In the comment box below, share your quote from Act I and explain how it supports your assertion and why you think it is unique or significant. Please have your post in the post box by the end of the day on Monday. Thanks, Mr. Telles.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Assertions and Evidence.
In class on Thursday, we discussed the importance of thesis statements as bold assertions that are insightful, meaningful, and essential. In pairs, you developed provisional statements -- or assertions -- in which you attempted to diagnose the deep social sickness that grips Salem, and the assertions you came up with were very shrewd and well-phrased. On Friday, we selected quotes that support your ideas.
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When writing a thesis you need to remember how to connect the thesis statement with the actual question. When we discussed the facts in the thesis statement with the quotes, it made the essay a better essay together as a whole. In the book, many quotes can be used as a backup for the actual essay to be practical and correct. "PROCTOR: Can you speak one minute without we land in Hell again? I am sick of Hell!" in this quote, Proctor complains about how everybody tends to focus only on the idea of hell and suffering, instead of focusing in God and God only. The people in Salem are having a mental breakdown as if they were being dominated by the power of supernatural and forgetting about what really matters. They are so focused on the things that has been happening in the town, that they forgot to express their own ideas and thoughts. And again, they need to try to solve the problem, instead of making it worse. The way they are carrying things they aren't going to solve anything. This quote really express the eager to speak up and to show the others that this need to end and that the monsters are inside them, inside their heads, and not on the actual town. What they have is a paranoia. They are too attached to the strange facts and aren't even trying to listen to the solution and judge what the best result for the town is. Stop focusing on blaming the faults on God, and think about your actions first.
ReplyDeletePARRIS: "And what shall I say to them? That my daughter and my niece were dancing like heathen in the forest?"
ReplyDeleteThis is the quote I found that I think best reflects my assertion. The people of Salem are extremely conservative to the point of it seeming to be unhealthy. Fun seems to be a sin for the Salem citizens, and even something as silly and simple as girls dancing in the forest causes a lot of people to be shocked and look down on the girls with shame. Yes, the girls were in fact doing more than merely dancing in the woods, but even that in itself is enough to make Parris feel like he will be in great trouble if people find out that his daughter and niece were dancing. He is very worried about what people will think about him and his family, and rightfully so due to the extreme attitudes of the town members. They seem to consider dancing a sign of witch craft, and witch craft means death in Salem. This quote from Parris really shows how dreary and unhappy they are with their own lives to consider such an innocent idea sinful. I also think that the people of Salem are so bored and unhappy with their lives that they use accusing people and hurting them as entertainment, while disguising it as something that needs to be done for the good of the town. Everyone in Salem knows deep down that this is all a scam, but those who don't approve of it are too afraid to speak up for the fear of becoming an accused victim themselves. The entire town is sick and mentally twisted.
Parris: "I'll lead them in a psalm, but let you say nothing of witchcraft yet. I will not discuss it. The cause is not yet unknown. I have had enough contention since I came; I want no more."
ReplyDeleteI chose this quote because my assertion was that the people of Salem are afraid of anything out of the ordinary so they try and hide everything that seems out of the ordinary. The people of Salem refuse to talk of witchcraft because they are afraid of they themselves being accused or looked at differently for behaving differently. All the towns people are more worried about what others think of them instead of what they themselves think.
Giles: “It discomforts me! Last night—mark this—I tried and tried and could not say my prayers. And then she close her book and walks out of the house, and suddenly—mark this—I could pray again!” (Pg 40)
ReplyDeleteThis quote is important because it shows how people are so paranoid about strange happenings that they begin to believe anything that happens is connected to witchcraft. The assertion I made earlier this week was that the people of Salem are so caught up with their religious beliefs that because they are so sheltered, if something out of the ordinary happens they become so paranoid and begin to point fingers at one another. They become so caught up in their own lies that they begin to actually believe it is true. Giles’ quote is a perfect example because it shows that just because his wife was reading a book and he couldn’t say his prayers that she was possessed by some sort of devil. Witchcraft was not the actual cause of why people became so hysterical in Salem. It was actually because of their own actions that hysteria became so huge in such little time.
ABIGAIL: "Oh posh! We were dancin' in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us. She took fright, is all” (21-22).
