Letters of advice to John Proctor following the end of Act II

Dear John Proctor,
Although you may not agree with the advice I am going to give to you, I think it will benefit you and your family in the long run if you speak the true. I believe you should admit your infidelity with Abigail in front of the court and ask for forgiveness. This deed will show the court and everyone else in society that you are a good religious man who is remorseful and wants to be forgiven for the sin that you made. Although this may ruin your reputation it will clarify why Abigail is accusing people of witch craft including Elizabeth Proctor, your wife. This in fact will show that Abigail and the girls are lying in order to cover up dancing in the forest and will show that Abigail truly wants to take your wifes place in your house. Revealing your sin will save the life of you wife, her unborn child if she really is pregnant, many other women who have been accused and will punish the accusers for their false and defying accusations.
Sincerely,
Melissa



Dear John Proctor,
John , haven’t I told you not to get involved with more than one woman at a time. You are a foolish married man John. But I am not here to tell you all the wrong things that you done or to dawn on your mistakes, I want to help you. Give you my advice because frankly I heard what happened to you and I feel bad. Just to get one thing out there I never liked Abigail what you saw in her I will never know. But one thing is for sure it’s going to take a lot to bring Mary as well as Abigail down. What we know is that Mary is working with Abigail, and if Mary does not do as she says Abigail will kill her. You need Mary to testify in court to clear Elizabeth’s name. So here what you what you need to do, find something that Mary is more scared of then Abigail, a secret maybe or even a rumor (that may not be true) to start. At that point Mary will talk about Abigail still wanting to kill her. That’s where you make a deal with her to protect her from any harm that Abigail will do to her. You expose Abigail for what she really is a crazy psychotic Animal.
I hope this Advice was helpful and beneficial in the future and please John tell me how it all works out!!
Yours Truly,
Sky



Dear Mr. Proctor,

It seems like you have gotten yourself in a bit of trouble with women, your wife being taken away after being accused by your former lover. A truly troublesome experience. Perhaps a simple conversation with Abigail might be able to get her to revoke her accusation of your wife ? I am almost certain that Abigail has faked the voodoo done against her, cajoling your Mary Warren to help her in this. Getting rid of Mary Warren would be most beneficial to you and your household, as Abigail seems to have a link to her.
Abigail seems to harbor hard feelings against your wife due to her firing from your employment and your abrupt end to the affair. While having an affair with her was certainly not in your best interest, it was done and you must acknowledge you mistake and go back and fix it. Letting Abigail know that you love your wife and would never leave her for a common whore who came your way and seduced you might be a bit too harsh, but simply sitting her down and letting her know that you will not stand for her attempted destruction of your marriage might just do the trick.


I hope my advice has aided you in your troubles,
all the best from New York,
Ana
Dear John Proctor,

It is very sad to hear about what happened to your wife. I cannot believe that anyone in their right minds would ever accuse your wife of witchcraft. She really does earn the term “Goody” in front of her name.

I admire your strength in trying to rebel against the deputy of Salem. I think that you and your wife are right. Abigail is just trying to get to you and personally, I think that you should give Abi what she deserves; justice for all of her lies and deceit. Your sins of adultery are nothing compared to that of her blaming every innocent woman in the town, brain washing others into believing that they are witches too. Some advice, maybe you really should go see Abigail alone just to fish about what her motives are and then show everyone that she is the only real hag of the town.

Sincerely,
Amanda “Goody” H.




Dear John Proctor,

I believe you are doing a good job so far, and you should focus on contuing to do one specific thing in court the most. That one thing is being honest. As long as you tell no lies (even if someone brings up something negative about you, don't deny it), they cannot automatically say that the evidence you produce (or in general, anything else you say) is a lie. I wish you luck with producing the truth.

From,
Jack


Dear John Proctor,

I think the best thing for you to do is come clean with everything. There are obviously several different accusations against you and the only way to rid yourself of them is by being honest. Explain why you only go to church once a month, or why you plow on Sundays. The people of the court do not understand these things so you must make them understand. I thought it was very brave of you to confess your affair with Abigail. It showed that you were desperate and willing to do anything to save Elizabeth. I can only imagine how difficult it is knowing your wife will soon be hung, so you must be as persuasive as possible. One last thing that I do suggest is to conduct yourself in a more polite and respectful manner while in the court. Throwing yourself around and screaming will not help you at all, except draw attention to your utter madness. I hope this advice may help you in any way possible.

Sincerely,
Drew
Dear John Proctor, I highly recommend you confess your affair with Abigail to Elizabeth and the court. Although Elizabeth has hints of what happened, the court must know this may be a reason of why all this conflict is arising. It is pretty clear Abigail is jealous, and wants revenge on Elizabeth. Which is why she is getting all the other women involved, by blaming it on witchcraft. Although your image would be ruined, just think about all the women you would save that are being accused of witchcraft and might be on the verge of death.

