Persuasive Speech: Salem Witch Trials Persuasive Speech

1069 Words3 Pages

Specific Purpose Statement: To persuade my audience to stop the witch-hunts

Character: Concerned citizen of Salem just before the hanging of Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor

Concerned citizens of Salem, if it were a good mornin' I would bid you that, however it is not. This mornin' a grave injustice is looming like the grey clouds before a storm. This morning we will bear witness to yet another brutal and senseless murder of two innocent Christians, Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor. Ladies and gentlemen, for four long months the very court that proposed to protect us from all evil has deceived us and in fact perpetuated the evil doings running rife throughout our fair town. For four long months a prodigious fear has settled itself in our very hearts, a fear of the unknown and a fear of becoming one of the accused. My friends, it must be clear to any truly Christian society that the devil be not among us in the form of witchery or wizardry, but in the manifestation of vengeance! I implore you to take a stand, to band together and to put a stop to this madness before it completely takes hold of Salem and you too are on trial for witchcraft!

Ladies and gentlemen, it is not God's work to kill. It is not God's work to coerce innocent Christians into admitting a connection with the devil when none so obviously exists! "Thou shalt not kill," is but one of the ten fundamental commandments legislated by the Lord himself in the Bible. Any true Christian would recognise the brutality of these witchcraft hangings as simply a blatant disregard for the Holy Bible itself. Has it not occurred to the officials of the court that those that have confessed have only done so out of the fear of hangin' for telling the truth? Aye, Goody Good and ...

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...e victims' connection with the devil. I plead with you to band together and stop this injustice!

Our Holy Bible states: "Trust not in lying words." Let us not take heed of the vengeful Putnams' accusations. Let us not take heed of the girls' falsified and malicious accusations. Let us band together to stop these outlandish witch-hunts. Our neighbours in Andover have revolted against the demonising of good folk. Let us then too revolt against the condemnation of innocent Christians. Let us revolt against the very system responsible for the deaths of so many innocent Christians! Let us express our indignation at the flawed witch-hunt inquisition and finally restore peace to our fair town of Salem.

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