ReplyDeleteI believe that this quote by Abigail supports and back up the assertion that my partner and I made in class last week. We made the assertion that the problem within the town of Salem was that people do not take responsibility for their actions. We also realized that the people may be too focused on others and not what they do themselves. This quote reveals that the girls are faking and that no witchcraft caused Betty or Ruth to act bewitched in their beds. Abigail tells John Proctor this alone though, so there are no other witnesses and this may be a factor later on in the story. This quote is extremely important because it shows that the girls were not bewitched and that they are faking, but she won’t admit that they are faking to anyone. She goes on in the beginning of Act II, which we read on Friday, to blame people for what happened and not take responsibility and admit that her and the other girls did something wrong. The girls are getting others in trouble, rather than themselves and they feel no remorse. People are being tried in court over things that they never did and if they do not admit to doing these things, even though they didn’t do it, they will be hanged. This shows that the problem in Salem is that when somebody is accused of something that they did they don’t take responsibility for their actions and instead they put the blame on others.
Mrs. Putnam: “ They were murdered Mr.Parris, mark it, last night Ruth was talking to their little souls.” ( pg16 ) My assertion is that Salem being the deep rooted religious society that it was is that a small amount of differentiation from any social norm is considered evil and suspicious. The people invoke mass hysteria and begin to think that their neighbors could be committing witchcraft or in this case killing babies. It also leads to beliefs that others can commune with the dead. The quote portrays these kind of accusations and how there is no coincidences only the devil’s work.
ReplyDelete“Putnam: Why, we are surely gone wild this year. What anarchy is this? That tract is in my bounds, it’s in my bounds, Mr. Proctor.” - pg 32
ReplyDeleteThe quote stated above shows just how psychotic the characters in the book The Crucible become after the witchcraft incident had taken place. Putnam is obviously overreacting to the current situation and is not being reasonable with Mr. Proctor. Calling what the girls did “anarchy” is a little over the top considering that they did not actually interact with even spirits and they did not cause harm onto others. They literally just danced in the woods and got caught. Sure one had more diabolical intentions, with the whole drinking blood and wishing someone dead thing. The main point is that none of their quote on quote “witchcraft” worked the way they imagined it to, but even though they did not cause harm to others and the whole town had nothing better to do, everyone began to get involved and then began to lose their marbles which can be seen clearly with Putnam.
Mrs. Putnam "How high, how high did she fly? Paris No, no she never flew."(13) In this quote Mrs. Putnam is certain that Abigail was flying even though Pris said she wasn't. This tells us that she is trying to convince people that something is wrong in the town involving the girls. Even though no one else at the time believes it, she still strongly supports the idea. It proves that people in Salem have a crave for excitement and hearing this story of witchcraft in the woods gives the a perfect scapegoat to have some exciting factor in the town. Even if they Know that it's not real, they still want to believe it is so they will do anything to make it seem real. The book shows even more how far people will go to get excitement.
ReplyDelete"Putnam: I'd not call it sick, the devil's touch touch is heavier than sick. It's death you know, it's death drivin' into them forked and hoofed." I chose this quote because it is directly related to my assertion that everybody in Salem needs a scapegoat for their problems. What Putnam is saying in this quote is quite oblivious yet powerful, he's saying that Betty isn't sick, she was touched by the devil and she's dying. This really shows Salem is searching for something to blame the problem on. As rumors spread and the towns people search for answers, the idea of witchcraft is almost comforting. It allows the people of Salem to think god isn't punishing them. Which is important because Salem is a religious based community. The main idea is that this quote strongly backs up my assertion that the people of Salem need a scapegoat for their problems.
ReplyDeleteMrs. Putnam "Id not call it sick;the Devil's touch is heavier than sick." This quote is a prime example of paranoia in the town of Salem. They refuse to believe that God would be punishing them because they are church going people. So they turn to supernatural causes to explain their misfortune, such as witchcraft and the devil. Although there is no hard evidence for Mrs. Putnam's conclusions she jumps to them because she is both paranoid and sickened at the thought that God would punish her family further after the loss of her 7 children.
