Betty Parris

Lewis, Mackenzie. Book Review of A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials. By Frances Hill. New York: Doubleday, 1995. The Salem Witch Trials are well known across the United States. Images of women screaming at the stake while being burned, religious leaders yelling about damnation and hellfire, and young girls going into convulsive fits fill the minds of many Americans. Frances Hill takes on the daunting task of sorting through the various information and creating a…

Mass hysteria is the common term used to describe a situation in which various people all suffer from similar hysterical symptoms – either from a phantom illness or an inexplicable event. The Salem Witch Trials and The Holocaust are both similar because they both are mass hysterias that have killed many innocent people. The Salem Witch Trials occurred in the 1600’s, more than two hundred people were accused of practicing witchcraft and dealing with the devil (The Crucible). This all started…

According to Theory number 1, Ergot fungus contaminated the crops harvested by the people of Salem, Massachusetts which developed the hallucinations of the citizens and started the Salem Witch Trials. In 1692, they harvested a great deal of wheat, rye and cereal grasses. Ergot, or ergot poisoning, is a fungus that attacks the central nervous system and causes muscle contractions, confusion, impaired speech, crawling sensations on the skin and hallucinations. The girls in Salem had feelings of…

Hocus Pocus (1993) Oh, where to begin on the film Hocus Pocus, other than it’s a must see! This amazing, and comical film is about the three Sanderson sisters who were sentenced to death over three hundred years ago for performing spells on young children. However, before their death, the Sanderson sisters perform a spell to be resurrected. They later come back centuries later after the new kid on the block, Max, lights a candle in order to scare his younger sister. But he is soon to discover…

I. Discuss the supernatural tradition in explaining abnormal behavior The supernatural tradition of abnormal behavior is a model existing since prehistoric times. This model consists of attributing the causes of abnormal behavior, or unusual behavior to be caused by forces, demons, and evil spirits. For instance, this evil spirits would be thought to inhabit the person, and cause them to behave awkwardly. Furthermore, this model refers to the high superstition of people for hundreds of…

Case II: Jacqueline den Carot (1319, France): den Carot’s case was tried under the Church’s Inquisition. The Church sought to prosecute Jacqueline den Carot. The woman in question is brought in “to answer charges of heresy. She was also accused of witchcraft…” The defendant is alleged to have stated that “There will never be another world but this one, and men and women who have died will never rise again.” These sentiments are reinforced by the testimony of multiple witnesses. den Carot…

“Little underground men are very useful. They explain all nature’s mysteries”(42). Billie Wind, a young teenage girl, takes on a journey through the Everglades. Billie’s journey through the Everglades allows her to explore the Seminole tribe’s legends. Her adventure to the Everglades was initiated by Charlie Wind punishing Billie Wind. In the beginning of her trip she is a doubter and denies the truth in many of her tribe’s legends or in anything that she was doing or was going to do.…

Wait, what happened? Why are they talking about a dog? Why are they calling me a dog? Why am I so small? Oh No! I’m a dog! Wait! How did this happen? Was it that witch I saw last night? Was it the wizard? Maybe it was the sorcerer! They don’t know it’s me. They’re taking me to the pound? All because somehow, I managed to turn into a dog. If I don’t figure a way to tell them it’s me, they’ll ship me off! I will just prove that’s it’s me inside a dog’s body! I know! I’ll get my favorite soft,…

The Salem witch trials of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, was a notorious episode in American history. This historical event resulted in the execution by hanging of fourteen women and five men accused of practicing witchcraft. Furthermore, one man was pressed to death by heavy weights; at least eight people died in prison; and more than one hundred individuals were jailed while awaiting trial. The political discrimination experienced in Salem was the foundation for the trials. In 1692, the…

Young children are often known for making things up using their very inventive imaginations. In Salem, two young girls sparked an outbreak of events involving witchcraft leaving Salem village in chaos. Whether they were making up these occurrences up or not, the people of Salem were soon all against each other. The Salem Witch trials had many negative effects on Salem village at the time, because the whole village fell apart. Salem Village, located in North Massachusetts, was named after…