A Trial In History

an article on how the Salem witch trials relates to today's world problems

 Saducismus Triumohatus was a book written by Joseph Glanvill in 1681, highlighting the significance of believing in the Supernatural, the Devil and witches.  The book emphasised that acknowledging the three meant the acknowledgment of God, and therefore the book served a much greater purpose to a society living in a theocracy.

 What that purpose did ignite was fear. 1692 was the year where the Salem witch trials took place in colonised Massachusetts, where around two hundred people were accused and tried for witchcraft and around twenty were executed.  The ‘witch hunt’ started with two girls who fell ill for unknown reasons and started displaying behaviours which fuelled the public's already indoctrinated fear. They were labelled as the ‘afflicted girls’.

  It wasn’t surprising that these girls were tried because of sheer ignorance displayed by the public. The probability of them developing a mental illness or any form of disease wasn’t even considered. That very ignorance wasn’t just limited to different behaviour, but also those who chose not to conform to societal values. Women who chose to dress differently or have physical disabilities were also accused. People also included in these fallacious accusations where those who criticized the ‘witch hunt’. A farmer named John Proctor was also tried for denying witch craft, since according to Joseph Glanvill, rejecting the belief in witchcraft was rejecting the belief in God, making him a blasphemer as well. Anyone who showed hints of rejection towards the belief in witchcraft was labelled as someone rejecting religious beliefs and belief in God Himself, making the person subject to terrorism and attacks.

   

  But was fear the only factor that resulted in these mass executions? Dilcouerie of witchcraft was a treatise written in 1584 by Reginald Scot. Scot claimed that ‘witch hunt’ was irrational and not a part of Christianity. He presented it with psychological and sociological reasons. More than the fear factor, it was a method of displacement. Guilt or any other forms of negative emotions were pushed on to those seen as less threatening. For example, in his work, Scot argued that ‘those who denied charity to poor women sometimes led the deniers to accuse these women of witch craft’. And this was exactly what had happened. Reverend Samuel Parris accused his house servant Tibuta as a witch to explain and to save his daughter, who experienced fits, contorting pain and fever. Social reasons were just as much of a reason leading to these heinous trials. While the heads of the area were in England dealing with the Massachusetts Charter, their absence created a political vacuum. Witchcraft and black magic was seen as the only viable excuse to explain the reasons for the instability. So it all came down to fear which was created by a psychological turmoil in the collective minds of the people and sociological disruption.

  A society works similar to the three psyches of the human mind. According to a Freudian School of Thought, the ID, the super ego and the ego all work together to function and rectify behaviour. Where the ID seeks pleasure and irrationality, the super ego creates a conscience and a self righteous nature. If either becomes dominant in a society it can lead to mass hysteria similar to the behaviour displayed in the Salem witchcraft trials. It leads to irrationality, assuaged violence and diminished reasoning. The ID being those who seek pleasure in dominating others and making them conform to society, and taking any sort of drastic measure to make sure otherwise. The super ego is displayed by those who disregard any other belief and live in a little bubble of righteousness rendering anyone different as a danger to society. Ego is needed to instil rational thinking similar to how laws and Principles for a reality check. If, during the trials society chose to listen to reasoning, cross examination with a mind not clouded by zealots and fear then these mass executions could have been avoided.

  Despite this mass hysteria occurring in the 16^th century we saw waves of it in later times during World War II and the cold war, and even now in a modern society in the form of terrorism and racism. We live in a world where we use the weak as a scapegoat to explain and justify our heinous actions. We seek shelter in fear of the inexplicable and in turn, transform that fear into a driving force to control those who are different from us. Values suited for us cannot always suit others. But we still choose to let the two extreme psyches in society destroy them with the belief that we are purging society from what we think is wrong. By the end of all this we should really ask ourselves; do we really learn from history? Or, are these tragic events just trials for us, just like the trials in Salem.  

Author's Note

i chose not to add too much detail regarding tragic events in today's time. i didn't want to come off as biased or offensive to anyone who has varying opinions. the point of this is explained in the last para

Reviews

[barleygirl]

Overall, this is a well-organized & researched article that reads like a college paper. Your arguments are interesting & lead logically thru the various points you're making here, until finally ending up with what appears to be a comparison to today's times where we are marginalizing people who are weak/different. All this is well done & stated assertively without being the slightest bit controversial by coloring this discussion with political rhetoric.

Now . . . there's something that I didn't quite get from this reading & it's very subtle, so I'll try to explain. I knew what you were talking about, thru-out this piece, but there were times when I felt you could've put out some clear sign-posts for the reader to follow a little better what point(s) you're trying to make, as we go along.

