Local magistrates took the initiative when young girls claimed that women in the village were inflicting pain on them, which resulted in all the hangings and overall hype of the Salem Witch Trials. What truly caused the Salem Witch Hysteria of 1692? Although this is a question people assume has a simple answer, it is a topic that really, could result in several different complex
The Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism were definitely both great examples of how histeria and paranoia can affect a population. People were terrified for their lives and the lives of other people that were important to them. As soon as something happened that startled the churches or McCarthy and his workers they stepped in. They started questioning innocent
The Crucible and the Mass Hysteria Portrayed The Crucible composed by Arthur Miller, has many themes that have been explained. The most known theme being hysteria, as well as the role it played in devastating the town of Salem. Hysteria can be defined as behavior displaying excessive or uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic and this is evident in The Crucible as the actions of Abigail Williams and her friends are accusing the town’s people of Salem as devil worshippers. This theme has been portrayed through the use of dialogue and stage direction. In the whole event of the witch trials, a few people were able to thrive upon the hysteria and use it to their advantage.
Another person, named Samuel Sewall, wrote a petition about the Salem witchcraft hysteria beliefs. In his petition, he describes how God should repent his sins, and he asks for forgiveness because he realizes that the witchcraft in Salem did not exist (Document A). Not only did the Salem witchcraft affect beliefs/morals, but it also affected justice. The Salem witchcraft hysteria of 1692 had a significant effect on justice in America because it changed the thought of many laws and the way people were
In “The Crucible”, the girls accused people of being witches just to make themselves look better to others to gain respect. “We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” (Miller 196). The direct quote from “The Crucible” means children who are overtaken by social fears have the power to control the life or death of a single individual, by accusing them of witchcraft. Many women were killed in the town of Salem during the trials and the ones who weren't killed had their reputations forever lowered. Everyone who was charged by McCarthy had his or her own reputation diminished also.
Social and generational tensions may be the root cause. Or, maybe fear and anxiety about their future prospects might have given the girls a mental breakdown.”(6) Many of the books I have looked at have explored the possibility that Gender issues and psychological issues also may have fueled the Witch trials to epic proportions. Today in our system, gender is mostly kept out of the decision making process in court and psychological issues are evaluated to see if the accused is even fit to stand trial in the court of law. So once again this shows that had the witch accusations happened in present day a lot of lives would have been
They made life miserable for those accused and did not stop, even when they had had their “fun”. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, draws obvious parallels between the 1950’s Red Scare and the witch-hunts that took place in Salem of 1692. Miller connects the hysteria brought about through accusations thrown around by both Senator McCarthy and Abigail Williams by emphasizing how much power their groups hold over everyone. During the times of the Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare, fear ruled those unfortunate enough to be involved in nearly any conflict. Be it fear of witchcraft or communism,the fact is that it swept throughout the early and post-industrial United States.
Witchcraft attracts attention, especially at this time of year; everyone "knows" something about it. As a historian, I'm interested to see my subject, the past, being put to all kinds of uses in the present. Here are some ideas about witch-hunting that are distinctly dodgy. It's sometimes suggested that witch-hunting was a more or less conscious male device for repressing women. In fact, although there is a relationship between women and witch-hunting, it's a complex one.
Abigail realizes that by giving the names of people she saw with the devil she can control Salem because she has a good name and people will listen to her. June Schlueter and James K. Flanagan claim “.A shrewd opportunist, she turns her own violation of Salem law into an occasion for naming those for whom she has little liking and, in so doing, transforms herself into a local heroine.” (116) John Proctor knows that Abigail is controlling Salem with her accusations and recognizes that the only way to stop her is to sully her good name. When Abigail accuses John’s wife of witchcraft, he becomes enraged and claims “It is a whore!” (Miller 220). By accusing Abigail of being a whore, John is trying to ruin her name and stop her from making any more accusations, but by admitting to “have known her, sir.” is also ruining his own good
Lies in Salem A lie is not terrible, but it is awful when a lie becomes truth and a deadly weapon in the deformed society. In the play "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller, the lies of the girls became the testimony of many people engaged in the witchcraft, and lots of innocent people were hanged in Salem. The play is set in colonial Massachusetts, British Puritans established a theocratic society in North America. The residents of Salem believed in witches and witchcraft like all Puritans. All accused witches would be hanged unless they confessed, so some people had to tell lies to save their lives.