Tuesday, March 17, 2020

The Crucible Essays

The Crucible Essays The Crucible Essay The Crucible Essay I would direct Mary to say this in a pleading and terrified force, and I would direct her to lean forward and back a little once saying it, so it looks like she wants to reach out and grab Abigail. This conveys to the audience that Mary is petrified of Abigail and she knows what Abigail is doing. After this, Mercy steps forward out of the crowd of girls on stage and starts chattering her teeth and puts her arms out to show her shaking hands and looks at Danforth and Yells : Your Honour, I freeze! in a distinctive shivering voice. This conveys to the audience that Mercy wants the judges to believe Abigail, and shows that Mercy has understood Abigails hint to start seeing the devil. When Mary says her next line, I would direct Mary to do the line: Lord, save me! in a crying out loud motion, and I would direct her to fall to the floor by her knees starting to bend, and I would direct proctor to grab her underarms and lift her back up. This conveys to the audience that Mary doesnt have anything to do with what Abigail is doing, and she feels like she has no hope left in her, and that only the lord can save her. Danforth then looks directly at Mary and says: Mary Warren, do you with her? I say to you, do you send your spirit out? I would direct Danforth to look at Abigail before he says the line and then to look directly at Mary, this shows to the audience that he had noticed what is going on and is being biased about what he is saying. When Danforth is saying his lines I would direct him to say Mary Warren in a gruff tone, and once he has said her name he looks back at Abigail and then sharply turns his head back to Mary and gives pointy eyes (commonly known as e vils) to Mary. The he also says the line in a direct accusation tone. This shows the audience that Danforth believes Mary and he is frightening her. Once Abigail has said her line : oh, heavenly father, take away this shadow I would direct Proctor to leap forward, letting go of Mary, and grabs Abigail by the hair, and falls upon Danforths desk and then pulls himself up, still gripping her hair, and pulls her to her feet viciously, while Abigail screams in pain, and turns Abigail to face him (all of this would be a side view of the two inn front of the audience, so the audience can see what proctor is doing to Abigail) and he lets go of her hair, but with one hand still holding it tightly, and the other hand grabbing the bottom of her chin and he lifts her chin up and yells : How do you call heaven, Whore! Whore! This expresses to the audience that Proctor has lost his temper with Abigail, and is taking out his aggression on what she has done on her and is willing to lose his good mans reputation for it, to prove to the court that Abigail is capable of anything. Once Proctor and Abigail have been separated, Proctor should say his next line: It is a whore in a breathless and agonising way, and he should bend down and place his hands on his knees. This shows that he put all his effort into attacking Abigail and is now tired out. On the line: John, you cannot say such a - I would direct Francis to look horrified about what Proctor has just said about Abigail, and makes big hand gestures while saying it to show his emotion in what he is saying. This suggests to the audience that he doesnt want Proctor to say that Abigail is a whore, and it shows that he doesnt believe what Proctor has just said and that he doesnt believe that a child could be capable of it. I would direct proctor to look up, with his head held high, gripping his fists and trying to keep back the tears and says : in the proper place, where my beasts are bedded. On the last night of my joy, some eight months past. She used to serve me in my house, sir. (He has to clamp his jaw to stop him from weeping) A man may think that God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now, I beg you, sir, I beg you see her what she is. My wife, my dear good wife, took this girl soon after, sir, and put her put on the highroad. And being what she is, a lump of vanity, sir (he is being overcome. ) Excellency, forgive me. (Angrily against himself, he turns away from the Governor for a moment. Then as though to cry is his only means of speech left) she thinks to dance with me on my wifes grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whores vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now. Where the words are in italics, this is when I would direct proctor to nearly break down in tears, and show his true emotion; and the words that are in bold I would direct him to say these words distinctively. This communicates with the audience that Proctor is deeply ashamed of himself and is desperately trying to get through to the judge about what Abigail is like. After Proctors heart wrenching speech, I would direct Danforth to look at Abigail disappointingly, and then Abigail would say her line turning back to Danforth and stepping towards him saying in a sharp tone : what look do you give me? I would direct Danforth to look stunned at this point) Ill not have such looks. (she turns for the door) By Abigail saying this in a sharp tone, and Danforth being stunned, it conveys to the audience that Abigail is still manipulating Danforth and that Danforth is now starting to believe Proctor. Once Elizabeth has entered on page 90, I would direct Elizabeth to say her first line: Good, sir very faintly. This conveys to the audience that Elizabeth has been treated badly in the prison and has poor health. I would then direct Elizabeth to try to get proctors attention while saying: she were - I would direct her to glance in proctors direction, with a tear in her eye, and she would say the line very timidly. This conveys to the audience that Elizabeth doesnt know how to answer the question as she does not know if her husband wants her to tell them or not. When Elizabeth says the line Oh God! I would direct her to attempt to look back at proctor and for her to break down in tears. This conveys to the audience that she lied for Proctor not realising that he didnt want her to lie for him. After all this drama on stage, I would direct Hale to say his line a very demanding way. When he says the line: I believe him! (Pointing to Abigail. ) This girl has always struck me false! She has - I would direct him to quickly point at Abigail, using his whole arm and will walk to towards her before he finishes the sentence. This shows the audience that Hale believes Proctor and is trying to show the court what is really happening and that he is trying to convince the court to believe Proctor. When Abigail screams and says the line: You will not! Begone! Begone I say! In a very scared manner; I would direct Abigail to thrust her arms back and to look up at the ceiling while saying the line, but just before she says the line I would direct her to make a weird, wild and chilling cry. When Danforth asks Abigail what is the matter, I would direct Abigail to point at the ceiling with fear, and moves her head to face Danforth, and her eyes look frightened, with her face terribly awed, and then she looks at the girls, and they all do the same as what she was doing previously, and then Abigail looks up at the ceiling again. This conveys to the audience that Abigail is telling the girls to look up at the ceiling as something is there. When Proctor says the line : Do you see a bird I would direct him to say this in a confused way, to show that hes not sure if a real small bird is there or not. This conveys to the audience that only the girls can see the bird. On the line: Abby, Im here! I would direct Mary to be yelling this at Abigail while leaning forward a little, as if to go near her, whilst with both hands clenched on her heart. This conveys to the audience that Mary is desperate for Abby to stop it and that Mary isnt doing anything wrong. When all the girls say: Abby you mustnt I would direct all their eyes to fixed wide open. This creates a dramatic effect on stage and conveys to the audience that their actions have something to do with their plan with the devil. Mary then yells: Abby and I would direct her to have tears rolling down her cheeks, but not hysterically, and for her to stamp her feet like a little child desperate to get what she wants. This conveys to the audience again that Mary is desperate for Abigail to stop otherwise if the judges believe Abigail and the girls; Mary could face a death sentence for it. On the line: Look out! Shes coming down! I would direct all the girls to look up before that line and once the line is said, all the girls should shriek and run to wall on stage where the judges are not positioned. I would also direct the cover the eyes using a cross shape with their hand, with the palms facing outwards, like a shield before their eyes. The girls all scream, and then I would direct Mary to look around the courtroom, to look frightened, and close her eyes with her fists clenched, and for her to let out the loudest scream she possibly can, and as soon as this happens I would direct the girls screams to slowly fade and for them to un-shield their eyes, so everyone in the courtroom is watching Mary screaming. Then I would direct proctor to run towards her and to grab her by the shoulders. This suggests to the audience that Mary got to scared and joined Abigails side, and that Proctor is astonished by what Mary has just done. After that, I would direct that Mary pulls away from proctor and stops screaming, but turns to face him and slowly backs away shrieking: My name, he want my name (I would direct Mary to look at Danforth sympathetically and then turn back round) Ill murder you he say, if my wife hangs! we must go and overthrow the court he says! Then I would direct Danforths head to jerk towards proctor, with the most shock and horror on his face. This conveys to the audience that the girls are definitely lying because the audience knows that Proctor never said any of the things that Mary has accused him of. When Danforth says to Proctor: What are you? (Proctor is beyond speech to his anger. You are combined with anti- Christ, are you not? I have seen your power, you will not deny it! What say you, Mister? I would direct Danforth to say the first part of the passage in a disappointed way, as if to show that he is disgusted by what Proctor has become; I would then direct him to say the second bit of the passage in a disgraced and angry way. This conveys to the audience that Danforth believes the girls over what Proctor and Hales say. Hale goes extra mad at this and yells extremely loudly so all the members of the court turn to look at him: I denounce these proceedings! this conveys to the audience that Hale believes Proctor and wants to stop what the court is doing.

