Who is part of the community in Salem? Who is excluded? How and why does the trial change they typical order of the community? What happens to the community when the order is changed?
The community of Salem is a very simple one with the majority of the people spending the majority of their time on hard work and church service. On the top of the social food chain are those who are wealthier, those who own land, and those who are high up in the church. On the bottom of the food chain are slaves (such as Tituba), unwed young girls (such as Abigail and Mary), and social outcasts (such as Sarah Good and Goody Osburn). The witch trials succeed in giving power to the otherwise powerless. Beforehand, no one would have listened to a word Abigail said, but now she possesses the power to simply speak someone's name and have them arrested. As a slave, no one would have asked Tituba's opinion on anything, but now she also holds the fate of everyone in the community in her hands. This hunger for power almost leads to the destruction of the community.
I agree with your statement and truly admire the full insight into how people fit into the social hierarchy. The way that Abigail and Tituba so easily gained control in society was alarming because of their status. But I believe that if perhaps those lower on the food chain had not been ignored and mistreated, the community would not have fallen apart as it did during the trials.
The community of Salem seems to be how most communities were of that time. The people who owned land, were an officer of some sort, or who were a big part of the church, had more power and say in the community than the common person. The landowners had workers to work in the field and there was often help hired cheaply for the house work. The people who are excluded are those who were deemed witches. They were normally lonely and did not play a big part in the church or in the community. The trial changed the order of the community because the people who had power, like the people who owned land or livestock of some sort, lost any social rank in the community. A lot of the trial was "he said" "she said" and there was difficulty finding "evidence" against someone accused of witchery. The community finds itself in shambles. No one can trust another person. Everybody is forced to watch every step they take so they do not get accused of being a witch. The power shift forced many parts of the community to shut down as well. People who owned land who were called to court were forced to leave their farms, leaving no one to tend to them. A lot of money and order was lost due to the trials.
Salem consist of several good Puritans. The people who live by their beliefs, help the community, and are in good regard by other citizens. Salem did also exclude people. The people who did not share their religious views, the homeless, and those who did not help the community were excluded. The trials changed how the community was ran for centuries. Prior to the trials many people had judicial immunity. Throughout time many officials were in a sense above the law, but that was not the case during the witch trials. Anyone could have been accused and sent to court for practicing witch craft at any time. This was not typically seen in a courtroom or in a community. After that, the community collapsed. The judges were no longer highly regarded and the typical 'good citizen' could no longer be trusted.
The people who are included in Salem's community are those who exemplify their traditional Puritan values; individuals who work for the benefit of community while upholding their strict moral guidelines like Reverend Samuel Parris and Judge Hathorne do are good examples. Those who fall outside this category, like the homeless, the troublesome, or the lazy, are not included.
The events of the trial, however, quickly renders these distinctions moot. After those outside the typical Salemite's moral and economical standards were incarcerated, the rest of Salem's population quickly becomes just as viable of a target. People who had once been looked at as the very definition of an upstanding citizen were being accused of consorting with the devil, changed from good Christians to enemies of God in an instant. The effect on the order of the community was as fatal the noose that their government was slipping it's citizens' necks; the amount of misery caused in the name of their most treasured values utterly decimated any sense of community that Salem once held.
Salem was set up like typical communities of the time. What made Salem different and more vulnerable to something like the Salem witch trials was that it was a strong Puritan community. Because of the strong religious beliefs, any activity that could even be slightly related to the Devil or witchcraft was a major upset and was viewed harshly. The community of Salem only includes the wealthy, good puritans, church officials, and people with high ranking jobs. Everyone else is excluded, given very little rights and looked down upon. These people who were not included in the community were the first to be targeted, because they were the ones that were expected to be bad. Also, Abigail and the other girls that start the accusing of witchcraft were in the excluded part of the community. By starting the trials they were given power and importance that they had never had before. The community crumbles during the trails when the accusations move from the easy targets to the women of importance. When any good Puritan or land owner could be accused of being a witch, it caused everyone to have to watch their back and brought everyone to the same level.
I agree with how strict the rules in Salem are at the time. There was a very thin margin of error the citizens had. I also like how you mentioned the shift of views from where they started looking at the anyone for accusations. That idea of anyone possibly being guilty shifts the typical view at a time where a lot of higher up people had judicial immunities.
The Salem community is largely like the community of the modern small town. The wealthiest, most established families are granted the most power in the society, while the poor or newly arrived citizens are excluded, treated with distrust and/or disrespect. The trial changed this trusted order completely. Once the inhabitants of Salem realized that with one word, they could dethrone the most respected woman or man in the town, they cashed in their grudges and accused their friends, neighbors and elders. The new order of Salem let the 'bewitched' have all the power.
