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Witchcraft and its effects
Effects of witchcraft in society
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When I started reading, my impression was that this whole witchcraft test would be rather childish, and aimed toward elementary students. As I took the test the first time, I was feeling as if parts of it were somewhat pointless. Then as the test progressed on it started to get better. However, when I chose not to confess to something I didn’t do, I felt as if the was a little bit of a problem with the reasoning of these people. They didn’t let me get a word in edgewise, and on top of that, the judges seemed to favor the girls and only their opinions. It was almost as if the court wanted to condemn a lot of people to death or Hell, and they were allowing a young girl to be the ringleader.
But then again, when I was taking the test, a few thoughts crossed my mind about the whole trial and some of the thoughts of the people involved. One thing that puzzled me was why anyone would not be intelligent enough to say something while on the stand like, “I am not a witch, and I love God. And I am with the Lord.” And then start reciting the Ten Commandments. Something like that would blow the court away, and the judges wouldn’t know what to say to that, because it is totally the truth.
But then another thing crossed my mind, maybe because of the times, and the little education of the people involved. In any case either the women did not wish to speak out, or they were unable to think so quickly on their feet of such comments. This is unfortunate because maybe if they were able to be so witty with the truth, then some lives might have been spared. However, it might not have worked at all, because when people are under pressure it is harder for them to think clearly.
All in all I felt the experience was good and helpful too. It gives a better understanding of what it was like to live in Salem during the unjust accusatory trials. The experience of the test was extremely real, and did make me feel a little uneasy, due to all the questioning and harsh accusations.
(Pg ix) Godbeer wants the reader to learn and understand that the trial involving Katherine Branch was more accurate and similar to how other witch trials were handled. The judges in this book, take into consideration evidence, and the things they can and can not prove. They also take into consideration what others have to say, but they use it very lightly because people can say whatever they want. They need clear evidence that backs up the accusation.
Salem Village was one of many non-urban inhabitants. They were looked upon as country folk because of their interests and beliefs in the church and growing tobacco to survive in this new land. There was not much for children to do except go to church, work on the fields, or go to school. You can imagine how bored these children can get. In such a secluded lifestyle as this, you would be a crazy person if you were at all different, and this episode would be so different that it would be traumatic to the people of this small village. Traumatic as it was, I believe the people just did not know how to react in such a situation.
However comforting it is to look back at the Salem witch trials as a ...
The professed purpose of the court was justice and to get rid of all the sins that were committed in Salem. The court does not need witnessed because the government is a theocracy so the only true witness was God. This suggests that anyone will accuse people of witchcraft. This wouldn't be fair because whether they witness it or not, the court will believe it
...ificant on the jury, they are still there to decide innocence of guilt. Another very important fact, is the ridiculousness and extremeness of the trials. The book did a good job in showing this in how the court ran and results of the trials. In the book, if anyone was guilty they would immediately be put to death. This was also true in Puritan law and death is an extremely common punishment for breaking the law. Also, the fact that a few little girls could change a whole town and take away lives seems crazy yet Abigail and Betty did play a big part in the Salem Witch Trials. Twenty people died in the trials as well as the book and this fact further illustrates how crazy the court was. Puritan history is littered with unbelievable trials and accusations that exemplify the Puritan court and the Salem Witch Trials, as well as The Crucible do a good job in showing this.
... life and goes back to these girls who turned on her in an instant. Others even confess to witchcraft because, once accused, it is the only way to get out of being hanged. The confessions and the hangings actually promote the trials because they assure townsfolk that God?s work is being done. Fear for their own lives and for the lives of their loved ones drives the townspeople to say and do anything.
Salem Story is a unique book covering the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, in that it does not focus on any single aspect. This is probably its best strength, because it allows Rosenthal to take the reader on a ride on which is powered by the primary documents. Thus, the audience is left with an almost bare boned account of the events while all of the illusions from popular culture and previous authors is left in the dust.
