Remember that your responses should be formal (use proper grammar and spelling), and that you should bring in specific examples whenever possible.
When students use actual quotations in their responses, it makes Ms. Leclaire the happiest teacher on the planet.
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98 comments:
What could Mrs. Putnam possibly gain from accusing Rebecca of being a witch? WHy did she do it?
Well, what really astonished me in the video is that Abigail turned against Tituba by claiming she was a witch and she made her do all of that stuff. My question was:
Do you think people today would really turn on people they love dearly when under extenuating circumstances, or do you think they would always defend loved ones? What would you do?
Why do all of the girls start shouting who they saw with the devil in the end of Act 2? Did they really see those people with the devil or are they just making it up?
I don't know about every else but I'm just a little creeped out right now. How do you guys feel?
Ok, one of my questions is. . .
How can Mr. Hale and everyone believe the girls? Don’t they notice the oddness about it? Does he want to be considered the hero from saving the town from the witches or does he really believe that the town is possessed?
Amyw- I think she just blamed her because Rebecca was her midwife, so she thinks Rebecca killed her babies.
@ Olivia-I think that if they all are together when they confess, that they think that it is easier to confess. Maybe they think that if one confesses, it will cause the others to confess, as well.
lizc- I agree, I am a little creeped out. Abigail seems very unstable and not very in control of herself. That was a little creepy!
Amy~ Didn't Mrs. Putnam and the Proctor's have an on-going rival? Remember, the Proctor's prevented the Putnam's friend from becoming Reverend and they each wanted each other's land?
Does anyone else think that Abigail stuck herself with the pin and is totally setting up Mrs. Proctor??
amy-I think mrs. Putnam could feel justified accusing Goody Nurse for all her mis-carraiges.
Also, does anyone else feel sorry for Abigail because she has to watch the one she loves live his life with another woman? I mean, this must be horrible for her.
To respond to Amy's question, I think that Mrs. Putnam (like many other characters) seeks to exculpate, or excuse, herself from all blame. Her greatest anxiety arises from the fact that most of her children died; naturally, she fears this as a sign of being damned, so she seeks an explanation other than God. Her midwives--Good and Osburn--are easy scapegoats.
lizc - I have to agree...it was very creepy how everyone seemed to go so crazy in the film. It seemed like a wave of madness just overcame them and it was very concerning. But it seems to me not only is it just the girls who are freaking out but also the men.
lizc- I completely agree with you. After I saw the situation with Tituba getting beaten, I was a little stunned. I did not realize the transitions between good samaritan christians that are talking softly and want you to come to God and yelling men that are beating you and making you cry, making you tell lies. Then when the girls started calling out names...I just feeling how fake it was. How they all just kept making up names because they saw others getting out of trouble by it.
Emilyj- I definitely think that the girls were lying about all of that. They wanted to turn attention away from themselves and definitely turn the blame to someone else. It looked really fake to me.
During the Act One scene when all of the girls start screaming, the thing I noticed mainly was Tituba's face. She is shown just looking at the madness that sparked by her accusation. I wonder what Tituba could have been thinking when looking at the situation.
Morgant- well first of all, how do you know that Agigail truly loves Tituba? That is a good assumption but you don't really know how she feels about her. I would run away from that place instead of throwing myself into the fray by accusing someone.
Emily- I think the only reason they started to yell those names is because the girls began to notice the power they could get by claiming they were possesed. They could get people killed and "in trouble" they don't like by claiming they were seen with the devil.
@emilyj- If you convince yourself of something enough, you will believe it even if it is untrue. The atmosphere might have cause some of the girls to have an eerie feeling. This could have put the idea of the devil's presence in the minds of the girls even if they didn't actually see him.
emilyj ~ I do not think the girls really saw people with the devil, I think the girls are afraid of Reverend Hale and Abigail if they admit their dancing was nothing. After seeing Tituba being let off fine, the knew blaming other people was an easy way out.
Nevermind, they have started talking about the same thing I just asked in the inner circle.
