Throughout the years, witchcraft has been the common fear of mankind. In England, the legal definition of a witch was “a person who hath a conference with the devil to consult with him or to do some act”. In early modern Europe, women were thought to be witches due to their biblical association with the devil, the superstitions and misunderstanding of the people of Europe, and the negative perceptions of those who deviated from the social norm. As a result, these beliefs and superstitions led to the death of thousands of alleged witches. (Witch Hunts) Witches were thought to be consults of the devil who gave up their bodies and led others away from the church for the devil in exchange for otherworldly power.
Summary of the books of the New Testament books Acts The book of Acts is a narrative of gospel genre book. The book of Acts provides us with events that took place in the biblical days. The book speaks of a few apostles, Peter, John, James and Paul. Acts is a continuation of the Book of Luke; Acts tells stories about the Holy Spirit, Jesus’s own brother James who did not believe he was the son of God at first. Peter and John, ministering to the people in Jerusalem, the book speaks of them being persecuted for their faith, which causes them to be arrested, and thrown in jail.
John Proctor The conflict between Good and Evil has been a prominent theme throughout Mankind. These struggling entities, whether internal or external, are definitely apparent in the last days of John Proctor’s life. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, John Proctor has two combating forces, good and evil, tugging on each side of him. Although the exertion causes him confusion and leads him to wonder which side to fight with, he chooses the right path. Salem, Massachusetts in the late 17th century was full of hysteria about witches casting spells, spirits being conjured, and the devil influencing the townspeople.
Salem in the late seventeenth century was not just a place of God, but also a place of emerging guilt. Many characters in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, such as Giles Corey, Reverend Hale and John Proctor, struggle with the deep-seated guilt in their hearts. The townspeople’s reaction to the witch trials reveals their guilt and transforms them. Their guilt ultimately contributes to the tragic finale of the Salem Witch Trials. The bottled up guilt in Salem is slowly gaining momentum amongst the townspeople.
He then embraced the Christian belief that witches had made a pact with the devil, and always worked in groups. Eventually healing was also thought to be achieved via a pact with the devil (Until King James was around, there were “bad” witches, known as black witches and “good” witches, known as white witches). This assassination attempt came after the king was visiting Denmark (where the Christian belief on witches was well established) and on his return across the sea, a storm came and destroyed a ship in the fleet and, nearly sank the boat the king himself was on. The blame fell on the witches working in both Scotland and Denmark. These things that the king believed, studied and wrote about are incorporated into the script of Macbeth.
Stephanie Nierzwicki Mark Delancey Nature in Literature Second Paper Due: March 19, 2014 Satan as God’s Helper The Book of Job is a narration involving God, Job, and Satan. Most of narrative involves the story of Job and his journey through hard times and his faith in God. However, the beginning of the story should not be overlooked. The first two chapters of Job give the background for the challenges Job faces. The story begins with a dialogue between God and Satan.
“Sweet Dreams”- Marilyn Manson The video appears to take place in an old abandoned church, off the assumption that it looked like a bride coming down the staircase. The black hole effect causes a darkness and evil look, and scare factor to the video setting the mood, possibly demonic references? The warp effect to me looks like drugs have gotten changed his perception maybe a hallucinogen, and we are looking through his eyes and how Marilyn is seeing things. The spinning of the camera also could resemble his drug trip and how he’s losing control. Smashing the guitars as if they’re actually losing their minds, especially with the things on their heads, like mind control devices.
However, Paradise Lost goes beyond biblical archetypes typically assumed when focusing on Satan. Instead it forces the reader to examine the central character in a paradoxical duality. In biblical and classical literature, as well as in popular culture, Satan is portrayed as the carrier of all things evil and as the antagonistic figure in Paradise Lost, who in all his efforts tries to undermine the greatness of God’s creation. Satan is consistently objectified and disgraced as he is painted as a mercilessly evil figure with no heroic qualities. John Milton, however, provokes conflicting tensions by playing with the character traits of Satan.
Praying Towns Through the centuries lands have been explored and claimed, and its people have been enslaved and destroyed all in the name of God. Evangelization of natives has long been practiced by missionaries seeking to convert natives to Christianity and free them of their savage ways. One such example was the Praying Towns of Massachusetts. The Nipmuc Tribe called the eastern swath of our continent home when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock Massachusetts on December 20, 1620. Through the charity of the Wampanoags, another coastal tribe, the Pilgrims were able to become established in the area, but the Nipmucs soon initiated friendly trade relations with the Puritans.
Hysteria leads the people of Salem to believe that those who were friends are executing witchery and associating themselves with the devil. The continuous accusations of witchery present the people of Salem with a chance to redeem long-term grudges. The abundant case of Abigail Williams uses the current situation to indict charges on Elizabeth Proctor, having her sent to jail. Not to be entirely blamed, Reverend Parries also pronounces his placement in society by accusing the people who question his authority. Hysteria can prosper from those who feed off of it.