The Crucible: Mass Hysteria In 1692, a small town in Salem, Massachusetts experienced an outbreak of mass hysteria and pure chaos in fear of witchcraft. The incidents were started by a small group of teen girls who accused innocent people of being with the devil and witchcraft. It baffles me to see that such a religious town could be in such an uproar to these accusations. Arthur Miller uses great examples of mass hysteria within the girls and other people in the town. Many people go along with what the girls are doing, while some stick to their own belief in what is right.
The reason they would not confess to witchcraft was because the convicted people knew they were not witches, and confessing to it would be a lie, and a sin in God’s eyes. Three contributing factors to the social climate of the witch trials would be religious beliefs, superstition and the belief in the supernatural, and teenage boredom. Tituba, a slave from Barbados, played a major role in the Salem Witch Trials and she was responsible for accusing Sarah Osborne and Sarah Good as witches. There is not one ultimate cause to the witch hysteria, but ergot poisoning played a key role in the witch hysteria. The Salem Witch Trials was an important and drastic event in American history due to the fact that 20 innocent people were persecuted for a crime they did not commit, and over 100 people were punished and put in
The Salem Witch Trials brought fear of being a witch in Puritan community whereas McCarthyism brought fear of being communist in US politics and society. It is difficult to believe that so much pain and fear can be spread by one person. However, that is the case with both the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. While Abigail Williams used the strict Puritan values as her reign of terror, Senator Joseph McCarthy chose the growing fear of communism. In both situations, it has been stated that the possible motive behind both “Witch Hunts” was the personal gain of their originators.
position on communism. I was a believer that the Cold War was a stalemate between the two superpowers Russia and the U.S. in nuclear arms. The book is well written and help fills some gap in my American history. The book explains how the conflict between U.S. and Russia affected other nations. The strength of the book is how it goes in details about communism showing how it influenced America’s decision in the past, present, and the future.
Mary Warren was forced by John Proctor to speak the church about confessing/lying so Elizabeth could be back home with John. Abigail found out that all this was happening and she was mad, very mad. Most girls were afraid of Abigail because she was a threat to them. Abigail watched her parents die right in front of her, which scared the girls. Abigail also threatened the girls; she told them she would do horrible things if they ever turned on her.
Witchcraft during the Elizabethan era, as mentioned before, was a feared practise. Those who practised witchcraft were believed to possess powers “above nature, and they will do harm by this power” (Rosen, 1991:3). Those who were convicted for possessing magical powers usually achieved feats that were seen as impossible or beyond the norm. The fear of the unknown is what drove people to accuse those who had this knowledge of witchcraft. That which could not be explained was seen as witchcraft and although (some) witches practised good magic as well, only the bad side was noticed.
Many American citizens in 1959 viewed the Vietnam War as a righteous battle against communism, similar to the Iraq War today however now many view this war as a necessary battle against terrorism. Looking at America's overall goal in Vietnam, it is evident that we did not come close to keeping South Vietnam from collapsing, who fell to communist rule in 1975 (Frankum 210). America's involvement in the conflicts of Vietnam and Iraq were so discordant that our government, people, and military were constricted. Yet both wars were fought with the knowledge that America may change the invaded nation, which brings a precarious question; what makes the government believe that they have the right to go into a country and change it to the way they
Hysteria in Salem In 1692, in Salem Massachusetts, the superstition of witches existed in a society of strong Christian beliefs. Anybody who acted out of the ordinary was accused of being a witch and the accused would actually be forgiven if they blamed their accusations on another individual. In this play, a group of young girls is accused of being witches. These girls then blame other people in order to get out of trouble and even pretend to be "bewitched" in front of the court during a trial. This leads into the deaths of the innocent people who are accused and automatically found guilty.
Although his wife, Elizabeth Proctor is nice enough that can forgive his sin, John Proctor has his mind set that he will not confess to anyone else, in fear of running his good name. The affair between John and Abigail causes the start of chaotic witchery and accusation. Abigail became very jealous of Elizabeth Proctor. John realizes there is only way to stop all the witch hysteria in Salem, and that would be to confess adultery. He knows what he should do, but he continues to deny, until his wife is put into jail.
While some believe abortion is a right of a woman, I believe abortion is negatively affecting our society today. Abortion should be illegal for the reasons that it is murder, it causes psychological issues to develop, and creates severe and fatal medical complications for women. Abortion should be illegal for the reason that it is murder because it is seen as punishing an innocent child. Why should aborting a child not be seen as murder and instead be encouraged and justly for women? Jail time is given for rapists and their whole life being a menace to society.