Salem witch trials Essay Example for Free

Salem witch trials Essay Fear of Devil-worshipping and witchcraft swept through Salem, Massachusetts, like a plague. During the years of 1692 and 1693, more than 200 people—men, women, and even children—were accused of witchcraft (Blumberg). Words of friends, neighbors, and even complete strangers put many peoples lives in danger. Nineteen people were hanged, one person pressed to death, and four known deaths occurred in prison. The accusations, the trials, the executions, and the events leading up to and after the deaths, kept Salem, Massachusetts on its toes in this mass paranoia. It was 1689, according to Blumberg, when Reverend Samuel Parris became the first ordained minister of Salem Village. The attempt to search for a new minister had failed, since the town of Salem had split to form small outskirts known as Salem Farms and the original Salem Village, and several Reverends and ministers before Parris were opposed against, or strongly disliked by the people. Parris answered to the call of ministry and moved to Salem Village with his wife, daughter Elizabeth Betty Parris, age 9, niece Abigail Williams, age 11, and his Barbados slave, Tituba and her husband John (Gribben). Gribben wrote about Parriss daughter and niece spending time alone with the Barbados slave, Tituba, while unattended by any other adults. Parris trusted the slave for he had known her since he had bought her, and she was lazy and petulant. Parris did not see Tituba as a threat and left the girls in her watch many times. As time passed, more girls would come and spend time with the Barbado s slave. Tituba would tell the girls stories about Barbados, and of the witch doctors that lived there. The girls were interested and asked many questions concerning the topic of magic and witches. Tituba, who hardly believed in sorcery herself, had given in and showed the girls how to break an egg, so just the egg white would be suspended in a bowl of water to show who their future husbands would be. These lessons continued in secrecy with Tituba. Several girls were torn between the risk of the situation and the discussion of witchcraft. Abigail Williams saw this as a mere game, and was very mischievous. Elizabeth on the other hand was rather nervous about the situation and guilt began to eat away at her. The guilt had a strong effect on the younger girl. She became rather distracted, and confused. She babbled nonsense, woke up screaming at night, and became weak, refusing or even forgetting to eat. But her guilt did not give her the courage to report to Reverend Parris what was taking place, and so the meetings continued. It  was until a girl, who had to know what trade her sweetheart would be, saw a coffin suspended in the egg white of the bowl, that all hell broke loose. It was then that Elizabeth broke and began to fall into strange episodes or fits of convulsive seizures, blasphemous screaming, and trance-like states (Gribben, Salem). Tituba began to fear foul play and witchcraft had befallen the young girls. She baked a witchs cake that contained the urine of Abigail and Elizabeth and fed it to a dog, hoping the tormentor would be revealed. The dog became distracted and ran o ff, leaving Tituba with a feeling of hopelessness and paranoia. It wasnt until days later that Tituba had been blamed for the witchcraft. Elizabeth was in the middle of a violent fit. Tituba sent Abigail to fetch Reverend Parris while she tried to calm the crazed girl. The Reverend came in and tried to calm the girl as well. He sent for a doctor, but the doctor could not place the cause of fits in Elizabeth or Abigail, who showed the same symptoms days later. The doctor told Parris that the Evil Hand was among them, and left. When Elizabeth began to come to after one of her many spells, Parris asked the girl who it was that hurt her, but she didnt answer. He looked about the room and settled on Tituba. When he asked if Tituba had caused this, Elizabeth repeated the name before going silent. Tituba confessed and Parris had Tituba arrested (Gribben). This wasnt the end of their paranoia; in fact it was only the beginning. Several other Salem girls began having similar fits, and among them was Ann Putnam. Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne were accused of witchcraft, after the Barbados slave Tituba. Sarah Good was just a homeless beggar, and Sarah Osborne was an elderly impoverished woman (Blumberg). The three girls were taken to trial; however, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne tried to claim their innocence. They were found guilty and taken to jail. Tituba, on the other hand, confessed to practicing and showing the girls witchcraft. Tituba claimed to have seen the Devil and signing his book, and also told of other witches in Salem Village who were seeking to destroy the Puritans. As more and more girls began to suffer from this witchcraft, more and more people were being blamed for the black magic (Blumberg). Most of the people were accused were well known, and some were even liked. The most damning accusation was against Martha Corey, an important member of the Puritan congregation. This accusation sent the Puritan community of Salem Village into a frenzy, fearing that Satans evil  had reached the heart of the community (Salem). The accusations didnt stop though; men, women, and children were still accused and the paranoia was at its highest. Dorothy Dorcas Good was the first and only child at the age of four to be accused of witchcraft. Her timid answers were seen as a confession and she was arrested with her mother, Sarah Good. Dorothy stayed in jail for eight months before she witnessed her mother being taken and hanged (Linder). Accusations began to pile up, and many people were arrested, but no executions had been made until early June. Bridget Bishop was the first person hanged for witchcraft on June 10th, 1692 (Blumberg). After her death, many more witches were put to death by the gallows, on a place soon to be known as Gallows Hill. Five people were hanged in the month of July, five in August, and eight in September. A total of nineteen people had been killed by the gallows (Blumberg). Martha and Giles Corey were both accused of practicing witchcraft and arrested. Giles Corey refused a trial and by the law of their church, had large stones placed on him until he agreed to one. He never did, and was eventually pressed to death with large stones on September 19, 1692, three days before Marthas hanging (Salem). The trials to condemn the accused varied. There were five ways for the people to claim their innocence, but many people were found guilty despite their attempts. The first trial was reciting the Lords Prayer (Witchcraft). If one could not recite the prayer, it was said that Satan was at work and blocked ones tongue from speaking the Word (Gribben). A former pastor, George Burroughs, was accused of witchcraft and tried. He failed his trial in court, and as he was taken out to the gallows, he stopped before the crowd and recited the Lords Prayer word for word. The crowd was taken by shock, but Cotton Mather told them the man had his time in court and he failed. G eorge Burroughs was put to death at the gallows (Linder). The second trial was the search for physical evidence such as warts, birthmarks, moles, and blemishes. These marks were said to be places on which demons suckled on witches to gain their power. The testimony of the accusers against the witches, spectral evidence, and the confession of the witches themselves, were the last three trials against the accused to convict them of witchcraft or send them home (Witchcraft). However, many were convicted and most were found guilty. Some people saw that the confessions were a way to escape the gallows, but would spend time in prison  instead for practicing witchcraft (Linder). Many were still found guilty and put to death by hanging. According to Linder, as many as nineteen accused witches were hanged on Gallows Hill and one man was pressed to death in 1692. The dead are listed as followed, along with their date of death. Bridget Bishop, the first person hanged, died on June 10th, 1692 . Five women died on July 19th, 1692. The women were Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Good, Susannah Martin, Elizabeth Howe, and Sarah Wildes. Four men and one woman were hanged on August 19th, 1692. They were George Burroughs, Martha Carrier, John Willard, George Jacobs, Sr., and John Proctor. Giles Corey was the only death that occurred by being pressed to death on September 19th, 1692. On September 22nd, 1692, Martha Corey, Mary Eastey, Ann Pudeator, Alice Parker, Mary Parker, Wilmott Redd, Margaret Scott, and Samuel Wardwell were hanged. The last four known deaths did not have a known date, but the following people died in prison: Sarah Osborne, Roger Toothaker, Lyndia Dustin, and Ann Foster. Two dogs were also killed, for many believed that Satan could take form of the hounds (Witchcraft). The hysteria, convictions, and condemnations began to seize and die down in the winter months (Salem). Governor Phipps called an end to the witch trials, and relieved all those remaining in prison, after hi s wife had been accused of witchcraft (Blumberg). Over 250 years after the Salem witch trials, the state of Massachusetts found the trials to have been unlawful and the names were cleared of charges. The state gave money to the heirs of the deceased, and apologized for the trials that had taken place (Blumberg).

