The Crucible (Pre-reading) Socratic Seminar Prep & Notes

Directions: Write your answer to at least 4 questions. To prepare for the Socratic Seminar, you must answer either
question 1 or question 6 as one of your 4 questions. You will take notes on other people’s responses during our
seminar on Wednesday in the right column.

1. After reading the first excerpt about why Miller wrote The Crucible consider the following. Despite the lessons
presumably learned from the Salem Witch Trials, the United States and other nations have seen the damage of
mass hysteria repeated. Who in society is to blame for the tragedies that occur during times such as the Salem
Witch Trials and the Red Scare?

My Notes from Seminar

Thoughts

2. Consider the role of fear in The Crucible. In what ways does fear shape the story? How does fear both create and
subvert authority? How did some people overcome fear to resist authority? What does Miller seem to be
suggesting about the nature of fear, authority, and resistance?

My Notes from Seminar

Thoughts
3. The definition of a crucible is: “a severe test or a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or
influence change or development” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary). In light of Miller’s explanation, how does this title
function as a hint to the story’s internal and external conflicts? How might the way different characters respond to
the pressures upon them reveal Miller’s ideas about human nature?

My Notes from Seminar

Thoughts

4. In the play the role of polarizing rhetoric like Judge Danforth’s statement, “…a person is either with this court or he
must be counted against it, there be no road between,” (Miller, Act 3, Scene 1) is the catalyst for creating the
conditions for mass hysteria. What are the reasons for different groups to use polarizing rhetoric? What are the
were the effects on the society of Salem? What were the effects on society during the Red Scare/McCarthyism?
What are the effects on society today? What ideas or lessons might Miller want his audiences to take away from
such rhetoric?
My Notes from Seminar
Thoughts
5. In the history channel video we watched, one of the historians claimed that the Salem Witch Trials had changed the
justice system in American saying, “We never again assumed that people are guilty until proven innocent.” In what
ways is that true? In what ways is that false? What do you think of the innocent-until proven guilty shift? What
might Miller be saying about the reality of guilt and innocence in society?

My Notes from Seminar

Thoughts

6. The Crucible has its roots in history and is not purely fictional. Arthur Miller used his dramatic license to invent a
relationship between two characters named Proctor and Abigail. Their illicit affair and sexual relationship is the
central conflict of the play is this just good drama or is something else going on here? Does it matter?
My Notes from Seminar
Thoughts
7. Some people claim that The Crucible is a “morality” play. Do works of social commentary, such as The Crucible,
actually have an effect on society? Do you believe that stories, especially fictionalized ones should only be
judged by their entertainment value?

My Notes from Seminar

Thoughts

8. Think about the Miller reading and History Channel episode. What question would you like to discuss about a
theme or topic that seems important? Write your question and thoughts about it below and be prepared to ask
others about your question in the seminar.
Question:

My Notes from Seminar

Thoughts