Essay on the Crucible

Essay on The Crucible

Choice #1

Analyze the text of The Crucible and prove that the play is undoubtedly Arthur Miller’s protest against the unfair discrimination against communists during the 1950s. To increase your basic understanding of McCarthyism and the Red Scare, read the articles printed in your textbook on p. 213-216. Read further if you’d like. Use this information and your own understanding of the play to make your point.

Process:

 Step one: Read and take notes on each article. Make sure that you use your own wording when taking notes. Now think of the play which you have just read. With notes, brainstorm over how the trials were so similar to the hunt for communists 260 years later. Find elements and specific quotes within the play which support your premise. Use at least three quotes from the play as supportive evidence. You may quote other sources as well, but include in text citations and a works cited page at the end.

 Step two: Write an informal outline to guide you in your writing. DO THIS BEFORE YOU START WRITING.

 Step three: Start writing. Make sure you give yourself time to proofread and edit before submitting. It doesn’t hurt to ask an outsider to read your paper. Before turning in your final copy, read it through again yourself.

Evaluation: You will be graded on all six traits of writing:

1. Content (50) *10 points automatically deducted if essay lacks quotes 2. Organization (10) 3. Voice (objective) (5) 4. Word Choice (10) 5. Sentence Fluency (5) 6. Mechanics (20)

Choice #2:

Write your own one act play in which characters irrationally discriminate against others out of fear. Set your play in modern times and illustrate man’s tendency to condemn others for their differences.

*Length: 3-6 pages double spaced

Evaluation:

(10) Set description and stage directions: (These will be helpful to director and performers. Italicize these.) (50) Content: (Act must mirror irrational fear which was also evident during McCarthyism and witch trials. Think of current fears held by Americans.) (20) Word choice/Dialect of speech: (Dialogue should be believable.) (10) Voice: (Tone should be consistent throughout.) (10) Mechanics/Spelling: (You will definitely have fragments. No one always speaks in complete sentences.)

Due date: .