Jane Dougherty

ENGL 112B

Unit of Study

December 6, 2011

Making the Past Present: Teaching The Crucible To Today�s Teenagers

Unfortunately, current history books do not make the people and events being studied real or, tragically, relevant for students. Past events seem to have no connection to current world topics, and the most important people can seem boring or insignificant. The best historical fiction connections today�s readers with the people and events of the place, in a context where the reader can both identify with the characters and their emotions, and gain a greater understanding of the time period involved. Readers can follow the lives of the lowest or highest members of society, kings or paupers. Language, dress, and customs may vary over time, but the human motivations and experiences are easy to identify with during any age. By reading a novel with a historical backdrop, students can gain a greater understanding of the connection between past and present events.

For my centerpiece work, I chose Arthur Miller�s play The Crucible. Set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, it tells the story of the people involved in the famous witch trials: the young girls who made accusations, the men and women who were forced to confess and name other members of the community as witches or be hanged, and the leaders of the community who failed their followers. When the play opened in 1953, America was paralyzed, panicked over the idea of communism within its own borders. Senator Joe McCarthy was using the House Un-American Activities Committee in his own modern-day witch hunt of communists in every level of society, especially the entertainment industry. Like in 1692, people were forced to confess prior involvement in communist activities and name others, or risk economic and social ruin, even jail.

Reading the play in a classroom setting demands debate about the causes of witch hunts in 1692 and 1953, and can be connected with witch hunts of the present. The play also analyzes the motives and actions of individuals, sparking debate as to the timeless elements of human nature, particularly within a community setting. Understanding the connection between past and present is crucial for today�s students, who, soon after graduation, are legal adults, eligible to vote and make their own impact on history.

I would teach the play to freshmen or sophomores, teenagers who can identify with the need to feel part of a community. Harmful rumors flowing through high school hallways are seen in Abigail�s accusation of Elizabeth Proctor, the wife of the man Abigail loves.

Launching the Unit

To introduce the unit, I would have the class read Emily Dickinson�s poem 1583:

Witchcraft was hung, In History

But History and I

Find all the Witchcraft that we need

Around us, every Day –

Some points to lead the discussion are as follows:

1. What does Dickinson mean, that witchcraft is around us every day?

2. What do the dashes mean at the end of the poem?

The teacher should spend the class period drawing parallels between Salem and modern day witch hunts, such as the Holocaust, McCarthy trials, the KKK and racism in America, and even the anti-Arab sentiments which arose in the aftermath of 9/11.

To introduce the historical era, have students conduct internet research. I suggest the University of Virginia�s website, http://etext.virginia.edu/salem/witchcraft/ and National Geographic�s http://natgeotv.com/uk/salem-witch-trial-conspiracy, but others can and should be used. Students can break into groups and research the following topics: Arthur Miller (his experience with the HUAAC, particularly), Senator Joe McCarthy, how the Salem trials were conducted, the evidence used, the Salem community, Puritans� motivations for coming to America, and Puritan culture and superstitions. Students should also, individually, pick one of the characters and research him or her. For homework, students can begin a journal where they describe what they know about their character, how they feel about this person�s role in the trials, and list questions they would ask this character.

The play should be read as homework. I suggest the Penguin Classic edition for its thorough introduction to the play and McCarthyism. The introduction could be read one night, followed by one act per night, taking about a week to read. Students should keep a nightly journal where they chronicle their feelings about their character, continuing to list questions as they go. At the end of the unit, they can answer those questions from their character�s perspective. They can also respond to the following prompts:

1. What actions does your character take in this act?

2. What are the motivations for your characters actions?

3. What are the consequences of your characters actions?

During class, the teacher should lead a reader�s theater. Each act can be read (after students have read at home) aloud and discussed. Students can respond to the following questions as part of a class discussion, small group discussion, individual writing prompts, or a combination:

1. Why do we have a separation of church and state? In what ways do religious law affect the Salem community?

2. 2. What do the accused sacrifice when they confess? What do the accusers risk by naming other?

3. Why do the girls start the accusations? How do they progress to Elizabeth and John?

4. Explicate the title. What does it mean, and how does it relate to the trials?

5. How are the virtues of honesty and self-preservation at odds?

6. What are the differences between the play and history? Why does Miller make these changes? How do they affect the play�s impact and message?

Towards the end of the unit, students should watch the 1996 film version. It is short enough to be watched in one or two class periods. Students should analyze the differences between the play and movie, why those differences exist, and how those differences change the overall influence.

For final projects, students can choose one of two options:

1. Write an essay where you explain how you would produce the play. What kinds of choices would you make in terms of casting, lighting, music and sound effects, setting, costume, props? Would you include Act Two Scene 2? Why or why not? Be sure to explain why you have made the choices you did, and what effects these choices have on the audience�s experience of the play. In lieu of an essay, students can make a film highlighting these choices.

2. Rewrite the play in a modern day high school setting. Try to capture the themes of the play as creatively as possible. In lieu of an essay, students can make a film depicting the modern day version.

