The Crucible: anticipation guide follow-up
After
reading the play. Go through the statements and mark whether you agree
or disagree with the statement. Then choose one of the above
statements in the AFTER column with which you strongly agree or
disagree. Explain on the American Lit blog site your feelings about this
statement in a paragraph that follows a formal paragraph format.
TOPIC SENTENCE: Statement of choice.
INTRODUCE EVIDENCE: Why or why not?
QUOTES OR EVIDENCE: Provide an example from real life and from the play that serves as evidence to your opinion.
ANALYSIS: What does each example show? How does each support your opinion?
I chose to strongly disagree with the statement, "It is okay to lie or cheat as long as you don't get caught." I strongly disagree with this because of some of the different events that took place in The Crucible. I was definitely not okay with Abigail being the one mostly involved with witchcraft and then blaming practically the whole town for something that she has done. The worst part is that she did it all solely because she really wanted to be with John Proctor. His wife was one of the most innocent and most holy women in the entire town, and she was accused of witchcraft, something she would never consider doing. There is a difference in a little white lie, and a lie that really affects mass amounts of people. Abigail's lies killed a lot of innocent people. We know from the movie The Crucible that Abigail really did pretend about everything she said in court when at the end she showed up in John's cell and told him, "I never dreamed of this for you, I just wanted to be with you is all." Lying in real life could be the same as in the movie The Crucible, because if you lie in court about a resource then some innocent person could sit in jail and that wouldn't be fair. Like I said before, there is a huge difference in telling a small lie that will only make you end up with lack of trust, and a lie that could potentially change or end someones life. Granted, a lie is a lie, but there is a big difference.
ReplyDeleteCassie McIntyre
DeleteI chose to strongly disagree with "Going to church helps individuals become better people." Now before reading this story I agreed with the above statement. Thinking that yeah if you go to church your a good person and church will help you become even better. After reading the book I changed my thoughts completely. Seeing that Abigail would go to church every Sunday and even being the Reverend's niece you would think that she would be a good person and never lie, but she is far from a good person. She lies throughout the entire story and damns people to their death. She will definitely be sentenced to Hell for all of this as she is a prone sinner. In real life you could be the nicest person in church and serve and do readings but the minute you step out of church you swear or are mean. Church might have cleaned you for awhile but not always. That's when you yourself have to be a good person because church can only help you be a better person if you choose to be. -Matthew-
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with the statement that if the majority of people believe something is true than it must be true. There are a lot of reasons why I think this isn't true. A lot of people get framed for stuff they never actually did. Or at least people think that somebody is guilty when in reality the court finds them innocent. An example of this could be Ray Lewis, he was accused of killing two people but never was found guilty. Many people thought and still think that he was a part of the crimes. Even though they think that, it doesn't mean he's guilty. In this play the whole town of Salem believes there is witchcraft, until the very end, when they realize that Abigail and the other girls were lying to save themselves. Each of these examples shows that even though the majority of people think they know what happened, that does mean that it's the truth. These both support my opinion because the majority was proven wrong.
ReplyDeleteWithholding the truth is the same as telling a lie. I agree 100% with this. If you know some information, like Giles does in The Crucible, that could help people out but you choose to not tell them, then you are lying just as much as someone else that could be lying. If you don't tell something then they might think that your story is a big lie. It could be true but since your not telling parts of it people could think your lying. Giles didn't give up the name they wanted so he was pressed to death. If he would've said the name then he would've been fine and Putnam might have been accused.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that i strongly disagree with The legal system treats all people fairly. My evidence that I have is that in the book many low income people were the first to go and the first to die. Even when they were innocent. In the book Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne were both poor so they were the first to be tried and the first to be put to death over nothing at all. In real life it seems to revolve around your skin color and if you have a darker skin you seem to be the one that gets looked at as the bad guy that has always done something wrong even if you haven't. This shows that if you don't have a lot but those with less seem to get targeted with more than people that have a lot.
