The Cruicble CQT

Eeek! You have a test on The Crucible and a short response-- that you must answer in CQT format? Man, your teacher's mean. Oh wait--that's me. Yes, you must answer one of the four prompts for your Crucible exam and describe how it relates to The Crucible. The prompts are:

1. Confessing to a crime you didn't commit in order to avoid punishment is wise.
2 It is better to die for what you believe in rather than to lie to save your life.
3. That which doesn't destroy us only makes us stronger.
4. Courage means doing something even though it can be difficult and fearsome.

First, choose your prompt. Which one do you think you can write about comfortably? Next, think about which character or characters are directly related to that prompt. Additionally, find the part in the play where your character displays this particular characteristic/trait or belief. For example, if you choose #4 both John and Rebecca fit this prompt, but you might have more to say about John than Rebecca. Also, use your CQT graphic organizer to put your thoughts on paper. Lastly, write or type it out (if your fancy) in proper MLA format on a separate paper so it looks like a 'regular' paragraph and not like a fill in the blank organizer.

Unsure of what your finished CQT should look like? Well, click here: Crucible SAMPLE CQT short response paragraph. Obviously, this is an example, but it should help you to see a finished product.

Hopefully this will help you figure out the silly CQT part of the exam that is only worth twenty-three points. Now, you just have worry about the other seventy-seven questions.

Oedipus: I love you best mommy

If Oedipus were really a Rex



Okay, so the title of this post probably was a little low brow, but well--it's funny. I know many of you are having difficulty with Oedipus, most likely due to the fact that there are two versions we are either reading or listening to in class. Understand that this play is ancient, not just old, but a survived text from ancient Greece. I have found an online version of the text just click on the link Oedipus Rex (the play) and you should be able to access it.
I know some of you are stressed, but you are making yourself worry more than necessary. The story or this part of the trilogy is quite easy to understand if you allow yourself to think that it is possible that someone would murder their father and marry their mother. If you need help on the summary of this play click on this link: Oedipus Rex (summary).  I don't want anyone to ever feel that they don't understand what it is that we are reading in class. It is  never my goal to see how many kids fail a test because I didn't explain it well enough or their was too much confusion. If you weren't listening, or you were playing around or just plain a no show for days on end then it's on you. Asking me questions in order to gain a better understanding is something a college thinker would do; asking me questions so you have an answer on your paper is something a freshmen would do.

Take out what is acceptable in society--typically we don't see a whole lot of 'mother loving' happening on the Oedipal level and think like an ancient Greek. Their gods were incestuous, fair weathered in their loyalty to humanity and like to prove just how powerful they really were. Remember, fate vs. free will was something the ancient Greeks dealt with on a daily basis.