The Crucible

1
The Crucible

• Literary Elements

2
Allegory

• AllegoryA narrative in which the characters and
  settings stand for abstract ideas or moral
  qualities. In addition to the literal meaning of
  the story, an allegory contains a symbolic, or
  allegorical, meaning.

3
Allegory

• Allegory is a form of extended metaphor, in which
  objects, persons, and actions in a narrative,
  stand for some greater idea.
• The underlying meaning has moral, social,
  religious, or political significance, and
  characters are often personifications of abstract
  ideas such as evil, greed, or envy.
• Ex Jack and his tribe represent the potential
  for evil inside of all men.

4
Allegory

• Thus, an allegory is a story with two meanings, a
  literal meaning and a symbolic meaning.
• The main purpose of an allegory is to tell a
  story that has characters, setting, etc. that
  have both literal and figurative meanings.

5
The Crucible and Communism

• Allegory work of literature that tells one story
  on the surface while referring to another sub
  textually
• Comparing the play to the Red Scare
• Can you see how these historical events are
  similar to those of the Salem Witch Trials?

6
Allusion

• A reference to another work of literature/art/musi
  c, an historical event or figure, or
  stories/people from the Bible.
• All the girls hope that the new student becomes
  their Romeo.
• A reference to Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet.

7
Foil

• Where the author creates a character whose
  primary purpose is to create a contrast to
  another character by laying emphasis or drawing
  attention to the latters traits and
  characteristics through the formers obviously
  contradictory ones
• Examples
• Proctor/Hale
• Elizabeth/Abigail

8
Tragic Hero

• A good character with a tragic flaw who is
  doomed to fail despite his/her good intentions
  best efforts.
• John Proctor is the tragic hero as he has many
  positive traits about him, such as his noble
  characteristics and his honorable and righteous
  qualities. He however also had a darker side to
  his otherwise pure nature, his affair with
  Abigail Williams, leading to his eventual fatal
  downfall and the downfall of others as a result
  of one action.

9
Tragic Flaw

• The character defect that causes the downfall of
  the protagonist of a tragedy.

10
Comic Relief

• The inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or
  witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work,
  often to relieve tension.
• Giless bragging about going to court dozens of
  times and his use of the word fart in court
  offers a little comic relief.

11
Elements of Drama Review

• Soliloquy An act of speaking one's thoughts
  aloud when by oneself or regardless of any
  hearers, esp. by a character in a play
• Aside A remark or passage by a character in a
  play that is intended to be heard by the audience
  but unheard by the other characters in the play
• Monologue A long speech by one actor in a play
  or movie, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast
  program
• Dialogue Conversation between two or more people
  as a feature of a book, play, or movie
• Stage Directions An instruction in the text of a
  play, esp. one indicating the movement, position,
  or tone of an actor, or the sound effects and
  lighting

12
Irony Review

• Dramatic
• Situational
• Verbal

13
Characterization Review

• Direct vs. Indirect
• Flat
• Round
• Static
• Dynamic