ReplyDeletePUTNAM: How may we blame ourselves? I am one of nine sons; the Putnam seed have peopled this providence. And yet I have but one child left of eight-and now she shrivels!(Miller 28) The reason I believe that this quote is a flawless example as to why the people of Salem are so freaked out about witch craft, is very simple. They need something or someone to blame on the tragedies that occur in their lives. In the case of the Putnams, the poor couple has lost eight of their children, so of course they're going to be hysterical. In the novel, if the characters just realized that sometimes, horrible things happen to good people, then there wouldn't be as many problems. The reason this quote really was significant to me, was the first sentence. Putnam flat out says,'how can we blame ourselves!'
ReplyDeleteMrs. Putman : "They were murdered, Mr. Parris! And mark this proof! Mark it! Last night my Ruth were ever so close to their little spirits; I know it sir. For how else is she struck dumb now except some power of darkness would stop her mouth?" Mrs. Putman was so sure that an unholy witch was doing this to Ruth. She was convinced that religion was the cause of everything, so she had to make sure that everyone was following the Christian religion properly. That was how most people in Salem felt. They felt that the best way to protect themselves was knowing everyone's personal lives. This led to the people becoming obsessed and paranoid, because they were all so nervous and stressed out about people not following the rules and doing things the way they thought it would be best.
ReplyDeletePutnam- "She cannot bear to hear the Lord's name, Mr. Hale; that's a sure sign of witchcraft afloat." All of the towns people are so concerned with what everyone else is doing and are so fast to judge them that they don't take a chance to consider a more reasonable explanation. They jump to conclusions before they know all the facts about the situation. Nobody dares to stand up for the girls caught "dancing" in the woods because they are too concerned with their own reputation getting ruined, they don't have a problem ruining someone else's as long as their's is safe. Any reasonable person could come up with a better explanation than witchcraft if they saw a girl "bewitched" and acting strangely. Perhaps the reason she was acting strange when hearing the Lords name is because she felt guilty about something, she does not believe in God, or maybe she did not even hear what he said because she was too out of it to function. But Putnam stated without a doubt that the girl was bewitched and had been performing witchcraft because of her reaction to the Lord's name. This clearly shows that the towns people are unreasonable and too judgmental to face the reality of the subject at hand.
ReplyDeleteMary Warren: "I only to see the great doings in the world" (Miller 21) Mary Warren is trying to tell the Proctor why she was not at his home. It really is a very good example showing how these people were so bored in their own life that they have to get involved in anything mildly interesting in other people's lives. This one quote is unique from the other ones that show how non-interesting their lives could be because she actually refers to it as "great." Anyone else that had gone into the house had been interested in something that was scary and foreign to them, but Mary makes it seem normal and great. All the people in this town are always looking for something to get involved in that will make their lives seem a little bit more exciting but when the witchcraft comes into play they really start to get into each others personal lives way more then they should.
ReplyDeletePARRIS: Thomas, Thomas, I pray you, leap not to witchcraft. I know that you-you least of all, Thomas, Thomas, would ever wish so disastrous a charge laid upon me. We cannot leap to witchcraft. THey will howl me out of Salem for such corruption in my house. (14) Our assertion was that the people of Salem, especially Parris, did not want witchcraft. They did not want it but they also did not know how to act when the reality of sin actually affected their lives. This quote is saying that Parris did not want any time of sin in his house, he did not want to deal with the consequences. It was easier for everyone to panic and become paranoid then to actually think of what was happening.
ReplyDelete"The people of Salem were so religiously and culturally strict that anything different from what is “normal” is thought to be suspicious behavior and thought to be wrong."
ReplyDeleteThis is proven by multiple events. an example from the book is Giles being suspicious about his wife. He says she has a book that she only can read and no one else can see it. He also claims that he cant pray when it is in the house. It could just be a diary or something that she doesn't want him seeing and this town is known already for scapegoats and liars. another example is when the girls were dancing in the woods to music. People imedialty thinking that it was witch craft. Its just different so the people of salem think that they were performing witch craft. Another reason is how the girl fainted. Just because that happend while the girls were dancing doesnt mean the devil has taken her. The man couldve just scared her real bad and when she fell she hit her head. But like i said they cannot handle anything different then what theyre used too. They automatically something is terribly wrong because its different than them.
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ReplyDeleteMrs: Putnam: "They were murdered, Mr. Parris! and mark this proof! Mark it! Last night my ruth were over so close to their little spirits; I know it, sir. For how else is she struck dumb now except some power of darkness would stop her mouth? It is a marvelous sign, Mr. Parris."
