WE ARE MORE THAN HALF-WAY done with Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. This week we will take a short breather from the play to explore the Puritans most famous non-Puritan American holiday: Thanksgiving. We will examine some iconic images of Thanksgiving, and debunk the mythos that surround this early-modern European agrarian holiday mixed with Puritan’s day of thankful prayer mixed with New England’s refusal to give up the cherished Christmas foods the Puritans had banned as pagan and un-Godly.

MONDAY

Examining another iconic “historic” painting: the first Thanksgiving. We will also read a snippet from Mark Twain’s autobiography, his view of Thanksgiving. Finally, we will watch part of a documentary on the Puritans and the holiday.
HW: Revision of nature/wilderness paper is due tomorrow, on Tuesday.

TUESDAY

Examining several additional iconic images of the Puritan holiday, and finishing the short documentary.
HW: No homework. We return to The Crucible on Monday.

WEDNESDAY

No homework for Thanksgiving Break.
HW: No homework.

THURSDAY

No homework for Thanksgiving Break.
HW: No homework.

FRIDAY

No homework for Thanksgiving Break.
HW: No homework.