|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Introduction
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is
loosely based on historical facts: the Salem witch trials of
the late 1600's. The characters in the play were based upon
real people like you and me who judged or were judged in a
hysteria that raises questions to this day about how we see
each other. However, the characters in the play are also
just that: fictional characters. In many ways they are not
like the people whose names they are given by Miller. What
actually did happen to the real victims and judges? How did
the society and government in which they lived allow this to
take place? How and why does history repeat itself? How did
McCarthyism influence Miller? What does the play say about
the techniques and goals of the McCarthy hearings? Although
Miller was writing about early Salem; he was concerned as
well with issues facing 20th Century America.
The Task
You and your partners will be involved in the following activities:
I.Each student will select one of the five report topics listed below.
II.Each student will prepare a brief report on their assigned topic.
III. Your group will prepare a group report following the guidelines below.
Resources
The resources available to you consist of the following links on the net as well as the play and your history
textbooks:
1. PRIMARY SOURCES: the 50's and the fear of Communism
Senator Joseph McCarthy -- A Multimedia Presentation
Truman, Harry - excerpt from speech dated July 29, 1951
McCarran Act, or Internal Security Act (1950) and its special way of Outing those named in
anticommunist testimony
Communist Control Act, 1954 - excerpts from the legislation
2. SECONDARY SOURCES
with Documents (1994)
"Communism and National Security: The Menace Emerges"
"The Growth of the Anti-Communist Network"
"The State Steps In: Setting the Anti-Communist Agenda"
Introduction to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)
Cedric Belfrage's "Fever Charts, 1948-1957"
"Blacklists and Other Economic Sanctions"
Actress Lillian Hellman's FBI file
How to Learn From the Blacklist
The Witchcraft Hysteria of 1692
Witchcraft in 16th and 17th Century Europe and America: a Bibliography
3. OVERVIEWS -MEGA SITES
National Geographic's Salem 97
Complete source on the Crucible (You want it? They've got it!)
English-The Crucible/McCarthy (a super source for links to information on just about every part of this project!)
The Process
1. You will be assigned to a team of 6 students.
2. Each student will select an area of the project they want to work on. The areas are:
3. Each student will then access the net and find the pertinent information on their particular topic using the sources listed above.
4. Once the information is researched from the net, you will each write a separate report of one to two typed pages detailing your findings.
5. Next, you will come together to produce a five to seven page group report on how the Salem Witch Trials, the climate of fear about witchcraft in the 16th and 17th centuries, the 20th Century Red Scare, McCarthyism and the Crucible are related. Where appropriate, you will indicate differences between Miller's play and historical fact. You will attempt to show how history repeats itself through your comparison of the witch trials and the McCarthy hearings.
Your group report should be organized as follows:
Section One: A brief description of Witchcraft fears in 16th and 17th century England and Colonial America.
Section Two: A brief description of the the government and society of Salem in the 1600's.
Section Three: A comparison of characters from the novel and their historical counterparts.
Section Four: A brief history of the Red Scare.
Section Five: A brief history of the McCarthy hearings.
Section Six: A comparison and analysis of the two historical periods. Explore Arthur Miller's use of
analogies and allusions in his work to compare and contrast the two sets of events. In this final section, show how history
repeats itself through your comparison of the witch trials and the McCarthy hearings.
Use standard style guidelines when preparing individual and group reports. Avoid plagiarism.
"The Trial of Rebecca Nurse"
Evaluation
Conclusion
This project should give you an appreciation of the relationship between history and fiction, and how writers
often use history to reflect on their own times. By exploring Arthur Miller's use of history, you may also
begin to notice that not only do many authors, filmmakers, and artists manipulate historical "fact" to suit their
purposes, but some political figures do as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|