Witch-hunt

Witchcraft is the manipulation of powerful substances or words through magic to cause harm (McGarry, Karen. 2016. Manipulating the spiritual: witchcraft. Lecture given in Anthropology 1AB3, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, January 25th). Witch accusations and sorcery aren't new among the highlands and small villages in Papua New Guinea, there is a connection with religion and this topic. Africa is largely known for witchcraft and sorcery which gives this stigma to it, most cases of…

was a defendant in that court before spectral evidence was banned was condemned to death. The defendants were always presumed guilty “During both the preliminary examinations and the ensuing trials, the accused witches were presumed guilty.” (“Salem witch trials legal dictionary”). Also in not a single trial, anybody had a lawyer.( Plus, most of these people were pious) How do you expect them to defend themselves if they do not know their rights or the law. It was almost like a person arguing…

Man has ruled over women for thousands of years. The Buddha did not accept female disciples, and Christianity destroyed many wise women by burning them alive and calling them witches. However, Sufism recognizes a concept that concentrates on feminine divinity. In Islam, the two most common names for God are “Ar-Rahman” and “Ar-Raheem,” the most merciful and the most beneficent. Both share the same root, “Rahm,” which means the womb of a woman in arabic. This illustrates the concept of God’s…

In Cold Blood is a compilation of Capote’s six years of research on the Clutter Murders. Many believe that Capote changed the facts of his story and added details that were not there in order to support his claims. Capote even admitted, at one point, that his book was very opinionated. However, Capote had a way of using his writing to bring forth a deeper meaning. Capote was a very talented man. Among many other things, he had a powerful way of drawing in his reader by the tone he used. He…

Background Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, also known as the “Lady Al-Qaeda,” is a mother of three, trained neuroscientist and a legend in the world of terrorism. As the only female to have been placed on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists list, Siddiqui’s case has been shrouded in secrecy, intrigue and conspiracies. Throughout the many articles, court records and stolen diplomatic cables, it is difficult to understand what is fact or fiction or to pinpoint when and if her radicalization occurred. “The US…

During specific situations, people often are conflicted whether to act according to the community or on the behalf of themselves. The majority often follows the group’s desires in order to avoid backlash or punishment. This was evident during the Salem Witch Trials when innocent people, accused of witchcraft, lied to avoid death. However, in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, when John Proctor is put on trial, his refusal to “confess” to witchcraft reflects his character transformation from prideful…

In the early 17th century names like Francois Viete and Bartholomeo Pitiscus were still ringing through the mathematical community’s ears. Viete had blown everyone away with his book Canon Mathematicus in 1579. The book contained a collection of trigonometric formulas and tables. Viete was also responsible for trisecting an angle and the construction of the regular pentagon. Bartholomeo Pitiscus had coined the term trigonometry in the title of his 1595 book, Trigonometria. This book was split…

When abnormal events started taking places during the late 1500s and early 1600s, many early Puritans associated it with the Anti-Christ's work and deemed it as demonic and sinister. Witchcraft then became illegal since 1563 and hundreds of innocent women were wrongly accused and punished. This kind of event also took place in a small town in Salem, Massachusetts where a collection of girls fell ill and it was not long before the girls, and many other residents of Salem began to accuse other…

Shamanism in its general sense, is a system of techniques and practices which allow the practitioner (shaman), to move beyond the ordinary world. The reasons for ancient shamans “moving to the beyond” included finding information about the weather, migration patterns of animals for hunting, which plants were edible or had healing properties, methods of healing, inspiration and instruction for making practical or sacred objects, and generally finding out how the Universe worked. The word “shaman”…

Numerous people see the Puritans as an incredibly austere religious group. Membership to most Puritan communities was granted only to those who lead solemn and principled lives (Heyrman). Women were confined to their homes to take on motherly duties, while men were involved all political, spiritual, and communal decisions (Bruno). During the late 16th century, women in Puritan communities were inferior to men. Though women played a significant role in society, it is clear they were not given the…