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Salem witch brief essay
Salem witch brief essay
Salem witch brief essay
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In the well-known novel The Scarlet Letter one of the protagonists, Hester, commits a horrible sin that in her culture was considered to be as bad as murder. Hester committed adultery with one of the most holy people in her community, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. Reverend Dimmesdale tried to hide his mistake of adultery and conform to the norm of the society he lived in. Many people consider his cowardice to be his worst action. A famous quote contradicts that notion, “The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, but conformity.”
On February 29, 1692, issued warrants were released for Sarah Good, Sarah Osborne, and Tituba for witchcraft. Good, a beggar, and Osborne, a poor elderly woman, both claimed they were innocent and Tituba, a Caribbean slave from Elizabeth Parris’ family, confessed to being a witch. Tituba not only confessed to doing witchcraft but that there was a whole coven of witches in Salem, making her not the only one. Elizabeth Parris and Abigail Williams were experiencing tremors, spasms, fits and crying while throwing things. All of this made everyone suspicious about witchcraft.
Many of the teenage towns girls gathered in the kitchen with Tituba (Witchcraft in Salem). Tituba was at the center of it all. There were many quarrels over Reverend Samuel Parris, and the Puritans believed the quarreling was the work of the Devil. Tituba made a ‘witch cake’, made with the urine of the victims, to try and draw out the sorcery (Wallenfeldt). It was believed some of the girls danced black magic dances in the woods (Witchcraft in Salem).
Two of the main women were: Tituba and Sarah Good. Tituba was the first witch to confess in Salem. She had apologized for hurting the people she had hurt and went on further to say that she did not mean any harm. She also told the prosecutors about the rest of the witches. One being, Sarah Good.
From the very start of the book, we become aware of David Lurie’s need for sex. He explains all of his past sexual relationships: there pleasures and set backs. Once David is confronted about his affair with Melanie, he is left to decide where to take his life. He decides to visit his daughter, a country dweller, outside the town of Salem. While there, he is presented with several opportunities that could potentially transform him from a middle-aged rapist of young girls (or not if you as David) to something more positive and fulfilling.
Lies Cost Lives Over 150 young women involved with USA Gymnastics (USAG) and Michigan State (MSU) recently came out as victims of sexual abuse. The culprit: their well-respected physician, Larry Nassar. The young gymnasts were required to see this physician, and, when a few brave girls tried to report him, they were shut down for being “disrespectful” or “insubordinate.” The organizations who supported Nassar, specifically USAG, MSU, and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), did nothing for these young women because they felt they needed to protect their and Nassar’s reputations as the best of the best.
Have you ever been blamed for something you didn’t do? A scapegoat is one who is blamed or punished for the wrongdoings of others. When power is placed into the wrong persons hand it can cause people to isolate certain groups of people as shown in The Crucible, The Holocaust, and McCarthyism. On that note, in The Crucible, Abigail Williams a treacherous and fast girl blames Tituba their slave, for committing witchcraft. “She made me do it!
Tituba, the slave of Reverend Parris, is the first to admit to dancing with the devil. Based on the background knowledge of the time, slaves were not considered part of the class system, so she was not valued as a community member. Tituba is conscious that she is in danger, “she is also very frightened because her slave sense has warned her that, as always, trouble in this house eventually lands on her back” (Miller, pg. 6). Tituba attempts to tell the truth about Abigail when she says, “You beg me to conjure! She beg me make charm” (Miller, pg. 44) but realizes that her word against Abigail will not stand.
Tituba later confessed and admitted that she was a witch, but said there were other witches in Salem. Now historians believe that people in the colonies took advantage of the witch trials and blamed everyone that they disapproved of (Brooks). The stereotype of witches is that they are ugly, green, have warts, and fly on broomsticks. During the trials, the “witches” looked nothing like that.
Abigail fuels this situation even more with her manipulative personality. She is a very selfish girl and she is willing to do whatever she can to protect herself. Abigail “smashes her across the face: Shut it! Now shut it!” Abigail smacks Betty when she starts remembering what happened and that Abigail drank blood to kill John Proctor’s wife.
Salem, Massachusetts, USA and occurred between February 1692 and May 1693. Over 150 people were arrested and imprisoned and even more accused; but not pursued by the authorities. 29 were convicted of witchcraft but only 19 were hanged. The best known trials were in the Court of Oyer and Terminer.
A Time in “The Crucible” Everyone is being accused. The Salem Witch Trials took place in 1692, in Salem Massachusetts. A frightening time for most, who will be accused of witchcraft. I feared for my life, having trepidation, hoping not to be accused. I must debate why the trials started, why I am being accused and what choice I will make.
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.
Abigail is powerful in comparison to other girls her age. When Betty yells that Abigail drank blood in the woods, Abigail immediately denies it and tries to get Betty to stop. She is not afraid and continues to yell that “[she] did! [She] drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife!”(19). Betty is not afraid to stand up to Abigail, who does not want anyone else to know what took place when they were in the woods.
“The human body is the best work of art.” ― Jess C. Scott This is a quote John Proctor sure would have approved of. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible depicts the last days of the life of John Proctor. In this short time, John Proctor goes through many changes that support Miller’s theme that love is more enduring that lust.