1987 AP Exam Essays

Question #2

     Society, as well as individuals, are so quick to put the blame on others in order to avoid future consequences. In the play, The Crucible, the religious town of Salem is chaotic with news of practicing witchcraft by the women. Abigail's leadership of pointing fingers at inferior woman, conveys Miller's message that society as a whole needs to take a step back and look at the effects of it's unsupported accusations. This is done through the character development of the antagonist, Abigail, as well as the usage of direct dialogue and the overall dark tone. 

     Rumors of witchcraft are manipulated by the young character Abigail. She is first introduced as the rebelling niece of the town's reverend. Progressively, she is known to hold an intense grudge against Mrs. Proctor, the wife of the man she has an affair with, John Proctor. The author develops Abigail in order to produce a central figure to do the vicious blaming. Now to further elaborate his idea, the author uses a gloomy tone to add onto the effect that society's actions are abominable. Miller seems to detest the concept of putting innocent others to fault and in effect, calls to action, society's need to change. The direct usage of dialogue, put into a play, allows the readers to understand the exact vibe of the situations encountered by the characters. Salem suffers a depressing aura as almost all women are accused to participating in witchcraft. This also support's the author's claim on how wrongful accusations have an effect on the direct denizens of society and also what it does to a society as a whole.

     The disorder occurring in Salem represents the author's claim of chaotic society when no one admits to their faults and instead blames it on others. Miller was able to successfully send this message across with Abigail's blaming nature.

Question #1

Eliot seems to admire "old leisure" as it possessed an innocent, uncorrupted form. She paints these examples through vivid imagery and personification. She mentions, "... he only reads one newspaper, innocent of leaders..." by personifying old leisure itself, as one of a friendly, one-sided persona. It is too traditional to be seditious, but too unique to fall under conservative. Her drawing of words of old leisure's actions further extends the message of innocence. "... scenting the apricots when they were warned by the morning sunshine." This not only serves as an example of outstanding imagery but also gives birth to the idea of tradition. During "old leisure," it was only natural to follow the morning routine of a stroll, but in a time of such variation, there is no natural instinct to scenic enjoyment. 

I followed the allotted times and in result, found it difficult to successfully develop my essays. My conclusion in question two isn't even close to being fully done. In question one, I spent way too much time reading and interpreting the text that by the time I was writing the essay, I was itching for more time. I think a part of it had to do with the fact that I started losing focus. One thing I need to work on for the AP essays: being aware of the time and using it well!