English 11 AP
Why Did Arthur Miller Write The Crucible
and how does it relate to McCarthyism?
a
brief webquest
“The
Crucible” by Arthur Miller
for AP English Language
and Composition
Examine the websites below using them to answer these
questions. Answers must be submitted through Blackboard.
Click here for questions in Word format.
1.
Who was Joseph McCarthy?
2. What was the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)?
3. Who were the Hollywood 10?
4. Who was Elia Kazan and how was he involved?
5. How was Ayn Rand involved in the McCarthy trials?
6. Compare the ways that Senator McCarthy and the members of the HUAC
examined witness; then recall
how Danforth and others in the play asked questions. Compare and
contrast the two methods.
7. How did the political events of the 1950s influence the writing of
"The Crucible," and how is the play an allegory for the
communist witch hunt?
8-10. Choose one unusual fact that you learned from 3 different websites
below to share with the class.
Suggested
websites:
“Secrets of the Dead: The
Witches Curse” http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/case_salem/index.html
http://www.17thc.us/docs/fact-fiction.shtml
http://www.teachtheteachers.org/projects/DJacobs/index.htm