Act Two Response

Crucible Response: Act Two

Peter Joelson

9/24/08

Act two sets place in a single room in a single house on the outskirts of Salem, Massachusetts. The beginning of the act sets the tone of lifestyle in the time period. The men did the labor, while the women stayed home to care for the kids and the house. It also showed the way men treated women. Even to his own wife, Proctor yelled at her as if she is being out of line, and out of order; it was as if she talked poorly to an officer in the army when she was a mere private.

It is interesting to note that John was furious with his wife for accusing of adultery (or the temptation of adultery), yet later on in the scene he was fighting furiously to try and keep his wife from being arrested. He grew extremely protective and promised her that he’ll keep her safe.

The tensions between the villagers in the previous scene exploded in between the first and second act (time passed in between the acts). At the beginning of this act, the audience learns that of thirty women were arrested and accused of being witches. Many, if not all, were accused by a jealous friend, or over a quibble the accused had with a neighbor. A prime example of this was John Proctor’s own wife, who was accused by Abigail. Abigail, who then set her up by looking like Mary used a “Voodoo doll” (even though it wasn’t referred to that in the play). It is ironic, that many of these women are found jailed next to women who accused them of witchcraft.

The ends wit Abigail being taken to jailed. But it is important to note that she believed that if she can be accused of witchcraft, then it must be unreal. Her pride may prove to be an interesting aspect in the upcoming acts.

Act One Response

The Crucible

Act 1 Response

Peter Joelson

9/23/08

The first act showed the audience the setting for the story. It obviously shows a small village in the Middle of Nowhere, Massachusetts, but it also shows the setting of the characters. It introduces all the main characters who each have a secret, an emotion that will become significant in the following acts. For example, it tells of John Proctor’s unwilling passion for Abigail. He knows it is bad to act the way he did toward her, but he cannot help himself, for tis the curse of Darwinism on man. It also tells of betrayals and hatred that runs in the history of certain people and their neighbors, such as the Putnam’s and the Nurse’s.

One of the first lines on the subject of witchcraft in the play is, “…for everyone so inclined to express publicly his guilt and sins, under the cover of accusations against the victim.” (Act One, page 7). In other words, people that have a grudge with a women, can just call her a witch, and in most cases she would be put to death, leaving the accuser with his or her spoils.

“The Crucible” while is not a true story, depicts realistically, the lives of people during the witch hunts in the 1600’s. There was so much fear during those times, that anyone being accused had a speedy, but unfair trial, if they’re lucky. Many were hanged, or burned without trial.

In Act One, the fear of witches builds among the people. Many unyielding rumors were going around, until everyone had a distilled fear that the devil were among them. All it takes is one push, and the village will run mad.

Upon the Distemper of Body

Upon Some Distemper of Body

The poem references the pain of life and that when the narrator is mourning her life, she looks “up unto his Throne on high.” (Line 7) The line is a reference to god, she looks to god for help and healing. “Throne” (Line 7) is capitalized, signifying a name, a stock epithet, or a metaphor for the high place of god. Her pains are then dried away as she see the light. The poem underlines the importance of religion, and how god can save our souls. People today, who lack the belief in religion, can relate. Everyone looks up to someone for help, whether it’s a friend, or a parent, everyone has guidance.

Upon a Spider Catching a Fly

Upon a Spider Catching a Fly

This poem is an allegory. It goes into great detail of how a spider catches his prey, and cannot escape, But on lines 41-43, he writes “But mighty Gracious Lord,/Communicate/ Thy Grace to break the Cord;…” The writer is instructing the reader that one that makes contact with God, may be repented and be set free from the “Cord(s)” (Line 43) of sins. This poem, written during the Puritan times, obviously shows religious references and guidance. It tells the reader not to be afraid to talk to god, for if you don’t then you should be afraid.

Ragtime Essay

Out of the essays that I have written for English, this one took me the longest. I had "writer's block" and could not compose a great essay. So not only did it take me the longest amount of time, it is probably one of my worst.

Without further ado

Ragtime is a story that takes place in the early 1900’s, and follows the story of many different people. By the end of the book, the life (and death) of all the people tie in together. The book uses many different themes, one of which is black rights. Many of the characters in the book are black, and most of them become civil rights activists. One of them, Coalhouse Walker, becomes more violent then the others. Coalhouse experiences an epiphany, when he is discriminated at a volunteer fire station, changing his life forever.

Coalhouse is a simple piano player, but his life took a radical turnaround when volunteer fireman bar his path on the street he is on. He is required to pay a fee to drive on the road. It infuriated him when he saw a white driver pass without being charged; at that moment, he decided that something should be done. He blatantly refused to pay the toll, and when the fireman didn’t move, he ran to the police. At their refusal to help, he went back to his car defeated, only to find his car had been wrecked by the firefighters.

The incident is a symbol for black rights all across America at the time of the early 1900’s. It proves that even though the civil war was over for about 40 years, incidents were still occurring (even in the Union States). This particular event of racism changed Coalhouse’s life forever. He wanted a lawyer, but no one would take his case. Alone in the legal world, he had nowhere to turn. He decided to take violent actions, and he began to cause terror on the city, one such act, was threatening to bomb J.P Morgan’s library. Most people thought he went too far, that his ideas were too extreme, even Booker T. Washington, famous Black civil rights activist, tried to stop him. Eventually Coalhouse was shot, for (according to police) attempting to escape.

From the point where Coalhouse went to the firehouse, all the characters came together. Each character is now fully developed, and the story begins to come together into a climatic ending. This event changes the story’s theme of family, to a story where the characters meet the bigger community of the world.

Before the fire station incident, the story followed Coalhouse, and his love and relationship with Sarah. It was also about the narrator’s family (Mother, Father, Mother’s Younger Brother, ect.), and their relationship with Sarah and Coalhouse. But after the incident, the story turns to the community. Mother moves abroad and meets Tateh, Coalhouse goes into the city as a terrorist, rather than a musician, and Sarah moves to help Coalhouse, and is killed in the process.

The significance of Coalhouse’s story was to show, just how devastating racism was. Doctorow wrote about a character that is at such inner peace with himself. A man that is polite and extremely caring. But one event changed that man into an extreme radical that could be titled, a terrorist.

The author, E.L. Docotrow, makes the reader emotional, by killing, not only Coalhouse but also Mother’s Younger Brother, who died indirectly because of the death of Coalhouse. This gives the story a certain tone, a gloom, that pulls the reader in. The characters grasp the reader, so that if a character dies, the reader cares and is affected by his death, giving the story a certain resolution.

Without the scene at the firehouse, the story would have had no backbone. The book would not have been as meaningful, because everything that precedes the incident was centered on that scene.

Welcome

Welcome to the inner thoughts of Joelson. Here my mind will be open, and I shall share with you my thoughts on texts, poems and random articles. Visitors, you will soon realize my distaste to over analyzing poems. By over analyzing, I mean making so many obscene and minute connections and calling the poet a genius, for something that he didn't think of.

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