Sunday, March 1, 2020

Enigmas, Puzzles, and Riddles

Enigmas, Puzzles, and Riddles Enigmas, Puzzles, and Riddles Enigmas, Puzzles, and Riddles By Maeve Maddox On the day of the Iowa Caucus, pollster Ann Selzer made the following comment about Donald Trump: He’s just this riddle inside a puzzle. I immediately thought of Winston Churchill’s oft-repeated comment about Russia at the beginning of World War II: a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I couldn’t help wondering if Ms. Selzer chose the word puzzle because she felt that the general American public in 2016 were less likely to understand the word enigma than a general British public in 1939. But, I’m probably being uncharitable. Puzzle is a valid synonym for enigma, although not nearly as classy. Enigma is from Latin aenigma, â€Å"a riddle or a mystery.† The Latin noun is from a Greek verb meaning, â€Å"to speak allusively or obscurely.† Riddle is a word inherited from German. In Old English, riddle was the usual English translation of Latin aenigma and referred to what modern speakers, especially children, mean by riddle: â€Å"a question or statement intentionally phrased to require ingenuity in ascertaining its answer or meaning. For example, â€Å"How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?† Puzzle is of unknown origin. Its earliest English use was as a verb meaning, â€Å"to cause a person to be at a loss what to do; to create difficulties for someone.† The verb came to have several meanings, including these: to cause someone to feel confused because they cannot understand something. to perplex or bewilder the brain. to be at a loss how to act or decide to search in a bewildered or perplexed way The noun puzzle is derived from the verb and means â€Å"a perplexing question or a difficult problem.† It can also signify â€Å"a person who is difficult to understand.† Note: Selzer’s remark referred not so much to the man, but to his apparently inexplicable popularity with â€Å"moderate and mainstream† Republicans as well as with extremists. English has numerous words to convey something that is baffling or mentally challenging. Here are some others: mystery conundrum paradox quandary brainteaser Most are near synonyms. All imply something baffling or challenging, but they carry different connotations. A mystery invites speculation. A conundrum, like a riddle, is often phrased as a question. The answer usually involves a play on words or a twist in thinking. For example: What is greater than God, more evil than the devil, the poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it, youll die? (Answer: Nothing) A paradox seems absurd, but in reality expresses a certain truth. For example, â€Å"Youth is wasted on the young.† A quandary is a state of extreme perplexity. A person or a group is said to be â€Å"in a quandary,† as in this headline from The Gaffney Ledger: â€Å"Council still in a quandary over healthcare insurance.† Of the three words in the title of this post, puzzle is most frequent in a Google search (296,000,000), riddle next (140,200,000), and enigma last (64,400,000). The figure for enigma is no doubt inflated because of the popularity of the word in the entertainment industry. References to the German â€Å"enigma machine† probably also account for some of the results. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:4 Types of Gerunds and Gerund Phrases"Have" vs "Having" in Certain ExpressionsWood vs. Wooden