“Betty, go up to the stand.” I was startled back to reality by John, who was looking over at me, waiting for me to get up. I hesitated, but once I realized what was happening, I started to use my youth to my advantage. On the way to the stand, I started to make myself cry. I knew that me crying would persuade everyone to believe me. “This witch,” I exclaimed. “has been tormenting me and Abigail. We can’t do anything without her making us lash out. I have been going against what my parents tell me to do. I have screamed every time I hear the ‘Our Father’ prayer. I even threw a Bible during prayer time! I would never do these things if I had control over my own body, but Sarah has taken over. The Devil has told her to do this, and she listened. She turned …show more content…
I would never hurt a child. I am completely against it.” Sarah stated, tears welling up in her eyes. Sarah has always been a homeless lady, and she never found her way in the world. I could care less about her. That’s the reason I accused her. We would be better off without her and I’m sure most everyone is in favor of getting rid of her. All she has done for us is cause us to have beggars in our town. She has done nothing of worth, and her being a mean old hag doesn’t help her chances of surviving her trial. “So, you already know that Tituba has confessed to being a witch. She had mentioned a couple names in the Devil’s book. One of them was yours. What do you have to say about that?” John persisted. Tituba had already thrown both Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good to the wolves earlier in the day, so people already had evidence against her. Tituba’s exact words were as follows; “The Devil came to me a few years ago and told me to sign his book. I signed it, but as I was signing I noticed nine names. I only remember two of them; Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. We all rode on brooms together.” “I have already told you, Hathorne! I am NOT a witch!” Sarah insisted, pleading with her every
Abigail had accused Tituba of witchcraft
“She's a witch!” If you heard someone say that over and over again would you start to think differently about that person? Abigail is manipulative and a lair. Hev Parris found her and all the young girls of the town dancing naked in the woods, She claimed that someone made her do it a witch she said. This started a bigger lie, she started to blame anyone that crossed her on being a witch.
She made Betty do it!” (1260, Miller) Tituba then had to falsely confess to being a witch in order to save her life. Additionally, in the same story The Crucible, a girl by the name of Mary Warren was also accused by Abigail for being a witch. Thus, being under so much pressure and stress Mary shifted her
“You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to death, Tituba,’ stated by Parris. ‘This woman must be hanged! She must be taken and hanged!’ stated by Putnam,” (Miller, 44). This displays the violent nature that has taken over Salem due to the hysteria of witches.
When asked if she saw anyone else working for the devil, Tituba stated, “I look--and there was Goody Good...and Goody Osburn” (Miller, 158). Tituba did not really see those two; however, she had to say something in order to save herself. If she did not cooperate and confess to witchcraft, she would have been killed. By accusing others of being witches, she is taking some of the blame off of herself and pushing it onto others. Tituba did all of this because she feared for her life.
Finding nothing physically wrong, the doctors suggested the symptoms had been caused by witchcraft” (UXL 12). Having been immersed in a deeply-religious, fear-stricken atmosphere, Abigail and Betty lived in a constant state of terror. Horror was inflicted upon them through biblical testaments and Reverend Parris’s church sermons, permitting their development of paranoid mentalities. Although they sought a pastime that would ease their apprehension, the innocence of storytelling only intensified, worsening their frames of mind. It was only a matter of time until Abigail and Betty fell victim to their predominant weakness: fear.
Abigail Hobbs, a teenager, accused of witchcraft went before a judge in Salem, saying that she had seen the Devil, and made a covenant with him to take on the role as a practicing witch. Abigail Williams and Betty Parris both fell strangely ill within a few days, the girls complained of pinching, prickling feelings, knife-like pains, and the feeling of being choked. Due to these testimonies and the “performance” that many of the afflicted girls would give when the accused witches were on trial caused Salem to believe in this
The first accused women had been of low status in the village. Those who followed were upstanding members of the community. For example, a woman by the name of Rebecca Nurse hardly fit the image of a witch. She was an elderly woman in her seventies who was very infirm and deaf. Rebecca Nurse’s reaction to her accusation was typical of the guilt-ridden Puritan mentality.
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Tituba confessing herself to witchcraft gives her the ability to accuse other women in the community of witchcraft. The day that Hale comes to Parris’s home, Tituba confesses to witchcraft after some time of questioning. Tituba confessed to Hale, “I tell him (The devil) I don’t desire to work for him, sir” (pg.44.) Tituba pleads to Hale that she is not guilty of witchcraft however, soon after she pleads and pleads, there’s a change in her story and she starts to confess what she saw and heard. Tituba cry’s out to Hale, “I saw Sarah good with the Devil!
So speak utterly, Tituba, turn your back on him and face God- face God, Tituba, and God will protect you” (Miller 44, Act 1). Tituba, the lowest of the low, has her status temporarily elevated because of the witch trials. Normally, she is the one told what to do and told to obey; now, however, she has the power of life and death over others. With the “good” power and the “bad” power being displayed in the town of Salem, times got very puzzling for the court and
To begin, it is a popular belief that Tituba, a slave in the story, was justified in her confession to witchcraft in order to save her own life. After the girls of Salem peg Tituba as the culprit for corrupting their souls and torturing them, she is interrogated and accused by characters such as the esteemed Reverend Hale and town’s Reverend, Mr. Parris. Finally, Parris exclaims, “ You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!” (1.941-942). Tituba instantly confesses, and saves herself from a terrible death.
By Tituba confessing this as well, Abigail Williams also proves without Tituba no witchcraft would have been able to be acted upon. With this evidence we can safely assume that Tituba was the first person causing the witchcraft in Salem. Although Tituba may have been the only witch in Salem she releases more names to Parris and Hail by accusing specific person. One of the people Tituba acsussed were Goody Osborne by replying "aye sir, and Goody Osborne" (Miller 189). By Tituba accusing Goody Osborne of being involved in the witchcraft in Salem, this made the court prone to accuse more people worsening the situation.
As Tituba was accused of witchery, Hale takes her hand and tells her “confess yourself to witchcraft, and that God will protect you” (24). Tituba overwhelmed with fear was frightened
See I did not know that I was with the devil until I was convicted for witchcraft. Everyone saw me as a witch, even reverend Parris a holy man. How could I prove him wrong in front of everyone and be seen as I was in the wrong? I was not in the wrong, I was merely doing my job. Abigail.
But they’re speakin’ of witchcraft. Betty’s not witched.” (Miller 462). Abigail feels it would be better to confess to dancing and be whipped than be accused of witchcraft.