Morgan T- I think there are some people in the world who would turn against those they love in order to save themselves. However I would stay by my loved ones. I would do anything for them and I would never betray them for my own selfish reasons. Even though it would be extremely hard I would do my best to not betray them.
EmilyJ-I think that this is just something they did out of having nerves about being accused themselves. If they had actualy seen them, don't you think that they would have said so earlier?
morgant- I think people would turn on their loved ones if they are pushed to the extremes. Humans are naturally selfish, so they are going to put themselves first before everyone else, even before loved ones.
melissaz- maybe Hale is the one that is possesed because he is the one that thinks that he can cure everything that is happening. He automatically places himself above everyone else and I think that's rather odd.
morgant- I think that there are people in the world today who would be willing to accuse their loved ones just to save themselves. I would rather my family and friends be safe, and just deal with my own problem.
melissa - My theory is that this town is just desiring a scandal. Their lives are so boring and this may give them something to do. Of course it could also be his true fear of the devil but I sincerely doubt it. I think Mr. Hale also wants credit as being this amazing witch hunter who brings peace to Salem. It paints a nice picture...
Matt-I was thinking the same thing. Also, I had the question about what she stuck herself with. If it was just a pin, how would it bleed as much as she described. This just didn't seem very logical to me.
Honestly, I think that Tituba wasn't really faking. I think that she may have had a dream where the three white women show up and taunt her or something. I think that she figured that this was a mark of the devil. After confessing, however, and once all the girls started shouting names, if you saw her face, she looked surprised and confused as to why the girls were throwing out all these fake accusations.
Matt- I totally agree. I think that Abigail is totally framing Mrs. Procter so that way she can have John all to herself.
amyw- Well, Abigail needs to get over it. I really don't feel sorry for her. Personally, in the movie I don't feel like Abigail is really worth it. She kind of bugs me. She keeps making stuff up and being really kind of deceitful and I don't really like that about her. Besides, John Proctor is already married and also way too old for her.
@Morgan: It would definetly depend by several factors, but if pressured like in Salem, I'd say they would. Think back to McCarthyism and about a billion things; when pressured by authority, people are willing to bend to their will. You also got a strong faith in a religion where the barrier between good and evil is almost non-existant throwing into the pot.
matt- i think that Abigail is trying to set Good Proctor up definately! She obviously wants John Proctor and the only way to have him is to get rid of his wife.
MelissaZ~ I agree with that completely in terms of it's not realistic because he went off the word of one girl. That proves nothing he should of known better than to only rely on the what abby said. He's probably trying to be the one who discovers the witches so he's just going as quickly as possible to become that. He's just like oh well she was blamed so she's arrested and so on so forth.
Matt- I definitely think that Abigail stuck herself. I think she just wanted to get rid of John’s wife as a way to get back at him and possibly have him for herself.
I agree with Delaney- and think that it was a mixture of believing it could have been the truth and fear of getting in trouble for their actions in the woods.
emily- I think that none of the girls actually saw somebody with the devil. I just think that they said other people's names just to clear their own name.
amyw - I think most of us can relate to Abigail a little in that situation. She has to watch the man she loves be happy with another woman. It reminds me of the dating scene here at arapahoe. Sometimes we have to watch our friends go out with the ones we have crushes on and it's very painful. It still doesn't give Abigail a right to try and steal John away though...that's just not right
I see the reason behind confessing other names. They had already done something that they can get whipped for: dancing. If the real reason behind the dancing was found out, they would all get a much much harsher punishment. They are already scared out of their wits. They do not want to believe that their behavior is wrong. So, in turn, they feel people are getting out of trouble by blaming others. Again, they do not want to take responsibility. So, they go crazy, each of them wanting a chance for innocence.
melissaz ~ As far as believing the girls, here is a quote from Act II I think explains it. This is when Hale comes to the Proctors':
"and it profit nothing you should lay the cuase to the vengeance of a little girl" (Crucible. ActII,pg 76)
He is talking about Abigail at this point and it just shows the society views children as perfect.
Morgan T-I think that it is terrible to turn against loved ones, especially when it is your fault. I think that there are some people out there that would do that though, although I do not agree with it.
