Re-read the mini essays (especially the one we did not read in class!) in The Crucible Act One.
Answer the questions below:
1. Why do you think that Miller included them in the play?
2. Choose two quotes from any of the mini-essays and complete a short analysis of them.
Miller uses the mini essays in order to explain something, or give some context for what is about to come. The characters in the play cannot actually here it, it is the narrator speaking to the crowd.
ReplyDelete"In history he cut a villainous path, and there is very little good to be said for him. He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to his side." This quote gives some backstory and context on Reverend Parris and how he acts.
"A word about Thomas Putnam. He was a man with many grievances, at least
one of which appears justified." This is the thesis of one of the mini essays. It is giving the pretense for an explanation.
Giorgia Sasso
ReplyDeleteI think that the mini-esseys are necessary for the description and the characterization of each character. They describe facts and thought that we couldn't know just reading the play
I think that Miller included them in the play to help understand what's going on and the reason why that is happening. They also help us to understand better the relation between every character.
"At the time of these events Parris was in his middle forties. In history he cut a villainous path, and there is very little good to be said for him. He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to his side"
"Simply, it was this: for good purposes, even high pur-poses, the people of Salem developed a theocracy, a combine of state and religious power whose function was to keep the com-munity together, and to prevent any kind of disunity that might open it to destruction by material or ideological enemies."
The first mini-essey deals with the description of Reverend Perris and knish with the description of Salem and of the people who lived there.
This paragraph describe Parris as a cold and selfish man that only cared about his carrie and his power in the community.
It also describe the city as what now we would call a very small village and it describe very well how the city was governed and why were the common belief.
this paragraph is important because intrude the general situation ad allow the reader to understand the context
Giorgia Sasso
ReplyDeleteA word about Thomas Putnam. He was a man with many grievances, at least one of which appears justified"
"His vindictive nature was demonstrated long before the witch-craft began."
This second mini-essey deals with the description of Thomas Putnam, who's one of the important character of the play.
This part of the text gives a background on the relation between Parris, Thomas Putnam and the whole city in general.
It describes the point of view of Putnam about the city and which his usual behavior was.
This paragraph is important to understand probably the elopement of the story.
"Proctor was a farmer in his middle thirties, He need not have been a partisan of any faction in the town, but there is evidence to suggest that he had a sharp and biting way with hypocrites."
"He is a sinner, a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct. These people had no ritual for the washing away of sins."
This mini-essey deals with the description of John Proctor, who is one of the most important character in this story.
The paragraph describe him as a strong man, it also describe his relation with himself and how he was seen by the Salem's population.
Even if it shorter that the others character's description this is quite detailed and important.
"Rebecca was the wife of Francis Nurse, who, from all accounts, was one of those men for whom both sides of the argument had to have respect. He was called upon to arbitrate disputes as though he were an unofficial judge, and Rebecca also enjoyed the high opinion most people had for him."
"Thomas Putnam’s man for the Salem min-istry was Bayley. The Nurse clan had been in the faction that prevented Bayley’s taking office."
This mini-essey dels with the description of Rebecca Nurse who's an old womb who has lot's of son's and nephew, she also usually doesn't attend the messa.
Putnam's family hate her and hers family because they are envious bout them because they hadn't have child.
Rebecca's family also antagonize Putnam's family because they opposed themselves to Bayley taking office.
"Like almost all men of learning, he spent a good deal of his time pondering the invisible world, especially since he had himself encountered a witch in his parish not long before."
"Like Reverend Hale and the others on this stage, we conceive the Devil as a necessary part of a respectable view of cosmology. Ours is a divided empire in which certain ideas and emotions and actions are of God, and their opposites are of Lucifer. It is as impossible for most men to conceive of a morality without sin as of an earth without “sky.""
This paragraph deals with one of the main character: Reverend Hale.
He is the man called to recognize the presence of witchcraft in Salem.
He is confident and superstitious, he strongly believed in the presence of the Devil ad in his action.
He also thought to have met a which during in life and so he was confident to fight something real.
All the Salem community was digested and scared by the witch and for this reason he was highly regarded in that city.
Darian Leonard
ReplyDeleteThe miniature essays explain the personalities and backstories of the charaters. the essay about Reverend Hale said "This is a beloved errand for him; on being called here to ascertain witchcraft he felt the pride of the specialist whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for." that tells us that Hale loves the caous of the situation and it entertains him. it also tells us that he loves to be admired and have others think highly of him. In Thomas Putnam's essay it says "He undoubtedly felt it poor payment that the village should so blatantly disregard his candi-date for one of its more important offices, especially since he regarded himself as the intellectual superior of most of the people around him." this tells us why he hates Reverend Parris. His son in law was running to be the reverend but Parris became reverend instead. It also explains that he feels that he is superior to the others in the village.
