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CONTENTSPrelims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv

Knowing: The Crucible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Context and author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Structural elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Textual elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Ideas, issues and themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Learning activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Knowing: Year of Wonders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Context and author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Structural elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Textual elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Ideas, issues and themes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Learning activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Comparing: The Crucible and Year of Wonders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Types of questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

The comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Practice topics: Theme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Practice topics: Cultural context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Practice topics: Genre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Writing the essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

The simple essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

The alternating essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

The one text at a time essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

The comparing texts side-by-side essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

The essay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Sample

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How to useThe Pearson English VCE Comparing guides have been written to the new Victorian Certificate of Education English and English as an Additional Language Study Design for 2016–2020 and cover Units 2–4 Area of Study 1 Reading and comparing texts.

The Comparing guides are divided into four sections:1: Knowing: The Crucible2: Knowing: Year of Wonders3: Comparing: The Crucible and Year of Wonders4: Writing the essay.

Knowing the textsThese sections provide a deep insight into the texts, covering context and author, structural elements, textual elements and ideas, issues and themes. At the end of each section is a set of learning activities.

Comparing textsThis section outlines how to compare and contrast the two texts. The two texts are compared and contrasted in regards to themes, cultural context and genre. This section also provides practical tips and ideas on how to compare texts as well as practice topics.

20 PEARSON english • VCE Comparing Guide Knowing: Year of Wonders 21

■ Eyam Village

Puritanism and the RestorationIn 1665, England was reshaping itself as a constitutional monarchy after decades of religious and political turmoil, a Civil War, revolution, regicide and restoration. The Puritan Revolution meant that, after Charles I’s execution in 1649, England was ruled by parliament and a lord protector, not a king. Parliament was Puritan in approach, and this rigid approach to life extended to the country as a whole.

When in 1660, parliament restored Charles II to his father’s throne, he brought with him an atmosphere of sin, joy and simpler moral codes. In the countryside, however, the old habits of Puritanism took much longer to wear down. In 1666, many small towns were still torn between the new, more relaxed attitudes and the established Puritan beliefs. Year of Wonders reflects some of these inconsistencies, especially in the form of Mompellion and Anna.

Scientific thoughtThe 17th century saw great changes in the worlds of philosophy and science. This period, which came to be known as ‘the Enlightenment’, began with a scientific revolution and continued through ideas about humanism and the rights of the individual. Scientific thought placed a new emphasis on rational and planned investigation, in addition to observation, measurement and reasoning. The idea that humans could control their world rather than be subject to it led, inevitably, to questioning of the role religion played in daily human life.

Anna Frith represents these changes when she questions the methods used to treat plague victims. While scientific thought was not advanced enough to understand the real cause of the plague, Anna doubts the uses of leeches and bleeding by the ‘quack physician’ while also placing some faith in the Gowdies’ use of herbs to ease illness.

CONTEXT AND AUTHORHistorical context: The plagueThe plague, also known as the Black Death or Bubonic Plague, is caused by a bacteria called yersinia pestis. It is thought to be carried by flea-infested rats or people or goods that have travelled through Europe or Asia. The spread of the plague is rapid and can be through flea bites, touch or inhalation depending upon the variant of the disease. In crowded and unhygienic living conditions, infection and mortality rates are extremely high.

In 1665 and 1666, the plague arrived in England again. Its spread through London was quick and caused panic. Many wealthy people left the city for the country to try to escape the disease. At the height of the epidemic, 8000 people in London alone died per week. It is thought that approximately 68 000 people in the capital died from the disease.

Eyam, the plague villageYear of Wonders is inspired by the story of the village of Eyam (pronounced eem) in Derbyshire, England. An Anglo-Saxon lead mining town, the village is known as the Plague Village because in 1665 it placed itself into voluntary quarantine so that the disease would not spread outside its borders. This selfless and brave decision meant that the village was isolated for all of 1666.

■ Townspeople fleeing to the countryside to escape the Plague in England 1630

Did you know?

The plague did not discriminate between rich and poor, although it did flourish in the harsher living conditions among workers. In 1349, it even killed the daughter of King Edward III who wrote: ‘... destructive Death (who seizes young and old alike, sparing no one and reducing rich and poor to the same level) has lamentably snatched from both of us our dearest daughter, (whom we loved best of all, as her virtues demanded).’

Writer’s toolboxRegicide: the deliberate killing of a king or queen during their reign.

