“And do you not know you are an Eve? The sentence of God on this [gender] of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the devil 's gateway: you are the unsealer of that tree: you are the first deserter of the divine law: you are she who persuaded him whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God 's image, man. On account of your desert -- that is, death -- even the Son of God had to die.” Many women whom lived between the 15th and 18th century faced indictions such as this for the horrid crime known as witch craft. Witch craft was a massive felony, and could result in death. If witch craft was such a major conviction, what exactly is it? What would people do once they found a witch? Perhaps a witch hunt? And what groups are ostracized today like witches were in the 15th century? Let’ s dive in. Witch craft: “magical things that are done by witches: the use of magical powers obtained especially from evil spirits” As stated, witch craft’s often connected with the devil, or demons. Supposedly, the so-called witches would summon the devil, and together, they would fabricate malevolent situations and curses; like …show more content…
Along with witch craft, came witch hunts, which targeted the suspect. Just as the witches were hunted and ridiculed back around the 1600s, many groups are today. One in particular being the homeschooling crowd. Why? Why are so many people choosing to ostracize groups not in the cultural norm? Why do they exclude different and weird people, actions, and ideas? Though it may be a sunday school answer, they need the love of and reason of God. A colossal number of people out in the world need Jesus. We live in a free country. We live right now. And we have the power to share the love and grace of God with all whom need
In both The Crucible and in modern day witch hunts, witch hunts are caused out of fear or for personal gain. Jill Schonebelen wrote a research paper on Witchcraft allegations, refugee protection and human rights. Throughout this article, it mentions the persecution of witches today in communities around the globe, mentioning the flashbacks of similar strategies that were used in the past, doing different types of tortures. In Modern days, recent generations have abandoned wonderful traditions. Rather, recollecting others with distasteful memories such as witchcraft.
There was a dark and evil force lurking around, known as the Devil. He could enter the body of a potential recruit if they happen to be weak-willed or practicing witchcraft. The recruits were called witches if female and wizards if they were a
Like being gay, being a witch was considered a major crime. People thought that if you were a witch you were unholy and you needed to be saved by Christ. People still had the same sort of problem in the rebellion. The stonewall and the Human Rights Society for human rights was shut down by the police. In salem if you did not confess to being a witch you were shut down also by execution.
Witch hunts throughout history have similarly had common theme of being instances in history where extreme behavior where an “evil is constructed, identified, and persecuted”. Most importantly, the witch hunts were often carried out by formal authorities within and the society. In Salem the conditions of the Puritan society were ideal for and gave way to witch hunts; the society contained disease, hardship, and distal war threats. Many historians refer to the time period of the Salem Witch Trials as the “perfect storm”
Tracing back to the 16th century witch hunting has been around causing the lives of many innocent people destruction. Witch hunting has never died off, it is still here today. In my opinion witch hunting will always exist and occur as long as we have fear, ignorance and jealousy. Many people were accused of being a witch or committing witch activity mainly throughout the 16th and 19th century. Primarily because people fear for what they don't know or can't understand.
Mental Illness in Salem Witch Trials Introduction Witchcraft is the practice of magic and the use of spells and the invocation of spirits. According to Salem Witch Trials, 2015, the Salem witch trials began during the spring of 1692, after a group of young girls in Salem, Massachusetts claimed to have been bewitched by several adults in the town. More than 150 people were accused and hung, including men, women, and children (Salem Witch Trials, 2015). There were three girls in particular that sparked the trials: Abigail Williams, Betty Parris, and Ann Putnam. Also stated in Salem Witch Trials, their behaviors changed drastically; they began to hallucinate, shout in church, have fits, not eat, not wake up, attempt to fly, and feel as if they
Do you have a neighbor that you really just don’t like? In 1600’s Massachusetts, there was a solution! You could tell everyone that they were a witch. Sure it might ruin their life, but hey, they’re out of yours.