Liz and Lauren- Thank you, that is what I thought as well. Mr. Hale would love to become the hero of Salem.
alexf- I agree. I think most of the characters have similar experiences like that. They could be taking small, random things that they thought or something and because of everyones severe questioning, they are persuaded to think there is hidden meaning behind their thoughts.
@Everyone- well, thank you for your responses, you are all right!
@Lizc- Very good point. I did kind of assume just because hasn't Tituba basically cared for Abigail her whole life, I thought that maybe she really did love her, but just turned against her because she didn't want to be accused.
morgant---There are definitely some people today (and in every era) that would use their loved ones as scapegoats. I can't really say what I would do exactly; I don't think anyone can really decide that until they're actually experiencing the situation. You might say you would do a certain thing, such as not using your loved ones as scapegoats, but things could change once you're in a certain situation.
emily- I think that they just made it up. I think that Abigail just does it to get attention and then the other girls follow in her foot steps.
alexf- I agree with you that Tituba looked really surprised when the girls started throwing out all of these names. Like Mrs. Leclair said, Arthur Miller, really makes you hate Abigail and that is definately happening to me. Miller makes it seems like Abigail is faking, and I think that she is faking and possibly trying to get attention in different ways.
MadisonT- my thoughts exactly about throwing other names out of the blue.
Amyw~ yeah it must be horrible watching that because she loves him. Still, that's no excuse to treat others with disrespect and go as far as to blame them with witchcraft when that is such a fragile subject in the village already. That's why I don't feel bad for her because she doesn't deserve pity for what she is doing to everyone else.
MelissaZ-I think that all of the people in Salem have very selfish motives-no one wants to personally be accused of witchraft. When anyone catches even a little wind of witchcraft, they hold onto it for dear life so that they have something to back up their innocence by calling someone else out. I think that Hale believes in witchcraft in a religious way because he is a preacher.
@ Mellissa and Liz I totally agree but i think it will totally backfire on her because she has to act crazy to complete her story, so if goody proctor ends up being hung, she will probably be put in jail at the minimum.
laurenc---Exactly! And I agree with you that it's evil that she's trying to steal him away and do manipulative things to accomplish this. But still...I do feel sorry for her.
laurenc - GOOD POINT about Abigail's grief aobut Proctor. This is a huge driving force for her to start this whole craziness.
Do you think the girls' knew what their charges would lead to? Do you think they wanted the poeple they accused to hang?
In the film version, do you think that they make Mr. Hale look creepy and out of sorts on purpose to set him apart from everyone else? I definately think that the director did the funky makeup and what not to make him appear extreamly different.
MattN- That is 100% what I am thinking. When they describe Mary Warren's reaction to the doll having a pin, she seems shocked. And then when she is describing what had happened she specifically says that Abigail saw her making the doll. I think that Abigail truly thinks that she has a chance to rekindle her romance with Proctor, and is willing to go to any extent to make it happen.
Okay...I have a question: Why was Hale so eager to blame Tituba, and then after she confessed, he was protecting her, and saying that God was on her side because she confessed? What do you guys think?
matt- I also agree that Abigail is setting up Goody Proctor. She is a good liar and makes everything seem so believable. But, I do think this is a terrible thing to do, putting someone else's innoncent life at risk just to win the man of her dreams. This seems so selfish to me.
madisont - I think it's human nature to lie. As bad as that sounds we have probably all made up stories to try and get our way or get out of trouble. The first thought that comes to mind when we are about to get in trouble is, "How can I get out of this?". Maybe there are some people who can easily own up to the punishment but what if it were a case of life or death or whipping? Wouldn't you want to get out of it too. I know I would
@ Liz, yea i totally agree, i think he will have a big significance later in the book, he will have a big influence on the trials that will go on
lizc---You could be right! No one else looks like Mr. Hale or has their makeup done like him. Maybe the director is trying to say something about his character through this...but what?