40 PEARSON english • VCE Comparing Guide Comparing: The Crucible and Year of Wonders 41

Cultural contextThis table shows elements of the context that may have influenced the writers and the construction of their texts. Miller, an American man writing in the shadow of the HUAC trials, writes historical fiction about the ways in which witch trials occurred in 17th century New England. Brooks, a female Australian journalist, writes her historical fiction novel about an English community in the 17th century and the impact that a year of self-imposed isolation has on its members. Yet, despite differences in continent, format and style we are able to draw some similarities between the cultural contexts.

The Crucible Year of Wonders

An American writing about 17th century Massachusetts. Text published in 1953.

An Australian writing about a village in 17th century England. Text published in 2001.

Notable similarities or differences

Religion • Salem founded by strict Puritans

• Features are fear of the devil; repression of all forms of pleasure; complete devotion to God

• Eyam has remnants of Puritanism in its faith community.

• While Mompellion’s Protestantism is more liberal, elements of superstition lurk under the surface.

• Similar religious heritage, but Eyam has more liberal attitudes

• Shared fear of the devil and the unknown

• Mompellion is more respected by his congregation than Parris.

Marriage • Marriage is the expected norm for both women and men.

• Models of marriage in the text vary.

• Proctors reconnect despite fraught tensions; Coreys and Nurses also offer models of marriages of care and devotion.

• Few models of happy marriages in the text: e.g. Bradfords, Gordons, Josiah and Aphra etc.

• Even the Mompellions are shown to have significant marital issues that they do not overcome.

• Those outside the norm suffer; e.g. Mem and Anys.

• Anna’s marriage to Sam is peaceful but unfulfilling; her marriage to Ahmed is of convenience but provides some intellectual satisfaction.

Class • Strong social divisions in the community, including servants and slaves

• Property disputes between villagers

• Social divisions in the village; e.g. most notably the role of the Bradfords and Jos Bont as the drunken poor

• Anna and Elinor’s friendship transcends class.

• Anna’s acceptance in Oran offers opportunities that she could never have had in England.

Science • Anna and Elinor’s work represents a new kind of thinking in the village as they continue the work of the Gowdies.

• Superstition and fear are rife in both villages.

The Crucible Year of Wonders

An American writing about 17th century Massachusetts. Text published in 1953.

An Australian writing about a village in 17th century England. Text published in 2001.

Notable similarities or differences

Political views

• Salem is a theocracy.• Church and law

are entwined.• Justice is carried out

through the court system.

• The village acknowledges the hierarchy of the church and traditional roles and positions.

• Changes to laws in London are noted but do not carry the same weight in the village as they do in the capital.

• The church may act as the moral vanguard, but during the plague, there is no authority to enforce justice.

• Policing and enforcement of the law do not exist allowing mob mentality to occur and injustices to be carried out without repercussion.

Social justice

• Justice is decided by the courts.

• The corruption of the courts means that justice is not blind and that many people are convicted unjustly.

• Prevalence of mob mentality

• The community metes out justice as it sees fit; e.g. Josiah’s cruel punishment results in his death as does the Gowdies. Aphra is driven mad by her humiliating punishment.

• Even when it is sanctioned, there is no guarantee of justice.

Family traditions and values

• Clear roles for both men and women

• Adherence to the laws of the church

• Modesty and respectability are key values.

• Men have more freedom but are still accountable to God and the church.

• Men’s roles are in the public domain, whereas women are expected to fulfil domestic roles.

• Protection of family name and reputation are important.

• Respect for God and the church is evident, although a more liberal form of Protestantism is emerging.

• Even during the crisis in Salem, life continues along the same lines.

• In Year of Wonders, necessity dictates that family traditions and values are forced to change or adapt because of the extreme social conditions, e.g. Elinor and Anna work the mine for Merry.

■ Cultural context

Practice topics: Cultural Context1. It is the isolation of the villagers that precipitates the chaos that ensues. To what

extent do you agree?2. Despite their geographical distance, there are similarities in the experiences of

the two villages. Discuss.3. Miller and Brooks show us that religion is the cause of all disputes. Is this true?4. Both authors bring modern understandings to historical events. How is this shown

in the texts?

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Writing the essayThis section provides a step-by-step guide on how to plan and write a comparing essay. Four different essay styles have been included as well as an essay sample with annotations.

eBook and online resourcesOnline resources support the comparing of texts and include:• essay templates• graphic organiser templates• worksheets.