Goodbye Columbus Essay examples -- essays research papers fc

Sometimes there are two novels that have the same theme, and sometimes they have the same plot, but in the case of the two novels, The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and the novel Goodbye Columbus, by Philip Roth they explore the same dynamics of the chase of the American dream. In both novels there are similar themes, they both use the idea of sex and money as a form of power. Both novels can relate to each other because the authors decided to show how the pursuit of the American dream may not always be a good thing, and how sex and money can cause problems in that pursuit. Overall in both of the novels the reoccurring theme of sex, money and the search for the American dream is present and in both novels the authors show that just because it may seem like someone may have everything, that is not always the case. The idea of the new world verses the old world is a major premise in the novel Goodbye Columbus. In this novel there are two families who live very different lives. The Patimkin family, and the Klugman family. They represent the struggle between the new and old world. The Patimkin family is the wealthy middle-class family and they live in the hills, they also belong to the country club, which is a representation of having money and living the American dream. The idea of belonging to the country club is a major part of the novel. The country club gave the Patimkin’s a replica of middle class life in America. Since the Patimkin’s were Jewish they didn’t have the opportunity to belong to a regular country club, they belonged to the Jewish one, which is why it was the closest replica of the American dream to them, because they were not allowed to be part of the non-Jewish country clubs. The Patimikin’s represent the new world, they achieved higher success and they are able to identify with the non-Jewish part of middle class society a lot more then their fellow Jewish immigrants who have not fully assimilated to society. On the other side of the coin there is the Klugman family. They represent the old world. They live in the valley with the rest of the Jewish immigrants and they live meagerly because they do not have that much and they have not gained much success in their lives while living in the United States. The two characters that represent the old and new world are Brenda Patimkin and Neil Klugman. To Neil, Brenda represents what he doe... ...ce her to do something she didn’t really want to do. Brenda too had her faults, she was raised thinking she was a princess, just as Daisy thought that she was special because she had always been raised as a wealthy young girl, and both women always got what they wanted. So when Brenda was with Neil she expected him to treat her the same way her father had always treated her, and she expected to get what she wanted when she wanted it. The conflict between what each person wanted is what lead to the end of both novels. In Goodbye Columbus Neil and Brenda split after Neil realizes that he wants a way out of the relationship, so the two end up breaking up in the end. In The Great Gatsby Daisy and Gatsby never end up together, but Gatsby’s undying devotion to Daisy does end up getting him killed. This shows that the theme of sex in both novels is there to prove that it is not always the best thing to have and that it is not the foundation for a very good relationship. Th e theme of sex has more to do with having power, which is something that all of the characters in both novels dream about having. Bibliography The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald Goodbye Columbus, by Philip Roth