Extending the Unit

There are many parallels between Miller�s play and the short story �Young Goodman Brown� by Nathanial Hawthorne. Brown leaves his wife, Faith, to journey through the forest, where he meets the devil, and together they head towards an initiation ceremony. Brown refuses to convert, but continues walking. Along the way, they see all members of society, from the deacon to known sinners. He is horrified to see his wife, and agrees to be initiated with her. When he wakes up the next morning, and the world is seemingly back to normal, but Brown is forever changed.

Hawthorne�s story effectively embodies Puritan culture: tradition, superstition, language, and the belief in the presence of the devil in the community. Students can do writing exercises, using the following prompts:

1. How did seeing members of the community, such as Deacon Gookin and Martha Carrier, affect Brown�s attitude about the initiation?

2. Did Brown convert? Did Faith? Why do you believe as you do?

3. Was the forest experience a dream? How do you know?

4. How does Brown treat Faith differently at the end of the novel as from the beginning? Why does he do so?

5. Have students research other famous trials or �witch hunts.� Keep in mind Nazism, the Spanish Inquisition, and American racism, the genocides in Darfur and Rwanda.. Why do these events keep occurring throughout history? What actions, on an individual level, are needed to prevent them from happening again?

3. Spend a day discussing cults, such as the Manson family, Heaven�s Gate, Branch Davidians, the Unification Church, Jim Jones and Jonestown, and the Children of God. What attracts people to cult? How do their leaders gain and keep power? How do cults affect those outside the cult, from families of members to society at large?

Selections from Young Adult Literature

Conde, Maryse. I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem tells the story of the slave who supposedly brought witchcraft to the girls of Salem. It also details her husband, who in reality confessed to being bewitched. Readers also see the realities of indentured servitude.

Duncan, Lois. Gallows Hill explores what could happen if the type of hysteria which occurred in Salem happened in modern times. The souls of many of the accusers and accused of 1692 reside in the bodies of Sarah, Charlie, and others in present times. As they struggle to make sense of their actions, they grow to realize the strange parallels between past and present.

Golding,William. Lord of the Flies explores what happens to a group of boys when stranded on an island, trying to survive. It explores the psychology of individuals acting within a community and portrays the depths of human nature. Think The Crucible for boys.

Hesse, Karen. Witness is the unique story of the Ku Klux Klan trying to establish itself in Vermont. Told from the points of view of individuals of the community, it explores how individuals can participate in a cause which, though evil, has the support of other group members.

Rinaldi, Ann. A Break with Charity entails Susanna English�s experiences living in Salem during the time of the witch trials. Rich in historical details, the novel effectively demonstrates the time period.

Wiesel, Elie. Night explores the author�s experiences during the Holocaust. The moving and powerful story illuminates the horrors of the Nazi regime and the extreme fortitude necessary to survive.

Concluding the Unit

By the end of the unit, students should feel that they have a greater understanding of the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism, and be able to draw parallels between these and other recent examples of �witch hunts.� They should be able to describe the various causes of the witch trials and what forces allowed them to continue and grow as they did. Students should be able to realize the dangerous effects of the mob mentality and the importance of the individual�s moral fortitude during these times of strife. Students can discuss how they feel they would have reacted, had they been a teenager during the Salem witch trials. The unit shows students the connections between past historical events and current ones, and the timeless aspects of human nature which allows these kinds of evils to perpetuate. They should have an idea of the historical facts surrounding the trials and its impact on American history. Most importantly, students should be able to explain how they can have an impact in preventing �witch hunts� in their own lives, such as by refusing to spread rumors or participate in peer pressure.

Resources

Conde, Maryse. I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia

Press, 2000. Print.

The Crucible. Dir. Nicholas Hytner. Perf. Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Paul Scofield, Joan

Allen. 20th Century Fox, 1996. Film.

Dickinson, Emily. �Witchcraft was hung�� AmericanPoems.com: 3 November 2003. Web. 22

November 2011. < http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/11535>

Duncan, Lois. Gallows Hill. New York: Dell Laurel Leaf, 1997. Print.

Golding, Willaim. Lord of the Flies. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 1954. Print.

Hesse, Karen. Witness. New York: Scholastic, 2003. Print.

Hinman, Sheryl. Alive and Loud: Radio Plays for the Classroom: Arthur Miller�s The Crucible:

Teacher�s Guide. L.A Theater Works: Venice, CA. Web. 22 November 2011.

<http://www.latw.org/EDU-latw/aliveandaloud/images/crucible.pdf >

Kaywell, Joan ed. Adolescent Literature As A Complement to the Classics. Vol. 4. Norwood,

MA: Print. 2000.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print.

Rinaldi, Ann. A Break With Charity. San Diego, Harcourt Brace, 1992. Print.

Salem Witch Trial Conspiracy. National Geographic Channel, 2011. Web. 22 November 2011.

<http://natgeotv.com/uk/salem-witch-trial-conspiracy>

Wiesel, Elie. Night. 1972. New York: Hill and Wang, 2006. Print.