Double+T

Questions for RITS/Crucible

It can be said that playwrights and authors use //rhetorical appeals (logos, pathos and ethos)// as the character development. For instance: In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is the logos, Jem is the ethos, and Scout is the pathos. Discuss characters from both plays in these terms.

logos-logic ethos-right/wrong pathos-emotion

In A Raisin In The Sun, the character Walter Lee Younger is the pathos because he uses emotion in his rhetorical appeals. On page 57 he said, “I open and close doors all day long. I drive in his limousine and say, ‘Yes, sir; no, sir; very good sir; shall I take the Drive, sir?” Walter Younger said he was tired of being bossed around for a living and he wanted to rich and respected. Mama used logos when she was explaining why she bought a new house. She said, “We was going backwards ‘stead of forwards—talking about killing babies and wishing each other was dead…When it gets like that in life –you just got to do something bigger…” She used logic to tell Walter why she bought a new house. --Joe Allman

I agree with whoever wrote that ^ ^ ^ paragraph and I'll add that Walter also uses ethos during the part when Bobo tells him about the money being gone. He thinks that "maybe he (Willy) was late yesterday and he just went down their without you" ( 110) and other different scenarios trying to consider logical reasons to why the money wasn't where it was supposed to be. ~Kayla Holman

In The Crucible, the character John Proctor used logos when he tried to use reason when he was defending himself and his wife in court. Abigail used pathos because she pretends that Marry Warren sent a bird with sharp claws to tear up her face. She pretended that she was being controlled by Marry Warren’s dark magic and repeated everything that Mary said. Hale used logos on page 1255 when he said “Excellency, I have signed seventy-two death warrants; I am a minister of the Lord, and I dare not take a life without there be a proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience may doubt it.” He used logic to tell the judge not to condemn everyone accused of witchcraft. --Joe Allman

"The Crucible" is relevant to today because it involves lying and blaming others for things so you won't get in trouble. Even though Abigail was in the woods with Tituba and her friends, she blamed them for all of the suspicious actions taking place, even though she was apart of it. People today still blame others for their actions. For example, siblings will blame other siblings so they don't get in trouble with their parents. "A Raisin in the Sun" is relevant to today because it involves the struggles of minorities in America and these struggles are still in play today.~Kayla Holman
 * 3. How are these 2 plays //relevant// to today?**

I agree with Kayla on how people lie and blame others to avoid getting into trouble in The Crucible and in life. After WWII when the Nazi SS guards were put on trial for war crimes, they said that they were just following orders. They didn’t take action like Oscar Schindler and try to save people; they executed millions in gas chambers. They tried to blame others for their crimes to escape being punished, like how the girls in The Crucible accused others of being witches to avoid getting into trouble. In A Raisin in the Sun, people struggle to accept people who are different than them. This is similar to the way that the Native Americans were forced to adopt white cultures or to move west on the trail of tears, or how some Americans say, “Why do I have to learn another language in high school? Why can’t everyone just learn English?” Not everyone accepts people who are different from them. --Joe Allman

The significance of "The Crucible" is shown through the definition. Crucible is defined as a severe searching, test or trial. In the story, many women are tried for witchcraft, which relates back to the idea of the trial. The significance of "A Raisin in the Sun" is revealed through a metaphor. Raisins shrivel in the sunlight the same way the main characters in this book shrivel, or in other words, are having difficulties with society, especially with finances.~Kayla Holman
 * 4. What is the significance of the //title// to each of these plays?**

Agreeing with Kayla, "The Crucible" is a denotation to a crucible. A crucible is a severe searching, test or trial, which is the main idea in the play. Women are being tried for witchcraft and their husbands are being looked at in suspicion because of their wives actions. The phrase, "a raisin in the sun" was taken out of one of Langston Huges poems. "A raisin in the sun" is an effect of a struggle. The characters in A Raisin in the  stuggle, and shrivel up like " a raisin in the sun" because of their finacial problems. -Maryah Wright

I agree with Kayla and Maryah on how since a crucible is a severe test or trial and the Salem witch trails were severe trials, Arthur Miller chose to title his book __The Crucible__. In __The Crucible__, some girls were caught dancing in the woods, which is considered sinful by the Salem authorities because anything that is entertaining is sinful. The girls accuse people of sending out their spirits and controlling them. They accuse people of being witches and working for the devil. Many people are condemned to die at the trials, making the Salem witch trials a crucible. --Joe Allman

Lorraine Hansberry titled her book __A Raisin in the Sun__ because it describes the dreams the characters have in her book. The phrase “a raisin in the sun” is a simile from the poem “Harlem” (Dreams Deferred) by Langston Hughes. Part of the poem is “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?” In the story __A Raisin in the Sun__, Walter dreams of becoming wealthy, Mama dreams that her children will accomplish their dreams, and Beneatha dreams of becoming a doctor. When Walter finds out that his business partner took his money his dream of owning a liquor store dried up and burned away like a raisin in the sun. --Joe Allman

Choose 1 of the following thesis statements and relate it to both plays A woman's power has nothing to do with brute strength. In "The Crucible" the women who are accused of witchcraft aren't strong in strength, but in their lying abilities and the way they overpower the men into believing they didn't do it. For example, Abigail's uncle was blaming her and her friends for witchcraft but, Abigail persuades her uncle that they only "danced...when you leaped out of the bush" (1219). In "A Raisin in the Sun", mama has the power to "buy you a house" (74). It has nothing to do with brute strength, but the power she has within her family ~Kayla Holman

