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Effects of the Salem witch trials
Essays on superstitions
Essays on superstitions
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Introduction:
Superstition is a belief that is not based on reasoning or scientific thinking and that explains the causes of events in ways that are connected to magic. In other words, is a blind belief that one believes without any reasons, experiences, nor scientifically. Every people around the world believe in one or the other superstition. Superstitions date back from Ancient Egypt and it is basically created by religions and legends. Primitive people were so obsessed with god that they try satisfying the gods with offerings, prayers, sacrifices, etc. Thus, it is fear which gave rise to superstition.
Bad Luck:
An example of bad fortune is the Friday the 13. Westerners still regard ’13’ as an unlucky number because of the famous painting
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Cats found themselves tangled up in the hunt, simply because many presumed witches had taken in alley cats as companions. The belief that the “companion” turned into “familiar,” and that witches could turn themselves into their cat companions became a persistent one, (even carrying over to America, where it was an indelible part of the Salem Witch Trials (in order to prowl streets unobserved became a central belief in America during the Salem witch hunts.) Even today the association of black cats and witches holds strong during Halloween celebrations, despite the holiday’s religious beginnings. Thus, an animal once looked on with approbation became a symbol of evil omens in some parts of the …show more content…
Women, who were suspected of practicing witchcraft were tied and burnt alive. Joan of Arc was burnt to death because she was regarded by the English men as a witch.
Experiments are one to find out whether man has a soul, which leaves him when he dies. People are said to have confronted ghosts and apparitions. But it remains to be proved that ghosts do exist and possess the power, they are supposed to have. In some cases, there are scientific reasons behind superstitions. In South India, people apply sandalwood paste on their foreheads. There is because Sandalwood keeps the forehead cool.
The common matters or actions of day-today life should not be looked at with a superstitious motive. There is nothing wrong with sneezing. It can come to a person at any time of the day. So, if it comes when one is about to go out, on should not complain. Similarly, when one goes out, it is very natural that he is asked as to where he is going. A cat crossing one path near one’s home means that one should check one’s kitchen.
Many cultures ascribe to some kind of superstition, magic, or faith. Merriam-Webster defines superstition as “a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation” ("Superstition”). This definition makes superstition sound like it belongs in a lower developed country that lacks the ability to have scientific knowledge. However, magic and superstition are alive and well in developed countries, such as the United States. Sports are rife with superstitions. Many players use “ritual, taboos, and fetishes to manage the anxiety generated by unpredictable events that challenge human control” (Gmelch 266). Superstitions are entirely psychological; a way to create a reason for an event that has occurred. In his article “Baseball Magic,” George Gmelch examines the rituals, taboos, and fetishes of American baseball and how they compare to the magic of the Trobriand Islanders.
Supernatural traditions was basically people in the “sixteenth and seventeenth centuries” (Dr.Heffner) who believed that the reason somebody was acting different was the doing of the devil, the supernatural tradition is also known as the “demonological method” (Dr.Heffner) during the stone age they would perform some type of surgery, where they would cut open the victim’s skull and drain the evil spirits out of there brain, “Ancient Chinese, Ancient Egyptians, and Hebrews, believed that these were evil demons or spirits and advocated exorcism” (Dr.Heffner) if after the exorcism the victim still did not show and improvements, the victim was then torture to leave them with a body that was no use for the evil
Sagan said “more than a third of American adults believe that on some level they’ve made contact with the dead” (151). This figure is not hard to believe when one thinks about our need to believe in something greater than ourselves. People believe in superstitions and horoscopes because they want to believe in that something that is greater than themselves is
...in their family to become sick and possibly die. Many people were accused of witchcraft. More than twenty people died all together. One person was flattened to death because he was accused of witchcraft. When people were accused they had to go to jail, which the conditions were terrible. Then, they had to get a trial from the Court of Oyer and Terminer. After an accused witch had their trial, and went to jail, they would be carted off to Gallows Hill. This was the hill where all the witches were hanged. After a witch was hanged, later that night, their family would usually take the body down and give it a proper burial. The Salem Witchcraft Trials were one of the most terrible times in the history of America. As you can see the chaotic Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were caused by superstition, the strict puritan lifestyle, religious beliefs, and hysteria.
