accusations of witchcraft in 1692. According to Boyer and Nissenbaum‚ the village split into two factions: one interested in gaining more autonomy for Salem Village and led by the Putnam family‚ and the other‚ interested in the mercantile and political life of Salem Town and led by the Porter family. Boyer and Nissenbaum’s deft and imaginative look at local records reveals the contours of communal life in colonial New England and provides a model through which to understand the witchcraft accusations
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Sir William Phips’s own wife had been accused of being a witch and participating in witchcraft. (Norton‚ 2002) This finally gave the governor a reason to figure everything out and investigate. Sir William Phips declared that no person would be allowed to stand up in court and testify to seeing spirits that nobody else could see. Without “spectral evidence” no one else could be convicted of participating in witchcraft. (Yolen‚ 2004) The following spring‚ Sir William Phips ended the Salem Witch Trials
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they were a witch‚ if they died‚ they weren’t. The Puritans came up with many different theories of witchcraft for various problems. Whether it was for the weather‚ lack of crop growth‚ or if someone smelled a little different. Some popular theories were: Ergot Poisoning. They believed that if someone accidentally ate a fungus‚ they belonged to the devil. However I am not going with this theory. I am going with the theory of the Occult. “The Puritans
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In the play‚ The Crucible by Arthur Miller‚ the Puritans take part of a government that is based solely on the Bible. The good faith of the townspeople is quickly changed as many of the town’s high-standing citizens are accused of witchcraft‚ tried‚ and even hanged. In The Crucible‚ fear and faith relate very closely with the decisions that are made throughout the course of the trials and hangings of the Salem Witch Trials. To have faith in something‚ you must have complete confidence or trust in
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and The Scarlet Letter‚ by Nathaniel Hawthorne‚ readers see the effect of the Puritan faith on guilt. Strong‚ as well as weak‚ characters face guilt in each book. Abigail and Dimmesdale take a coward’s way out‚ while Hester and Proctor wrestle with their guilt. By upholding the strictures of Puritanism‚ Reverends Wilson and Paris intensify guilt and demonstrate the cruelty of their religion. The harshness of Puritan culture reveals itself through guilt. The weight of remorse is crushing; those
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The Puritan lifestyle was influenced heavily by the church and Christian beliefs. According to Discovery Education‚ “Church was the cornerstone of the mainly Puritan society of the 17th century.” Puritan laws were extremely rigid and the members of society were expected to follow a strict moral code. Due to this fact‚ anything that was believed to go against this code was considered a sin and deserved to be punished. The Puritans also believed strongly in the wrath of God and did everything they
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expressing her religion‚ but so did Cotton Mather. In “The Wonders of the Invisible World”‚ Mather’s runs into problems in his colony with things such as witchcraft. Mathers wanted to protect his Puritan beliefs and did not want evil teachings to corrupt others religious views. Mathers believed in the persecution of this witches to keep the Puritans and their believes safe. Mathers had a strong religious background and was a preacher. As a preacher his job was to protect his church from the devil that
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1640’s. Embellished with symbols and hidden themes‚ the novel tells “a tale of human frailty and sorrow” (Hawthorne 46). In addition to human flaw and sadness‚ the novel reveals inhumane punishment and torture from the government and citizens of Puritan society. All of these subjects are given a deeper meaning through symbols. These symbols help manifest the undertones of man vs. nature. The rose bush‚ prison‚ scaffold and brook represent complex and essential symbols in The Scarlet Letter. Hawthorne
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history”. Upon his first appearance‚ John Proctor is presented as a rational‚ honest man; however‚ it soon becomes apparent that great guilt lies beneath his virtuous front. The consequences of his past mistakes lead him (and his wife) to be accused of witchcraft. Faced with the decision to either confess or hang for his “crimes”‚ Proctor explains to his wife that he feels that dying for moral principle would be nothing but pretence for him‚ that a sinner has no right to die as would a saint: “I am no good
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caused unnecessary violence‚ biased courts‚ and resulted in a severely skewed perception of reality‚ First‚ the Puritans are considered an extremist religious group. For example‚ it is illegal to skip church‚ women aren’t treated as equals‚ and believe every wrongdoing is punishable by God. Furthermore‚ you must understand these are not necessarily good people at heart. In fact‚ Puritans live an intolerant‚ bigoted‚ narcissistic lifestyle; believing anybody who isn’t a devoted man of God is being
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