Beginning in February

The first day of class in February, we'll introduce Doubt by John Patrick Shanley.  It may be important to know in advance that this play does NOT have a satisfactory conclusion; there is closure but NOT certainty, and that that is intentional on the part of the playwright.

Initial discussion will focus on setting -- the importance of time & place in this play
Character - two major characters; two minor characters -- all of whom are important to this play
Conflict - note that this play is intended to make the reader or the audience question his/her own beliefs and ideas
Additional terms: metaphor; allegory; symbol; parable -- note that all three of these are related, specifically to the sermons the priest gives--what is the point?

It might help to view a clip from the film on You Tube - Doubt First Sermon


MORE  TO COME

Essay #1

Choose ONE of the following topics and develop into an analysis of approximately 600-700 words (3-4 double-spaced pages) in CORRECT MLA format, written in third person. Do not use "I" or "me" in developing your essay. Be specific. Analyze fully. Support all generalizations.

1. Using direct and indirect characterization and analysis of each act, trace the development of Rev. John Hale in Arthur Miller's The Crucible to ultimately contrast the reverend at the end of the drama with the man who enters in Act One. Through examining his words, actions, and character throughout the drama, explain how Hale is permanently changed.

2. John Proctor represents the lone individual who rises against the authority of the governing body and the society of Salem. Analyze each act to reveal the nature of Salem's society, the importance of conformity to its ruling body, and explain the threat that a man like Proctor poses.  (Hint: think of Acts I & II as presenting the theocracy & its authority and of Acts III & IV as presenting the court, with its authority.)

3. We evolve as human beings, yet some aspects of human nature never change. Identify at least three major elements of Salem society and its people that remain a part of our society today. What parallels can still be drawn between Salem of 1692 and America of the 21st century? Be specific in the examples that are chosen and explain thoroughly the similarities.

Great Example of Comprehension & Logic

Question: What is a  figurative "witch hunt"?   In what way was the "red scare of the 1950s very much like a "witch hunt"?

A "witch hunt" is a search for witches with no real proof, but a figurative "witch hunt" isn't a search for witches but can be compared to a witch hunt, making false claims to accuse people but what they're accused of doesn't exist or really isn't happening.

The "Red Scare" is very much  like a "witch hunt" because they were accusing people of communism but had no real proof.

Notes on Literary Analysis Con't . . .

Theme – Theme refers to the point (often plural) that the author has imbedded in his work. In English 1101, the student is told to make the thesis statement explicit, place it in the first paragraph, and use the remainder of the paper to support that main idea. Works of FICTION and POETRY are quite different. The art of literature stems, in part, from the author’s ability to use the entire story, novel, poem or play (even the best movies) to REVEAL the main idea IMPLICITLY (in most cases). Those works which are called “classics” deal with themes that are UNIVERSAL. A UNIVERSAL THEME is one which reveals human nature or some aspect of life that is experienced by people in any era and in any location; the author may have chosen Salem, Massachusetts, 1692, or Vietnam, 1964, or London, 1605, as the setting of his/her work, but what is revealed about people remains true for any time period. Human beings and the situations in which they get themselves involved hasn’t changed a great deal.

As with the case for character, theme can be traced through the novel or play. UNIVERSAL THEMES  in the Crucible (not all of the themes, by the way) include:

·         Guilt by Association or Accusation

·         The Nature of Authority

·         Peer Pressure

·         The Individual vs. Society

Scapegoating

Irony – There are 3 types of IRONY, all of which are important. Irony can make an individual chuckle or wince, depending on how it is used. It is irony that gives a “twist” to a story’s end and irony that enriches plot:

Verbal Irony – often like sarcasm; the speaker usually means the opposite of what he says

Dramatic Irony – not surprising, this irony most often appears in drama, but is not exclusive to drama; dramatic irony occurs when the audience is aware of a situation on stage which the characters are presumably UNAWARE. Suspense is created as the audience watches to see how the act or scene will unfold. Examples:

·         The overriding irony of the innocent vs. guilty in Salem

·         The irony that surfaces when Hale asks the Proctors to repeat their commandments

·         The irony that holds the greatest dramatic suspense when Elizabeth Proctor is brought into the courtroom to testify

Situational Irony – very much akin to PARADOX; often this accompanies dramatic irony, but also appears in FICTION. Situational irony is created when the OPPOSITE of what one expects, happens. Example: Abigail’s one desire is John Proctor; she leads the girls in crying “witch” on their neighbors, and ironically, Mary Warren, the shyest of all the girls, cries “witch” on Proctor, which condemns the man Abigail loves.

Symbolism – concrete to abstract; metaphors

• name symbolism - e.g., title, The Crucible; Mercy Lewis
• color - red; white; black (or darkness)
• numbers - not so much in Miller's drama, but significant numbers in general: 3; 40, 7
• time -- morning vs. evening; spring vs. winter, etc.

Allusion - DO NOT CONFUSE WITH ILLUSION!! - an allusion is a reference to something or someone else, usually in the past; it is often either historical, Biblical or literary.
Example: Act II, John Proctor speaks to Rev. Hale, "Pontius Pilate! God will not allow you to wash your hands of this!"

And minor elements of literature as well:

Significance of title - look for connections, plays on words, in MOST major literary works, the author gives great attention to the title - ask yourself what the title suggests, what does it remind you of; why would the author CHOOSE this title?

Character Foils- "foil" reflects - a character foil is a person who is  placed in a play, story or novel who, in some way, is compared to a major character, but UNLIKE the foil that reflects, character foils are often opposites - or at least significantly different; the reader sees this difference between characters because the two are often placed side by side.  Examples:  Rev. Parris & Rev. Hale; Deputy Gov. Danforth & John Proctor;  Abigail Williams & Mary Warren


LOOK for character foils in all the works we read (except poetry--any occasionally, there, too)

Suspense - the characteristic that makes the reader want to know what will happen next

Climax - the turning point; the moment of greatest dramatic intensity; after this point, in either play or (most) novels or stories, a decision is made or an act committed that changes everything from that  point to the final scene

Denouement - how things wind up -- in some novels, it's simply closure -- loose ends are tied up and a neat ending ensues--but not always; in dramas and thoughtful novels, the reader may be left hanging or wondering . . .  "the end" may not be so neat and tidy--more like real life

Notes on Literary Analysis . . . A Beginning

Literary Analysis is based on “reading between the lines,” with specific textual examples or references to support the analysis. Literary Analysis goes much deeper into a literary work than knowing the plot. Analysis takes time, requires that one re-visit the text.  Written analysis in 1102 most often revolves around a theme that can be traced throughout a novel or drama, a character who plays a significant role, irony or symbolism that occurs and underscores theme or an aspect of human nature, or even the setting that conveys atmosphere.

While there are stylistic differences between drama and fiction, there are important literary elements they share. Understanding how to go about analyzing those elements in one work is a skill that will carry over to future selections.

Setting – time & place but much more. Salem, Massachusetts, 1692 is a simplistic answer, just as it would be if a book was set in the Vietnam War in the mid 1960s. The atmosphere and the specific location the author chooses to use can indicate a point.  For example, where does each act of The Crucible take place?  What do those openings have in common?  The playwright is making a point about the Puritan community of Salem and its people.  What could it be? 

Character Analysis is inference derived from direct and indirect characterization. In The Crucible, Miller uses direct characterization for each major character before he/she speaks. For example, the audience is told that Abigail Williams is: a strikingly beautiful seventeen-year-old girl with “an endless capacity for dissembling.”  He is counting on the audience to know what seventeen year-olds could be like, what it was like to be that age in a setting like Salem, and he expects the audience to understand what “dissembling” means and that Abigail apparently does it all the time.  That’s a great deal to “read between the lines.”  In addition to direct characterization, though, Miller, through his drama that unfolds, uses indirect characterization to provide EVIDENCE of this statement.  Indirect characterization relies on the words spoken by a character, his/her actions or thoughts (if we are privy to those), and what other characters say to and about that person.