ReplyDeleteI would strongly disagree that gossiping is a harmless but fun way to pass time. In the Crucible the girls said that they was people with the devil. When people heard these things it spread thought the town very quick causing people to once small little things that someone did. This then cause many people to then get caught in a lie and many people got hurt or killed because they thought what some of the people did was caused by witchcraft. The death of goody putnam's babies. So then this shows that gossip can hurt anyone and it may be fun for the person who is telling the lie and getting people hurt but if it happens to that person then they will not like what will happen to them. So in the play Proctor then tells the court the he and Abigail have committed a very troubling sin to have committed. People then did not thing they just jumped to the idea and did not use thought in what they had in front of them to look at the evidence.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteBailey Lubben
ReplyDeleteI chose, "If the majority of people believe something is true, then it must be true." I strongly disagree with that because in the story that happened and people died because of it. John Proctor, Goody Nurse, Elizabeth Proctor, and others were said to be witches and lots of people believed it because lots of the girls pretended that it was true. Because so many people believed it, they actually thought all of the innocent people were witches. The innocent people died because they didn't want to lie and say that they were with the devil in order to live. All of these people got caught up in the hoax and since everyone was making a big deal about it, they thought that it was true. Just because lots of people believe something doesn't mean its true. You can believe something completely different from everyone else, and you could end up being right. Abby said that she saw the devil with people, and the other girls didn't want to get into trouble for lying so they agreed with Abby. Since all of the girls said they saw things, it made everyone else believe them and that led to innocent people being hurt. This shows that just because some people say one thing, it doesn't mean its true. The people were innocent that got killed which shows just because lots of people say someones a witch, it doesn't automatically make them a witch. You have to have facts and other proof. You can't just go with the crowd.
Ashley Holtz-
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with the statement, "If the majority of people believe something is true, then it must be true." I disagree because even though people believe one way doesn't mean it is the right way. In the play the girls and the court believe that everyone is guilty until proven innocent, that anyone accused certainly has been involved with the devil. That isn't true, the majority of people think it is, but most of the accused people were innocent. For example, Elizabeth Proctor was accused and from stories that Abigail spread about being stabbed by the needle, people came to believe that Elizabeth was involved with the devil. Elizabeth was innocent and Abigail was making all of her stories up, but because the girls believed it so did the court. Just because people believed Abigail doesn't mean it is true, even though many people in Salem would disagree. To me, it seems like they are gullible, like little kids. If you tell my siblings anything, they will believe it. Just because they believe it and tell their friends doesn't mean that it is always true. Both situations show that people can have a belief in something, but that doesn't mean that is the right or wrong one to have. That is why I strongly disagree with the statement, "If the majority of people believe something is true, then it must be true."
The statement I strongly disagree with is this: The legal system treats all people fairly regardless of race, religion, creed or sexual preference. The reason I do disagree so much is you can see it everyday in the news. A good example is how the government gives no rights to same sex marriage, so if one died the other gets nothing from the government. No help, no money, nothing, they are just cast away to survive on their own. Even if you take a look at the story The Crucible, the legal system was saying everyone is guilty unless they have good evidence or confess that they were working with the devil. The legal system was making them lie and throwing innocent people in jail and hanging the innocent as well. You even had the most religious person in the story be hanged just because someone said she does witchcraft. No one in the story was safe from the legal system. Obviously the legal system has improved since then but it still mistreats african americans, females and same sex marriages. The legal system leans towards that every white man is innocent until proven guilty but for the others it may seem like that but reality it is guilty until evidence is shown to understand if they truly are.
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with the statement that if the majority of people believe something is true, then it must be true. This is in no way true. Just think about The Crucible for example. A majority of the people in this town believed that witchcraft was going on and that it was a problem, when we know that in reality it wasn't happening at all because Abigail and all the other girls were lying and making things up. We know John Proctor was innocent. We know Elizabeth and Rebecca Nurse were innocent. They were all innocent, but the majority of people believed otherwise. Rumors spread all the time that aren't even remotely true. People twist others' words and things get made up. This doesn't make them true by any means. The town of Salem believed John Proctor was an innocent man and would never sin, but does that make it true that he didn't cheat on his wife with Abby? Of course not. Just because people didn't know about it doesn't make him not a sinner. In real life rumors are spread daily. It's amazing the kinds of things you can "find out" about yourself from rumors. People may believe that you love a sport, but just because you play it doesn't mean you like it. People are always hiding things and putting emotions on their face that they really don't feel, and people believe them. So, the bottom line is that if the majority of people believe something is true, this does not make it true by any means. People lie to get back at others, like Abigail. Others hide things to make others think otherwise. Words get twisted and rumors start. Just because a lot of people believe something does not make it true!
ReplyDeleteI chose , "Going to church helps individuals become better people." I strongly disagree with this statement especially after reading the Crucible. Going to church may get you to be on better terms with God and help you practice your faith but it will not change you into a different person. You also have to look at it this way, what does it mean by 'going'? It could mean going just to make an appearance just to say you went,or maybe even going like every other month. It could also mean going to church, saying prayer and participating in communion etc. In the play Parris is a reverend so you would think he is the most religious guy ever and a very "good guy". He is willing to risk other peoples' lives just to save his reputation. This is not showing he is a good guy just because he is a reverend. Think of a prison inmate going to church thinking one time will cleanse him of all sin and totally change him , if he has once been able to commit a crime bad enough to get him in prison , odds are one church visit isn't going to make him a better person. The situation could be different if a bad guy went into church and started making it a routine in his everyday life, and if he actually took part in prayer and went to confession. He could better himself but still my point being going to church will not make you a better person. You can't just become a better person by sitting in church just to say you went. Church may help people become better people and give them good insight but that's about it. It could help them take a second glance at life and how valuable it is and how important it is to practice your faith but it will not make you a better person overall.
