Richard Godbeer's Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt Of 1692

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Walter Kirn once said, “Everyone loves a witch hunt as long as it 's someone else 's witch being hunted.” Krin is a regular reviewer for The New York Times Book Review and has authored a handful of previous works of fiction. This quote applies to Richard Godbeer’s historical monologue Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692 in the sense that most people have viewed the Salem Witch Trials as a form of entertainment in recent decades. His work, however, brings forward the reality of witch trials and the extreme measures people took just a few hundred years ago. Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692 follows the main themes of faith, superstition, reputation, uncertainty and unreliability. As stated previously, the trials took place …show more content…
The people of Stamford were searching more for a scapegoat than they were for justice. Goodbeer portrayed the moral and political motives of the trial well. Overall, I think the morality of the townspeople overcame their desire for an answer to Katherine’s condition. They took pity on Goody Disborough, which finally led to her release. This event further exemplifies the need for separation of religious doctrine and the legal code. Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692 is easily reviewed as a historic monograph, it illustrates true events and provides insight into an era in American history that should have never occurred. This work was intended for all audiences and provides an educational framework about witch trials other than Salem.
To conclude, Richard Goldbeer’s historical monologue, Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692, outlines one of many trials regarding allegations of witchcraft. Katherine Branch’s story is a common one the outlines themes of faith, reputation, superstition, and uncertainty. The events that took place in Stamford were entirely preventable, witch trials are a low point in American history and many innocent lives were lost in their

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