Character	Direct Characterization & page	Indirect Characterization/Support & page	Inference
Abigail

With all the information that can be gathered about a character from a re-examination to the text, it becomes much easier to compose a well-developed essay, with detailed support.

Inference – a conclusion based on what one perceives and what one already knows

Comments After the First Quiz

In case you're curious, this quiz was fairly average, as far as my quizzes go. Some are a bit easier; some are harder. Here are basic guidelines that may help on future assignments:

• English 1102 requires that you READ - THINK - WRITE. Read the book; don't rely on the movie for a quiz or an essay. Ever.
• Students must not only read the book, but also comprehend the book--use logic and critical thinking. You are expected to add 2+2.
• Do not waste time writing b.s. for discussion answers when you don't know what you're talking about. If you know that you're in the ballpark, think and develop your idea. If you have no idea, leave it blank, it's more dignified.

Please be aware that my lectures may be formal OR informal.  Formal lectures, given from a podium, or with powerpoint are limited. I much prefer informal lecture, which invite questions, comments, feedback from students. When I show you a clip from YouTube or seem to casually carry on a one-sided conversation, tell you about a society's expectations in 1692, it's not for my benefit. It may not seem important; you may be bored (for which I am sorry); but there is a definite connection to your reading.

Finally, a quiz is NEVER the ending study of a drama or novel in this class. It is barely the beginning. The more vital step is analysis.

The Crucible Images

The Salem Meeting House where the trials took place



The Trial of George Jacobs, a 19th century view of the trials

Reminder & Hints

Reminder:
Don't forget the quiz over The Crucible is scheduled for our next class, on Wednesday, Jan. 19th.
There are:
10 Character Matching, worth 2.7 pts. each
19 Multiple Choice on Plot, worth 3 pts. each
3 Short Discussion, worth 5 pts. each
Hints:
Don't completely rely on the film version; you need to read the play carefully and pay close attention to the description of the characters given by playwright Arthur Miller. 
Pay close attention to lengthy narration Miller gives in Act One.
Be sure you know the sequence of events -- known as PLOT -- otherwise simply stated as "what happens" in the drama.

Vocabulary for quiz over Crucible

Scapegoat – one who receives all blame

Dissembling – acting; pretending

Subservient – obedient; submissive

Villainous – infamous, wicked

Inert -motionless; lifeless

Expulsion – removal; discharge

Affidavit – sworn statement

Indictment – accusation

Theocracy – state ruled by the church

Ergot Possible Cause of Salem Witchcraft from How Stuff Works.Com

Were the American colonists drugged during the Salem witchcraft trial?

by Josh Clark

Salem Village in late winter of 1692 was a grey, bleak place. Between the immense forests inland and the vast, featureless sea, it felt like the world was closing in on the Puritan colonists who inhabited the area. Two tribes of Native Americans warred nearby. Smallpox had recently made its way through the population of about 500 people. "It was easy to believe in 1692 in Salem … that the devil was close at hand," writes historian Douglas Linder. "Sudden and violent death occupied minds."

The social structure, too, was under strain. Three new generations had been born into the village since the original colonists had arrived, each seemingly further from the staid, pious adherence to Biblical code that had driven the Puritans from Europe and into the American wilderness. Their original plans for a new Eden appeared to be going astray.

In February 1692 the devil, who lurked within every shadow of Salem in the Puritans' imaginations, showed himself. The villagers lashed out violently and wildly against him.

Nine months later, 37 people would be dead as a result of the witchcraft trials. They were killed at the hands of their fellow villagers -- people they had grown up with, worked with and known intimately. People who had turned on them.

­Colonists in the New World had been tried elsewhere for witchcraft, it wasn't necessarily rare. But never had any group so fully committed itself to what seemed like madness.