Introduction

Body paragraph 1: looks at the first text

Body paragraph 2: looks at the second text and makes comparisons

with the first

Body paragraph 3: contrasts the points

discussed in paragraphs 1 and 2

Conclusion

44 PEARSON english • VCE Comparing Guide Writing the essay 45

Writing the essayThere are many ways to write compare and contrast essays. Selecting an essay framework for comparative writing can be challenging because essays need to be more than lists of ideas. Rather they should aim to be thoughtful, in-depth analyses of the two texts, The Crucible and Years of Wonders. Compare and contrast essays encourage critical thinking, and the more complex comparative models provide more scope to demonstrate these skills.

SHAPING INFORMATION AND PLANNINGOnce you have read or viewed your texts, deconstructed for meaning and prepared your notes, it is time to start to write essays.

This section will model how to:• work through a topic• brainstorm a topic• develop a contention• create an essay plan• write different types of essays.

High-scoring responsesHigh-scoring responses should include the following:• consistent engagement with the topic throughout• a well-sustained contention, supported by strong arguments and excellent

use of evidence• complex but well-controlled sentences that use punctuation accurately

and purposefully• formal language of critical analysis used effectively• accurate and specific details supported by judiciously used quotations

and examples• weaving of the two texts throughout the analysis• complex links that recognise similarities and differences but also go further

to establish subtle distinctions.

Before you start■■ BRAINSTORMING THE TOPIC

This diagram illustrates how to ask yourself questions about the topic so that you can start to address the essay question. Consider the evidence you would use to support your ideas.

Writer’s toolboxWhen you brainstorm, ask questions about the topic. A good way to do this is to make sure you answer or include the Who? What? Where? Why? When? Which? and How? of the topic.

Love

Parental love

Marital love

Unrequited love

Friendship

Distinguishing love from passion

Anna and her children

Parris caring for Betty

Giles Corey dying to protect his sons’ inheritance

Good marriages: The Nurses and the Coreys; Elizabeth and John Proctor eventually

Unsatisfying marriages: Elinor and Michael Mompellion; most marriages in Year of Wonders

Abigail for John

Elinor and Anna

Mary Warren and the Salem girls

Abigail and John

Anna and Michael

■■ Mind map: Love

■■ CREATING THE ESSAY PLANYour essay plan helps you to organise your ideas and shape them into an appropriate response. It provides clarity of thought around your argument.

Writer’s toolboxMake sure you are developing an argument and not falling into the habit of storytelling. If you find yourself writing about what happens for the majority of your paragraph, then you are probably storytelling. Try arguing a case by asking why and how in each paragraph.

■■ DEVELOPING A CONTENTIONA contention is the central argument that runs through your entire essay. In many ways, it is the invisible spine that holds up your essay. Many students find that the best way to develop their contention is to work out what their supporting arguments/paragraphs will be. Once they know what the paragraphs will be, they can sum up the overall belief in a sentence or two. That then is the contention!

Paragraph/ Argument 1



The contention=++■■ Developing a contention

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Knowing: The CrucibleARTHUR MILLER

The Crucible famously uses the Salem witch trials as an extended analogy for the McCarthy Trials of the late 1940s and early 1950s. For Arthur Miller, both events were government witch-hunts. The play has remained relevant because each generation must wrestle with its own version of ‘witchcraft’ and what constitutes a ‘witch-hunt’. As a study of human nature and motivations, The Crucible looks at the effect of extremism, deception, greed, religion and the quest for power.

■ The Crucible by Arthur Miller, directed by Thomas Schulte-Michels, with Roland S Blazinger (Danforth), and Kathrin Wehlisch (Abigail Williams)

Writer’s toolboxWitch-hunt (noun): A campaign or targeted attack directed against a person or group holding views considered unorthodox or a threat to society.

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Knowing: The Crucible 3

January 1692

February 1692

March 1692

April and May 1692

June 1692

July 1692

August 1692

September 1692

October 1692

January 1693

1697

1706

CONTEXT AND AUTHORHistorical context: The Salem Witch TrialsThe play is set in the spring of 1692 and takes place in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, which was one of the British colonies in New England, America. The area was settled by Puritans who had left England to follow the Puritan religion more strictly. The Puritans were a strict offshoot of Protestantism, whose adherents believed in ‘purity’ in worship, morality and daily living.

■ Timeline of the Salem Witch-hunt and Trials

Betty Parris and Abigail Williams, daughter and niece respectively of the Salem Village Puritan Minister, begin babbling wildly and exhibiting unusual behaviour, including having fits .

Several village girls begin exhibiting similar symptoms .The first accusations of witchcraft are made .

