sdjkbashjdbfhjksdnbfaj,sz

cbfhsdfvlashjfvglasjdbvlasdbvlaS

Definition of "junta"

junta (aka "junto")-- noun. HOON-ta--a group of persons forming a government, especially as a result of revolution; political faction of plotters; in Spanish or Latin American countries, a legislative or administrative council.

Crucible Act 1 Questions: Part 1

Part A:
Tituba- a slave from Barbados who is owned by the Reverend Samuel Parris.
Parris- A reverend of Salem with many enemies. Very concerned with his status in the town. Betty's father, and Abigail's uncle.
Betty- Reverend Parris' young daughter who lies in a catatonic state at the beginning of the play. Thought to be under the influence of witchcraft.
Abigail- The Reverend Parris' orphan neice, whom he took in after Native Americans killed her parents. Friends with Betty, and enjoys listening to Tituba's songs from Barbados, and dancing. Lies often.
Susanna Walcott-a nervous, hurried girl who brings news of the doctor.
Ann Putnam-a fortyish woman, with a daughter named Ruth. Is rather morbid, and a gossip.
Thomas Putnam- Ann Putnam's husband, and Ruth Putnam's father. His daughter is also afflicted by witchcraft, and gives Reverend Parris advice on how to bring about the subject of witchcraft to his congregation.
Mercy Lewis-a fat, cruel, ironically merciless girl who were with Abgail, Betty, and Mary Walcott when they were dancing to Tituba's songs. Ran naked through the forest.
Mary Walcott-a shy, easily-influenced girl, who watched the other girls dance with Tituba, and now is part of the secret.
John Proctor-a farmer in his thirties, who doesn't suffer fools gladly. Considered to be a hypocrite.
Giles Corey-a farmer in his eighties. Considered by the Salemites to be somewhat silly.
Rebecca Nurse- a kindly woman in her seventies. Her character is spoken highly of among the Salemites. A calming, mediating influence.
Reverend John Hale- the minister of Beverly, come to Salem in the role of expert on Witchcraft. Young, and eager to try his worth as an expert on something. Very learned.

The Salem WitchCraft Trials in Comparison to McCarthyism

The hysteria surrounding the witchcraft accusations of 1642, and the furor surrounding McCarthyist blacklisting on suspicion of Communist activities of the 1950's may not seem particularly similar, but in study of them they are quite alike. The accusations, "witch"-hunting, and persecution on nothing but rumour are common to both episodes in history.

The McCarthyist Reign of Terror is sometimes referred to as the Red Scare, because it created a hysteria about suspected Communist spies. Senator Joseph McCarthy led the accusations in who was or was not believed to be a Communist, and you could be accused on the merest whisper of doubt as to your political ideology.

People who were accused had an inquiry about their Communist leanings, and often times just the fact that they'd been accused ruined their reputation, and they were punished anyways. To be accused of being a Communist meant you'd probably be blacklisted. To be blacklisted meant you lost your job and couldn't get one with anyone at all. Oftentimes, people blacklisted never worked in America again. This parallels the occurances in the Salem Witchcraft Trials, where just being accused was a permanent stain on your reputation at best, and a death sentence at worst.

An interesting bit of note, the author of the Crucible, Arthur Miller, was among the blacklisted during the McCarthyist fifties.

Salem WitchCraft Trials of 1692 Research Assignment

The Salem Witchcraft Trials included mass witch hysteria, and resulted in twenty four known deaths, with as many as thirteen other possible. It started in 1688, after an argument between one Goody Glover, and a thirteen year old girl named Martha Goodwin. Proceeding this argument, Martha began to act strangely and was suspected to be afflicted by witchcraft. Glover was arrested, and after attempts to persuade her to repent, was hanged. Martha continued to exhibit her bizarre behavior, as did her younger brother, and two sisters.

Four years later, eleven-year-old Abigail Williams, and nine-year-old Elizabeth Parris are acting similarly. Ann Putnam Jr, and other Salem girls also soon begin behaving oddly. The girls are pressured by townspeople and ministers to identify who caused them to begin behaving like this, and Elizabeth fingers a slave named Tituba. Later, the girls accuse Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne of witchcraft.

Over the next nine months, a fever of accusations would fly about the village of Salem, with over fifty accused, and more than thirty dead. Among the accused, four-year-old Dorcas Good, John, and Elizabeth Proctor (he was the first man to be accused of witchcraft in Salem), also Mary Warren who was one of the accusing girls, after she confessed to lying. Later, she recanted this statement, and rejoined the accusers.

The furor finally began to calm down when the use of spectral evidence was denounced by the Reverend Increase Mather. Later, the Governor of Massachussetts, one Sir William Phipps, ordered the use of spectral evidence no longer admissable in court, releasing many accused witches, and prohibiting further arrests. Over the next three hundred years, the trials held in Salem would be called unlawful, and a tragedy, and formal apologies would be made by the accusers, officials involved in it, and the colony itself.

Bibliography
-http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SALEM.HTM

introduction

ok, this is the introductory post to this new blog. I am going to be posting all kinds of English assignments on The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. I don't know what this is going to be like, because I have heard mixed reviews on it ("we read the beginning, and it's hilarious"-Gareth; "it's so incredibly boring"-Geoff). Anyways, my posts from now on will be paragraph assignments, probably boring questions, and research assignments...such as the one coming up soon. Next post will be research on the Salem, Massachusets witch trials.

And Mr. Perrett, you can mark it on the commenting feature below if you should so wish.