The Hysteria of Salem Witchcraft Essay - 910 Words

The Hysteria of Salem Witchcraft Although there has been a long history of witchcraft, the main concentration is from the periods of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In the British North American colonies alone there were over 100 witchcraft trials alone, were 40 percent of the accused were executed. Now two professors, Carol F. Karlsen of history and Kai T. Erikson of sociology, examine the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria to see if it was caused by a fear of women and give two entirely different interpretations. The first professor, Carol F. Karlsen, agreed that the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria was caused by a fear of women. She agrees that the belief in the Puritian culture, that women were evil, existed because they†¦show more content†¦It was all seen through the women’s new ways of forwardness and liberties. A good example was with Adam and Eve being punished for the sin of pride, rebelling against the order of creation, but Eve was seen as rebelling both as part of man and as man’s other. This is how Eve was seen as the fall of man. â€Å"Yet looking upon her as made for the man, and by the Creators law owing a subordination to him, so she may also be looked upon as instrumental.† as said by Willard. Willard means that Eve should have encouraged Adam to obey God since she was created to serve man, but she didn’t. This caused her to be seen as a mischief and for the cause of the downfall of man. For the actions of Eve God placed a special curse on t he female race, â€Å"Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children: and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.† It was seen that part of women’s sin was the seduction of man and another was her failure to serve man. Although Willard never actually said that there was a direct connection between woman and Satan, he thought that woman was influenced by the Devil and she did what she did voluntary of her own free will. In the Puritian society, Eve was seen as the mainShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible Of Salem Witchcraft Hysteria1661 Words   |  7 Pagesoff a spark that would start the Salem Witchcraft Hysteria. Wishing to know about their future, Betty and Abigail suspended a raw egg in a glass over a light.The images would act as messages and clues. Although this seems innocent enough after this â€Å"reading† they began to display unusual behavior associated with possession symptoms. This led to a full scale investigation and arrests of the slave Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne under the charges of witchcraft. 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Everyone in the village of Salem believed in witchcraft, and only a few had tried to use it (Kent 18). In 1692, Salem Village panic was a major event in United States history which will never be forgotten. The people of Salem were caught up in aRead MoreHistorical Journalism At The Salem Witch Trials863 Words   |  4 PagesHistorical Journalism at the Salem Witch Trials The Salem Witch Trials are one of the best known outbreaks of hysteria and fear in American history. This event began when Betty Parris, who was a daughter of Salem’s church’s minister, and Abigail Williams, who was her cousin, experiences several occasions of odd, violent behavior that they blamed on witchcraft. They accused two white women, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne, as well as a slave, Tituba, of practicing witchcraft in the village. The three womenRead MoreThe Crucible Mass Hysteria Analysis1012 Words   |  5 PagesMass hysteria is when a group bans together and acts as one as a result of rumors and fear, that may cause one to think irrationally. Mass hysteria has been seen in many events throughout history, that has led to an overwhelming outbreak of fear. In the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller presents how mass hysteria can quickly and easily overtake a group of people and wreak havoc on everyone by inflicting fear. Mass hysteria is a controlling force in t he play and is seen in the accusations of the guilty