The first trial and convictions are recorded . Tituba, the Parris family’s slave, confesses .Further accusations are made against women as diverse as 71-year-old Rebecca Nurse and four-year-old Dorcas Good, who are both in prison by the end of the month .

Another 60 people are accused, imprisoned and examined including John and Elizabeth Proctor .The Governor and Deputy-Governor of Massachusetts become involved in the administration of the trials .

The first hanging of a convicted witch – Bridget Bishop – takes place .

Five women are hanged .

Five men including John Proctor are hanged .One woman is hanged .Elizabeth Proctor is granted a reprieve .

Nine more are sentenced to death .Five are spared because they confess .Giles Corey is pressed to death because he refuses to stand trial .The last eight hangings take place .

Doubt about the supernatural nature of the accusations and events begins to grow .A minister states: ‘It were better that ten suspected witches should escape, than that one innocent person should be condemned .’ (Mather)The Court in Salem Village is dissolved .

The final cases are heard in a new court, and those found guilty are reprieved .All accused witches are released from prison .

Samuel Parris is forced to resign as Minister of Salem Village .

Anne Putnam, one of the chief accusers, apologises, claiming that what happened was caused by a ‘great delusion of Satan’ .

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The Salem Witch Saga took place between January 1692 and May 1693. During that time, a cycle of bizarre behaviour, protestations of satanic possession and curses, accusations of witchcraft, arrests, trials and punishments – including the imposition of the death penalty – were established. The hysteria and accusations spread beyond Salem Village and into surrounding towns, where others were jailed.

It is important to remember that, according to Miller, ‘[t]he play is not history’ and that he changed certain key elements. He has, for example, changed Abigail’s age from 11 years to 17 years, and he invents the affair between her and John Proctor as a way of explaining some of her actions.

■ PURITANISMPuritanism was an offshoot of the Protestant movement and was particularly strong in England. Puritans wanted to ‘purify’ England and the Anglican Church. In the sixteenth century, Puritan leaders and troops were instrumental in removing King Charles I and executing him. During the Interregnum, England was a Puritan theocracy led by Oliver Cromwell; however, this fell after the restoration of the crown to Charles II.

Author: Arthur MillerArthur Asher Miller (1915–2005) was a New York born Jewish playwright, who also wrote movie screenplays and essays. He became interested in playwriting at the University of Michigan, and after graduation, Miller worked on the docks for a while to support his wife and family while he continued to work on his plays.

Miller’s closest professional relationship was with fellow playwright and director Elia Kazan. This relationship flourished during the 1940s and early 1950s, was severed after Kazan’s testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), but was repaired during the writing and staging of Miller’s 1964 play, After the Fall, which documented his marriage to Marilyn Monroe.

House Un-American Activities CommitteeCommonly referred to as The McCarthy Trials because of Senator Joseph McCarthy who chaired the Committee, the HUAC were the proceedings of the House Un-American Activities Committee, which sat from 1938 until 1975.

Originally established to conduct investigations into American Nazi sympathisers, the HUAC was used by Senator McCarthy to whip up hysteria about the presence of Communists and Communist sympathisers in the United States. While it was never illegal to be a member of the Communist Party, the atmosphere of suspicion and uncertainty of the post-World War II Cold War society meant that the party was viewed as a serious threat to America. As such, from 1947, many influential members of the artistic and academic communities were brought before the Committee and forced to confront the question: ‘Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?’ Anyone who was suspected or convicted was blacklisted, fined or jailed.

Writer’s toolboxA blacklist is literally a list of people who are under suspicion or censure or who are in some way banned from participating in the society in which they live or work.

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Witnesses faced a battle with their personal morality as they were asked to name friends and relatives to the Committee in return for the possibility that they might, themselves, be treated more leniently. A large number of Miller’s friends was dragged before the HUAC. In 1952, Elia Kazan, Miller’s great friend and collaborator, gave names to the Committee, and these people were duly prosecuted. It was after speaking to Kazan that Miller conceived and began to write The Crucible.

... what the two eras had in common … [was] the menace of concealed plots... similarities in the rituals of defence, the investigative routines; 300 years apart, both persecutions alleged membership of a secret, disloyal group. Should the accused confess, his honesty could only be proved by naming former confederates. The informer became the axle of the plot’s existence and the investigation’s necessity... Salem village, that pious, devout settlement at the edge of the white civilisation, had displayed …[an] unprecedented outbreak of distrust, alarm, suspicion and murder. And for people wherever the play is performed on any of the five continents, there is a certain amazement that the same terror is happening to them or that is threatening them, has happened before to others ...