Here's an example -- paragraph 3: "It wasn’t surprising that these girls were tried because of sheer ignorance." -- this sounds like the girls were ignorant, not the people trying them. This would be the signpost statement I'm referring to & it's good to have a signpost like this, but the message is not entirely clear to point the way as to where this discussion is going. I think in 3 or 4 places, such a signpost could be stronger & clearer. This is especially needed becuz your writing is quite erudite & there are many readers who will not be able to grasp the level of your knowledge here.

Another thing I noticed is that you refer to ID, superego & ego as if that's the facts about human nature. It is not. This is only a Freudian viewpoint & there are other viewpoints in psychology. This concept could be made a little more clear for people who have no idea who the hell Freud was or what he taught.

Overall, tho, I find it very informative & a sign of your brilliant thinking mind to put together an essay about how today's separatist mindset is based on similar aspects of history such as the Salem witch trials. There is a sore lack of intelligent information to read & I love it when a writer is precise & truthful & well-researched like this.

[pia]

Thank you so much for your review !!!! I will just use your review points to edit this
And will keep your advice as help for when i write my next article
(((Hugs)))

[Ruth]

Interesting post pia...I would say most never learn from history and the Salem Witch Trials were as brutal as other trials since, it wasn't until 1951 that the law against Witchcraft was repealed...papers like the Witches Hammer also brought about horrific witch hunts and tortures...the depths of barbarity was awful...I only hope such things can remain in the past now...only time will tell...

[pia]

You are so right
We need to develop a rational thought process.
Impulsiveness leads to rash and unfavourable decisions

[Paul Bell]

Like your story. If i remember right, they threw witches into the river In Britain, with the premise being. If you drowned, you weren't a witch. If you floated, you were. Then they probably hanged you anyway. One thing we notice in history. It always repeats. Now the Zealots wear suits, push buttons. But the results are the same.

[pia]

You are so right. We never seem to learn. !!

[Rassoul]

Such an amazing story, worth reading!
But I guess not so many will relate to it but I really loved your work.

[pia]

Eh its not always about relating
Sometimes one just needs food for thought or knowledge lolread moreEh its not always about relating
Sometimes one just needs food for thought or knowledge lol
But anyway thanks for reviewing !!!

[Farhan Shaikh]

Even i don't see any offense in.learning more about this but yeah, i think there are people with varying opinion..
i really this work,
Explanation of the books are outstanding..very very good job

[pia]

Thanks farhan !!

[Surya]

I seen no offense in any of your writes, actually you are trying to educate with different themes, I appreciate that.....And believe me am learning a lot from your writes..
Coming to your story, Well it's usually the mindset of people defines but we cannot charge others for our sake rite...So we should change our state of mind ....I seen this in your 5 and 6th para, and I agree with it....We must learn good always keeping bad as lessons.....I honestly loved it....:)

[pia]

Thanks surya
But honestly its because you are a tolerant open minded person. Many people arent so i had to add soem restrictions. Even if i didnt choose to elaborate as long as i portrayed the message im satisfied
Thanks for your review !!

[Surya]

I do understand that...It's my plseaure...:)

[Wajiha Nayeem]

this is a really good write...i loved it and everything was so perfect and so nice!...great work!

[pia]

Thank you wajiha
And happy birthday to you loool

[Wajiha Nayeem]

pleasure girl...thanks so much.

[Eliazar]

This is a really good attempt at objectifying some of the factors that heavily impact our society today. The way you've used a mixture of history and psychology to rationalize your point is really impressive. Although you've left things out to make sure you don't offend anyone, you've still written a very compelling piece. AMAZING!

[pia]

Ya i could have written so much more. But i need to keep peoples emotional sentiments towards stuff in view. Dont want haters or fights. XD so i just left it as food for thought.

[pia]

Oh look apparently im talking to my fake account ahahah lol

[Joey Nizz]

Your explanation of what went on in the book was outstanding.
This was a really good write, its making wanna read the book.

Thank you for sharing Pia

[pia]

Im glad you liked it!!

[N.]

I felt like I was taking History of Psychology all over again. You did an amazing job explaining what people ( mostly women lest be honest) had to go through if they had some sort of mental health problems. Also, you a awesome job explaining the Id, Ego and Superego and their functions. Great history lesson for us to learn form. Also, it ended very strong. The last paragraph was really food for thought. The only think I can think of to explain your last paragraph as if it was a mirror held up for our society to see ourselves for what we really are.

[pia]

Thanks !! Glad you liked it