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with the statement, "If the majority of people believe something is true, then it must be true." I disagree with this statement in real life and in the play The Crucible. In The Crucible you could get a group of people to cry witchcraft against somebody else and they can't defend themselves because they have no evidence that they aren't witches. The only reason they can cry witchcraft is because they got a group of people together. The judges are going to go with the group of people because they have more people but the accused can't do anything because it's just their word against a big groups. Abigail and the group of girls blamed a lot of people for witchcraft and half the time the people they blamed were good people. The blamed couldn't defend themselves because they were being blamed by a big group even if it wasn't true. Every person they blamed was innocent but since a majority of the girls blamed them the judges thought that they must be practicing witchcraft. This happens in real life too. People get blamed for things that they didn't do and just because majority of people thought they did they get in trouble for it. Both in the play and in real life work with this statement because it happens in real life all the time and it happened in the play with Abigail and the girls blaming innocent people.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that I strongly disagree with the statement "It is okay to lie or cheat as long as you don't get caught." I disagree with this statement because if you lie about something and it eventually leads to someone believing that another person caused a situation, you are getting that person in trouble for something YOU may have done. In the play, Abigail Williams constantly lies. In the court room scene, she starts lying to the court about seeing a bird flying after her. She told the court that the bird was Mary Warren sending the devil to hurt her. Abigail lied in just about every scene she was in. She caused innocent people's lives to be taken away from them. In my opinion, it is NEVER okay to lie or cheat. Why lie about something when you know that in the end, the truth always comes out? In real life, if I told someone that I wasn't at the scene of a crime, I could get in big trouble. I know it may feel like the best thing to do at that time is to lie your way out of the problem because you are saving yourself from getting into trouble, but really, you're setting yourself up for disaster. When the truth eventually comes out that I was at the scene of a crime and I lied, I could go to jail. The truth always comes out in the end! That is why I strongly advise you all to just tell the truth and face the consequences. You should own up to your mistakes because that is how you learn to become a better person.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that I strongly disagree with, it is okay to lie or cheat as long as you don't get caught. I strongly disagree with this because in the story all of the girls are lying when they accuse people. Abby meets with the girls and tells them not to say a word about what happened otherwise she will find them, tells us that they are lying. They are accusing them either for their own benefit or simply because someone looked at them funny. As an example, in real life their could be someone that has murdered people and lied about it to get off the hook. Is that really okay? The girls in the story are lying through their teeth, and they are just trying to follow Abigail's lead. Abby is supposedly the first one that sees the bird that Mary Warren is casting up in the rafters, then all the other girls act like they see it also. These are just some of the examples on how much they have lied and how many people they have accused, either for their benefit or for someone else. I just feel like you shouldn't lie no matter what.
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree that is okay to lie or cheat as long as you don't get caught. I disagree with this statement because you are hurting innocent people by lying. Yes, you may not get hurt because you didn't get caught, but you have to live with the guilt of lying or cheating for the rest of your life. In the play, the audience knew that Abigail was lying and accusing innocent and christian people of witchcraft. Those who she accused were eventually hung, and she is still living. She thought it was okay to lie about witchcraft because she was only thinking about herself. However, she caused good people a lot of pain. Imagine if someone started a rumor about you that was a complete lie. Everyone hears about it, but no one really knows who started it. Since the person who started it got away with it, they are going to think no harm is done. When in reality, they might have ruined that person's life. Both of these examples prove that it is never okay to lie or cheat just because you know you won't get caught. By lying, you are hurting someone else who doesn't deserve it.
