mahnamana

Questions for RITS/Crucible
 * Answer the questions pertaining to the reading as a group
 * These are meant to be discussion-type questions. You are not to simply agree/disagree. You are to //discuss//the topic given.
 * Each person contributes in one or more of the following ways: direct answer using text (BCR-style), generate more discussion through questions, or expanding the discussion through comparison or connection to another piece of literature.


 * 1) 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.
 * 2) What do you think is the //major argument and theme// of each play?
 * 3) How are these 2 plays //relevant// to today?
 * 4) What is the significance of the //title// to each of these plays?
 * 5) Choose 1 of the following thesis statements and relate it to both plays:
 * 6) Without responsible actions there can be no order.
 * 7) A community is supposed to be a secure place to live.
 * 8) A woman's power has nothing to do with brute strength

Nicholas Przybocki
 * 1) Within The Crucible ethos is represented by Reverend Parris and his rational behavior. He goes straight to the devil and witchcraft and doe sent even question it.Pathos is represented by John Proctor, by the way that protects his wife with everything he has over love.Logos is represent by Reverend hale, by the way that he goes to the most reasonable answer he changes from pro-witch craft to thinking its all baloney. In A Raisin In The Sun Ethos is represented by Beneath and her African culture exploration. Mama represents the logos argument with her decision to use the money to get a nice house for all of them. Finally the pathos argument is shown by Ruth and her pregnancy causing a different emotion in everyone.
 * 2) The main argument in The crucible is "go through all your option before coming to a conclusion" which is displayed by the final conclussion of the play that it was all just pretense non of it was real witchcraft. Within RITS the argument is "do what is best for the group and dont be selfish". One side of the argument is Mama and Ruth but the otherside is Walter with his alcohol business.
 * 3) RITS relate to today through the poverty aspect and the American dream. Walter and Mama both want big things a house with yard, cars, money to throw around, and a happy family. In The Crucible the power of the girls relates to the dictators of today how they start to lie and pretend that they are great then just send the people the dont like to the noose.
 * 4) A Raisin In The Sun tell a summary of the story in 5 short words, Its about the struggles of an family in the big scene of America. America being sun and the family being the drying up grape. The Crucible just makes you think about the story and what it could possibly be about.
 * 5) " A community is supposed to be a secure place to live". In both the crucible and the RITS there community's seem to be against them. in the Crucible the community is just turning on there neighbors accusing everyone of witchcraft. In RITS the community is represented by the family and all of there misfortunes they are poor, small house, and its infested with bugs. they also all have different point of views about where the money should go, but it is a place where they all end up and have the love of there family there to support them.

Lizzy Alexander
 * 1) A Raisin in the has many different characters that represent both logos,pathos and ethos, but, there are distinct characters that show each. Beneath is showing logos because she always takes about facts and how she doesn't believe in people because of specific examples. For the Crucible, John Proctor likes to use his own reasoning to prove his point. Ethos is being represented by Mama because she is always trying to teach her children right from wrong through their own emotions while Reverend Parris sees everything in black in white with little gray area. Using emotion as a motivational factor, pathos, Ruth has a child to think about, both living and in her womb. The Crucible likes to show Elizabeth Proctor as the pathos character because she uses her emotions to reason with her husband.
 * 2) The Raisin in the Sun has a theme of always searching for a dream and always trying to reach toward it. The main arguer is to prove to people how everyone has to make their own decisions. The Crucible like to show the argument by making preposterous events appear true with shows the theme of not always believing what everyone says.
 * 3) The two plays are relevant to today because they both give advice. The Crucible like to show people how over-reacting and being gullible can turn out very wrong while A Raisin in the Sun showed how to always reach for a dream and overcome obstacles.
 * 4) A Raisin in the Sun, from the poem, shows significance by saying how a raisin in the legit sun cannot be anything more than a raisin. Once it's a raisin, it is nothing more which compares the people in the play. They each have given so much that they need to be pushed outta the sun and into a different situation. The Crucible translates the title into what the play actually is which is a great trial. It makes the reader wonder what issue will be resolved.
 * 5) "A woman's power has nothing to do with brute strength". In A Raisin in the Sun, Mama is very strong willed and gets what she wants done through other people. Beneath does the same thing but in a much more childish way. Abigail in the Crucible showed people what words can do. She proved to every body that she is a cunning and smart girl who was never to be reckoned with. She also showed people how naivety and gullibility can do to people.

Hannah Hildebrandt 1. In “The Crucible, John Procter represents the logos character because of how he defends his wife in court and tries to prove her innocent. Abigail is the pathos character because she was the one who began the entire lie to cover up what really happened and starts to blame anybody she can think of and pretends that she is being controlled by Mary. Ethos is represented by Reverend Parris because he believed that witch-craft is the cause of all the commotion and nonsense happening in the town. RITS: In “A Raisin in the Sun” the logos character was Mama because she decided to use the $10,000 to buy a new home for her family to live which she proves when she says “I just tried to find the nicest place for the least amount of money for my family.” After she realizes her family is falling apart. Beneatha would be the ethos character because of her sudden interest in African culture and her heritage and how she tries to convince her family and George that heritage is an important thing. Lastly, the pathos character would be represented by Ruth when she finds out she is having another child and it drives her and Walter crazy and makes a commotion with the rest of her family and her decision.

2. In the Crucible the major argument is about witch-craft, whether or not it is taking place in the small town, who the dark magic was conjured by, and the Devil. The theme would be that one must learn to tolerate things that are different. That is shown through the entire play because of the lies that the girls told made everyone in this super religious, strict, community turn to witch-craft as the automatic answer for illness, differences, and all other issues that may have occurred but it was only because of a lie that was taken way out of hand. In RITS the major argument is about race and racism. The book is about a colored family trying to move into a white community and the white neighbors aren’t prepared and don’t want a black family living there, there is also some talk of heritage and a lot of family issues. The main theme is that family is always there no matter what, the Younger’s stick together as a family after the father’s death and try to keep a normal and stable life without him but the characters can see the family fall apart so they move into a new home to fix things and try and stay strong in those rough times.

3. “The Crucible” relates to today because of the outrageous lie that the girls tell and it leads to more lying and blaming of the wrong people along with people believing so many lies sometimes. “RITS” relates because of the discrimination and racism that STILL goes on in today’s society, you can also see how it relates to the affects of poverty of America.

4. In “The Crucible” the title itself represents the story because the word crucible means “a severe, searching test or trial.” And the entire play is about this harsh trial against these women for witch-craft involving murder and the Devil. While “A Raisin in the Sun” which could be connected to having a dream of happiness and having it shrivel up and die like a raisin would do if stuck in the sun. It’s related because of the Younger’s dream to move into this nice house in a nice, white, neighborhood and have all of their differences and family issues worked out and disappear, but that dream dies when Walters money disappears and even though they still move into the house, now they have new problems with money again and Beneatha leaving with Asagai to be a doctor in Africa.

5. “A community is supposed to be a secure place to live.” This relates best to both plays because in the crucible the community is threatened with witch-craft among the townsfolk and fear that the Devil is attacking the town through these women. In “RITS” they plan to move into a white community in which both the Younger’s (a colored family) and the white neighbors feel a tension between each other because of the difference in race.