MeganU~
Exactly! Also, I think it was Corey that said that he merely mentioned his wife reading a book, and now she is accused of being a witch! I think that everyone is over exaggerating and enthusiastic. An example of this today is like when there was an outbreak of e-coli. Everyone thought that they had it, when they were almost all the time just suffering through allergies! Society makes us anxious about everything!
Chelsea- I think Hale was just really desperate to find a solution to the problem. He was called in to help the town and he does not want to let them down.
Liz- I totally agree with you, I feel that Abby is half looking for attention and half trying to get Proctor for herself. She only wants what works for her and doesn't care about anyone elses life except hers.
whitney- I think that the girls probably did know what the charges would lead to, but they were so caught up in the moment, that they didn't think things through before accusing others. All they were worrying about was their own fate.
AmyW- I totally have been feeling that way towards Abigail as well! I don't think that it is any consolation for trying to have their wife killed, but like the common phrase, "All is fair in love and war", Abigail is willing to do anything for Proctor, and is fueled by watching their relationship from afar.
ChelseaS~ It's because Mr. Hale wants to catch the people doing witchcraft as well as be a hero for changing their ways. He wants to catch them and change them to make the village feel as if they will never do it again
WhitneyS- I think the girls knew exactly what their actions would cause. They are trying to fling the blame anywhere but on themselves so they just throw out names and hope the ministers fall for it. I think they might have a reason to shout out the names they are shouting, like Abigail, but it's not easy to tell. I kind of think it's selfish, but Abigail might be another story.
Personally, I find Mr. Hale scarier than anyone else yet. He is set apart as a "holy man." Yet, you begin to wonder what makes him such a good man? Here he is, scaring the "truth" out of a woman, making her scream until she repents. Mr. Hale I believe just wants everyone to see him as the intelligent good minister. And, if he can get to "the bottom" of this situation, he will be proclaimed a hero. He is overcomplicating a situation but if he didn't, would it really be as simple if we arrested someone innocent?
@Whitney-I think that that is a good point, and I had the same question. I think that the girls thought that it was all fun and games in the beginning, but then it started getting more serious. I think that at this point, they began to worry, and that they thought that they might get charged, and that they might regret thier previous actions.
chelseas- I think that Hale is using witchcraft to show how selfish humans really are. Everyone is just pointing their fingers at everyone else, trying to make sure that they save themselves and their innocence. He uses witchcraft to represent this selfishness. Once someone puts the blame on someone else, the person originally blamed isn't as important anymore. The person who pointed their finger proved Hales point so they have no use to show anger toward that character or keep that character in the main focus anymore.
chelseas ~ I think he welcomed Tituba back because it proved he was right about the witches and proved he could drive them out. Did you see in the video how people congratulated him for freeing Tituba? So I think it is personal gain. As for the community, it allows them a way out of admitting to their daughters doing something sinful.
whitneys- I don't think that the girls thought that it would ever get as big as it did. They were kind of just acting in the moment when they started yelling out names. For Abigail, I think that she really does want to Elizabeth proctor to hang, but I am not sure about the rest.
lizc - and what's with his hair? I think maybe it was done on purpose (or he's just a weird looking actor). It does give him a very sinister appearence and when he was yelling at the girls he was truley frightening...I probably would have cried
Here is another question I had while I was reading act 2. On pg. 57 I wrote this question but it involves everything that has lead up to that point. Do people really conform to other's ideas that easily? What does this say about our society? Can all "facts" or knowledge be twisted enough to support some thing entirely different?
Sorry, that may be hard to understand.
ChelseaS- I noticed that too. I think the dramatic change in attitude when Tituba didn't confess and when she did was the director's way of displaying the way people were treated depending on whether or not they confessed.
This is my opinion:
I think that Parris should not have whipped Tituba. I think that that is what led her to say that she had a pact with the devil. Before the beating, no one said anything, its like Parris beat out what he wanted to hear from Tituba?
What do you think?
whitneys---I don't think the girls thought about the consequences at all. Everything happened so fast that they were probably just thinking, "I don't want to get in trouble; what should I do?" They probably didn't want the people they accused to be hung either. I'm guessing that they never thought that it would come to that. They set a chain of events in motion that just totally spun out of control, to put it mildly.
madison- Mr. Hale definately wants to bethe hero of the village by acting like he knows what he is doing. Silly guy... Well, he basically is making everyone beleive all of his (excuse me) crap that his is talking about.