For instance, many of the accused were important members of the community with moderate wealth. If they were convicted, the law stated the accuser would receive their property so identifying them as a witch would be beneficial to them. Another considered though unrealistic theory was the result of centuries of pent up sexual repression and tension caused them to snap and go after witches who were considered to be promiscuous. Some think the girls may have had epilepsy, were abused, had mental defects, made up the whole thing as a game, or were forced to do it by their parents to get revenge on individuals they didn’t like. Some Historians believe wealth, difference in religious preferences, family feuds, and property disagreements were the basis.
Witches practice witchcraft which grants access to let witches have communication with the devil. Furthermore, “the culmination of the mythology of witchcraft came about from the 15th to the 18th centuries in the depiction of the witches Sabbath” (Carroll). Witchcraft is talked about and defined in the book, The Element Encyclopedia of Ghosts & Hauntings, saying, “Witchcraft is an ancient art that utilizes the powers of nature and the mind to bring out desired effect” (Cheung 539). In addition to that, witchcraft works by using certain combinations of natural elements to draw certain energies.
As Whitney mentioned, the witch hunts occurred in the 17th century were due to the fears of women becoming “economically and psychological” independent, and threatening the male control of property and social order. Those women were viewed as “discontent” meaning the refusal of accepting their predetermined social status (Whitney 85). In contrast, men who had high authority and social status like the Putmans and Parris could purposely manipulate women and instigated the public resentment to falsely accuse, and cruelly eliminate their enemies such as Rebecca and other accused witches. Certainly, the girls and women in the Putman and Parris’s families who made the false accusations of witches and witchcraft were wielded by
Three deranged girls, from 1692 Salem; Massachusetts, precipitated the mass hangings of twenty innocent people accused of witchery for the reason that of their adept prowess at acting, their marital status and jealousy of the newfound eastern wealth. As a result of their skills in deception, the accusers were able to dupe the jury to convict people of witchcraft. For example, Document C describes the three girls’ reactions once their target entered the vicinity. “As soon as she [Bishop] came near, all(afflicted girls) fell into fits.”
During the Salem Witch Trials a lot of people were accused of using witchcraft. As a result many people died for other people’s lies, rumors, and selfishness. There is one person that really caused and is most to blame for all the chaos, her name is Abigail. Abigail is to blame for all that has happened in the Witch Trials, the reason for that is because of all the accusing and lying she has done. In addition, it all leads up to her for instance, she used a doll to accuse people of witchcraft.
Twenty people were executed as a result of the Salem witch trials, a reign of terror that swept up most of the characters in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. Salem is a small Puritan town ruled by a theocratic government. The social order of Salem starts with the church leaders and wealthy male land owners and ends with young, unmarried woman and slaves. The church is structured as an earthly representation of biblical law and possesses the power to persecute those outside the holy edicts. Women are subservient to men, cannot own property and are viewed with suspicion in the church.
Throughout the span of the late fifteenth and seventeenth centuries, many European countries grew increasingly unstable successive to religiously insecurities. As a result to the establishments and the reconstruction of religions, as recorded in the Reformation, tensions to purify individuals accused of heresy and witchcraft intensified. Subsequently, the organization of the brutal inquisitions and executions for alleged witchcraft found its presence in many nations like Spain. European countries were greatly influenced to prosecute individuals implicated as witches by cause of traditional religious ideals, societal- enforced misogyny and desire to maintain social status.
A witch hunt is a campaign directed against a person or group holding unorthodox or unpopular views or a search for and persecution of a supposed “witch”. Throughout history the idea of “witches” has changed dramatically from the 1600s when the events in Salem, Massachusetts where people were accusing women and child of using spells to bewitch people, bring chaos to a town, and associated with the devil (satan). Today people associate “the witch hunt” with a trail or hunt without physical proof or a valid reason to pursue this cause. Hysteria is an exaggerated and/or an uncontrollable emotion and/or excitement, especially among a group of people. This is one factor that allows people the perfect opportunity to create chaos and use scapegoats