Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
Oh, didn't know that. I guess it wouldn't be a good story if that were the case.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
Oh, didn't know that. I guess it wouldn't be a good story if that were the case.
I think him changing the facts was for the purpose of the story and to make it more... believable (if that's even a word). I don't think Miller said that he was retelling the processes as they happened, as far as I'm concerned he just used the themes and characters and whatnot to get a point across, in which case him changing the facts would be unimportant for the message, unless you're looking for historical value of the play.
I just can't seem to figure out how the adults were pulled in by the young girls, and in the end wasn't it just Danforth (was that his name-the head judge guy) who believed the girls?
Look at all the sexual abuse cases in the last ten years, maybe longer, especially the daycares...i think alot of parents help their children to make sense of things, they add on to the stories, they push the kids to tell and the kids get attention. Not all that simple, but it's a small posting box.
You mean parents put words into their children's mouths? It is a possibility... In the play, the adults sometimes ask 'what do you see?'/'do you see something?' and the girls start describing things...
To answer papaya's question... I also wondered that while reading. I think the girls felt the need to blame witchcraft why they were dancing in the forest etc... And since they admitted their 'sin', people thought they had to be telling the truth when they gave others' names...
Even from the beginning there was a bit of a fear of witchcraft, maybe that was the catalyst. hmmm.......I wonder how/where that fear started? I may have to do some reading.....
Try to find "Memorable Providences". That's the book that is referred to in the trials.
The basis for the Salem trials was superstition but do you think we are still prone to public hysteria today?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
Maybe not to the same extent, but definately. The way the media rams things down peoples thoats.
Oh yeah, sometimes people seem to be looking for a witch to burn... figuratively speaking. All you need is a stupid idea and a lot of people following such a stupid idea.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
or a man with a flute and a nearby cliff...
I actually started reading the play again from page one in an attempt to efficiently participate in a discussion. I was surprised, as if I didn't realize it the first time, how perfectly poised the community was for a tragedy to occur.
The religious leader of these people, Mr. Parris, “believed he was being persecuted wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to his side”. A religious leader that felt persecuted by God? Who felt he needed to ‘win God to his side’? So, adding to the following points of tension fueled from the harsh environment, the community was also questioned on their faith every time they attended services, which were virtually mandatory. Services delivered, in the name of God, seeking vengeance for his unjust persecutions – so he believes.
The community of Salem was on the very edge of the 'savage frontier' and, until recently, was always on edge for fear of infringements from the Indians. “It (the American continent stretching endlessly west) stood, dark and threatening, over their shoulders night and day…” The older residents would be commonly anxious of the sudden appearance of a new threat. They were conditioned to be paranoid, and were likely frustrated constantly. To further illustrate this, “…the Salem folk believed that the virgin forest was the Devil’s last preserve, his home base and the citadel of his final stand. To the best of their knowledge the American forest was the last place on earth not paying homage to God”. They believed they were living on Hells doorstep. Fear and apprehension were inbred in the adults. The children could see this, even feel it in the air, but had no understanding of it.
Also, the produce of the community had recently begun to become more valuable and external dangers were diminishing, causing increased and more intense conflicts of personal competition. “…the time of the armed camp had almost passed, and since the country was reasonably – although not wholly – safe, the old disciplines were beginning to rankle.” Letting slip the vice “more than the creed, hard work kept the morals of the place from spoiling…” The necessity of unity for safety was slipping as the dangers from Indians was lessening and the rigid boundaries of the culture were softening, and the religious creed with it.
Salem was severely cut off from other civilized communities. Other civilized communities believed “…the whole province was a barbaric frontier inhabited by a sect of fanatics…” Isolated, the people of Salem “carried about an air of innate resistance, even of persecution. Their fathers had…been persecuted in England. So now they and their church found it necessary to deny any other sect its freedom, lest their New Jerusalem be defiled and corrupted by wrong ways and deceitful ideas.” They not only feared attack from savage, native Indians, but also from the other communities that didn’t share their ideas and beliefs.
All of these circumstances creating an innate paranoia and frustration in the daily lives of the adults among the community - but not the children. All of the paranoia and pent-up frustration simply bored and frustrated the children; not personally knowing the dangers that the older people have seen and experienced, the youth would not acknowledge the justification of such rigid society.
To set the tragedy up even more, the adults - at least most of them – “regarded them (the children) as young adults, … never conceived that the children were anything but thankful for being permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at the sides, and mouths shut until bidden to speak”.
Giving them credit for adult-like maturity (accounting for people believing their accounts of demonology) and, undoubtedly, underestimating their brazen creativity and the strain caused by the social depravity of the community, put the children in a prime position to achieve this facade.
Witchcraft was simply the most convenient enemy to accredit any semblance of sin.
*Not ideally structured - sorry.* I was just surprised at how 'on the verge' this community was.
Also, there were numerous instances of the adults 'leading' the children in their testimony. As touched on previously. Hale asked if 'something was moving in the pot' of Parris, who then volunteers he saw something move. Then, Abigail says there was a frog in it only after Hale suggested a list of living creatures that could have been in it, ending with 'frog'.
Later, when Mary was trying to convince the court that all of the girls were being pretensious, Abigail described 'a cold wind', which Hale had previously mentioned as typical of witchcraft, and she saw a bird in the rafters, which again Hale had previously suggested witches would cast images of things, including ?a yellow bird?.
I'm not certain, because my time is limited and I read slow, but I'd wager to say that any specific description of witchcraft was first described by an adult, before it was used by any of the children.
Yes, probably. The most significant thing about public hysteria is that the people do not understand that they are under it. They think that they are doing the right thing-Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
I would agree with you, Anselmus that the conditions in Salem were very suitable for such public hysteria.Quote:
Originally Posted by Anselmus
Religion played a very important role in these people's lives; they tried to lead religious lives to be rewarded with an afterlife in Heaven. Yet, they had just encountered with natives, whose way of life both unfamiliar and unusual to them. So it was very easy to accept the existance of some supernatural powers in play when they faced some unusual occurances among themselves and it is said before, children can be very impressionable.
Just as I was typing this message I could not help wondering if these rumours about witches and other so called 'supernatural' powers were spread by those 'who-know-better'... to keep people believing in God (as they will need some greater power to help them and seek refuge in religion), keep them coming to church etc. I don't mean only in Salem but in general. If people did not think that Satan is not out there, it would be hard to persuade them to lead 'religious' lives, I guess.
I think we can see examples of this in politics too... Create a so-called, dangerous enemy and if you manage to persuade people to its existance, you can then get them do anything you want with the promise of protection and safety.
You know what I just realized; shouting 'witch' in Salem during that time frame could be comparable to shouting 'terrorist' today... Incidently, I think it's kind of sad that just dawned on me, lol.
It's politics, I know, but I just had to post it somewhere.