Channel+4+News+Team

Questions for Crucible/RITS

Walter Lee is pathos because he is nice by giving Travis the 50 cents Ruth did not give him. Mama is ethos because she divides the money up so that every one gets something: 3500 on the down payment for the house, 3000 for Benetha's college, and the remaining 3500 for Walter to do whatever he wants. Ruth is logos because she tells everyone not to pressure Mama because it is HER money, and Ruth does not ask for any of the money becasue she feels it is not righ to do so. In the Crusible, Elizabeth is ethos because she tells John that he should do whatever he feels is right, either confess or go through with the hanging. She only adds that she wants him alive, but she says that she believes John no matter what he chooses. Abigale is pathos because she claims that Elizabeth sent out her evil spirit and suffocated her. Also, everyone believes who she claims she believes is a which because she is young. Francis is logos becasue he claims in court that the girls are frauds and are not to be believed; he tells everyone the truth. ~Ashley Jensen The theme of both plays is that things do not go as planned. The major argument for Rasin in the Sun is that Mama wanted the family to come together with the money she earned, yet, instead, the family fell apart by wanting the money for their own wants and needs. Simmilarily, in Crusible, the argument is that some citizens did not get the life they had planned for. The unlucky were accused by Abigale of being witches, so they had to spend their lives either in jail, or had to be hanged. ~Ashley Jensen In my opinion, these two plays are relevant to today because it reflects the thoughts and feelings of our society. In the Crucible, it demonstrates how similar we are in both the past and now. At any given moment, someone could say something about anyone to be an “answer to another problem” and someone would believe it. The most common examples are ghost stories. In A Raisin in the Sun it is relevant to today because most of the dreams that everyone want to achieve are eventually shriveled up and thrown away. The two plays show the relevance to today because it shows the paranoia of society and how dreams and goals can just disappear. Monica Gouzoulis
 * 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?**

The Crusible is relevent to today because the Crucible deals with scapegoating in order to save one's own life. Today, if someone forgot their homework, they scapegoat on their dog so that they do not get in trouble. Rasin in the sun relates to today because in the play, everyone wants the money for their own needs and wants, like how Walter wanted the money to open up a liquor store. Today, we are still greedy. For instance, i have to hide the toster strudles in the back of the fridge so that my siblings do not eat as much, and so that I can eat alot. ~Ashely Jensen

I totally agree with you Monica, back then, a simple accusation of witchcraft was a death sentence because of people's paranoia. I also agree with your raisin in the sun opinion. It is a sad reality that sometimes the things we work the hardest for never happen. - Zacharia

I think that the title adds significance to both plays. In A Raisin in The Sun, the title represents the comparison between a dying dream and a rasin in the sun. When you place a raisin in the sun it shrivels up, this is similar to what a faded dream would do. I personally think this title fits the story perfectly. In The Crucible, the theme is not to panic during a situation. A Crucible is defined as a set of circumstances where people are faced with tests that often make them change. In the story the villagers are faced with a situation of possible witchcraft which scares them all. Their "Crucible" is to determine wheather or not witchcraft has occured. - Zach
 * 4. What is the significance of the //title// to each of these plays?**

I agree with you Zach. The entire play, Rasin in the Sun, is about how Walter wants the money to buy a liquor store, how Benetha wants to persue with her education, and how Mama wants the family to be a family. None of these dreams come true, so the title is an introduction on what the play is going to be about. I discovered that Crusible means a "severe, searching test or trial". The title goes with the play because the entire play is based on wheter or not citizens are witches, and they have to go through harsh trials about how they are witches when they realy are not. ~Ashley Jensen


 * 5) Choose 1 of the following thesis statements and relate it to both plays:**
 * 1) **Without responsible actions there can be no order.**
 * 2) **A community is supposed to be a secure place to live.**
 * 3) **A woman's power has nothing to do with brute strength.**

Without responsible actions there can be no order. In Rasin in the Sun, Mama did not say what she was going to do with the money, she just let the idea linger, giving the family members ideas and dreams of what they could do with the money. Every starts sucking up to Mama, complaining, basicaly going crazy and out of order. For instance, when Ruth told Walter that she was pregnant, he didnt listen, he just tried to get the money from Mama for his liquor store. Simmilarily, in Crusible, Abigale was not making responsible actions, she just called on people for being witches just to get them out of her way. Because of her ruthless thinking, manny people were sent to jail, hanged, fell apart, and lived in fear for being acused for witchery. For instance, Abigale called on Elizabeth for sending out her spirit and suffocating her in order to split her and John up. John then gets involved, gets accused of being a witch for saying things about God and for questioning the court, then he goes to jail and is to be hanged. A whole mess came from a little girls irrisponsible mouth. ~ Ashley Jensen