The term witchcraft is defines as the practice of magic intended to influence nature. It is believed that only people associated with the devil can perform such acts. The Salem Witch Trials was much more than just America’s history, it’s also part of the history of women. The story of witchcraft is first and foremost the story of women. Especially in its western life, Karlsen (1989) noted that “witchcraft challenges us with ideas about women, with fears about women, with the place of women in society and with women themselves”. Witchcraft also confronts us too with violence against women. Even through some men were executed as witches during the witch hunts, the numbers were far less then women. Witches were generally thought to be women and most of those who were accused and executed for being witches were women. Why were women there so many women accused of witchcraft compared to men? Were woman accused of witchcraft because men thought it was a way to control these women? It all happened in 1692, in an era where women were expected to behave a certain way, and women were punished if they threatened what was considered the right way of life. The emphasis of this paper is the explanation of Salem proceedings in view of the role and the position of women in Colonial America.
An example of this would be the fortune telling hairball and the rattlesnake skin. Jim also states during the first few chapters that his body hair is a sign of his future wealth. The signs have no correlation to their meanings and seem ludicrous and silly to those reading about them. Another moment where superstitions became important would be after Jim and Huck Finn 's separation in the fog. When Huck Finn lies to Jim about their separation being a dream Jim begins to tell Huck his interpretation of the dream as a warning. It shows that to the superstitious, signs and meanings can be applied to everything and anything. Later on in the book, while helping Jim to escape, Tom and Huck Finn lie to Nat about odd occurrences caused by their plans. Because Nat is superstitious he is quick to blame witches and believes Tom and Huck Finn 's lies. This allows Tom 's overly complicated plans to take off without a
As the holiday season approaches, the world around us is beginning to change. Christmas trees are set up in homes, town squares are adorned with lights, and cookies are left out all night. Many people continue to practice these rituals year after year without any thought. They work for hours stringing up lights, leaving food out to spoil, and lying to their children about mythical figures because of societal traditions and superstitions that has been instilled in them. This idea of tradition and superstitions is also found in the text Julius Caesar. Superstitions impact us today by causing us to spend money, avoiding certain days of the year, and negatively impacting our health.
Once the accusations began, many innocent people in the community were taken away. They were then either forced to admit that they were witches, to free themselves from a public hanging, or deny that they were witches, saving their integrity, but subjecting themselves to an unjust public hanging.
During the early modern period Europe experienced a phase of vicious prosecution of the people accused of the crime of ‘Witchcraft.’ There has been an estimated death toll of up to 50,000 people during these Witch-hunt crazes, although the exact figures are unknown. What is known is that overall 75-80% of those accused were woman although this varies in different states. In this essay I will discuss the role of gender in witchcraft and why the majority of people executed as Witches were women.
During this time a lot of witches were tortured and killed as a model for society and undiscovered witches, to prevent any future attempts to practice this evil deed and eventually ...
From the 1500s-1800s the people of Europe went through a phase of paranoia and violence. Thousands of people were accused of being witches, and numerous mass persecutions were held in parts of Europe. This period is also known as the Burning Times, and leading the way with the highest number of trials and executions was Germany. In total, roughly 100,000 people were accused of witchcraft in all of Europe during the Burning Times, and nearly 50,000 of these were in Germany (Sommerville). Furthermore, of the 50,000 accused in Germany, the estimated death toll was about 26,000. Moreover, the majority (about 80 percent) of those arrested and executed were female because the specially appointed witch commissioners “could not easily imagine men as
Ono, K. (1987). Superstitious behavior in humans. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 47(3), 261-271.
Origins of superstition are deeply rooted in history and have a variety of reasons for the appearance, such as psychological, religious and economic aspects. Despite the fact that superstitions had different origins, according to Smith (2008), their function was to express the ideological associations of people and to indicate fears and anxieties of society at that time. To begin with, the psychological foundation of superstitions is the most deep-seated. It refers to the lack of knowledge and the impossibility to explain occurring events because of this. As Lindeman and Aarino (2007) argue, this fact can be compared with an understanding of the world by a child. As authors said, this understanding is explained by developmental psychologists by a notion of a core knowledge, which means process of cognitive learning about physical, psychological and biological entities and processes without any explanation, help or instructions. For instance, Lindeman and Aarino (ibid) recognize that animated subjects, such as ...
There are many things that can affect a person’s behavior. This is what makes the world unique in itself because not all people who live in the world are the same and do not have the same values as others. Some people may get irritated or annoyed by having visitors come over every day and for other people this is a blessing and at their home everyone is welcomed. The thing that makes human behavior interesting is the fact that most of the world wants to learn more about why people act the way they do. (Clayton & Myers, 2009)
Superstition is the fear of what is unknown and mysterious, but does it in fact impact our everyday actions? In the play “Macbeth” by William Shakespeare superstition is a significant contribution to the characters actions. An analysis of Macbeth reveals that superstition causes insanity, rash decisions, and affects how people conduct their lives. Showing in fact, that superstition has a significant impact on thoughts and actions.