MadisonT- Yea Mr. Hale is for sure way out of place. What do you think the director is trying to say about him by doing that?
Just commenting on what the inner circle is discussing, in the Bible, (for those of you who believe that) it says that all sins are equal. (A white lie is equal to murder)
Just an FYI
chelsea- I think that he was so quick to blame Tituba because she was a different nationality and a slave, so she was kind of a scapegoat. But, I think that after she confessed, Hale didn't want to be the bad guy, so he showed pity on her and wanted her to repent, in hope that Betty would be saved.
ChelseaS- I think Hale was already expecting witchcraft when he came to Salem. I think it was just a matter of finding a culprit for him. I think he really did expect to find witchcraft, but he needed to get the blame on someone, so when Tituba's name came up, he pounced on the opportunity.
LaurenC- Yes, very true, it's human nature to lie. But I'm really trying to visualize a scene that it would be an actual hard decision. I have a twin. Just the thought of blaming her for something I did is something I cannot comprehend. But then I see it the other way. My biggest fear is the dark. I have had the worst possible experiences with the dark. And if something happened that made me hysterical..something so dark I could not stand it, I do wonder if I would give up a family member, for my own sanity and sake.
chelsea- I was wondering about that too. It was like a moajor mood swing for Hale! I think it's because Tituba admitted to it but he felt sorry for her for being associated with the devil, and the only way to get rid of the devil was to cooperate with her, so he couldn't have anymore anger towards her if they wanted to accomplish something.
lauren- Oh my gosh, I would have cried too! He is so creepy. Everything about him is different. He has bright blue eyes and tanner skin and you can tell that he is wearing a lot of makeup. In some of the scenes he has looked almost "shiny" in a sense and his general appearence just makes everyone be like Woah! when they see him.
@Kenna-I totally agree-that was what I was thinking, too. I also think that he wanted to seem like a "hero", especially in their pure society. Since the witch syndrome was such a big deal, this would make him seem like a miracle-maker, and people would probably trust and support him.
shannanp---I agree with you. Well, I don't think using violence against people solves anything, first of all. But also, if he'd never whipped her, then she wouldn't have talked about seeing the devil and then the other girls wouldn't have hysterically confessed. Everything would've been different...
MadisonT- Awww thanks sis!!! Hahaha!
Mattn- I really am trying to figure it out. We can all see beyond his "good guy minister" scene right? But, if you think about it, what if he truly believed in devils that exist? What if he really felt like he was cleansing the town of witchery?
madisont - That's a very thought provoking thing you said...I have a little brother, he's 8 years younger then me and we're really close. I could not fathom selling him out to be hurt just to save myself. I don't want to think I ever would but I think horrible situations bring out the worst in us all...so it's really a good thing to think about
Shannan- I agree. People don't want to be beaten to death, so many people would just say anything so that way they can be free.
Alexf-Word. I agree with your statement. So technically, the people who killed the witches had a worse sin on their palette than the accused witches who did nothing. They were killing for no reason, and even if they were witches-it's their religion.
Morgan- yesss haha. :]
madisont ~ good point about Mr. Hale over complicating the situation. It could have simply been the girls dancing, but instead people had to die....
and here is an interesting idea, Tituba was the one who began the accusations and she was the one blamed for starting the witch craft...hmm? What is Arthur trying to do?
You know what really bugs me??? Mr. Parris seems very intent on keeping his family's name clean. He doesn't want anybody to counteract his idea, so he keeps sending out names just to keep his family's name clean (this is kind of for ACT III but, I just had to put this out here because it's really bugging me!)!! Whenever there is some sort of evidence against witchcraft, Mr. Parris says that person is guilty of witchcraft. Doesn't that seem suspicious to you guys???
Laurenc- Yeah I know...it's so hard to decide what we would do until we are actually presented with the decision and situation. We can only guess...or hope we would do the right thing...
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