In The Crucible, John Proctor is both ethos and pathos. At first, he tries to be logical in his approach to the court, by taking Mary with him and trying to prove that Abigail and the girls are lying. He brings signed documents and trustworthy witnesses with him to the court, and the hearing with Deputy Governor Danforth begins well. However, when things begin to go wrong, he becomes more and more passionate in his arguments, saying "A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boots of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud- God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!"(pg. 1262) - Sloan Gill-1)

Each play is relevant to today because their issues continue to trouble the world. The Crucible deals with lying and deceit, which are definitely still problems today. Lots of people lie, even though it might not be to save themselves from hanging. People lie to get money, or jobs, or to keep themselves out of trouble, so, even though the conditions have changed, the basic problem remains the same. The problems in A Raisin In The Sun are especially relevant to modern times. The play deals with poverty and tenseness in families, which is a huge problem today because of the poor economy and the stressful conditions of everyday life.- Sloan Gill

"Without responsible actions, there can be no order". In A Raisin In The Sun, this statement is personified by Mama. She sees her family falling apart, with her children and children-in-law bickering and leading miserable lives. Everyone is pushing her to use her money for their desires, and, instead of caving to one single person, she attempts to help them all. For Ruth, she buys a house. For Bennie, she deposits $3,000 to begin to pay for college. And for Walter, who truly wants his son to be able to live a good life, she saves $3,500 so he can begin to invest in a more profitable business. The rest, she says, is up to them. By showing them all that she cares for them, but also telling them that she can't just give them whatever they want, she begins to mend the troubles that had plagued her family for so long. In The Crucible, the opposite happens. When a few girls don't want to admit that they committed a minor sin, their lies and deceitfulness result in dozens of innocent deaths. They refuse to own up to their wrongs, and, because of their irresponsibility, complete chaos ensues, with a seemingly endless list of people being accused of "witchcraft".-Sloan Gill

A community is supposed to be a secure place to live. The community in Salem, Massachusetts in The Crucible and the community that the Youngers moved into in A Raisin in the Sun were both insecure. In The Crucible, many people were accused of being a witch and hung. They did not have proof of anyone who made deals with the devil, but they executed anyone who did not lie and confess to something they didn’t do. This is insecure. In A Raisin in the Sun, Mama bought a house in a white neighborhood and was going to move there. A man from the neighborhood visited the Youngers and said on page 100, “It is a matter of the people of Clybourne Park believing, rightly or wrongly, as I say, that for happiness of all concerned that our Negro families are happier when they live in their //own// communities.” The neighborhood did not want the Youngers to move into their community and would pay them to stay out of their community. The Clybourne community is insecure. --Joe Allman

The theme of A Raisin in the Sun is people hold on to dreams that are illusions. In the story, Walter dreamed of becoming wealthy, Mama dreamed that her children will accomplish their dreams, and Beneatha dreamed of becoming a doctor. Walter’s business partner stole all of the money that Walter put towards opening a liquor store. His dream of owning a liquor store was crushed. Beneatha’s dream of becoming a doctor was also ruined because Walter lost the money she needed to go to medical school. This theme is similar to the one in Of Mice and Men because Candy and George dreamed that they would own their own land. George realized after he killed Lennie that his dream would not come true. The argument in A Raisin in the Sun is when life does not go your way, make the most of it. The Youngers move to a better home in the end and their future looks happier. --Joe Allman
 * 2. What do you think is the //major argument and theme// of each play?**

The theme of The Crucible is it is better to tell the truth and get in a little bit of trouble than to lie and cause more trouble. In the story, some girls were caught dancing in the woods, which was considered sinful by the Salem authorities because anything that is entertaining is sinful. The girls accused people of sending out their spirits and controlling them. They accused people of being witches and working for the devil. They pretended to be sick and that people sent birds to attack them with sharp talons. They lied to avoid getting into trouble, which leads to the Salem witch trials. Many people were executed because the girls lied. The argument is also the theme, that it is better to tell the truth than lie. --Joe Allman

The theme of A Raisin in the Sun is that there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. The argument is shown through the rough times the Younger family is experiencing. They are constantly at each other's throats, and each of them has their own wants and desires that can't be met all at once, and yet they all demand to have their wants to be met immediately. Their state of poverty is represented by their derelict apartment and the low paying jobs they each have. However, at the end of the play, the Younger's fortunes finally take a turn for the better. They realize how they have been wrong, and work together to forgive each other and plan out a better future. In addition to getting a new house, they regained the pride they'd once had. It was the end of their tunnel.- Sloan Gill

The title A Raisin in the Sun represents the Younger family and their dreams. In the beginning, their dreams were large and unrealistic. When reality began to set in, they saw their dreams begin to shrivel until they were much smaller than they used to be. Leaving their dreams "out in the sun", the Youngers thought them to be dead. However, when they take a closer look at their dying dreams, they realize that the dreams aren't actually dead, they're just smaller (and maybe a bit easier to swallow), just like a grape that shrivels into a still-edible raisin when it's left out in the sun.