Sincerely,
Gisell

Dear John Proctor,
It is with great sincerity that I write you this letter. I was informed that your wife, Elizabeth, has been falsely accused of being a witch. There may be a connection between the accused and your affair with Abigail, however it is highly important that you admit to the community what has occurred, and everything you know concerning Abigail. Mass hysteria is best countered through prevention; in this case, this stage is just about to conclude. The most powerful way to stop it in its current track is for a calm authority figure to give clear and accurate information. You, my friend, are the only one who can provide such information at this point and time. You must remain visible and available to provide reassurance. In contrast, a message that is dramatic and menacing, as is occurring right now with Hale’s method, is guaranteed to have a catastrophic result. Innocent people are being accused at the price of your infidelity! Mothers and daughters are being stripped away from their families! You must confess. Even if you are sentenced to death, your death will not be in vain. You, in the future will be considered a hero; a person who stood up to the masses to disprove what the masses believe to be real; witchcraft. If you do not act quickly this may prove detrimental to the society you live in, as it takes time for such things to calm down on their own without help.
I pray you will be guided by your conscience.

Sincerely, Melisa

Dear John Proctor,
I think you’re a bad, bad man. This is not the important part though. After everything you’ve done to Elizabeth, including possible adultery, now you want to step up and be a man. I think it’s about time though, so I shall give you a break. You need to stop being so irate about the circumstances at hand right now. Yes, our Goody Proctor is currently incarcerated; however your unreasonable behavior will not alter the situation. You need to keep a level head and maintain your cool. Drag that witch, Mary Warren with you to the courthouse and testify against your wife’s accusations. Justice will be served, but you must remain calm. Should things get out of hand, and they decide to sentence our dear Elizabeth, kill them all. Mary Warren, Abigail, the judge, Hale, ALL OF THEM.
Good Luck,
Goody

Dear John Proctor,
It seems like you have gotten yourself in quite a sticky situation. There are a number of things you can do to try and save you and your wife but I have come up with a plot. Proving your wife's innocence has not been working out too well so there is only one other option; run! You have to come up with an escape scheme or else all the women in town are going to be killed. This is what i came up with; you need to break into the place where your wife is being held captive free her and all the other women. Yes, you will be risking your life for her, but if you love her then she is worth it. So once she has been taken unnoticed, you take you and your children as far away as possible from Salem. Hide out for as long as you can, go where no one knows who you are. Finally after this nonsense has ceased you can go back to your normal life, with you and your new baby. This is the perfect plan for success.

Yours truly,
Matthew


Dear Mr. John Proctor,
I understand that you’re not in the right state of mind right now and you probably don’t want anything to do with Abigail ever again, but for the sake of your wife and many other women in town my advice is to talk to Abigail as soon as possible. She is the one that accused your wife Elizabeth and because of her charge she can face possible death if convicted. You need to convince Abigail to confess to all of her lies. Once she confesses to the truth your wife will be saved and she will face the consequences. I strongly suggest you listen to me.
Your friend,
Rachel

Dear Proctor,
Do you think its morally right that you exploit and force your servant to do something she doesnt want to do in order to save your wife? Well i do. I think you should drag Mary Wellens over to the court and testify against Abigail. You should tell the court what Mary said and get your wife back. However the problem does arise that once you testify Mary against Abigail, she may reveal that you had secret (but not really a secret) relations with her. Thats where you don't agree to anything and don't admit a thing. Unless someone else knew about the two of you together, then youll be fine as long as you make Abigail seem like she's crazy. Get your nothing but good wife back because from what i read, shes a keeper :)

Supporting texts: The Crucible

Below, please find links to supporting texts we will be discussing in class.

http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/miller-mccarthyism.html

http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=HawYoun.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1

Characterization and The Crucible by Arthur Miller

Today's mini-lesson surrounded the study of characterization the The Crucible. We discussed who we would consider to be a "major" character in the text thus far. We also defined characterization as:

The representation of persons in narrative and dramatic works. This may include direct methods like the attribution of qualities in description or commentary, and indirect mehtods inviting readers to infer qualities from characters' actions, speech, or appearance.

We worked collaboratively to select the major characters in the etxt, and explore their characterization using specific texual evdience to support out observations.

Assignments for week of September 28, 2009

Complete your reading and annotation of Act Two in The Crucible. I will be checking this as a homework assignment.

Study Greek and Latin roots Aud-chrom on your roots list.

You will have a vocabulary and roots test on Friday, October 9. This will also include questions on The Crucible.

You will also be working on a group presentation in the next few days. This will receive a group project grade. More details regarding this project will follow.

