ultimately impacts the outcome of the play.

“The Meat” 2 body paragraphs 1 passage analyzed per body paragraph Evidence : word choice, actions/reactions, demeanor, facial expressions, mood, and feelings. Have variety and 3 pieces of evidence from the passage. Bulk of body paragraphs need to be your analysis of the character instead of quotations. Proportions should be at the most 75/25 (75% writer’s analysis and ideas & 25% quotations).

Embedding Quotations Following a quote! Do NOT translate the words of the speaker The objective is to explain the significance of the quote and how it shows the root cause. You chose this quote to prove your thesis, so explain how it emphasizes/highlights your theory about The Crucible . Do NOT end a paragraph on a quote. You must analyze it for… and/orA. disregard, negligence, ignorance, indifference, carelessness, etc. B. guilt, remorse, sorrow, regret, shame, pang of conscience etc .

Proper Quote Embedding Introducing the quote/passage Set the scene: Parris protects his ego instead of following his conscience, and this is evident based on Parris’ fear that “ “ (36). Refer to your quote embedding sheet on the 3 types of embedding: When Mary Warren uses the words “________,” “_______,” and “_______,” these imply that she is feeling… Recording the quote: In-text citations & more Include page number in parenthesis after the quote (41) or (41-42) ? and ! place inside the “ ” When you quote stage directions, italicize and put quotes around them.

STRUCTURE OF A BODY PARAGRAPH 1. First body paragraph = the first passage that appears chronologically in the play. For instance, present passage/evidence in Act 1 before Act 3. 2. Order your evidence within the paragraph from STRONG, STRONGER, to STRONGEST . 3. Write your paragraph by presenting your evidence piece by piece like a lawyer would. After each piece of evidence is presented, make sure to explain and analyze it. 4. Transition from piece to piece by including transitional words and ideas.

SANDWICHING The “meat” of your sandwich needs bread. Include Topic & Concluding Sentences to your body paragraphs. Well-constructed topic and concluding sentences provide a road map for readers and add consistency.

Topic Sentences First sentence of the body paragraph Must align with thesis (claim) Should not be a quote Should not include a specific detail or example Should use transitional wordsShould indicate the topic of that paragraphExamples:In the second Act of the play, Arthur Miller reveals the bud of Reverend Hale’s growing guilty conscience. By Act three, Mary Warren is at war with her conscience.During the final moments of the play , Judge Danforth blatantly disregards his conscience for the sake of self-protection; not even his own guilt will stop him.

Concluding Sentences The concluding sentences… Should not include a specific detail or example Should not be a quote Should not be the explanation of a quoteEach paragraph should end with a concluding sentence that…Circles back to summarize the main point of the paragraph.Aligns with the claim.Wraps up the paragraph with a nice neat bowExample: Through Judge Danforth’s actions, Arthur Miller is yet again stressing the social ill of not exercising one’s moral conscience in a time of need.

STRUCTURE OF A BODY PARAGRAPH Topic sentence (echoes claim) Explain the TYPE of evidence to be presented to show the characters negligence or guilty conscience. Present strong evidence (quote or example) Analyze this supporting evidence Repeat process for steps 3 & 4 for second and third piece of supporting evidence (stronger and strongest). Concluding sentence (Incorporate Author’s purpose. What message has Arthur Miller revealed through the character?)Revise: Add transitional words, phrases, and sentences to build a stronger paragraph and smooth out jumps in evidence & ideas .

Conclusion Restate Thesis Evaluate: Quick comprehensive review of why character did not exercise his or her individual conscience appropriately. Extend: Explain Arthur Miller’s message/purpose Clincher: A final sentence  that may reinforce an overall argument or leave the reader with a memorable and intriguing thought. Meet the reader’s needs by ending an argument on a complex topic in a clear, straightforward way.

ORGANIZATION Topic Sentence Explain the first TYPE of evidence to be used Present evidence Analyze Evidence Repeat the process with the next two pieces of evidence. Concluding Sentence Revision Step: Add transitional words & phrases. Add linking explanatory sentences for fluency of ideas.

MLA Format UTILIZE CLASS WEBSITE: http://triveng.weebly.com/mla.html 1” margins 12-point font & Times New Roman Entire document double spaced Indent ¶s Header with name, teacher, class, & date Appropriate title (not the name of the assignment): must be clever and contain the title of the novel and the author. Ex. Getting to the Heart of the Problem: Jealousy in Arthur Miller’s The CrucibleTitle of The Crucible in italics

In-text Citations & Works Cited In-text Citations Appear at the end of the sentence before the period Only first ( ) must contain author’s last name ie . (Miller 54). Works Cited Page Sources If essay ends on page 3, then the Works Cited is on page 4 Sources: The Crucible ( Book 1 Author) Sample Works Cited Page: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/12/

Other Writing Tips No first or second person (I, me, my, we, us, you, your). Third person only. NO: Thus , I believe that the root cause of the Salem Witch Trials and the madness that griped this community is the social ill of conformity. YES: Thus, the root cause of the Salem Witch Trials and the madness that gripped this community is the social ill of conformity. Write in present tense No: Mary followed Abigail and the other girls in order to fit in and to feel self-important. YES: Mary follows Abigail and the other girls in order to fit in and to feel self-important.

The Crucible: Allegory Allegories are written in the form of fables, parables, poems, stories, and almost any other style or genre. The main purpose of an allegory is to tell a story that has characters, a setting that have both literal and figurative meanings. Examples: The Tortoise and the Hare from  Aesop’s Fables : From this story, we learn that the strong and steady win the race. The Hunger Games : This trilogy of young adult books is an allegory for our obsession with reality television and how it numbs us to reality.