Arthur Miller, ‘Are You Now Or Were You Ever?’, The Guardian/The Observer (online), Saturday, 17 June 2000

STRUCTURAL ELEMENTSStyle and genreArthur Miller has been called both a political playwright and a psychological playwright, and there are strong elements of politics and psychology in The Crucible. The story centres on John Proctor. We see his political struggles against the power and hypocrisy of the state in which he lives, and we also see his psychological struggle to regain his ‘name’ and, therefore, himself after he has betrayed his own principles and morality.

The four-act play is written in didactic American realist style; that is, the characters seem like real people to us, but they exist only to teach us the lessons that Miller wants us to learn. This accounts, too, for the mini-essays and background information that are scattered throughout Act One of the play and the short epilogue. These exist only in the written version of the play and provide information that Miller thinks is important for his readers/actors/directors to know.

The characters speak in language drawn from the court records that Miller studied as he wrote the play. His stage directions emphasise the reality of their environment: houses are ‘low and dark’ and beams are still ‘raw’ in the buildings.

Writer’s toolboxAn epilogue is a speech at the end of a play that comments on or provides a conclusion to what has happened.

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Comparing: The Crucible and Year of WondersThere are different kinds of comparative questions and different ways to approach them. This section will help you to develop an understanding of how to use a range of strategies when planning your essays about The Crucible and Years of Wonders. These strategies, or graphic organisers, such as Venn diagrams, scales and data charts are especially useful tools in assisting you to explore the similarities and differences between the texts.

TYPES OF QUESTIONSThere are three types of questions:• the themes, issues and ideas • cultural context • the genre and style.

Common words used in essay questions include:• Discuss: Debate the arguments for and against the topic backing up these ideas

with selected evidence from the text. Provide a conclusion.• To what extent: Assess the evidence in your text that would support an argument.

Also look at alternative explanations.• Do you agree?: An opinion is being sought as to the extent to which the statement

or quote is accurate. Evidence should be provided to support or contend the point of view.

• Quotations: Essay questions that use quotations are a way to delve into the issues embedded in a text. You should make reference to the quote and the ideas that it raises.

Theme questionsA theme is a prominent, recurring idea that pervades a literary work. Theme questions ask us to consider any ideas common to both texts.

We have examined the following themes for each text:• Social authority and individual conscience• Use and abuse of power• Witchcraft• Hysteria• Hypocrisy• Nature of closed communities• Freedom and repression• Love.

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Comparing: The Crucible and Year of Wonders 37

However, don’t limit your scope of ideas to those in a textbook or those discussed by your teacher. The table below shows how you can break open each of these thematic ideas to consider a broader scope of ideas.

Common themes in both texts

Broader concepts to examine

Social authority and individual conscience

The morality of the individual; betrayal of principles; the individual vs the state; the individual vs the community; martyrdom; opportunism

Use and abuse of power Leaders; opportunism; moral justice vs legal justice; homogeneity vs pluralism; tyranny; conformity

Witchcraft Fear; stereotypes (particularly for women); scapegoating of innocents

Hysteria Mob behaviour; homogeneity vs pluralism; fear; manipulation; the innocent; the guilty; repression

Hypocrisy Morality of the individual; opportunism; social class

Nature of closed communities

Mob behaviour; homogeneity vs pluralism; fear; double standards; patriarchy

Freedom and repression Homogeneity vs pluralism; patriarchy; the individual vs the community; conformity

Love Love vs passion; friendship; sacrifice

■ Thematic ideas and broader concepts

Note the way that the themes can cross over. Knowing the texts well and under-standing how the ideas in them weave in and out is the first step to being able to write well about them.

Cultural context questionsCultural context questions ask you to consider the similarities and differences of the societies presented in each text. You will also have to examine the attitudes of the authors, which is referred to as examining the view and values in the text. So, for example, what might be similar in Salem and Eyam, two Christian communities in crisis, may be very obvious, but there may be major differences. You may also be asked to consider the attitudes of each author about the roles of women and men, the fear of the unknown or the different, or even the ways in which people’s faith is shaped in times of crisis.

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Genre questionsGenre questions consider the similarities or differences in the structure of each text, and how and why the authors conveyed their ideas in certain ways. Although we are comparing a novel to a play, each text still has settings, style and the use of characterisation and symbols to explore their big ideas. Questions about genre may ask you to explore the use of:• characterisation• symbols and motifs• choice of words, language and dialogue• voice or perspective• tone and mood• figurative language• mise en scene• structure.

