The Crucible Initial Character Mini-Essay printable pdf download

The Crucible Initial Character Mini-essay

To an extent, The Crucible is a play about the individual’s impact on or responsibility for

his society. Eventually, (but not right now!), I would like you to write an essay about your

character and his/her crucible. How do this person’s decisions impact his/her society? To what

extent is he/she responsible for the implications of his or her decisions? How do the forces at

work in a culture/society impact a person such as your character? Ultimately, but not right now,

you should be considering “The Big Ideas”! Why does any of this matter to us… to our society?

In order to get you thinking deeply about your character you will write an “Initial

Character Mini-essay” in order to establish your character’s mettle, (what they are “made of”

when the play begins). Armed with this deep knowledge, you will be able to better consider the

forces at work on your character as he/she enters his/her crucible. Ultimately, (but not right now),

your job will be to consider the question above, through your character.

“Can’t you just tell me what I need to do right now, Mr. Freyer?”

Sure, I can. Here it is….

You are to write a one page, initial character mini-essay on one of the following

characters… John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, Mary Warren, Rev. Hale, or Abigail Williams. This

essay must include…

1. A general, topical interest opener

2. An opening paragraph which includes story background, title, and playwright

3. A clear thesis statement (about the initial state or condition of your character

4. A body paragraph or two which develops and proves your thesis, which includes…

5. Two quotations from the play, properly cited, from Act 1 or early in Act 2 of The Crucible

6. A concluding paragraph where you consider the predicament of the character or predict the

future of the character. You should spend some time in your conclusion generalizing to the

“real world”.

Other concerns or issues:

1. Please follow the Style Sheet

2. Please adopt a formal tone

3. Please properly use/incorporate your quotations

These issues of issues of style and formality are included in more detail on the “Mini-

essay Structure – the Recipe” and “Using Quotations in Expository Writing” handouts.

Due date: ________

Points: 30 points, scored on content, fluency, and mechanics/conventions (“correctness”)

Your worksheet (on the back of this sheet) is also due at this time… 5 points.

The Crucible Initial Character Mini-Essay