Practical Magic

All crazy stories we hear about the Salem Witch Trials today all started on January 1692. This tragic and strange time, although only lasting around a year, this event was a cause of twenty known executions. This was a dark time where the accused would turn on friends and the trials would cause people to give in as declare guilty, just to stop the torturing. Of the twenty known kills from the Salem Witch Trials, almost all were women or young girls. Of the few men that were killed, most were…

The Salem Witch Trials was an excruciatingly violent and depressing time in American history, led by the reactions of a group of girls. Fourty - Fifty thousand people were killed, in all the world, over the course of 300 years because of the thought of them being a witch and worshipping the devil, many before The Salem Witch Trial began. Witchcraft was considered treason, a capital offence, and punishable by death. The Witch Trials were very misogynistic because it was believed that the common…

Is She a Witch? The courtroom was loud with excited voices of women and men gossiping about the people who were about to go on trial. The whole town had shown up for the trial. They were there to accuse the people they had once called their friends and family. They were afraid of what had happened in town. The town’s people did not want to be accused of being witches themselves. One of the judges looked out into the crowd and yelled for everyone to quiet down. The other judge announced that…

What is a witch? According to Webster’s Dictionary witchcraft is, “the use of sorcery or magic.” By this definition, the term “witch” has been misused and misunderstood throughout history. Often considered a taboo subject, nothing stirs the pot quite like witchcraft. An in-depth study of witchcraft can help one to understand the mystique that surrounds it. European Witch Hunts (1300-1600) Witch hunts occurred long before the Salem witch trials. As Jess Blumberg from Smithsonian Magazine…

According to the Oxford Dictionary, the term superstition can be defined as “a widely held but irrational belief in supernatural influences, leading to good or bad luck” (Oxford 2012). It is said to be a practice based on such belief resulting from fear of the unknown. The role of superstition in Lives of the Saints written by Nino Ricci controls the society of a small town called Valle del Sole, as the villager’s main beliefs revolve around the practice of superstition. Thus, Nino Ricci’s…

of magic powers, especially evil ones, to make things happen. In Europe during the Protestant Reformation, most of the witchcraft was blamed on the female, only few were the male. Belief in witchcraft was ancient and was found in the Bible, classical law and literature, and popular folklore. In the 5th century AD, Christian…

the art of magic. What was once considered as a counterculture of witches and other deviants, magic has evolved into a unique performing art that not only has the ability to give people a sense of childlike wonder, but also connect with people in a much deeper way than any other form of entertainment (Jandt, 18). It has the power to make people believe in the impossible and inspires people to follow their dreams. Recently, a new bill has been introduced to Congress to “establish magic as a rare…

provided can illustrate the social and cultural dynamics of France in the late 1600s, and analyzes how the use of magic affected all members of society. While she successfully illustrated both the connection between magic and religion and the importance of science when creating spells, I felt that she lost some support through her discussion of the people who were able to perform magic and the influence women had over such rituals. Throughout the book, Mollenauer references the connections…

The television show, Ghost Whisperer, is a feminist text since it features a main female role who is very independent. This television show demonstrates more feminists traits, including the protagonist, a female, being the only protagonist that can see ghosts, owning her own business, being strong against her enemies and remains strong after and during the unfortunate events that happen in her life. The protagonist of Ghost Whisperer is a medium, named Melinda Gordon, who can see and talk to…

Essay #1 (what aspects of Puritan society in the 1692 enabled the witch trials to take place?) There are many different aspects of why the Puritans society had enabled the witch trials in 1692 some of them would have to be they had very strict beliefs on religion and would take manners very seriously when it came to discussing their everyday lives. Most of their beliefs would scare others and make a lifestyle hard. Throughout the story many examples of their beliefs were shown and will help you…