THE COMPARISONHow to compareThe following section shows you a number of ways to compare the two texts. A variety of methods have been used, such as tables that allow you to chart and track data and graphic organisers that let you see quickly the links and variations.

In a comparison essay, you must critically analyse any two texts pointing out their similarities and/or differences. It could also be called a compare and contrast essay. Your tasks could be comparative only (looking only at similarities), contrasting only (pointing out the differences) or both comparative and contrasting.

Theme■ SOCIAL AUTHORITY AND INDIVIDUAL CONSCIENCE

Both authors examine the ways in which individuals respond to the pressures of conformity within their respective villages. The necessity of obeying one’s conscience despite looming pressures is a central tenet of the texts.

CONFORMITY: In order for small communities to survive and thrive, individuals must make compromises . Both texts look at what happens when these choices conflict with deeply held personal beliefs .

The Crucible John Proctor has the opportunity to add a lie to his name by confessing to his crime . He learns to summon the strength of character to stay true to his principles and to demand punishment . He cannot live with the compromise . Conversely, Rebecca Nurse remains steadfastly committed to the truth and is prepared to die for her beliefs .

Year of Wonders

The lives of the women in the village follow rigid and well-defined expectations and roles . While there is no challenge, Anys and Mem Gowdie are marginalised but tolerated . In times of turmoil, however, Anys’ unorthodox lifestyle and Mem’s arcane wisdom stand out as threats to the social order .

■ Comparing conformity in the texts

Writer’s toolboxWhen considering themes, be careful not to confuse the content that the work is about with the theme (recurrent ideas) found in a literary work.

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Writing the essayThere are many ways to write compare and contrast essays. Selecting an essay framework for comparative writing can be challenging because essays need to be more than lists of ideas. Rather they should aim to be thoughtful, in-depth analyses of the two texts, The Crucible and Years of Wonders. Compare and contrast essays encourage critical thinking, and the more complex comparative models provide more scope to demonstrate these skills.

SHAPING INFORMATION AND PLANNINGOnce you have read or viewed your texts, deconstructed for meaning and prepared your notes, it is time to start to write essays.

This section will model how to:• work through a topic• brainstorm a topic• develop a contention• create an essay plan• write different types of essays.

High-scoring responsesHigh-scoring responses should include the following:• consistent engagement with the topic throughout• a well-sustained contention, supported by strong arguments and excellent

use of evidence• complex but well-controlled sentences that use punctuation accurately

and purposefully• formal language of critical analysis used effectively• accurate and specific details supported by judiciously used quotations

and examples• weaving of the two texts throughout the analysis• complex links that recognise similarities and differences but also go further

to establish subtle distinctions.

Before you start■ BRAINSTORMING THE TOPIC

This diagram illustrates how to ask yourself questions about the topic so that you can start to address the essay question. Consider the evidence you would use to support your ideas.

Writer’s toolboxWhen you brainstorm, ask questions about the topic. A good way to do this is to make sure you answer or include the Who? What? Where? Why? When? Which? and How? of the topic.

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Writing the essay 45

Love

Parental love

Marital love

Unrequited love

Friendship

Distinguishing love from passion

Anna and her children

Parris caring for Betty

Giles Corey dying to protect his sons’ inheritance

Good marriages: The Nurses and the Coreys; Elizabeth and John Proctor eventually

Unsatisfying marriages: Elinor and Michael Mompellion; most marriages in Year of Wonders

Abigail for John

Elinor and Anna

Mary Warren and the Salem girls

Abigail and John

Anna and Michael

■ Mind map: Love

■ CREATING THE ESSAY PLANYour essay plan helps you to organise your ideas and shape them into an appropriate response. It provides clarity of thought around your argument.

Writer’s toolboxMake sure you are developing an argument and not falling into the habit of storytelling. If you find yourself writing about what happens for the majority of your paragraph, then you are probably storytelling. Try arguing a case by asking why and how in each paragraph.

■ DEVELOPING A CONTENTIONA contention is the central argument that runs through your entire essay. In many ways, it is the invisible spine that holds up your essay. Many students find that the best way to develop their contention is to work out what their supporting arguments/paragraphs will be. Once they know what the paragraphs will be, they can sum up the overall belief in a sentence or two. That then is the contention!




The contention=++■ Developing a contention

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Documents

Pearson English VCE Comparing The Crucible and The Year of