The 'severe test or trial ' referred to above is an inquiry carried out to see whether people's souls are still with God. This shows the extremity and extent of the trials. It shows how important a part religion plays in the community. Seeing as people's life styles revolved around working and praying. If people were not working or farming their lands, they are praying. On holidays they pray, there are hardly any moments of recreation or 'fun.' The people of Salem are deeply religious and to drift on to the side of the devil is the most serious 'sin' or 'crime' imaginable in the community.
This trial was held in Salem but people all around Salem who were accused of witchcraft were bought to Salem for trial. The Salem Witch Trial was a trial for people being accused of associating with witch craft. Over 100 men and women majority of them being women were in this trial. The trial had a 3 step process first was a confession then a testimony of two eyewitnesses to the act of witchcraft and a rare ‘’spectral evidence’’ where most of these witches didn’t make it too. A spectral evidence is when the accused person’s spirit or spectral appeared in a testimony dream when the accused witch was at another location. During a trial if you could recite the ‘’Lord’s prayer’’ you were not a witch and you could indeed be let go during trial just for reciting the prayer (Louis-Jacques, Lyonette. "Http://news.lib.uchicago.edu/blog/2012/10/29/the-salem-witch-trials-a-legal-bibliography-for-halloween/." The University of Chicago Library News. 29 Oct. 2012). The trial was during the Puritan times so people believe during trial, these witches could harm anyone in the court houses (Purdy, Sean. ‘’Conjuring History: The many interpretations of The Salem Witch Trials.’’ Reviver Academic Journal, vol. 3, no. 1, 2007, pp. 2.). At the end of the trial 19 men and women were hanged at Gallows
The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were the largest outbreak of witch hunting in colonial New England up to that time. Although it was the largest outbreak, it was not something that was new. Witch-hunting had been a part of colonial New England since the formation of the colonies. Between the years 1648 to 1663, approximately 15 witches were executed. During the winter of 1692 to February of 1693, approximately 150 citizens were accused of being witches and about 25 of those died, either by hanging or while in custody. There is no one clear-cut answer to explain why this plague of accusations happened but rather several that must be examined and tied together. First, at the same time the trials took place, King William's War was raging in present day Maine between the colonists and the Wabanaki Indians with the help of the French. Within this war, many brutal massacres took place on both sides, leaving orphaned children due to the war that had endured very traumatic experiences. Second, many of the witch accusations were based on spectral evidence, most of which were encounters of the accused appearing before the victim and "hurting" them. There were rampant "visions" among the colonies' citizens, which can only be explained as hallucinations due to psychological or medical conditions by virtue of disease, or poisoning.
In the end, the Salem Witch Trials didn’t have a very good effect on anyone in Salem. These trials also left a major imprint on Salem.
During the early winter of 1692 two young girls became inexplicably ill and started having fits of convulsion, screaming, and hallucinations. Unable to find any medical reason for their condition the village doctor declared that there must be supernatural forces of witchcraft at work. This began an outbreak of hysteria that would result in the arrest of over one hundred-fifty people and execution of twenty women and men. The madness continued for over four months.
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.
...y the accused there really was no hard evidence of witchcraft, the only reason anyone hanged was because the judges believed themselves so righteous that no one would dare lie in front of them, therefor the girls were telling the truth. I see no reasoning in the whole system they used to find witches back then in Salem.
Arthur Miller wrote plays as a way of showing people the real picture of what life was really like during the Great Depression and after World War II. Before the Great Depression many Americans were living in a significant time period, the Roaring Twenties. People had radios, automobiles, and movies with sounds. Then it all suddenly came to an end with the Stock Market Crash, leading to the Great Depression. During the Great Depression, Americans faced poverty, and had no income because jobs weren’t available. Throughout his life Miller influenced many people with his plays, and his contributions to this day because people want to read and understand what was truly happening in past history. For example, “The Crucible” is a play about the Salem Witch Trials, giving a good understanding of the basics that went on in this time period. Another example of Miller’s influential work is “The Death of a Sales Man”, which is his way of showing what life was like when people were struggling financially during the Stock Market Crash. Overall, Arthur Miller is one of the leading American playwrights of the twentieth century.