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Paulo Gonzalez

Miss. Stier

Junior English

10/03/17

Unit Assessment 1

The Crucible by Arthur Miller was about a very not smart town who were easily lied to

by a group of girls who danced naked in the woods in order for the men to fall in love with them.

During 1692 Salem, Massachusetts Parris (The minister of the church) caught them in the woods

and all the girls ran away afraid of being hanged as witches. The girls were afraid and so is the

town, so Abigail (Parris niece) threatens them that they just danced nothing more and from then

on fear spreads through the town. John proctor and his wife live in the same town but his wife,

Elisabeth accused of being a witch and is threated by being hang. The moral or lesson of this

story is about how your action when driven by fear and not by thought can lead to lifelong

consequences.

Puritanism is a religion Worshiping God and hating witchcraft. They believed that if one

person did witchcraft, God would punish the entire town. They believed that you must fallow the

10 commandments to be a saint. They did not like anything new or unknown because they were

afraid of the devil tempting them.

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This story has an interesting concept of how once your actions are controlled by fear,

they can and will affect those around you. When Abagail threatens, all of the girls to stay mute

fear spreads around, accusing neighbors for their land. When Proctor’s wife is accused of being a

witch, he does everything in his power to free her from jail and revel that Abagail is the one who

stated telling the lies. Most of the town say lies to get their neighbors in jail to get their property

when their dead. The reason Abagail frames Elizabeth (Proctor’s wife) is so she can take her out

of the picture so she can “Dance” on proctor because he had an affair with her.

Parris is deeply afraid of the witch cases because his daughter is in a coma like sate and cannot

wake up. “Betty. Child. Dear child. Will you wake, will you open up your eyes!” (Arthur Miller

138). His daughter Betty was dancing around a pot with many of the girls the night before. Parris

is also afraid of losing his job because his niece was doing witchcraft I the forest with her.

“There be no unnatural cause here… Let him look medicine and put out all thought of un natural

cause here.” (Arthur Miller 138). If the people found out that he had two witches living in his

house, he would lose his job.

Abagail is the most afraid and does/says the most twisted things just to stay safe. When

questioned of what did she do and if she summoned the devil in the forest. “I didn’t see no

Devil!” (Arthur Miller 138). She is scared that if they find out of what she tried to do, she will be
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hanged. She even throws her friend Tituba under the bus by blaming her for Betty’s coma on her.

“She made me do it! She made Betty do it!” (Arthur Miller 138). Later on she convinces every

girl that they just dance or else she will kill the in the night.

Hyperbole and imagery are used by miller to develop the theme that fear can cause

people to hurt other for their own safety. Towards the end of the play while Elizabeth is in court,

her maid tries to save her by saying the truth. She tells the court that Abagail is lying and sending

the accused to jail willingly but the court takes it lightly because she lied with Abagail in the

beginning. “But you did turn cold, did you not? I myself picked you up many times, and your

skin were icy.” (Arthur Miller 187). This shows how crying wolf many times repeatedly makes

the truth non-believable. While Giles Cory try’s to save his wife as well, he refuses to say the

witness’s name. “I mentioned my wife’s name once I’ll burn in hell long for that. I stand mute.”

(Arthur Miller 183). This shows how Giles, even though frighten he will not drag anyone else

into this by over sating his words.

In the end, the people in Salem were scared thus their actions were controlled by them

and they affected those around them. Abagail made up lies to keep her safe and got people killed

thanks to it. Proctor even though he cheated on his wife with Abagail, and wanted her dead so

she can be with him. Parris lied about the girls and the witchcraft to the whole town so he would

not lose his job, but the choice he made got people to jail and hung. In conclusion the actions you

make while afraid or not can and will come back to hunt you in your lifetime.
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