...perhaps it was inevitable that the villagers of Salem would jump to the conclusion that Satan was behind the mysterious behaviors of the young girls. When Griggs was unable to diagnose a physical source for the girls’ symptoms, he relied on his religion to find the origin. Based on what his beliefs taught him, he drew the only logical conclusion: witchcraft caused the illnesses. Because of his verdict, the problem with the girls transformed from a disease to a crime. Witchcraft was a legal matter instead of a medical one. However, rather than pursuing...
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...trust and faith into possibly two of the evilest children on the planet. Sa-lem’s history is not pretty and the trials are the main reason for it. It is well known that it was not witches that caused the trials, but anything is possible. Those who were accused did not have a happy ending. Luckily the trials had an end. The Salem Witch Trials began in the 1692. Many of the girls from the Salem village began to act strange, the symp-toms were peculiar. The girls would throw fits so bad that all the town was enthralled by the by the behavior exhibited by the girls. The girl’s bodies would bend and be contorted in an unusual grotesque manner. Some of the other symptoms that would occur include, the girls losing their hearing, vision, verbal usage and a loss of memory. They would say things like specters would appear and attack them, leaving marks behind (Hansen 1). Dr. William Griggs was the man who had given the afflicted...
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...black drape. However, in the Renaissance era in England that was not always how they were portrayed. Many citizens were put on trial and even killed if they were accused of being a witch. Many times, these people were falsely accused and therefore murdered wrongfully. Witchcraft was a problem starting around the mid-1400’s and influenced many writers such as Shakespeare, and although it is not a big problem in today’s society, witchcraft impacted society in Renaissance England. In the time period of Renaissance England, there were many different beliefs in witchcraft. The most popular beliefs were that the witches were of the devil,...
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...accused of performing witchcraft and were jailed, nineteen people were executed . The accusations that led to the Salem Witch Trials were brought on by a combination of preconceived knowledge on the topic, religious beliefs, and precocious imaginations. These accusations shed light on the natural human need to find explanations for misfortunes occurring during the time period and to justify themselves in a Puritan dominated society. In 1689, only three years before the events that occurred in Salem, a similar case of possession happened to the four children of John Goodwin of Boston. The children, the oldest aged thirteen and the youngest five, began displaying symptoms of a diabolical illness and caused the adults in the community to gather together to not only pray for the health of the children but to determine the cause of their illness. It was soon discovered that the eldest Goodwin child had an argument with the elderly women who did the family’s laundry and received harsh words and insults from the laundress . The accused was Mary Glover, a single woman who had emigrated from Ireland to New England. During her trial, Glover spoke in her native tongue, Gaelic and often whispered words. This was seen as characteristics of a witch in the eyes of the court. Soon after her execution Puritan minister Cotton Mather, who questioned Glover before and during the trial, wrote a report that depicted the symptoms of the Goodwin children and his views on witchcraft, called Wonder of...
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...Fiction Essay: Comparison of Setting ENGL 100 Jonathan Jones February 2, 2015 Thesis – Can two completely different stories have similarities in their setting and how the setting was used to support the story? I. Introduction – YGB and The Destructors took place during different time periods and in completely different locations. (Young Goodman Brown (YGB) – Nathanial Hawthorne published 1835, setting 17th century. The Destructors – Graham Greene published 1954 – setting mid 1950s) a. Different time period b. Different country c. Different time of day II. Why does the setting matter? d. Include character impact. e. The setting in both stories makes them believable III. Both stories rely on their settings to support the plot f. YGB – The setting creates a dark atmosphere. Allows the readier to believe there is witch craft happening and the devil is involved g. The Destructors – The setting creates a desolate location, much of a city after war time. The entire plot is based on symbolism and would not be able to occur if the town wasn’t recovering from war. The whole block was bombed, except the one house that the story is about. IV. Conclusion – both stories took place during different era’s, in different countries and had different conflicts. Similarly, the setting of each supported the plot that showcased conflicts true to the time period. Both stories were written by authors that were from the area....
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...When creating my children’s book adaptation of The Crucible, I wanted to focus on one act that I thought had the most impact on the play’s plot. I decided to focus on the first act in the play, because that is when the plot is introduced to the audience. In the first act, Abigail and Betty start the Salem witch trials by falsely accusing people, which begins the plot and witch trails that occur throughout the play. I wanted to illustrate and emphasize my story’s pages on that scene because of its importance to the plot, and it also reveals one of the themes the play has. The theme I wanted to showcase in my book was the theme of fear, and how fear can control oneself to do bad things. Abigail’s fear of being accused of witchcraft controlled...
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...depicts the idea of mass hysteria devastating the community when the afflicted girls led by Abigail, accuse Mary Warren of witchcraft for testifying against them. Furthermore, several people including Mary Warren have indicated that the witchcraft accusations are false yet the court refuses to be persuaded. Arthur Miller’s play the Crucible was an exaggeration of the Salem witch...
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...Monique Clay Honors English II Ms. Bambic 22 November 2011 Blinded Authority Do authority figures have the sense of sight? Inspired by the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s, Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, focuses on the inconsistencies of the Salem witch trials and the extreme behavior that can result from dark desires and hidden agendas. In particular he focuses on the discovery of several young girls and a slave playing in the woods, conjuring spirits from the dead. Ironically, the girls avoided punishment by accusing others of the very things of which they were guilty. As the number of arrests increased, so did the distrust within the Salem community. In the play Reverend Parris and, Judge Danforth are blind by power and their own personal gain. But Reverend Hale is blinded by his inaccurate judgments and convictions about witchcraft in Salem. Being a steadfast authority leader does not mean you have your eyes open at all times. Parris believes that the church is the authority of all people in the town. Since he is a Reverend, he considers himself an authoritative figure. He makes a comment that people are not following their obligations to the church. He thinks that if people do not live their lives as committed to the church, and according to what the church dictates, then they need to be questioned as to what their motives are. “Now look you, child, your punishment will come in its time. But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely...
