Debates

Who is responsible for the death of John Proctor? That was the subject of this week's debate about The Crucible in American Literature!

Arthur Miller's classic drama is full of guilty characters - after all, what would an exploration of Puritanism, theocracy, and adultery be without guilt? The question though was who was most guilty!

The candidates were:

* John Proctor himself, the wayward patriarch who slept with and then fired his teenaged servant
* Elizabeth Proctor, his wife, an upright truth-teller who lies for her husband at a crucial moment
* Abigail Williams, the ex-servant-and-woman-spurned who accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft
* Mary Warren, their wishy-washy servant who continually succumbs to peer pressure
* Reverend Parris, the wanna-be authoritarian preacher who is more concerned with money and reputation than the truth
* Deputy Governor Danforth and his court officials, who decide to admit "spectral" evidence and Bible verses into a court of law
* Puritan society with its repressive norms and religious obsession
* Mass hysteria that had taken Salem by storm

It was a lively debate, but both Periods 2 and 3 ultimately pointed the finger at Mass Hysteria - with Mary Warren making it to the final round in Period 2, and John Proctor himself getting to the final showdown in Period 3.

Parents, you may notice our student teacher, Miss Alishahi in some of the pictures! She's been an amazing addition to our classroom!