Magic realism

During the late sixteenth century, witch hunts were gaining momentum. Women and some men were being accused of performing witch craft and were sent to trial. The interesting topic of these trials is that if you were someone’s enemy, you could be accused of being a witch. The way that women dressed and what their social status was, played a major part in how society back then was formed. In Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1962, being a misunderstood woman with enemies or a woman who…

The Salem Witch Trials were a time of great distress for early America. Starting in spring of 1692, many people were believed to have been practicing witchcraft and for those who were put on trial, cruel and unusual punishments were often used in an attempt to prove the accused guilty. This went on for several long months, until the governor of Massachusetts dissolved the primary court used for these trials – the Court of Oyer and Terminer – in October 1692. The Salem Witch Trials had a large…

There are many cultures across the globe that still believe in superstitions, witchcraft, traditional healing, and magic. These beliefs expand throughout generations in some cultures and traditions. Many superstitions are rooted in the belief of old magic and the mystical healing properties of animals and medical herbs. Numerous superstitions were developed to explain events or situations that occurred out of fear of the unknown. These ideas enlightened individuals about why things happened, and…

In Damned Women: Sinners and Witches in Puritan New England, Elizabeth Reis thoroughly discussed how the Puritan religion played a role in shaping the lives of the Puritan individuals. Puritanism had stressed women as having the role of only obeying their husband and tending to both the children and the household. Women who followed the Puritan religion were supposed to abide by the standards determined by God; those who did not abide were condemned as the ones who were found to be greatly…

The idea of being a witch is not even possible nowadays, but that was not always the case. In the late seventeenth century, Salem, Massachusetts had to deal with the problem of witchcraft, which is exemplified in the fictional play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Many people were accused of working with the Devil and this caused some who did not confess to witchcraft to be hanged. Arthur Miller also wrote “Why I Wrote ‘The Crucible’, ” which explains his connection of the witch trials and the…

Witches Bewitched Practice and belief in magical skills and abilities exercised by solitary practitioners and groups, the definition of witchcraft. Witch trials series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft. In the Crucible, by Arthur Miller, many people were accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials that lasted from 1692 until 1693. These people were accused by children who sought for attention and were overcome with fear. It’s evident that many people played a role…

Impact of Loyalty in The Crucible The deaths of thirty-seven innocent Salem community members in a three-month span resulted from the witch trials of 1692. These deaths resulted from false accusations for selfish reasons supported by an oppressive Puritan based government in the Salem area. These so-called witch trials are so famous that there have been many works of literature as well as movies based off of them. The most notable of these is Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. It is a story based on…

Puritans and Predestination in The Crucible Puritans and Predestination are viewed throughout The Crucible by the Puritans lifestyle and their judgment against anything that is not in the Bible or said to be evil. In the opening, Paris states that it was very hard to gain respectable reputation with the rest of the Puritans, and with Abigail and the rest of the girls in the forest it would destroy what Parris has worked for. “The Puritans believed that the Bible was God’s true law, (Kizer).…

Pola Matoga IB 1B English A Abigail As A Victim Of Her Society In The Crucible The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a play with many complex characters, and sends multiple messages. One of those dynamic characters is Abigail, a seventeen year old girl. At first glance it is easy to blame Abigail for the witch trials in Salem, as she is a devious and manipulative girl, however, the truth is that Abigail is a victim of a strict, Puritan society. Her upbringing and past led her to be the person she…

The article “When School Was Scary” and the poem “The Ballad of Birmingham” both show very harmful events. The event that happened to the little girl in “The Ballad of Birmingham” is very different and more effective/powerful compared to what happened in “When School Was Scary”. In the article, Elizabeth got verbally and physically abused, but in the poem, the little girl walks into a church and then it gets bombed. Getting blown up is more destructive than getting bullied. In the article “When…