Tag: English

Dramatic Witches

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What Did I Do During This Unit?

During this unit, I read The Crucible and learned about the witch trials and their consequences in Salem. Throughout the book, I had to annotate the text and recognize the importance of certain details. After reading the play, I practiced writing several blog posts and TIEAs to show my understanding of the text. Not only did I learn about the historic events of witchcraft, but also how to perform in front of an audience and communicate what I want to convey.

Dramatic Reading

TIEA

Reflection

Summative Blog Post

I wrote about John Proctor’s character arc.

The Crucible and the French Revolutionary War

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How is Arthur Miller’s The Crucible related to the French Revolutionary War?

The Crucible is a story that revolves around deception among the community and a person initiating chains of undesired consequences. Similarly, the French Revolutionary War also depicts a community of accusations and a revolutionary that causes the deaths of thousands.

Below are three different ways the two events are related.

1. Accusations

via GIPHY

BETTY: I saw Martha Bellows with the Devil!

ABIGAIL: I saw Goody Sibber with the Devil!

It can be seen that Betty and Abigail are accusing others of conjuring the Devil. Accusations were thrown around during the Revolutionary War about those who might be against the revolution. Most of the time, blaming is used as a scapegoat to protect oneself. This, however, cost a lot of people’s lives.

2. Absurd Punishments

via GIPHY

MARY WARREN: Goody Osburn—will hang!

PROCTOR: Hang! Hang, y’ say?

MARRY WARREN: Aye

Mary Warren is telling John Proctor that people will be hanged if people do not admit or confess their doings with the Devil. This is an extreme consequence for a relatively small wrongdoing. In 1790s France, if one is found or accused of being against the revolution, one would be guillotined. Simply doing something different than the rest of the people in both settings would result in deadly and unreasonable punishments.

3. Manipulation and Control

via GIPHY

ABIGAIL: The wings! Her wings are spreading! Mary, please, don’t, don’t—!

HALE: I see nothing, Your Honor!

DANFORTH: Do you confess this power! Speak!

ABIGAIL: She’s going to come down! She walking the beam!

Abigail is pretending that Mary has transformed into a diabolical bird. This was all orchestrated by Abigail to protect herself and to turn the blame on John Proctor and Mary Warren. Her manipulation eventually succeeds and is now safe from being hanged. Instead, John Proctor is going to be prisoned. This situation can be connected to how Robespierre, the revolutionary, took control of everything and began to kill whoever does not agree with him. By doing so, he was protecting his own opinions and ideas.

Citations

1. Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, Penguin Group, 2003.

2. “French Revolution.” History.com, 10 Sept. 2019, https://www.history.com/topics/france/french-revolution.

Abortion—Should It Be Legalized?

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What Did I Do During This Unit?

Throughout the unit, I learned about the three rhetorical devices: logos, pathos, and ethos. To learn more about these rhetorical devices, I analyzed two persuasive articles. In preparation of my speech, I had to present an excerpt from my independent reading book. These activities taught me skills that I later incorporated into my speech.

Speech Video

Written Speech

Reflection