The community of Salem is a very simple one with the majority of the people spending the majority of their time on hard work and church service. On the top of the social food chain are those who are wealthier, those who own land, and those who are high up in the church. On the bottom of the food chain are slaves (such as Tituba), unwed young girls (such as Abigail and Mary), and social outcasts (such as Sarah Good and Goody Osburn). The witch trials succeed in giving power to the otherwise powerless. Beforehand, no one would have listened to a word Abigail said, but now she possesses the power to simply speak someone's name and have them arrested. As a slave, no one would have asked Tituba's opinion on anything, but now she also holds the fate of everyone in the community in her hands. This hunger for power almost leads to the destruction of the community.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement and truly admire the full insight into how people fit into the social hierarchy. The way that Abigail and Tituba so easily gained control in society was alarming because of their status. But I believe that if perhaps those lower on the food chain had not been ignored and mistreated, the community would not have fallen apart as it did during the trials.
DeleteThe community of Salem seems to be how most communities were of that time. The people who owned land, were an officer of some sort, or who were a big part of the church, had more power and say in the community than the common person. The landowners had workers to work in the field and there was often help hired cheaply for the house work. The people who are excluded are those who were deemed witches. They were normally lonely and did not play a big part in the church or in the community. The trial changed the order of the community because the people who had power, like the people who owned land or livestock of some sort, lost any social rank in the community. A lot of the trial was "he said" "she said" and there was difficulty finding "evidence" against someone accused of witchery. The community finds itself in shambles. No one can trust another person. Everybody is forced to watch every step they take so they do not get accused of being a witch. The power shift forced many parts of the community to shut down as well. People who owned land who were called to court were forced to leave their farms, leaving no one to tend to them. A lot of money and order was lost due to the trials.
ReplyDeleteSalem consist of several good Puritans. The people who live by their beliefs, help the community, and are in good regard by other citizens. Salem did also exclude people. The people who did not share their religious views, the homeless, and those who did not help the community were excluded. The trials changed how the community was ran for centuries. Prior to the trials many people had judicial immunity. Throughout time many officials were in a sense above the law, but that was not the case during the witch trials. Anyone could have been accused and sent to court for practicing witch craft at any time. This was not typically seen in a courtroom or in a community. After that, the community collapsed. The judges were no longer highly regarded and the typical 'good citizen' could no longer be trusted.
ReplyDeleteThe people who are included in Salem's community are those who exemplify their traditional Puritan values; individuals who work for the benefit of community while upholding their strict moral guidelines like Reverend Samuel Parris and Judge Hathorne do are good examples. Those who fall outside this category, like the homeless, the troublesome, or the lazy, are not included.
ReplyDeleteThe events of the trial, however, quickly renders these distinctions moot. After those outside the typical Salemite's moral and economical standards were incarcerated, the rest of Salem's population quickly becomes just as viable of a target. People who had once been looked at as the very definition of an upstanding citizen were being accused of consorting with the devil, changed from good Christians to enemies of God in an instant. The effect on the order of the community was as fatal the noose that their government was slipping it's citizens' necks; the amount of misery caused in the name of their most treasured values utterly decimated any sense of community that Salem once held.
Salem was set up like typical communities of the time. What made Salem different and more vulnerable to something like the Salem witch trials was that it was a strong Puritan community. Because of the strong religious beliefs, any activity that could even be slightly related to the Devil or witchcraft was a major upset and was viewed harshly. The community of Salem only includes the wealthy, good puritans, church officials, and people with high ranking jobs. Everyone else is excluded, given very little rights and looked down upon. These people who were not included in the community were the first to be targeted, because they were the ones that were expected to be bad. Also, Abigail and the other girls that start the accusing of witchcraft were in the excluded part of the community. By starting the trials they were given power and importance that they had never had before. The community crumbles during the trails when the accusations move from the easy targets to the women of importance. When any good Puritan or land owner could be accused of being a witch, it caused everyone to have to watch their back and brought everyone to the same level.
ReplyDeleteI agree with how strict the rules in Salem are at the time. There was a very thin margin of error the citizens had. I also like how you mentioned the shift of views from where they started looking at the anyone for accusations. That idea of anyone possibly being guilty shifts the typical view at a time where a lot of higher up people had judicial immunities.
DeleteThe Salem community is largely like the community of the modern small town. The wealthiest, most established families are granted the most power in the society, while the poor or newly arrived citizens are excluded, treated with distrust and/or disrespect. The trial changed this trusted order completely. Once the inhabitants of Salem realized that with one word, they could dethrone the most respected woman or man in the town, they cashed in their grudges and accused their friends, neighbors and elders. The new order of Salem let the 'bewitched' have all the power.
ReplyDelete