The mini-essays serve to explain the backgrounds and motivations of different characters, and explain social circumstances, and some other historical context to make the play easier to understand. These also give sort of a way for the author to directly interact with the audience, like breaking the fourth wall, making the audience feel more involved, and not as much as a spectator, but part of the performance and the story.
ReplyDelete"When one rises above the individual villainy displayed, one can only pity them all,
just as we shall be pitied someday. It is still impossible for man to organize his social
life without repressions, and the balance has yet to be struck between order and
freedom." This quote from the beginning of the play explains the pressures in the Salem society and the implications of rebelling or standing up.
"Our difficulty in believing the - for want of a better word - political inspiration of the
Devil is due in great part to the fact that he is called up and damned not only by our
social antagonists but by our own side, whatever it may be." This is a quote from the mini-essay after Hale arrives, and is a good representation of his views and the Puritan's views in general. Which is super useful for people who aren't so familiar with their culture and beliefs.
I believe that Miller included the mini-essays as a part of his play to explain a concept that could not be fully illustrated by actors, it becomes difficult to explain a characters connection to the community in a setting in which those events have already taken place without disturbing the overall flow of the piece.
ReplyDelete"Another suggestion to explain the systematic campaign against Rebecca, and
inferentially against Francis, is the land war he fought with his neighbors, one of whom was a Putnam. This squabble grew to the proportions of a battle in the woods be-tween partisans of both sides, and it is said to have lasted for two days."
This portion of the mini-essay describing the character of Rebecca in relation to the society explains that the society reasoning of resentment against Rebecca is in the simple land border disagreements with her relative Francis. Therefore we can infer that the other townspeople are simply scrounging to find something to tarnish her name, such as something her relative is doing that displeases them.
"However, that experience never raised a doubt in his mind as to the reality of the under-world or the existence of Lucifer’s many-faced lieutenants."
This other section of a mini-essay regarding the background of Reverend Hale states that despite having an experience that neither proved nor disproved the existence of the under-world or of witches, he still continued his search for tangible or intangible evidence of either. Additionally, this portion reflects the character of Hale as a persistent seeker of evidence that justifies his beliefs, yet that doesn't observe the other possibility and its evidence which may be more abundant in some cases.
I think Miller included them in the play to add depth and character. the quote i found was "Ours is a divided empire in which certain ideas and emotions and actions are of God, and their opposites are of Lucifer." like saying how satan is the opposite of them, what they do is god.
ReplyDeleteMiller use the mini essays to give background and personalities to characters that he can't do doing the actually play for example. "Rebecca was the wife of Francis Nurse, who, from all accounts, was one of those men for whom both sides of the argument had to have respect. He was called upon to arbitrate disputes as though he were an unofficial judge, and Rebecca also enjoyed the high opinion most people had for him." and also "Like Reverend Hale and the others on this stage, we conceive the Devil as a necessary part of a respectable view of cosmology. Ours is a divided empire in which certain ideas and emotions and actions are of God, and their opposites are of Lucifer. It is as impossible for most men to conceive of a morality without sin as of an earth without “sky."" It's just quick info we may need to know later on in the play.
ReplyDeleteThe essays in "The Crucible" give the reader an opinion about the person being detailed. The essays also give a status and a reputation to the described people, which helps people analyze them.
ReplyDelete"He was the kind of man - powerful of body, even-tempered, and not
easily led" This describes Mr. Proctor in detail, and explains some of his motives that will be seen later in the story. I feel as if these small details will make big differences in the future of the story.
"The
Nurse clan had been in the faction that prevented Bayley’s taking office." Here, it is giving info on what types of relations clans have between each other. Like how after this it details that the Nurse clan is resented by old salemites for breaking away from town.
Millers mini essays provide context and background information on the people and events in the play.
ReplyDelete"A word about Thomas Putnam. He was a man with many grievances, at least
one of which appears justified. Some time before, his wife’s brother-in-law,
James Bayley, had been turned down as minister of Salem. Bayley had all the
qualifications, and a two-thirds vote into the bargain, but a faction stopped his
acceptance, for reasons that are not clear."
miller is saying that Putnam has a lot of problems but only one is reasonable, his brother in law was denied a minister-ship.
"Proctor was a farmer in his middle thirties, He need not have been a partisan of any
faction in the town, but there is evidence to suggest that he had a sharp and biting way with hypocrites. He was the kind of man - powerful of body, even-tempered, and not easily led - who cannot refuse support to partisans with-out drawing their deepest
resentment. In Proctor’s presence a fool felt his foolishness instantly - and a Proctor is always marked for calumny therefore."
miller is saying that proctor is a farmer in his thirties, who is tolerant of hypocrites. And he doesn't need to be a part of any faction such as the partisans. he is even-tempered and doesnt take orders. he's also strong and sturdily built.
