lol, internet

Towards the end of the book, Proctor is pressured into confessing. He finally agrees to ‘confess’ his witchcraft because of the situation with his wife, Elizabeth. Danforth is ecstatic, and requires Proctor to sign his name on a document regarding his confession so it can be posted on the church door. After hearing this, Proctor rips the sheet in half, and is hanged.

This was one of the most meaningful scenes out of the entire play, because it displays courage to stand up for what you believe in. I enjoyed the play more than I thought I would, and I’m glad I chose it. This book has sparked an interest in the Salem witch trials, and it’s something I’d definitely be interested in learning more about, instead of having my primary knowledge based on a fictional piece. My final grade for thish book is a B+.

I have to laugh at how ridiculous some of this sounds… At this point, the majority of the people living in Salem truly believe that Abigal and her crew have been doomed with witchcraft. Arrests are being made left and right effecting even the most remotely involved people. It’s hard to believe this actually happened. John Proctor, one of the leading characters in the book, finds himself in a sticky situation thus far.

He knows that witchcraft is not an adequate explanation for the girls’ sicknesses and odd behavior, but in an effort to cover up his own sin (he cheated on his wife with Abigal; one of the girls effected with ‘witchcraft’) he keeps his mouth shut. This part of the book has basically been an internal battle with John Proctor. However, John isn’t the only one that is beginning to catch on, and see through the madness. All people who don’t believe in witchcraft do not speak against it in fear of being accused themselves. It seems like witchcraft is a method of excerising control and authority, and sometimes I wonder if the ‘elite’ of this society actually believe in what they’re doing and preaching.

Current grade: B

Our group has run through the play a few times, and everyone has started memorizing their lines. We’ve finalized roles for characters, and we’ve finalized roles for the promptbook. We occasionally have trouble staying on task and focusing on accomplishing our goals. Hopefully we will be able to work together to strive towards what needs to be accomplished. Personally, since I do not have many lines, I will work harder towards producing our promptbook, while Brayden, who is playing Macbeth, will do less work towards the promptbook. We have already made several changes to our script, and I’m confident about our group’s ability to produce a soundtrack, costume design, etc.

I’m about 1/3 of the way through the book, and so far, it’s pretty good. It has introduced many characters, and set the scene very well. It seems like many of the characters truly believe in witchcraft.
A “house keeper” named Tituba, a Carribean native, was seen by several white men dancing around in the woods with some girls. At this point in the book, they are seriously questioning everyone, as accusations of witchcraft have been flying back and forth. Arthur Miller makes it clear that some people are con artists and liars, and continue to lie in order to convict people and gain power. The “odd” behavior described in this book seems like a simple mental disorder of today, but many people of Salem used the concept of ‘witchcraft’ to explain the unexplained. I find it particularly interesting that those who clearly don’t “buy it”, are very hesitant to halt and stand up to it. John Proctor, for example, has been accused several times thus far of not believing in witchcraft, but in his own defense states that he has not yet stated an opinion regarding the matter.

More updates to come! So far, I give this book a  B.

I’ve decided to read The Crucible for my outside reading. The Salem Witch trials have always sparked an interest for me, so I decided to take the oppurtunity to finally read the ‘offical’ book on the Witch Trials. Seeing as it’s a play, I don’t expect much from it, as I generally don’t expect much from plays. However, ‘The Crucible’ always comes up when the Witch Trials are brought up, so I feel my life would be incomplete without finally reading this book.

I’ve read lots of articles, sources, and participated in class discussions regarding the Salem Witch trials. I’ve seen ‘The Crucible’, and consumed lots of other data focusing on different aspects and effects of the witch trials. I’ve also been to the official witch museum in Salem, MA, which sucks by the way. If you’re planning a visit, don’t.