1. Please view the following clips from the 1996 film version of The Crucible and select one that you would like to write about. Underneath each is the page number that it can be found in the play, along with a brief description.
2. Respond to the clip by answering the following question:
What does the passage mean? Focus on individual words and/or phrases. How does it serve to develop or enlarge the character or characters speaking it? Please focus on the text and not so much on the film-related aspects of the scene.
Your response should be no more than three sentences. Please indicate which clip you've chosen (#1, 2, etc). Keep in mind that some clips skip or omit a few words or phrases, but overall the scenes retain most if not all of the text.
The deadline for this assignment is Friday 11/18 at 11 PM.
1.) This is the scene in which Abigail talks to the other girls about what happened in the woods. (Top of pg. 20)
3.) Danforth declares "a person is either with this court or he is against it." (Pg. 94)
4.) Hale: "Life is God's most sacred gift" (pg. 132)
5.) Proctor asks his wife's forgiveness. (pg. 136)
6.) Proctor's "It is my name!" speech. (pg. 143)
The purpose of the speech in clip number one which was made even more present through the video presentation is that Abigail has control and power over others. In particular the other girls look up to Abigail and truly listen to every word she says.This passage shows just how serious Abigail is and how willing she is to take action on something that could potentially hurt her reputation.
ReplyDelete6. This clip is the turning point in which Proctor decides that to lie and get his life back would make him "not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang" (143). Although the tone of the ending of the play is somber, the moral justice Proctor portrays in this seen is what leaves the audience of the play with a sense of hope in humanity. Through refusing to give them his name, Proctor redeems himself from his affair and from his initial confession, finally freeing himself from being "a sinner...against his own vision of decent conduct" (20). and allowing him to die a good man.
ReplyDelete(Clip 1) In this passage Abigail is telling the girls that are with her, if they talking about what they did at night, she would kill them. The phrases “smash my dear parents’ heads” and “I have seen some reddish work done at night” demonstrates the horror that Abigail can create in the lives of these girls. This portrays how important this secret is to her and how she is a threat by creating chaos in someone’s life.
ReplyDelete#6)With Proctor's speech, he is able to develop his character more to show his morals and how he cares for his family. By saying "IT IS MY NAME!" he shows that by telling the court who else is involved in witchcraft, it will set a poor example not only for what his name stands form, but will lead a bad example for his three children. If Proctor is going to die no matter what, he wants to at least go down with respect to himself and his family's name.
ReplyDeleteClip #3
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of Danforth’s speech inhere is to show the corruption and power of the Salem courts, which allows them to kill so many innocent people. He says that “Someone is either with this court or against it,” a phrase he uses to justify the arrest, along with the accused, anyone who does not believe in witches or claims to be indifferent. He divides the town into two sections in this speech: the witches and the witch hunters.
(6) This passage means that Proctor does not want to sign the confession sheet because his name will be ruined if he confesses to something that is a lie. Proctor is a good man and he realizes that no matter what happens to him, he won't confess to something that is not true and that he would rather dies than have his name be forever remembered as a witch.
ReplyDelete#6 This passage shows how someone's name can be more than just a name. Proctor is fighting for his life. His name is a metaphore for his old life. When Proctor is saying those words he is being true to himself and is pretty saying that he would prefer die than lose his name.
ReplyDelete(Number 4)
ReplyDeleteHale asks a question that also reveals his alter of character, from extremist to somewhat compassionate. At an attempt to draw listeners into the idea of life as "God's most precious gift", Hale lets slip his intentions. Not only is he looking out for John, but he is acting in the interest of God.
Abigail uses short strong sentences to send the message that her patience with the situation has diminished. Almost hissing her speech, she supports the threats by stating her credentials through recalling the savage death of her parents. This portrays her as psychopathic, numb to the impact of her actions.
ReplyDelete6. Proctor's "It is my name!" speech provides a thorough summary of the positive traits that he has displayed throughout the entire play. Through expressing his final feelings in the exclamation “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (143), the helpless man demonstrates that he prefers death rather than blackening his family’s name. This clearly proves that Proctor’s altruism surpasses that of anyone else in addition to his significant development in The Crucible.
ReplyDelete(Clip 4) In Hale's plea to Elizabeth for John's confession, he asserts that he came to Salem thinking that he would enlighten its people through religion, but he quickly realized that what he "touched with... bright confidence" became evil, as his guidance was misinterpreted and abused to accuse people of witchcraft (132). Therefore, Hale takes the guilt that he feels for his role in fueling the hysteria, and implores Elizabeth to turn her back on faith when it is employed for evil, in hopes of saving her husband, as "life is God's most precious gift" and it should not be thrown away in the name of pride (132). This speech demonstrates Hale's recognition of the limitations and manipulating power of religion as well as his desire to purify it.
ReplyDelete(Clip 6)
ReplyDeleteIn Proctor's speech, he confesses to something he has not done, but is unwilling to give up his name. Proctor has already given his soul but his name means much more to him. Although he has told a lie, he does not want to sign his name away because to him, it is like giving up a part of himself that goes on till death and beyond. His refusal to sign his name shows that he does not want to be remembered as being the cause of the witchcraft and does not want to blacken his family's reputation.
#6
ReplyDeleteIn this passage, Proctor demonstrates what principles are most meaningful to him: pride and reputation. The passionate repetition of the phrase “my name” throughout this passage emphasizes how important having a good status is to Proctor. When he says “how may I live without my name”, it shows that he would rather die than taint his name by confessing to the lies of witchcraft to escape his own demise.
#2
ReplyDeleteThis passage explains Reverend Hale's plan to critically search Salem for signs of witchcraft with the understanding that satanism is not the only viable explanation for what's been going on. When everyone jumps to witchcraft as the cause of their troubles, Hale states "[they] cannot look to superstition"(p38) just yet, and in doing so he establishes himself as a voice of reason in the play. Hale progressively becomes a more important character in the play as the town descends into hysteria and this scene is vital because it separates Hale from all the other superstitious citizens looking to start a witch hunt.
Abigail demonstrates her leadership and control by threatening the girls with a “pointy reckoning”. Ultimately, she is self-preserving herself in order to protect her reputation, because she knows that the forest situation can come back to haunt her. She has experienced a brutal childhood and has witnessed “Indians smash her parents” and “reddish” murders, which highlight her courage and determination of causing the girls harm if they rebel.
ReplyDelete(Clip 4) The purpose of Hale's speech is to emphasize Hale's belief that confessing is the solution to the alleged witchcraft. This passage shows that he is relatively level-headed because he believes that "life is God's most precious gift." Originally Hale was set on searching for witchcraft, but this passage reveals his development as he realizes that life is precious and it must be protected.
ReplyDelete