The Miller uses the mini essay to give what the character is to the towns people of Salem, he also uses it to show what they might or will do
ReplyDelete"Rebecca was the wife of Francis Nurse, who, from all accounts, was one of those men for whom both sides of the argument had to have respect. He was called upon to arbitrate disputes as though he were an unofficial judge, and Rebecca also enjoyed the high opinion most people had for him."
This mini essay describes the lives of Francis Nurse and Rebecca Nurse. It also says how Francis is vary respected and Rebecca like the attention she gets from her husbands great respect
"Proctor was a farmer in his middle thirties, He need not have been a partisan of any faction in the town, but there is evidence to suggest that he had a sharp and biting way with hypocrites."
"He is a sinner, a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct. These people had no ritual for the washing away of sins."
This mini essay describes the life and occupation of John Proctor. John Proctor is also hypocritical in most of what he does, it also says in the essay that he is a sinner and sins. It also says that there's evidence that he had a part to play in the making of the factions
The mini-assays in The Crucible give us, using a direct style, necessary information about the personalities and the background of the characters, or the society and village of Salem.
ReplyDelete"Another reason to believe him a deeply embittered man was his attempt to break his father’s will, which left a dispropor-tionate amount to a stepbrother. As with every other public cause in which he tried to force his way, he failed in this.
So it is not surprising to find that so many accusations against people are in the handwriting of Thomas Putnam, or that his name is so often found as a witness corroborating the super-natural testimony, or that his daughter led the crying-out at the most opportune junctures of the trials, especially when - But we’ll speak of that when we come to it."
In this part of the mini-essay about Thomas Putnam, the author gives some context about him so we can understand his actions. He once tried to betray his father, but he failed, so he is disturbed and wants revenge in his viscera.
"Another suggestion to explain the systematic campaign against Rebecca, and inferentially against Francis, is the land war he fought with his neighbors, one of whom was a Putnam. This squabble grew to the proportions of a battle in the woods be-tween partisans of both sides, and it is said to have lasted for two days. As for Rebecca herself, the general opinion of her character was so high that to explain how anyone dared cry her out for a witch - and more, how adults could bring them-selves to lay hands on her - we must look to the fields and boundaries of that time."
Here, talking about Rebecca, he tells us how the village of Salem sees her, and also why. She fought with her neighbors - one was a Putnam - for land, and she won.
Pablo Guerrero
There are many reasons Miller included the mini essays into the play. One of these reasons is to describe the characters and their intentions.
ReplyDeleteThe first of the mini essays shows this by describing Reverend Parris. the mini essay states, "...Parris was in his middle forties. In history he cut a villainous path, and there is very little good to be said for him." this quote describes Parris and shows what he is like.
The purpose of Arthur's mini essays is to provide an omniscient point of view where the he can explain information about a character that the audience would not know without causing the play to contain unnecessary character development. Therefore, the Crucible as a play is allowed to cut right into the action with minimal interruption by mini essays to inform the audience beyond the current context about the characters within it.
ReplyDelete" A word about Thomas Putnam. He was a man with many grievances, at least
one of which appears justified. Some time before, his wife’s brother-in-law,
James Bayley, had been turned down as minister of Salem. Bayley had all the
qualifications, and a two-thirds vote into the bargain, but a faction stopped his
acceptance, for reasons that are not clear."
This intro to a mini essay about Thomas Putnam helps the audience further understand his character by describing significant past experiences involving the character. We learn immediately that "...He was a man with many grievances", which will ultimately allow us to better understand his character and it's decisions.
" Proctor was a farmer in his middle thirties, He need not have been a partisan of any
faction in the town, but there is evidence to suggest that he had a sharp and biting way
with hypocrites. He was the kind of man - powerful of body, even-tempered, and not
easily led - who cannot refuse support to partisans with-out drawing their deepest
resentment. In Proctor’s presence a fool felt his foolishness instantly - and a Proctor is
always marked for calumny therefore."
This quote shows us what the character of John Proctor is like. Similar to the other essays, it will ultimately play into his character. The purpose of this essay is to inform us of his character beyond what we might already perceive from the play. This can be shown by how the quote suggests that Proctor dislikes hypocrites, which we wouldn't have otherwise known, but will make sense with his character's actions progress and develop throughout the play.
Miller used the mini essays to show insight into the characters of the play. they added more depth and information to the characters, especially Hale.
