TERMINALE LV1 · UPPER SECONDARY · B2 to C1 · C1/C2 extension track in every session

Session 4: Act IV: Because it is my name!

Part 4. Why does John Proctor choose to die rather than sign a lie?

Objectives

Understand the end of the play
Explore integrity, honour and public image
Present a two minute exposé

Warm-up

Students complete: "My name means... to me." Then: what is a reputation? Can you lose it in one day?

Documents

Document 4: Act IV. Autumn 1692. Abigail has run away with Parris's money. Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor are to be hanged. Hale begs the prisoners to confess and live. Proctor first agrees to confess, but when Danforth wants his signed confession nailed to the church door, he tears the paper. He goes to his death; Elizabeth refuses to plead with him to change his mind.

"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!"
Arthur Miller, The Crucible, Act IV, John Proctor

"How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"
Arthur Miller, The Crucible, Act IV, John Proctor

Activities

Read the two quotations aloud with three different emotions: anger, despair, pride. Which one fits best?
Debate in pairs: is Proctor a hero or is he selfish towards his family?
Language: expressing regret and choice. He could have signed. He should have... If he had signed, he would have...
Intermediary task (oral production): a two minute exposé on one character's choice (Proctor, Elizabeth, Hale or Abigail).

More activities

Writing and speaking: a eulogy or an epitaph for John Proctor

Miller wrote in 1949 that ordinary people can be tragic heroes.

"I believe that the common man is as apt a subject for tragedy in its highest sense as kings were."
Arthur Miller, "Tragedy and the Common Man", The New York Times, 1949

Task: choose one.

Eulogy (A: one minute, B: 30 seconds): Rebecca Nurse's friend or Reverend Hale speaks at a secret gathering after the execution. Read it aloud to the class.
Epitaph: four to six lines for a gravestone, then explain your word choice in three sentences.

Link it to Miller's idea: why is Proctor, a farmer, a tragic hero?

Sentence starters

We are here to remember John Proctor, a man who...
He was not perfect: he...
But in the end he chose...
Like a king in a tragedy, this farmer...
Here lies...

Sentence starters

In the end, Proctor decides to...
His name represents...
If he had signed, he would have...
I consider him a hero because... / I disagree because...
This scene shows that integrity...

Role play

Pairs: Hale and Proctor in the jail, the morning of the execution. Hale tries to convince Proctor to sign; Proctor explains why he cannot.

Gap-fill worksheet

Word bank: integrity, confession, signed, tore, honour, executed, pride, regret

Proctor first agrees to make a ______.
He has ______ the paper.
Then he ______ it up.
Keeping your principles is called ______.
Proctor refuses to lose his ______.
Rebecca Nurse and Proctor are ______.
Hale feels deep ______ for his role.
Proctor dies with ______.

Answer key

confession
signed
tore
integrity
honour
executed
regret
pride

Homework

Prepare your two minute exposé with a plan of four keywords only (no full text).

Watch the film at home

The Crucible (1996), directed by Nicholas Hytner. In France, the film is called La Chasse aux sorcières.

Where to watch: see the list of streaming and rental options on JustWatch France.
DVD: ask at your local library or médiathèque.
Official trailer: on the Apple TV page of the film.
Scenes to watch: Act I: the girls dance in the forest at night (the opening of the film). Act II: the officers arrest Elizabeth at home. Act III: in court, the girls turn against Mary Warren. Act IV: Proctor tears his confession and walks to the gallows.

Watch with English subtitles if you can.

Assessment grid

Criteria	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
Content	Very short	Basic	Clear analysis	Clear analysis with a quotation
Conditionals	Not used	Some attempts	Mostly correct	Correct and varied
Fluency	Reads notes	Some pauses	Mostly fluent	Fluent and natural
Pronunciation	Hard to understand	Understandable	Clear	Clear and expressive

Terminale LV1 · C1/C2 extension track

For strong or anglophone students. Integrity and the name: Proctor's choice (short quotation only, Miller's text is under copyright).

Extended extract

Because it is my name!
Arthur Miller, The Crucible, Act IV, 1953 (short quotation)

Critical analysis

What does a 'name' mean in a Puritan community?
Is Proctor's death heroic or futile?
Compare with a historical figure who refused to recant.

Nuanced vocabulary

Word or phrase	Meaning and use
integrity	being whole, honest and consistent
to recant	to withdraw a statement publicly
martyrdom	suffering death for a principle
arguably	to present a view as defensible but open to debate
to hinge on	to depend entirely on