The Crucible - Witch Trials Essays - Salem Witch Trials, Free Essays

The Crucible - Witch Trials Essays - Salem Witch Trials, Free Essays The Crucible - Witch Trials In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the madness of the Salem witch trials is explored in great detail. There are many theories as to why the witch trials came about, the most popular of which is the girls' suppressed childhoods. However, there were other factors as well, such as Abigail Williams' affair with John Proctor, the secret grudges that neighbors held against each other, and the physical and economic differences between the citizens of Salem Village. From a historical viewpoint, it is known that young girls in colonial Massachusetts were given little or no freedom to act like children. They were expected to walk straight, arms by their sides, eyes slightly downcast, and their mouths were to be shut unless otherwise asked to speak. It is not surprising that the girls would find this type of lifestyle very constricting. To rebel against it, they played pranks, such as dancing in the woods, listening to slaves' magic stories and pretending that other villagers were bewitching them. The Crucible starts after the girls in the village have been caught dancing in the woods. As one of them falls sick, rumors start to fly that there is witchcraft going on in the woods, and that the sick girl is bewitched. Once the girls talk to each other, they become more and more frightened of being accused as witches, so Abigail starts accusing others of practicing witchcraft. The other girls all join in so that the blame will not be placed on them. In The Crucible, Abigail starts the accusations by saying, "I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!" Another girl, Betty, continues the cry with, "I saw George Jacobs with the Devil! I saw Goody Howe with the Devil!" >From here on, the accusations grow and grow until the jails overflow with accused witches. It must have given them an incredible sense of power when the whole town of Salem listened to their words and believed each and every accusation. After all, children were to be seen and not heard in Puritan society, and the newfound attention was probably overwhelming. In Act Three of The Crucible, the girls were called before the judges to defend themselves against the claims that they were only acting. To prove their innocence, Abigail led the other girls in a chilling scene. Abby acted as if Mary Warren sent her spirit up to the rafters and began to talk to the spirit. "Oh Mary, this is a black art to change your shape. No, I cannot, I cannot stop my mouth; it's God's work I do." The other girls all stared at the rafters in horror and began to repeat everything they heard. Finally, the girls' hysterics caused Mary Warren to accuse John Proctor of witchcraft. Once the scam started, it was too late to stop, and the snowballing effect of wild accusations soon resulted in the hanging of many innocents. After the wave of accusations began, grudges began to surface in the community. Small slights were made out to be witchcraft, and bad business deals were blamed on witchery. Two characters in The Crucible, Giles Corey and Thomas Putnam, argue early on about a plot of land. Corey claims that he bought it from Goody Nurse but Putnam says he owns it, and Goody Nurse had no right to sell it. Later, when Putnam's daughter accuses George Jacobs of witchery, Corey claims that Putnam only wants Jacobs' land. Giles says, "If Jacobs hangs for a witch he forfeit up his property - that's law! And there is none but Putnam with the coin to buy so great a piece. This man is killing his neighbors for their land!" Others also had hidden motives for accusing their neighbors. Once the accusations began, everyone had a reason to accuse someone else which is why the hangings got so out of hand. The wave of accusations can be likened to mass hysteria, in which the people involved are so caught up that they start having delusions of neighbors out to do them harm. One of the main

8 Tips for Effective Revision

8 Tips for Effective Revision 8 Tips for Effective Revision If youve got exams coming up, youll probably be hard at work revising. But how can you ensure that your time spent revising is worthwhile? Weve prepared our top 8 revision tips to help you get in shape for those tests! 1. Start with Good Notes Ok, so this might not help you now, but its definitely something you can do going forwards. Make sure you take clear, legible notes in class so that when you come back to them they make sense! Try highlighting them with a color-coding system as part of your revision. It really helps you to make sense of them. 2. Make a Revision Timetable If youve got several tests to revise for, it might be helpful to make a timetable so that you can make sure you are spending enough time on each subject. Stick it up on your wall and try to follow it. 3. Take a Break When making your timetable, make sure you add in breaks. Ideally, you should have a 5-minute break once every half hour. Get up, stretch, have a cup of coffee, or go for a walk outside. Taking regular breaks will help your brain to function more effectively. 4. Sort Out your Revision Space The first thing you should do before revising is to tidy your revision space. If it is clear and uncluttered, you will find it much easier to work. 5. Dont Memorize, Summarize! Dont just re-read your notes, try making a summary of them in your own words. This will help you to remember them as you will have to process the words rather than simply reading them. Its surprising how much you can read whilst daydreaming! 6. Use Past Papers Your course tutor will probably be able to provide you with some past papers if you ask. There might even be some available on the Internet. Make sure you time yourself and use proper exam conditions. 7. Use Visual Aids If you have a visual brain, you might find it helpful to create charts or infographics. Doodling the main facts out can be a great way of making summaries of your notes. The funnier these are, the more you should remember the information! 8. Eat, Sleep, Run! Dont forget that your body needs fuel, rest, and exercise for your brain to function well. Dont be tempted to cram all night before a test. Plan out your revision for a few weeks before the test and dont do any revision at all the day before. Instead, go for a swim, eat well and go to bed early. Have a banana and plenty of water for breakfast and your brain will be on top form!