ReplyDeleteHale was described as a minister who spent his life looking for witches, and bringing them to justice for what they have done against God.
-Joe Vivilacqua, A little late
PS: I wish I could use my mechanical keyboard to type this.
Miller includes mini essays in the Crucible to provide background information of a character, or a scene. They are created to help the reader create an image in their mind, which helps to pull the story along. Without the mini essays, the reader would have trouble following the story, not knowing what all the characters and scenes are like.
ReplyDelete"The door opens, and his Negro slave enters. Tituba is in her forties. Parris brought her
with him from Barbados, where he spent some years as a merchant before entering the
ministry. She enters as one does who can no longer bear to be barred from the sight of
her beloved, but she is also very frightened because her slave sense has warned her
that, as always, trouble in this house eventually lands on her back."
This quote explains about Tituba, A very much needed character in the play. It Tells of how she came to be a slave in this household, and what her average day is like. Without this portion of a mini essay, we would not have known what tituba was like, and would not have been able to imagine her character as well as we are able to now.
"Proctor was a farmer in his middle thirties, He need not have been a partisan of any
faction in the town, but there is evidence to suggest that he had a sharp and biting way
with hypocrites. He was the kind of man - powerful of body, even-tempered, and not
easily led - who cannot refuse support to partisans with-out drawing their deepest
resentment. In Proctor’s presence a fool felt his foolishness instantly - and a Proctor is
always marked for calumny therefore."
This portion of a mini essay describing John Proctor is a necessity in this play. As we will come to find in the end of the crucible is that he is one definite main character. In this excerpt, John proctor is described as a man who brings out secrets of people. John is a kind man, who is able to really KNOW people. He knows what they hide, and what lies they tell. Later in this play, we will see just how this excerpt is foreshadowing the outcome.
Ps. Sorry this is late. I didn't realize i missed this blog post.
The purpose of the short essay on the characters when they are presented, is to establish them into the plot, and rationalize their motivation and beliefs in a timely manner.
ReplyDelete"He need not have been a partisan of any faction in the town, but there is evidence to suggest that he had a sharp and biting way with hypocrites." Mini-essay on John Proctor
The mini-essay establishes John Proctor as a stalwart man with a good reputation and good intentions, who simply wants to live his life without strife.
"Like almost all men of learning, he spent a good deal of his time pondering the invisible world, especially since he had himself encountered a witch in his parish not long before." Mini-essay on Reverend Hale
This section maintains the idea that the Reverend is an educated scholar, who possesses a desire to hunt down witches, as he truly believes in the darker forces at work, which he wants to destroy.
Miller introduce the mini-essays for introduce the play (introduce the context and the characters). That help the reader to better understand what is going on.
ReplyDelete"His vindictive nature was demonstrated long before the witch-craft began." This quote talk about Thomas Putnam. We learn that he known has person who want to have always true.
"He is a sinner, a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against
his own vision of decent conduct." With this quote, we learn that John Proctor is not obviously a honest person.
Miller used the mini essays to give insight into the situation and what is going to happen. The mini essays where meant to be read by a narrator and there for not heard by the actors. They where used to give information about a specific character or new situation.
ReplyDeleteWhen one rises above the individual villainy displayed, one can only pity them all,
just as we shall be pitied someday. It is still impossible for man to organize his social
life without repressions, and the balance has yet to be struck between order and
freedom."
"Proctor was a farmer in his middle thirties, He need not have been a partisan of any
faction in the town, but there is evidence to suggest that he had a sharp and biting way
with hypocrites. He was the kind of man - powerful of body, even-tempered, and not
easily led - who cannot refuse support to partisans with-out drawing their deepest
resentment..."
Miller uses the mini essays to give the readers a better understanding of whats happening and who's who without them having to rely too much on the dialogue. There are some things that are very hard to get across via dialogue, and Miller uses the mimi essays so he doesn't have to try.
ReplyDelete"A word about Thomas Putnam. He was a man with many grievances, at least
one of which appears justified." This quote is letting us know about the character Thomas Putnam. It is telling us that he had many complaints, and some were justified.
"He is a sinner, a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against
his own vision of decent conduct." This quote is talking about John Proctor. It is telling the readers that John isn't a very morally good person, by both his society's standards and his own.
Arthur Miller included these because it helps the reader get a better understaning for the material. It gives you background information on characters and their believes. "A word about Thomas Putnam. He was a man with many grievances, at least
ReplyDeleteone of which appears justified. Some time before, his wife’s brother-in-law,
James Bayley, had been turned down as minister of Salem." (pg 14)
" He was a widower with no interest in
children, or talent with them. He regarded them as " (pg3) reffering to reverend parris