The Crucible: Context

Who has Donald Trump called 'aliens' in the last five years?

• NASA astronauts

• Lawyers

• Immigrants

• Journalists

What is 'othering'?

• When someone is looked after well by someone else.

• When you can't join in in Basketball because you aren't skilled enough.

• When a group or individual is singled out as 'different' to a decided norm or mass of people. This difference is often associated with the singled out groups' physical attributes or beliefs.

• When a group or individual is singled out as 'deafer' than a decided norm or mass of people. This deafness is often associated with the singled out groups' physical attributes or beliefs.

• When a group or individual is singled out as 'poorer' financially than a decided norm or mass of people. This financial difference is often associated with the singled out groups' physical attributes or beliefs.

Who wrote The Crucible?

• Arthur Miller

• Arthur Millais

• Abigail Miller

• Terence Rattigan

• Arthur Milton

Around which time was The Crucible written by its author?

• Late 19th Century

• Mid 18th Century

• Early 20th Century

• Mid 20th Century

• Late 20th Century

Make up a sentence, or two sentences that use(s) the word 'othering' or 'othered'.

For example:

Jake was the only Hindu in amonsgt a larger group where members generally had no religion and talked a lot about shopping. They could make him feel very 'othered.'

Now create your own example -

McCarthyism is...

• a campaign against alleged communists in the UK government and other instituitions carried out under Senator Joseph Dreamcoat in the period 1944-8. Many of the accused were black listed or lost their jobs, though most did not in fact belong to the Communist Party.

• a campaign against alleged communists in the US government and other institutions carried out under Senator Joseph McCarthy in the period 1950–4. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, though most did not in fact belong to the Communist Party.

• a campaign against alleged conformists in the US government and other institutions carried out under Senator Joseph McCarthy in the period 1970-4. Many of the accused were blacklisted or lost their jobs, though most did not in fact belong to the Conformist Party.

We can think of communism as being the direct, extreme, opposite to capitalism. Capitalism is an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state. In a sentence:

"an era of free-market capitalism." Britain and America, for example, are both capitalist countries. What, therefore, is communism?

• Thinking like a crowd.

• A political party.

• a theory or system of social organization in which all property is owned by the government. Communism has been known to create issues for dictatorships in countries where one democratically elected politician will take power, and everyone else is equally powerful...existing in a democracy and meritocracy where they can earn their way.

• a theory or system of social organization in which all property is owned by the community and each person contributes and receives according to their ability and needs. Communism has been known to create issues for democracy in countries where one dictator will take power, and everyone else is equally powerless...not existing in a democracy or meritocracy where they can earn their way.

What happened to individuals who were singled out as 'communists' in 1950s America? (Even if they weren't really 'communists' but were unfairly chased based on little evidence)

• They were given houses.

• They were executed and all of their family members were jailed.

• They were surveilled everywhere they went for the rest of their life by court order.

• They could be blacklisted or lose their jobs. They may have had their reputation and name ruined.

Describe in your own words (in 1-2 sentences) why you think Arthur Miller chose The Salem Witch Trials as the setting for a play responding to McCarthyism in 1950s America.

In The Salem Witch Trials, there was a witch hunt to sentence and , in many cases, execute suspected witches.

From only the information you already have about The Crucible and McCarthyism, how could the Salem Witch Trials story be seen as a metaphor for McCarthyism?

metaphor

/ˈmɛtəfə,ˈmɛtəfɔː/

Learn to pronounce

noun

a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

Write 1-3 sentences in your answer.