Day 28

Well, here we are the last blog of first semester. For some it will be the last blog of the year if you are not in my class again. I want to say I have enjoyed the semester and getting to know each of you as students and as people. If you are not in my class next semester but ever need help or just a place to call home my room is always open to you.

For tonight, please evaluate your semester in this class. What were your strengths and weaknesses and how do you use them to create goals for next semester? If you want to give any positive or constructive feedback for me please feel free as well. Believe it or not, I am not perfect and look to always work better with students.

Day 27

I hope you find something of interest in "The Crucible." I think that it is somewhat fascinating that this event occurred in America and that we can still relate to it today.

For this evening, I want you to find something or someone that you found interesting in the play. Talk about how that event or person caught your attention and how it made you think more deeply about the play and about history. What is the message that you take from this story in regards to it application to us as Americans currently? To get the points for today, you must refer to 3 incidents and those impacts on the event or the person you have chosen.

Day 26

Today we shall do our last current event blog for the semester. The key to this one is that there can be no more than 2 blogs on the same story (this way I do not need to hear about Haiti from every person as I know what a tragedy it has been). NO CITE, NO POINTS.

Day 25

Give your overall opinion of The Crucible. How is this story an accurate piece of fiction even 300+ years after the events took place?

Day 24

One of the factors that drive stories is when characters have both internal and external conflicts. For this evening's blog, please choose a character and discuss their external conflict, who it is with and how it drives the story and then tell of their internal conflict. Make sure you do not just repeat what others say or choose a different character than others so they are not to similar.

Have a great long weekend.

Day 23

The most interesting feature of The Crucible is that it is so impressively a play about evil forces, despite the fact that it seems to be a play discrediting belief in such forces. How would you describe evil forces that Miller presents in this play?

Day 22

Mary Warren is subjected to intense peer pressure from Abigail and the other girls. How would you compare the intensity of the peer pressure she faces with that exerted on many people your age today? Do you think peer pressure plays a role in defining who you are as a person? Why or why not?

Day 21

During our reading of Into the Wild, we discussed the idea of non-conformity. Explain how the citizens of Salem would fall into the definition of non-conformity. Choose a character and relate how their non-conformity is seen as positive or negative. Make sure you use a couple of specific examples from the story to prove your point.

Day 20

The author's use of dialogue is done to create the ability to move story forward. In the case of The Crucible, much of the dialogue is used for that purpose. Going back to Act 2, you need to do the following for this evenings blog:

Find a portion of dialogue between any two characters and summarize what it is that they were talking about. Then, tell how this dialogue moves the story further and how through the dialogue, we get a better view of the characters. Lastly, through this dialogue, give your opinion of what is going to happen in Act 3.

Day 19

Puritan society pressured individuals to adhere to strict standards of conduct and belief. To what extent to you think society expects you to conform today? Also, what do you think works better at creating a positive society, the Puritan's way or the current way? Why?

Day 18

For this evening discuss the following:

Discuss how honesty (yours or someone else's) played a role in a conflict in your life. This could be honesty fixing or hurting the conflict. Do not use names just give the example and how honesty played a role.

Day 17

At the end of Act 1, Tituba, Abigail, and others accuse some of their neighbors of afflicting them. Give 2 examples of individuals or groups today who accuse others of causing thier problems. How can you evaluate accusations to determine whether or not they are true.

Day 16

So much goes on in the world each day. Some good and some bad. As it is the new year, I would like to focus on the good for today's blog. You must find a current event that shows something positive in our society. As always, give a brief summary and then tell me how this event impacts you and your community. Lastly, how does this positive event show that we do not always have to dwell on the negatives that happen around us. REMEMBER, NO CITE NO POINTS.

Day 15

For this evening:

Discuss the relationship between Abigail and John Proctor. What did we learn about them today? (Just a one or two line summary not a long summary)How could this effect the role Abigail is playing with the other girls who were in the woods? Would people have the same reaction today about Abigail's behavior? Why or why not? Lastly, what is your view of the characters so far and why?