This is not to say that the Salem villagers were clinically insane in the winter of 1692. It's impossible to make such a judgment, but historians have searched for answers to this event since it happened. In 1976, one historian suggested that perhaps a naturally occurring hallucinogen lay at the heart of one of the darkest moments in America's history.

Ergot: Nature's LSD

In February 1692, Elizabeth [Betty] Parris, the daughter of the village's new minister, fell mysteriously ill. The 10-year-old girl began to exhibit strange behavior -- barking at her father, throwing herself about her room, and screaming of her skin being pinched and stung. After local physician William Griggs was confounded by the girl's symptoms and the failure of the treatments he tried on her, he pronounced that evil was at work on the girl. She was "possessed," and soon other girls in the village followed her into her illness.

Since Puritans believed the devil worked in league with witches, the already suspicious Salem residents began to look at one another. At the center was Tituba, a Barbadian slave who worked for the Reverend Samuel Parris, Elizabeth's father. Tituba and other residents found themselves accused by the girls who were suffering fits and convulsions.

No historian has concluded that it was indeed witchcraft that caused the girls' illness, and there are varying explanations for the supposed possessions. Perhaps most interesting is historian Linda Caporael's claim that it was ergot poisoning that originally created the hysteria.

Ergot is the result of a mold -- toxic and often fatal to humans -- which grows on grain. For centuries, farmers knew of the mold -- which they called cockspur -- but assumed it was harmless. Some people believed that the cockspur, which looks like black whole grains, was simply grain cooked by the sun. This was not the case, however.

Ergot Poisoning Outbreaks

Outbreaks of ergot poisoning have occurred elsewhere in history, the earliest on record being in Germany in A.D. 857. The idea that ergot was causing the ghastly illness called St. Anthony's Fire was suspected as early as 1670 after an investigation by a French physician named Thuillier [source: University of Georgia]. But it wasn't until 1853 that Louis Rene Tulanse proved indubitably that these cockspurs were causing the agonizing death of so many people and animals.

Simply eating bread containing flour made from grain containing ergot can kill a person. Ergot poisoning can manifest in two ways: Gangrenous ergotism involves a burning of the skin, blisters and dry rot of the extremities -- which eventually fall off. The condition usually results in the death of the sufferer.

Convulsive ergotism attacks the central nervous system, causing mania, psychosis, hallucinations, paralysis and prickling sensations. It was these symptoms that reminded Caporael of those exhibited by Elizabeth Parris -- especially the mania.

Accounts written during 1692 describe behavior of the afflicted girls that bears an uncanny resemblance to a hallucinogenic state, and the fungus contains isoergine -- the main ingredient in the drug LSD. Is it possible that Elizabeth Parris and her fellow afflicted had eaten rye and fallen ill with convulsive ergotism?

Ergot Poisoning Theory: Fact or Fiction?

Caporael isn't pulling her theory out of thin air. The historian researched the growing season of rye -- the grain on which ergot seems to grow most easily. She found that there had been a wet summer in Salem, Massachusetts prior to the winter of 1692, and ergot spreads most easily in damp weather.

The historian also researched where the households of the girls who suffered the fits the villagers concluded was bewitchment got their grain. The first two afflicted, Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams, were cousins and lived beneath the same roof, so they both would have eaten the same grain. Moreover, two-thirds of the salary of their provider, the Reverend Parris, was paid in goods -- like grain -- rather than currency [source: Caporael]. The Parris household could have gotten the grain they ate from any number of sources.

The ergot-poisoning theory certainly seems to explain the afflictions the girls underwent, but the idea has come under attack since it was first introduced in 1976. Some historians feel that it's entirely possible that Elizabeth Parris, the first girl to fall ill, did suffer from some form of ergot poisoning. The rest of the girls, however, are believed to have taken an opportunity to stave off the boredom of colonial life with a ruse. If this is true, it's hard to imagine their reactions when the adults took the reins and began to hang their neighbors.