Assignments for week of September 21, 2009

Summer assignments are due this week!
Tuesday: Comparative essays are due.
Thursday: SAT and Greek and Latin roots test on Thursday (ag-aster)
We will also begin to read The Crucible by Arthur Miller!

In-class work: Week of September 14, 2009

This week we will be completing our baseline writing pieces. We will also do a comparative study of two poems: "I hear America singing" by Walt Whitman, and "I, Too" by Langston Hughes. Lessons will surround annotation and how to "dig" into a poem. We will also discuss how to develop a strong thesis statement and use textual support in our writing. Looking ahead: a 2-page essay comparing the two poems.

SAT word of the day!

9/11/09: Factious: fac⋅tious –adjective: given to faction; dissentious: A factious group was trying to undermine the government.

9/14/09: Ignoble: (adj.): dishonorable

9/15/09: Perspicacity: (noun) keeness of perception

9/16/09: Fervent: (adj): showing great enthusiasm

9/17/09: Boor (noun): a rude person

opulence

Macabre

Foreboding

Student definitions of the word "American"

As a class, we are about to embark on an American literary journey. It is in that vein that the students have created their own personal definitions of what it means to be an American:

To be an American is to have your own views and be able to express them. It is not just a culture or language but a mix of every culture, language and belief throughout the world. -Melissa L.

America is a symbol of peace, liberty, and justice, that other countries try to replicate. America represents freedom and is the ideal nation not only because it is united, but it's system of government allows for people in society to to make decisions on what life should be like.--Matthew

American- Americans are the people who live in a large multicultural land that believe in freedom and personal liberty. Americans seek for better, richer, and happier life. They believe they have certain inalienable rights, golden opportunities, and same voice despite the gender. -Amy

America is a nation filled with hundreds of years of freedom created by the ideals of the people and powered by the knowledge and achievements of the people. This country is what it is because its determined leaders didn't want future generations to go through hardships they had to. -Lenny

America- a country that shows no boundaries to its people, hides no opportunity, and offers everything as long as you are willing to work for it. -Roman

American - Whether you were born here or brought here, the only limiting factor is how much you are willing to work and risk for what you want to achieve. Being American is a unique experience; one that many give up what they have at home to have, and those born with the title sometimes take for granted. –Natalee

What it means to be an "American" is, taking pride in the opportunities our country has to offer.-Giselle
American - Someone who has freedom, is surrounded by a diverse growing population, and has endless opportunities. -Jack

America- A largely diverse population that is capable of looking past race, gender or sexual orientation to reach the ultimate goal of prosperity.-Drew

American: the defenders of freedom. -Melisa C.

To be an American- To follow traditions of another culture while at the same time taking part in American culture. -Julia

American: pride; having a dream and believing that it can come true with hard work and determination. -Rachel

To be American means to live in a country of liberty and prosperity with many opportunities to improve.- Leandro

To me, American not only means someone who is a citizen of the United States, but is a symbol of many things. It is a symbol of freedom. -Amanda

To be American is to be free with no boundaries only obstacles that can be overcome with hard work. It is to be able to express yourself in a comfortable and understanding setting.- Kristina

American: Having faith and patriotism that every free person within the country gets the same respect and liberty being deserved.-Rachel

American: To be one who us from a country that is diverse; to be from a country that is free and very opinionated. -Rey

A person of any ethnicity that believes in freedom and equal opportunity for all people and agrees with the values portrayed in the writings on which our country is based.-Ana

Feeling a sense of belonging in the United States of America whether born in the country or being someone who has immigrated to the country, while having a common American cultural connection, yet still having one's own distinct cultural identity.-Thomas

To me it symbolizes a diverse society that stands for freedom and liberty.-Allen

To be American is to have limitless possibilities to achieve your dreams and always have pride in your country. It is also a mix of cultures and religions that make it unique.- Imani

A sense of freedom, justice, or being able to work for the ultimate American dream.-Sky

Anyone who can come to America who can make a living and be successful no matter sex, race, or skin color.-Maurice

An American is a person who lives in a diverse place of many cultures and whose ancestors are from another country (unless Native American), and come to America in search of opportunities.-Albert

Where people dream, where money is made, where liberty is granted.-Uziel

supplies for class

Hello students!
I hope you had a wonderful summer. I am very excited about this school year. I know that you will gain valuable skills, engage in insightful conversations, and read some great literature! Below, please find a list supplies you will need for class. If you should have any trouble obtaining any of the supplies due to financial concerns, please feel free to see me.

1. 1 notebook or binder section solely devoted to our class notes.
2. 1 journal/composition book (you can use one from a previous year)
   1 folder
3. post-it notes
4. index cards
5. pens

Please have all supplies and signed course requirements no later than Monday, September 14.