TR3.5

MA2 Discussion Notes

Huxley Marvit 2021-10-01 Fri 15:05

#flo #ret #inclass

1 Crucible Discussion Notes

how are our thoughts related to others? ~sarah

title: the prompts
Consider the following questions as entry points into the discussion. We don’t need to address all of them or go in order!
1.  Analyze the role and presentation of Tituba’s character in the play so far. How does she help to complicate the allegory offered by Miller, and how should a modern reader meaningfully engage with her? Considering all of this, why does Tituba not appear onstage in Act 3?

2.  Compare and contrast the presentation of Abigail in Act 3 with her initial introductions in Act 1, looking at both dialogue and stage directions. Why specifically does Miller offer these specific aspects of continuity or discontinuity?

3.  Analyze and evaluate the evolving motifs of seeing or sight and knowing or knowledge. How do they work individually, and how do they intertwine?

4.  Consider Mr. Hale’s evolution as a religious authority, legal authority, and community member. How does he change or stay the same and why? How can we interpret his presence in Act 3?

5.  Choose a subject or instance from within Act 3 and put it “on the stand” for the purpose of thoughtful response and connection. (For example: In Act 3, Proctor goes in to "save his wife." Why does he bring in a quiet-spoken elderly man, an absent-minded farmer, and a sickly girl to present his case? Put this "shielding” on the stand. Grill it from different angles.)

1.1 Inner circle,

~{riley, henry, hannah, rohan, dhruv, nico, kate, madeline, anya} messy, flow notes:

  • abigail and power ~nico
    • begins in power, gets taken out, and goes back in
    • "inversion of power" ~riley
  • mass hysteria -> inversion of power
    • abigial starts with power over proctor
    • as play goes on, accusers gain more power over accused
      • cyclic power increase as emergent property of system #review
  • abigail is victimized? act1 ~kate
    • third act, abigail is vilanized? we need to look for nuance about her actions claims kate
    • proctor dehumanizes abigail ~hannah
      • 'proctor is the dominant cause for abigails actions' ~hannah
        • woahhhh
        • "it is not a child"
        • "is is a whore"
          • removes himself from the situation
          • proctor removes himself of blaim. don't forget reason why abigail showed up in the first place ~hannah
        • rohan counters, "it" is a general use thing.
  • children are gaining more power in society is a contradiction
    • oooh, intresting. #review
    • abigail gains her power through her vulnerability. intresting dichotomy ~rohan
  • act1: proctor talks to abi with childlike language ~dhruv
    • this is what evolves? hmm?
    • contrast, pg54 – rejects childlike?
    • empowering moment through victimhood is still going to their heads ~riley
  • pg52 – proctor critizises for being doubted
    • same with eliz and abi – what?
  • abi and friends are the only one that can feel the power of witchcraft ~hannah
    • no this wasn't true, that was just part of the story. everyone was acccusing eachother in the actual hist, right?
  • tokenision implies limits
    • concept of "burden of proof" ~riley #review this is a cool idea
  • henry argues the girls abuse their power
    • intresting how.. personal motivation is invovled? eh
    • huh?
      • thread shift
  • the moment when proctor disses the idea of justice is when he loses control and admiration of system ~rohan
    • emergent element of self perpuating system #review
how does the concept of justice change? ~rohan
  • god defines just ~nico
    • context shift changes what we call just
  • john proctor doesnt lose faith in god, he loses faith in… ~riley
    • the system? the intrepetation? 'parris doesnt hve the light of god in him'
  • hannah says, madeline! anya!
  • self intrest doesnt motivate, self preservation does ~madeline
    • i mean, that's a subset
  • justice system for women specifically ~hannah
    • 'only one source of power for women' uhhh
    • proctor is a dominating voice
      • he has power over the court
    • 'can only be one women right at the same time unless they are agreeing' that's the def of right though? unless ofc postmodernism
    • gets more fatal for women, because you die if you don't win ~hannah
      • is that true? proctor's gonna get killed as well right?
  • end: proctor is pushed down ~rohan ~hannah
    • because he doubts the court
    • proctor loses power when doubting the court
      • can't complete sentences @pg94
        • or, danforth -> hale
        • people are tools to danforth ~riley

danforth - court is danforth and court is also god ~madeline - that's intresting #review - he is something of a god ~hannah - drunk off power? hmm.. not sure i agree with this.

  • nico questions: hale
    • where does he come from, where does he go?

conclude. *