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...only. “Jurat in Curia.” Signed: “Thomas Putnam.” Thomas Putnam, born in 1653, was a third generation member of Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was the eldest son to Ann Putnam and Thomas Putnam Sr., one of Salem’s wealthiest residents, in a family of eight children. After Ann died, Thomas Putnam Sr. had another child with who became Mary Putnam. This last child, Joseph, was born when Thomas...
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...The influence and power of the mind can ultimately, exceed all human limitations. In Salem, Massachusetts around 1692, the suspicion of witchcraft arises throughout the town, creating problems and chaos. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the effect of hysteria led to disorder and complete mayhem in Salem from the sudden spread of witchcraft, exemplified by Abigail Williams, Tituba and Danforth. Once the accusations and stories arose in the plot, it was almost impossible to restore order and peace in Salem. The beginning of the hysteria influence in Salem began with Abigail Williams and her attempt of witchcraft. Abigail worked as...
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...utilizing the stage direction, Abigail’s actions and dialogue with others, and other’s actions towards Abigail to give off the impression that Abigail is vindictive from page one. Arthur Miller purposely portrayed Abigail as vindictive by how he wrote the stage...
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...Sent from my iPhone ACT 1&2 Quotes 1. “They did not celebrate Christmas, and a holiday from work meant only that they must concentrate even more upon prayer.” Act 1, pg. 4 Notes In today’s modern society, not many people around the world practice their religion as much as people used to in the older days. There may be certain exceptions, but generally religion in most places around the world is not as strict on its people as it used to be. Looking back on the lives of these Puritans greatly impacts your perspective on society now. It also impacts your perspective on how we, as people of the U.S. in today’s society, have it easy compared to the Puritans that came long before any of us. The characters of this play lived in a completely different society, where religion controlled every aspect of your life. If you had a day off from work, then praying was the only way free time should be spent. (TW) 2. “The Salem tragedy, which is about to begin in these pages developed from a paradox” Act 1, pg. 6 3. “…slave sense has warned her that, as always, trouble in this house eventually lands on her back” Act 1, pg. 8 The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a story about the tragedies that occur in Salem. I would have to say that tragedy is the big theme of the play because it informs the reader about a true historical time period where many innocent lives have been sacrificed due to witchcraft. These characters enlisted in this play were once...
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...Instructor Course February 12th 2013 17th Century European Witch craze Abstract The 17th century was the height of witch craze in Europe, where many were executed and persecuted for witchcraft. Approximately eighty five percent of those executed for witchcraft were women and this frenzy continued in Europe all the way to the early twentieth century. The loss of life was so severe that it has been referred to some researchers as a holocaust. Did this hysteria against witchcraft reduce their numbers? No. The more violently they were executed, the more in number they became. Most of those executed were women and this form of massive attack on women signifies a type of genocide; one that focuses on gender rather than on a religious or ethnic group. In Reformation Europe, women were overwhelmingly tried as witches. In France and Germany, more than eighty percent of those executed as witches and in England, ninety two percent of those executed for witchcraft were women and in Russia, approximately ninety five percent were also put to death (Trevor 214). The practice of witch hunts subsided by late seventeenth century and by early eighteenth century, witchcraft trials were rare. The causes for the decline of witch hunts are numerous and complex. This paper will attempt to analyze the witch craze phenomenon concentrating on several questions: why did women suffer the majority of the executions? Why did the witch craze end in the seventeenth century? Why was there a sudden increased...
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...1.Assess the transformation the American colonies underwent between 1650 and 1720. Did all of the colonies experience the same changes? A blend of acts, wars, and uprisings happened between 1650 and 1720.Navigation Acts were passed by the parliament; insubordination softens out up Massachusetts, New York, and Maryland; and the infamous Salem witch trials occur amid the late seventeenth century and mid-eighteenth century. Business exchange rapidly turned into a need in numerous states. Product development was deficient in benefit. This drove Nathaniel Bacon to his disobedience to Virginia's representative Sir William Berkeley. This story was told again and again by different states and insubordination to their authorities or potentially their directions when it hindered their gainfulness. More significant part of the settlements,experienced varieties of comparable changes,regardless of whether it be in Virginia or Maryland. 2.Describe the influence of Puritanism in New England society in the 1600’s. Religion was vital to the Puritans, there were numerous other crucial convictions that the Puritans withheld which impacted New England society. The instruction was imperative because keeping in mind the end goal to comprehend the...
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...Reading Created from the mind of the world renowned playwright and author Arthur Miller, is the horrifying story of deceit, accusation and guilt of The Crucible. Written in 1953, The Crucible is a confronting play that explores the unfathomable true events that took place in the small religious village of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, where by members of the Salem community began accusing others of dealing with and practising the magic of the Devil. These accusations are what led to the Salem witch-trials. Through this play Miller is able to emphasise the absurdity of these trials, which resulted in the hangings of twenty innocent people. I personally came across The Crucible through my English Extension class. To be perfectly honest, when I first picked up this text, I was unsure of what to expect. Apart from reading Shakespeare, I had never been exposed to reading in the playwright form. I did not know what my approach to the play was going to be or how I would react to reading it, or if there was a certain way in which I was supposed to be affected by it. I also had yet to read a text written by Arthur Miller, so I was unaware of his style of writing and again did not know what to expect from it. After finishing the play for the first time I was satisfied that I had thoroughly enjoyed reading the story, whilst developing a love hate relationship with some of the plot lines, characters and themes that it portrayed. At the beginning of the story, I found myself sympathizing...
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