ReplyDeleteThe girls dancing in the woods was simply a spark to all the towns problems. When people of the town found out about the accused witches everyone sprung out with hate. Mrs Putnam's immediately response to Mr. Putnam's death she automatically thinks the girls did it. Everyone in the town thinks their safety is in harm and makes them think every bad thing that happens is because of the scare. They all just want someone to blame their heartaches on, such as the deaths of Mrs. Putnams many babies. These girls were just much of scapegoats as they were witches.
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ReplyDeletePARRIS: Thomas, Thomas, I pray you, leap not to witchcraft. I know that you-you least of all, Thomas, Thomas, would ever wish so disastrous a charge laid upon me. We cannot leap to witchcraft. THey will howl me out of Salem for such corruption in my house. (14)
ReplyDeleteMe and Abby's assertion was that the people of Salem did not even want to think of the of idea of witchcraft in there own town. Also it shows that social standing was a lot to Parris and the others of Salem. Nobody wanted to be accused of witchcraft. The people of Salem didn't know how to deal with anything out of the ordinary. If everything didn't go like the day before, there was panic. Plus, the town of Salem gossip started quick, so one minute everything is fine and the next everyone is going into a riot. This caused everybody of Salem to fear and accuse instead of dealing with the real issue.
Parris: "I saw Tibuta waving her arms over the fire when I came on you. Why was she doing that? And I heard a screeching and gibberish coming from her mouth. She was swaying like a dumb beast over the fire!"
ReplyDeleteWhen people heard about the witches they all became frantic with blaming and accusing others as the witches. When people did out of the ordianry activities, such as waving over a fire speaking gibberish, they becamse suspects. So when these girls did these acts they were blammed for all the hardships of the town because they are believed to be the witches. The town and it's people don't focus on the real problem, they just use the "witches" to push the real issues away.
"She ails as she must-she never walked this ,morning, but her eyes open and she walks, and hears not, sees not and cannot eat. her soul is taken, surely",(Mrs. Putnam, Miller 12). This quote supports my assertion and is unique and significant. this assertion diagnoses the deep social sickness that grips Salem ,the time in which, witch hysteria was popular and was noticeable by everyone. A character from the book, The Crucible, named Betty, was believed to be "witched" or "influenced by the demon". to many of the characters in the book, Betty draws in they're attention. the town is very small and there is a limited amount of people who live here, this means, even if one word is said, the whole entire town, can and will find out about it. In this quote by Mrs. Putnam, the reader can identify that word has been spread of Betty's sickness, and many people could make things up about Betty, hear the wrong situation and twist it to make it sound worse. This quote is significant, because the way Mrs. Putnam describes it, is in a way that sounds very absurd. it isn't nearly possible to not eat, walk, sleep, hear and still be "alive".
ReplyDeleteMrs. Putnam "How high, how high did she fly? Paris No, no she never flew."(13) This quote proves that Mrs. Putnam was paranoid of the girls before she had any proof. The town of Salem was such a boring place that everyone gets exited about the smallest things and they tend to exaggerate about things. This quote is significant because it shows that people were all expecting something grand to happen, and they don't necessarily think of the consequences. Mrs. Putnam in particular is a character that has a lot of anger and wants to lash out and blame someone, like a lot of characters in the book. Every person has some deep anger that they have stored up inside them and the girls "witchcraft" is an outlet for them to lash out. Word gets around the town fast and some of the truth gets stretched in the process.
ReplyDelete“Oh posh! We were dancin’ in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us. She took fright , is all” (21-22) This was the quote my partner and I chose in class to back up our assertion. Our assertion was that the people of Salem were very selfish and did not take responsibility for their actions throughout the story thus far. The people did this so that they could take focus off of themselves and make sure that they were safe from blame or prosecution. They also did not want people they did not like getting off clean, so they often blamed things on people that were untruthful just to get either revenge or to make a statement to them expressing their dislike. Once these people got the blame off of themselves it also gave them the power over other people, because once they blamed someone, no one stopped to turn it around, they just kept following the ongoing chain of people accused. Smart people saw the advantage given and assumed why not pin it all on someone else, like better them than me.
ReplyDelete