Journal Writing Every topic response must be a minimum of seven to ten (7-10) complete sentences in 10 minutes. Each journal writing must be labeled with the journal# and journal letter.
Journal #1 Read the following quote from Why I Wrote The Crucible and respond: The more I read into the Salem panic, the more it touched off corresponding ages of common experiences in the fifties: the old friend of a blacklisted person crossing the street to avoid being seen talking to him; the overnight conversions of former leftists into born-again patriots; and so on. How does the play relate to the witch hunts during the McCarthy era? What do the two events have in common?
Journal #2 A. Describe Parris in a paragraph what kind of man does he seem to be? What does he care about? How do you know? B. Why, given what we now know about Parris, do you think he is one of the leaders of the witch-hunt?
Journal #3 A. What sort of girl is Abigail? What positive qualities does she seem to possess? What negative qualities does she possess? Characterize her with two adjectives and defend your choices with examples of her speech or actions in the play. B. What do we learn about Abigail? How would you revise your characterization based on what you know now? If she were a SHS student, where might she "fit in" in terms of classes, activities, sports, etc.? Or would she? Explain.
Journal # 4 A. Think of a personal grudge you have held against another person; what caused the grudge and how has that event shaped your feelings about and treatment of that person now? B. Why are Mrs. Putnam and Thomas Putnam so eager to interpret Betty s reactions as satanic signs? What could they gain by claiming that there is witchcraft in Salem? Who do you think they would accuse?
Journal #5 A. Conflict is the tension between two opposing forces that helps drive the action of a story. Act I reveals many of the sources of conflict, jealousy, and suspicion among the Puritans of Salem. Which of the people are in conflict with each other? Make a list (ex: Proctor vs. Self, Proctor vs. Hale) and explain what their conflict is. B. Which do you think is the biggest conflict in the story? Explain using details from the story.
Journal #6 A. Act II takes place in John Proctor s house; what do you predict will happen? Who will show up? Why? B. What do you think will happen now that Mr. Hale has arrived? Explain why you think that based on what you know of Mr. Hale and what has happened in the play so far.
Journal #7 A. Review what has happened so far in ACT II with the Proctors and Mary Warren at court. What do you think will happen? Explain why you think that based on what you know of the trials, the people involved, and what has happened in the play so far. B. What do you think about Rev. Hale? Do you think he is a good man? Do you think he is a wise man? Why or why not?
Journal #8 A. Much of the hysteria in the play is the result of other conflicts; because the girls didn t want to get in trouble, they start pretending. Because the Reverend doesn t want to look like he can t run his own house, he blames the devil. Name two other causes that contributed to this witch hunt problem and explain their B. Write about a time when either 1. Honesty (your own or someone else's) or 2. Jealousy played a role in a conflict in your life.
Journal #9 A. an everlasting funeral marches round your heart Think of the literal meaning of these words. What would an everlasting funeral look like? How would it feel to be trapped in one? What would happen if it marched around your heart?
Journal #10 A. Act III takes place in the Salem courts. What do you predict will happen at court? Why? Who will be involved, and what will be their motivations? B. Why don t people believe Proctor? Do you think this is fair? Why or why not?
Journal #11 A. Review what has happened so far in ACT III with the court. What do you think will happen? Explain why you think that based on what you know of the trials, the people involved, and what has happened in the play so far. B. Explain how Mary Warren's character has changed. How was she portrayed at the beginning of the play? How is she portrayed now? To what do you attribute these changes?
Journal #12 A. Mary Warren is subjected to intense peer pressure from Abigail and the other girls. How would you compare the intensity of the peer pressure she faces with that extended on young people today? What advice might you give Mary Warren for coping with the peer pressure she faces? B. Almost a century after the witch trials, delegates to the Constitutional Convention decided to make a clear separation between church and state. How might the court proceedings in Act III have differed if that separation had been in place in 1692? In current events following Sept. 11th, is there still a clear separation between church and state? Explain.
Journal #13 A. What happened in Act III? Write a summary of the events, and then give your evaluation: was the trial fair, or unfair? B. You are responsible for writing an organized appeal to Deputy Governor Danforth, using logical and emotional appeals to argue whether the accused (your character) is guilty (2-3 reasons) and what should happen. You must use supporting details from the play in your arguments.
Journal #14 A. What is the aftermath of the trial in Act 4? Are you surprised people feel this way? B. Explain how the storyline might be different if there were no Governor Danforth. How does his presence in the play affect the storyline? If he were removed, how might that affect the play overall?
Journal #15 A. Write an explanation of one choice of a symbol for a character based on how the character grew/changed & what the character has learned throughout the play. B. Think of a 20th-century person who suffered or died for his / her beliefs, and compare this person to John Proctor.
Journal #16 A. Irony is when what is expected is different from the reality; what might be an example of irony in the play? In life?