Man in a Corner Essay

Augustus Cain is a good person, despite his background and upbringing he was able to emerge through the narrative. Cain is a man in the corner; his conditions determine his values and morals. He lost himself to himself and his own society. Although, he has lost himself he evolves and turns into a â€Å"soul catcher† throughout this novel many times, one of the souls he’s caught was even his own. He evolved as a person through breaking the four guiding principles constantly that his father said for him to follow. The four guiding principles were that â€Å"one should always respect one’s property: that it was necessary to care for protect it, to never misuse it, as it will someday be called upon to care for and protect you† (White 31); â€Å"That a Negro was in many ways like a child and it was the moral duty of the white man to look after and guide them† (White 31); † That his very whiteness not only set him apart from and above them – morally, intellectually, physically – but that it also linked him in a blood bond with every other white man† (White 32); † Whites and Negroes were created by the Almighty to be separate† (White 32). Cain engages in a forbidden relationship with a black woman named Rosetta. This relationship tests Cain’s character, will, care and decisions. She tests Cain’s will during her bathing in the river. While Rosetta is bathing, Cain is half turned away; â€Å"he felt this to be some sort of test of will, a temptation he felt bound to renounce in order to prove to himself, that he wasn’t common, that he wasn’t like Preacher or Strofes. That he was different† (White 206). He is also attracted to her in this scene. Post Rosetta exiting the river and him glancing at her and having a hard time averting this stare. He says that â€Å"he felt shamed as a rumbling commenced down between his own legs† (White 207) as he looked between hers. When Preacher tries to rape Rosetta, Cain almost kills him out of protection for her. When Rosetta is kidnapped Cain goes and asks around for her, and says  Ã¢â‚¬Å"I’m trying to help her† (White 287) and pushes onward out of his determination to save her. After saving her Cain is captured by John Brown and says that he doesn’t plan to send Rosetta back to Eberly, and Brown believes him and sends him away to a settlement in Ohio called Gist. Cain and Rosetta are laying together in a cabin and Rosetta kisses him, they continue to kiss and begin to remove their clothes. Cain then thought â€Å"He knew that he was crossing a line that he could never cross back over again† (White 377) and they made love. Cain is different from the other men that are portrayed in this novel, that are to be thought of as of brothers to him because of the blood bond that they share. Cain is more sympathetic to blacks then the rest. When Preacher is beating Joseph, Cain hates preacher for his mindless cruelty and didn’t believe on harming anyone in his â€Å"profession† unless it was absolutely necessary. â€Å"He preferred using his wits rather than violence or force† (White 55). He also feels bad for Joseph, so much that he couldn’t ignore Preacher slashing cuts in his body. He says to him â€Å"Alright, that’ll be enough† (White 56) and kicks him. He also tells him to stop acting like a cur if he doesn’t want to be treated like one. He degrades him to a dog in this scene. He also tells Joseph that if he didn’t comply with them that Preacher would hurt him and that Cain himself â€Å"didn’t want that† (White 58). Post Preacher suggesting they sell the boy and Cain disagreeing and calling it common thievery. Preacher also says that he shouldn’t act so high and mighty and that â€Å"Slave catcher, blackbirder. They’re all the same in my book† (White 60). Cain responds that â€Å"No, we’re not all the same. I’m carrying out the law† (White 60). This was a point in the novel where Cain again separates himself from his â€Å"brothers† and explains that he’s only doing this because he has to survive and pay off his debt not out of the malicious intent like a blackbirder or most slave catchers. At the end of all this Cain gives the boy a dollar coin to pay him back for his eggs. Cain is compared metaphorically throughout the novel to the people that his whiteness is supposed to set himself apart from. Cain is a runaway. He ran away from the life of a farmer and slave-owner. â€Å"Cain had decided early on that he wasn’t cut out for the life of a farmer† (White 32). He instead  joins the military to basically escape this inheritance from his father. When he tells Rosetta this she says to him â€Å"that makes you a runaway, too, Cain.† (White 245). He also â€Å"runs away† from the problems in his world by drowning himself in the vices, which are also the very things that metaphorically â€Å"enslaves† him. He is an alcoholic who constantly drinks laudanum. He has a gambling problem and has sex constantly with prostitutes. He also was tired for working for people like Eberly. These kind of people were white slave owners â€Å"that thought their money made him their nigger† (White 11). Also Cain explains to Rosetta that he has to bring her back to Eberly although he doesn’t want to because of his honor. She says that â€Å"Honor. He done bought and paid for you just like me†; Cain responds â€Å"No one owns me†; Rosetta says â€Å"Oh, he own you, all right. The only difference between them was that she knows it and he doesn’t† (White 210). Cain is overall a different person at the end of this novel. He has involved in interracial affairs with a black woman. He hasn’t respected the technically â€Å"property† of another man which would be Rosetta to Eberly, by not returning her to him, which ofcourse was the right thing to do. He is also acknowledged by Rosetta and other people in the novel even John Brown, as a â€Å"good man†.

