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I just started a unit, in my 11th grade English classes, on Arthur Miller's "The Crucible." The play's message of what fear does to society, and how an intolerant minority can hold a community hostage is certainly relevant. Witch hunts, of course, take on many guises; from the Holocaust to Rwanda and Sudan, from the McCarthy hearings and the red scare to Guantanamo and the "Patriot" Act. We're on the cusp of turning the page, but fear is always there, seething under the surface.
I began the unit by having my students write about the following quote by Bertrand Russell: "Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd."
I have hope that the fear peddling of the McCain/Palin campaign won't work this time, but, of course, John Proctor initially didn't think anything would come of the witch hysteria either.
Don't worry, I won't assign the play for you guys to read.(If you want I have some great graphic organizers and guided reading questions for you guys to complete :) ). I do highly recommend Nicholas Hytner's (mostly) faithful film version starring Daniel Day Lewis and Joan Allen. Check it out!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115988/
There's lots of Palin satire out there, but this scrapes the bottom of the barrel while going over the top:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx4kXgF88wQ
Call it a Palin palate cleanser.
Cheers!
