1 / 11

Analyzing Contemporary American Theatre & The Crucible

Analyzing Contemporary American Theatre & The Crucible. Allegory and Persuasion. Plot Analysis.

byronr
Download Presentation

Analyzing Contemporary American Theatre & The Crucible

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Analyzing Contemporary American Theatre &The Crucible Allegory and Persuasion

  2. Plot Analysis • Exposition: important background information such as setting (time and place); characters and relationships between characters; and any other relevant factors that the audience needs to know to understand the beginning of the play • Inciting Incident: this is the one event that sets the main conflict of the play in motion; can occur before the play begins. • Rising Action: a SERIES of events that complicate the plot and add to the conflict • Turning Point: a single event or choice made by a character that could potentially change the course of events in the play • Climax: the single event of the play that has the most emotional intensity • Falling Action: the events that immediately follow the climax of the play • Denouement (Resolution): events that resolve the main conflict of the play

  3. The Crucible as Allegory • Allegory: • a story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. • a story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation • Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953 • His response to The Red Scare • Red Scare: the fear of communism influencing society (through film and tv) and infiltrating the federal government • Miller makes a comparison between the witch hunt in Salem (in 1692) and the search for communists in Washington and Hollywood in the 1950’s

  4. Historical Background in Salem • Salem 1692: Massachusetts Bay Colony • Factors that contributed to the hysteria—these are the fears in fear+trigger=witch hunt • Royal Charter Revoked—fear of losing land to new settlers and fear of another war with France • Theocratic form of government • Massachusetts Body of Liberties—no law can be created that is in conflict with anything in the Bible • Strong Puritan belief in the Devil/punishing God • Small Pox Epidemic of 1691—believed God was punishing settlement for secret sins • Increased Indian Raids—savages/devils lived in the forest • Suspicion and Resentment of neighbors • Fear of Outsiders

  5. Arthur Miller (1915-2005) • Began playwriting career in college • 1st success: All My Sons (1947) • 1st great American Tragedy: Death of a Salesman (1949) • Wrote The Crucible as a response to Red Scare of 1940s and 50s • Specifically targeted ppl who were in the arts and show business

  6. Red Scare • House UnAmerican Activities Committee (HUAC) • Formed in 1938, gained steam after WWII • Focused on left wing Americans who might be communist sympathizers • 1947: began to focus on Hollywood—directly affected Arthur Miller

  7. Factors that Contributed to Red Scare • Alger Hiss Trial/Rosenbergs Trial • Truman Doctrine • Truman Loyalty Program • There was a climate of fear in America after WWII as a result of the rise of communism in Eastern Europe. As the Soviet Block extended its influence, Americans became wary of a communist takeover. Miller saw the similarities in the climate of Salem prior to the witch trials and the climate in America prior to the Red Scare.

  8. Red Scare • Joseph McCarthy: senator from Wisconsin • 1950: Claimed to have names of 205 communists working in the State Department • Targets democrats associated with New Deal Policies • Targets Hollywood—writers and actors—believed to be producing films with subversive communist messages • McCarthyism: anti-communist hysteria or the policy of Gov’t rooting out communism

  9. Joseph McCarthy (con’t) • People called before HUAC were encouraged to confess and name others involved • Result of not confess or naming names • Blacklisted—could not find work in their previous line of business • Many left US, others committed suicide • Arthur Miller: refused to name names… • As a result, he was fined for contempt of court

  10. Methods of Persuasion • Logos: a writer or speaker’s attempt to persuade the audience by using reason and logic • Pathos: a writer or speaker’s attempt to persuade the audience by using emotion, usually fear or sadness • Ethos: a writer or speaker’s attempt to persuade the audience by proving his/her own credibility and reliability

  11. Methods of Persuasion • McCarthy relies primarily on Ethos and Pathos • When he claims to have the names of 205 communists in the State Dept., it is an attempt at Logos, but because it was untrue, he really doesn’t use logos • In The Crucible, Miller uses all three • Logos: Offers the readers logical reasons as to why the people of Salem turned on one another • Grudges, land disputes, etc • Pathos: We are meant to sympathize with Proctor and understand why he nearly confesses, but also why he tears up the confession • Ethos: Through the research and notes in the stage directions in Act I, Miller establishes his credibility as a researcher of the period.

More Related