Other historians don't believe that ergot had anything to do with the Salem witch trials. University of Georgia history professor Dr. Peter Hoffer raises some questions: "Why only the girls, why not others?" he asks. "Why only [1692], why not previous years and later years?"

Hoffer, who has written extensively on the Salem witch trials, is one of those who believes the girls who accused their neighbors of witchcraft were carrying out a prank.

Regardless of the cause -- whether it was ergot poisoning, a teen prank, a vendetta against past wrongs, a grab for land or mass hysteria -- the Salem witch trials stand as a dark period in American history.

Had it not been for the slave Tituba's baffling confession upon questioning, the physicians' diagnosis of bewitchment, the powder keg that was Salem at the time, had any of these elements been missing, perhaps the trials would have never taken place. But these elements converged and created an environment of suspicion and reckless abandon. Then again, history is a convergence of events and conditions that seem separate until they come together to form a whole.

The Salem Witch Trials & The Crucible Resources on You-Tube

You Tube Videos for Additional Info. On the Salem Witch Trials and The Crucible:

Mysterious Journeys: The Witches of Salem (2007) Part 1 of 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NE08i5gtG3s – good background information on the concept of Puritanism, the fear of witchcraft, the atmosphere of Salem, MA. Good, accurate background on Rev. Samuel Parris, his own words, written into official records, and the possible motives of the girls, whose accusations led to the deaths of Salem citizens. The other segments may be helpful or not, but Part I seems accurate.

Salem Comparison Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOrZisNFSWA – very contemporary slide show which delineates the differences between the actual facts of the witch trials and the liberties taken by Arthur Miller; entertaining and well done

Video SparkNotes:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLpxwzlEzeE -- Arthur Miller’s The Crucible Summary – the visual aspects may be reminiscent of a old school graphic novel, but the summary that is given of the basic events is accurate.  There is no real analysis of the drama, but characters and plot are identified, though it would be difficult to do well on The Crucible quiz if the student relies on this video rather than reading and taking notes from the book.

Arthur Miller, Salem, MA (1991): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulT8phOxSWU&feature=related  --The opening slide explains this valuable clip of the playwright explaining his research on the Salem Witch Trials and the reason he chose this topic. “Some people refused to compromise with the government and tell lies in order to save their lives . . .” Miller observes, indicating a theme carried through in his drama.

The McCarthy Witch Hunts:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4N46jLdhCU&feature=related – Footage and slide narration of the Red Scare of the 1950s may provide useful in understanding the kind of atmosphere Arthur Miller, playwright of The Crucible was trying to represent through his play. More importantly, rhetorical questions presented in the conclusion force the viewer to consider whether history may repeat itself.

Conversation With Daniel Day-Lewis And Arthur Miller:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goZomFW7Stk&feature=related – The playwright and actor who stars as John Putnam in the film version of The Crucible discuss the meaning behind the actions of the characters; one important point these men make is that the play has not lost its relevancy and briefly touch on WHY.

Class: Wednesday, January 12, 2011

According to the Macon State homepage, classes are open and running normally today. I HOPE to be in class today, even though schools in our county are closed.  I plan to go over background information to Arthur Miller's The Crucible, which you have been reading. Background information and helpful links will be on the class blog, later today. The quiz I had planned for today will be on Monday, so be sure to get the background info., posted later today and have the drama read by then. Be familiar with the sequence of events (also known as plot) that unfolds in the drama and be able to identify the following characters and know what role each played in the drama:

• John Proctor
• Abigail Williams
• Rev. Samuel Parris
• Rev. John Hale
• Deputy Gov. Danforth
• Mary Warren
• Elizabeth Proctor
• Giles Cory
• Rebecca Nurse

I will be taking attendance for "no-show" reporting today. If you did NOT attend the first day of class, and cannot make it to class today, you need to email me, so that you are not listed as a no-show. I will NOT count any absence today against any student not in class.

Be safe and stay warm.