Part B - State the Significance: English Unit Test (the crucible)

definition part

theocracy

a system of government that’s run by religion

lechery

excessive or offensive sexual desire; lustfulness

heresy

having beliefs or opinions that contradict the church

contrapasso

when the punishment matches the sin

McCarthyism

Political practice (created by Joseph McCarthy) of publicizing accusations and aiming to get people to name names.

HUAC

House Un-American Activities Committee. dedicated to finding communists in America in the 40s-60s.

hypocrisy

claiming morals one doesn’t actually practice

recognition

when the hero and audience recognize the pattern (Frye’s Circle)

poppet

a homeade doll or puppet

crucible

a severe trial OR container in which substances are subjected to very high temperature

complication

the aligning of forces or “sides”

hysteria

exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion/excitement (typically affecting a large group of people)

reversal

moment in tragedy when hero realizes his fate is not what was expected

catharsis

release of strong/repressed emotions

providence

the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power

covenant

an agreement

land-lust

an intense desire for land, often driven by greed and the pursuit of power or wealth

catastrophe

moment in a tragedy when everything goes wrong and the limits of the hero are exposed

hamartia

the error, fratility, mistaken judgement, or misstep through which the fortunes of the hero of a tragedy are reversed

encroachment

hero takes on too much, causes a fall

logical fallacy

an error in reasoning that makes an argument invalid, even if it seems convincing

Elia Kazan

Arthur Miller’s former best friend who “named names” to HUAC

Red Scare

1919-1920 American fear of immigrants, especially communists

Hasty generalization

an argument based off a body of evidence that is too small