ReplyDeleteI chose the statement, "Withholding the truth is the same as telling a lie." I strongly disagree with this statement because you could be protecting people by not saying anything like Giles Corey was in the movie and play. Telling a lie is worse than not telling people the truth. The truth could hurt more people than it might help. Sometimes people lie to help others or themselves. Lying could save some people's lives but they say the truth and get killed for it. I agree that lying is a horrible thing to do but if you don't want to speak the truthful information you may have, you shouldn't have to. Lying could either get someone hurt or help them get protected from harm. In life, people make mistakes and lie to get themselves out of trouble. It's not necessarily the best thing to do but it isn't the worst either. They could be trying to give hints about who the true criminal is but don't want to say is out loud and get hunted down for it. Lying isn't the best thing to do in certain situations. If you are trying to help someone, you might have to lie about what you do or who you truly are so you don't get hurt yourself. It all depends on who you are lying to or withholding the truth from. If it is the police or federal agents, you should tell the truth or you could get innocent people harmed. Giles Corey didn't told the person he wouldn't mention their name and he kept his word for it. He got pressed by stones for not saying the name but he kept his promise to that person. Mr. Putnam could have gotten accused if he would have said the name but if he did, that person could get accused of witchcraft by several people for no reason.
ReplyDeleteJordan Schindler
One of my friends once said, "Going to church and sitting in the pew every Sunday makes you a Christian just as much as standing in a garage makes you a car." However, the Bible tells us that we all need to become better people. It says we can do so by listening to and obeying the Gospel. My personal view on whether or not going to church helps individuals become better people fluctuates greatly depending on their attitudes toward it. Per se, Jake only comes to church for Christmas and Easter. At some point in his life, he meets June, falls in love, and they get married. However, June thinks Jake could be a more loving person and more empathetic if he were to attend church regularly. Therefore, she drags him along with her every Sunday. Jake, however, does not think he needs to change, but he loves his wife, so he goes. In this case, Jake would most likely not change much, being dragged along week after week with no desire to change. On the contrary, if he met June and she wouldn't go near him because he was too apathetic or cold, and he decided on his own to become a better being and attend mass weekly, odds are, he would change. The numerous scriptures would be of more significance to him. Quoted words would be more inspirational and conforming. He would be able to reform his attitudes and mannerisms with lesser issues. While weekly attending church is supposed to be able to change anyone, said people still have to desire to change. If you aren't willing, nothing can sway you. However, if you open your heart and mind, anything is possible.
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with the statement, "It is never okay to rat out a friend." A friend may be someone who you trust or trusts you. Although this may be true, in some instances you may need to break that trust for others, or even your own safety and security. If you know a friend is up to something that could rupture the the safety of others you need to contact someone, such as the authorities, so people know before the event happens. In real life you may have a situation where a friend tells you he or she has thought of bringing a weapon to school and intending to use it on others. This is a time you need to "rat" out your friend. You will possibly stop the event from ever happening and innocent lives from being taken. In The Crucible Mary Warren "rats" out Abigail, first to John Proctor, and then to the high court. She does this so innocent people such as Elizabeth Proctor do not get hung and therefore die. Each of these examples shows that although you may be breaking trust and could possibly end your friendship you are doing what's right to help other innocent people. Both of these examples also support my opinion because ratting out a friend is truly just trying to save innocent people or helping others from getting hurt.
ReplyDeleteGoing to church does not help individuals become a better person. Many people can go to church and sit there through the whole message and not take in a single thing. People can go to church and still not change their wrong doings. Abigail was the niece of a Reverend and she went to church every sunday but she still every time she left the church her sins and wrong doings got worse. She went on and on continuing to sin and never once tried to become a better person. The people in the play thought that just because they went to church every sunday and they prayed and had God in their life that they were going to heaven. They never thought of the how every time they sin or lie about something major that they are ruining everything. Going to church promises you nothing. You have to go to church and actually try to become a better person with the help of the church.
ReplyDeleteI strongly disagree with the statement that if the majority of people believe something is true, then it must be true. People have different views about things. Just because many people believe that something is true, doesn't mean it is true. Many innocent people were accused in The Crucible, including John and Elizabeth. All of the girls believed that they were working with the devil so the court went ahead and believed it too. In reality John and Elizabeth were innocent but because the majority of people thought it was true, the judges and all the others believed it too. We see things like these all the time today. Many innocent people get accused of a crime they didn't commit. The majority of the jury found them guilty though so it must be true. Ten years later everyone finds out they were innocent all along. This has happened to many people and still does happen. Don't go with other peoples' thoughts though. Just because someone else thinks a certain way doesn't mean you have to think like them. Just because most of the people think something is true, that doesn't mean it's true.
ReplyDeleteDerek Salow
Going to church helps individuals become better people. This one it depends on the situation. If the person pays attention in church. It only helps if the person pays attention. With people that are in prison it may help because they sometimes are looking for help and someone to be on their side. In the play Jhon didn’t go to church and was a good man but he could be better if he attended church. In real life this would more than likely not happen because most people are stubborn. This one I am still one the fence on there is too many situations that could go different ways.
ReplyDelete