Salem Witch Trials And The Evil example essay topic

In the town of Salem, Massachusetts 1692, where madness was at a peek, talk of the devil was in the air and neighbors were accusing each other of witchcraft, evil found its home. However when dealing with the madness, it is hard to put the blame on a single soul because everybody was responsible in their own way. But of all of Salem three people stand out the most: the Negro slave from Barbados named Tituba, the strict and loyal Governor Danforth, and the orphan girl Abigail. These three show that their actions cause a lot of pain and panic in Salem. Tituba is in her early forties and was brought to Salem by Rev. Parris as a slave.

After the teenage girls were being questioned about all of them dancing naked in the woods Abigail was quick to put the blame Tituba. ' Abigail, it may be your cousin is dying. Did you call the devil last night?' ;' I never called him! Tituba, Tituba...

' ; Pg. 42 Tituba then confesses to compacting with the devil and starts the witch-hunt in Salem by telling Mr. Hale that she had seen 4 people with devil. She then further involves herself by admitting that the devil called out to her. ' He say Mr. Parris must be kill! Mr. Parris no goodly man, Mr. Parris mean man and no gentle man, and he bid me rise out of my bed and cut your throat! But I tell him 'No!

I don't hate that man. I don't want to kill that man. ' ; But he say, 'You work for me, Tituba, and I make you free! I give you pretty dress to wear, and put you way high up in the air, and you gone fly back to Barbados!' ; And then he come one stormy night to me, and he say, 'Look! I have white people belong to me. ' ; And I look -- -- and there was Goody Good.

' ; Pg. 47 These words caused Panic throughout Salem, and now the court was out to Persecute anybody that was accused and did not confess. Deputy Governor Danforth is a man that takes his position very seriously. This however is what caused his downfall at the end. Being so conscious of the witch situation in Salem and also having such a high power of influence as a judge, Danforth made it his duty to find and persecute all those guilty of witchery. But Danforth was basing his persecutions on whatever the girls would say or whoever they would accuse, and not on solid evidence. ' I judge nothing.

I tell you straight, mister -- -I have seen many marvels in this court. I have seen people choked before my eyes by spirits; I have seen them stuck by pins and slashed by daggers. I have until this moment not the slightest reason to suspect that the children may be deceiving me. Do you understand my meaning?' ; Pg. 91 Danforth has seen a lot of witchcraft in his position of judge so what he is seeing right now is no surprise to him.

But even when the girls made these accusations towards the elderly women, he still took their word and chose to persecute the women because he needed someone to take the blame in Salem. ' Now, children, this is a court of law. The law, based upon the Bible, and the Bible, writ by Almighty God, forbid the practice of witchcraft and describe death as the penalty thereof. But likewise, children, the law and Bible damn all bearers of false witness. ' ; Pg. 102 Danforth took the Bible so serious as a judge, that he based punishment and law solely on this. Because of this, he sent many of the innocent to hang and also set free those who were actually guilty.

If there was one person to blame in Salem it would have to be Abigail. Being overcome by her lust for John Procter she was enticed into making a spell that would cause his wife to die so she would have him to herself. When this failed she continued to scheme and came up with the idea to accuse Elizabeth Procter of being a witch and having seen her with the devil. Her secret however was not safe with the other children and she sensed this. 'Now look you.

All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam's dead sisters. And that is all. And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to your in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.

And you know I can do it. ' ; Pg. 20 Threatening the others put a scare to them and they did not want to disobey Abigail because they knew she was not lying. But just accusing one person was not enough for Abigail. After first hearing Tituba accuse Sarah Good, Abigail thought this would be the easiest way to clear her name in the town. She wanted to be opened to god she let the town know this.

' I want to open myself! I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the devil! I saw Goody Osborn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!' ; Pg. 48 Now the court was out to get all of these women because they were falsely believed to be witches and this was exactly what Abigail and the girls wanted.

Salem was crazed because people were being dragged out of their houses and put on trial for being accused as witches, and if they did not confess, whether they were innocent or not, they were to hang. The town of Salem was never the same again after the witch trials. The government overthrew the courts of law and the Bible was no longer used as the primary source for Punishment. Abigail's mischievous ways got her sent to Boston were she was prostituting to make a living. Deputy Governor Danforth's name was blackened due the horrible way he had handled the situation resulting in the loss of several innocent lives. Tituba was able to get back to her mainland, Barbados, still trying to avoid the grip of the devil.

But after all of this, even today people still talk about the Salem witch trials and the evil they brought..