ATAR Notes: Forum

HSC Stuff => HSC English Stuff => HSC Subjects + Help => HSC English Advanced => Topic started by: tamsyc on January 10, 2019, 06:13:31 pm

Title: Potential human experiences in The Crucible
Post by: tamsyc on January 10, 2019, 06:13:31 pm

Hey everyone,

I've been having a lot of trouble finding human experiences in The Crucible, so I thought its probably not that uncommon a question! Here's my brainstorming from the unit, so others can add to or critique  ;D

•   FEAR! – fear of the other, fear of loss of reputation, fear of almost everything
•   Pressure to conform
•   Opposition to hegemony (of the theocracy)
•   Power of collective hysteria (fear)
•   Superiority over others
•   Discovering your true self – “The central impulse for writing at all was not the social but the interior psychological question of the guilt residing in Salem” (Arthur Miller)
•   Conflict between individuals – “… the predominant emphasis in writing the play was on the conflict between people rather than the conflict within somebody” (Arthur Miller)


These are by no means complete (and definitely not all right or perfect) so please add and tell me where I'm going wrong  :)

Title: Re: Potential human experiences in The Crucible
Post by: jamonwindeyer on January 10, 2019, 07:33:31 pm

Love this! Keen to see some collective brainstorming! ;D

Title: Re: Potential human experiences in The Crucible
Post by: kiwii on January 11, 2019, 01:16:36 am

If i'm not mistaken,
- The abuse of power - eg. Abigail using her power to manipulate the community into mass hysteria for her own wants by using threats and whatnot.
- Greed and vengeance - again Abigail trying to replace Elizabeth Proctor OR the other characters wanting more power (Parris) and land (neighbours --> past conflicts arise (conflict between individuals) and they use the witch hunt as a chance to get their revenge)

Also not really sure if these are human experience or not. They sound more like themes but worth a shot. A lot of these human experiences overlap so take that into consideration and use it to your advantage. Have a nice day and dont forget about the individual and collective experiences for all of these! :))

Title: Re: Potential human experiences in The Crucible
Post by: tamsyc on January 11, 2019, 07:58:09 pm

Quote from: kiwii on January 11, 2019, 01:16:36 am

If i'm not mistaken,
- The abuse of power - eg. Abigail using her power to manipulate the community into mass hysteria for her own wants by using threats and whatnot.
- Greed and vengeance - again Abigail trying to replace Elizabeth Proctor OR the other characters wanting more power (Parris) and land (neighbours --> past conflicts arise (conflict between individuals) and they use the witch hunt as a chance to get their revenge)

Also not really sure if these are human experience or not. They sound more like themes but worth a shot. A lot of these human experiences overlap so take that into consideration and use it to your advantage. Have a nice day and dont forget about the individual and collective experiences for all of these! :))

about whether they're HE's or themes, I'm absolutely with you... Problem is I'm not sure what constitutes the difference between a theme or a human experience granted that the theme is something that humans can experience...

Any idea's on how to discern between these would be welcomed