Critique Workshop Article Critique Example

Sample Article Critique Article critique requires students to make a critical analysis of another paper, often an essay, book or journal article. Regardless of your major whether it be psychology or economics, for example, you are likely to perform this kind of assignment at some point. For students, it is a great way to explore the research process itself, interpret its results and discuss their impact. There are several formatting styles, including the Modern Language Association (MLA) format and the American Psychological Association (APA) format, that may be applied when writing critique papers. Each of the styles has its particular rules and guidelines, and unless you follow them carefully, your chances to get low grades for the paper are rather high.   In the sample article below, we will use one of the most popular and recommended by professors around the globe formats APA style. Article Critique. Multinational Enterprises, Development and Globalization: Some Clarifications and a Research Agenda The involvement of multinational enterprises (MNEs) in domestic markets has become a key component of the development policy of many developing countries. MNEs can have a decisive impact on the development of countries, but the effectiveness of an FDI-based development strategy depends on a number factors. Article ‘Multinational Enterprises, Development, and Globalization: Some clarifications and a research agenda’ by R. Narula and J. Dunning published in Oxford Development Studies provides in-depth analysis on effects of economic globalization for developing countries that follow a strategy based on attracting MNE investments. The authors use analysis as well as principles of macro- and microeconomics to relate to the subject of MNEs and development, and they try to find a conclusive understanding on how to explain the success of some regions or countries in promoting economic growth, and the failure of others. Narula and Dunning point out that the MNEs can have a decisive influence on the development of countries. This notion is entirely reasonable, and particularly true considering global imbalances. Nevertheless, though proved more effective, the involvement of such corporations is not the only development strategy that is available to developing countries. The authors do not provide an adequate explanation that only together with other forms of local involvement of MNEs, direct foreign investment can be a direct path to structural change and will help break the vicious circle of poverty and weak development. There are also some other questionable issues that are concluded in this article. In their review of development strategies of countries, Narula and Dunning provide an example of Asian economies. The authors stress that Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea were the most effective in the involvement of MNEs after the Second World War. These countries pursued a restrictive FDI policy, identifying the priority of technology transfer, licensing and reverse engineering as mechanisms for obtaining foreign knowledge. At the same time, Narula and Dunning provide successful examples neither of other regions nor liberalized FDI policies. It is also worth mentioning that the world has changed significantly over the last three decades, which means that conducting such strategies today will not necessarily lead to the same results. One factor not addressed in the paper is that FDI flows are not all the same with each other. The quality of FDI received by the country is as important as the quantity. The quality relates to the MNEs investment motives, mandate, and autonomy of the branches, and this will have a direct impact on the potential of secondary effects from the MNE. Therefore, a feasible policy towards FDI should not be exclusively linked to capital investment, but also consider strengthening the local MNEs roots. Taking everything into account, I can conclude that Narula and Dunning give some interesting insights and well thought out on the subject of  multinational enterprises’ effects on developing countries. The article provides a substantial amount of data and includes some graphic illustrations. Nonetheless, for a complete evaluation to be made, the authors should focus more on the quality of the investment flows and their secondary effects as well as determine recommendations for different types of developing countries, considering their economic, social and political systems, on the strategies towards MNEs they are to follow. References: Narula, R., Dunning, J. H. (2010). Multinational Enterprises, Development and Globalization: Some Clarifications and a Research Agenda.  Oxford Development Studies,38(3), 263-287. doi:10.1080/13600818.2010.505684