Homo Economicus And Salem Witch Trials †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: What caused the Salem Witch Trials? Answer: The Massachusetts Bay colony town of Salem Village discover himself in February 1692 at the center of notorious controversy related with mass hysteria. There were eight young woman who had been accused of witchcraft by their neighbors. As a result, there were trials and at the end of the episode in May 1693, 14 woman, five men and two dogs had lost their lives for their supposedly supernatural crimes. In this way, the Salem Witch trials only place in the history. The mystery related with the hysteria and miscarriage of justice. Even today inspires new critiques. However, the question is that what were the causes behind the false accusations, mass hysteria and the laughs and due process? Scholars have tried to describe the causes of Salem Witch trials by using several physiological and economic theories (Mixon Jr. 181). The economic theories that have been used to describe the events at Salem are two folded. While according to the first, the trials have been attributed to an economic downturn that was the result of a 'little ice age' that was present between 1550 and 1800. According to the second, the socio-economic issues that were present in Salem itself were responsible for these trials. It has been claimed by some experts that as a result of the 'Little Ice Age' there was economic deterioration and the shortage of food that resulted in anti-witch fervour in the communities in the US and in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. Temperatures started to drop and the coldest periods were between 1680 and 1730. As a result of the economic hardships and the population growth decrease, there could be widespread scapegoating which can be seen in this era in the form of the prosecution of so-called witches (Caporael, 24). This was due to the widely held belief in the existence of the witches that could cause physical harm to others and can also have control over natural forces. The Salem Village was a poor agrarian counterpart of the neighboring Salem town, where wealthy merchants lived. Some experts claim that due to the economic difference as a result of which the village was geographically divided into two different groups comprising the poorer agrarian householders who were living in the western part of the village were in fear of the more prosperous neighbors who were living in the eastern side, near the town and were receiving economic benefits from it. In the end, due to the conflict between these two groups, there was a difference regarding the visions of community. The agrarian sense of public goodwill was in comparison with the capitalist sense of private interest. This conflict resulted in the frustrated westerners responding by bringing charges of witchcraft against the easterners. According to the physiological theories fungus poisoning and undiagnosed encephalitis has also been described as the causes behind witchcraft accusations and this mass hysteria (Spanos and Gottlieb 1391). It has been claimed by some authors that the girls were suffering from convulsive ergotism. It is a condition that is caused by a type of fungus, ergot that can be found in rye and the grains. As a result, hallucinatory, LSD-like effects are caused and the victims may suffer vertigo, extreme tingling, hallucination, crawling sensation on the skin and muscle contracts. In those days, Rye was the most prevalent grain used in Massachusetts area. As a result of the damp climate and long storage, there can be ergot infestation in the grains. There is another controversial theory that has been used to explain these witch trials. According to this theory, the girls were suffering from encephalitis lethargica. This was the inflammation of the brain. It is spread by birds and insects. The symptoms include headache, lethargy, fever, behavioral changes, etc. (Norton, 7). Therefore, it has been argued that some of the accusers have exhibited these symptoms. A doctor was called to examine the girls. As we could not find any underlying physical cause, he arrived at the conclusions that the girls were suffering from possession by witchcraft, which was a common diagnoses during those days regarding unseen conditions (Roach, 7). Therefore in the end, it can be said that the Salem witch trials have been caused due to the beliefs that the witches held in the Salem society. It was also accused the witches were causing strange diseases among the children. However these trials remain the most controversial ones in the history of Salem. The trials were conducted with such haste so that the large backlog of cases can be created that will be related with the witches in these courts. References Frances Hill, The Salem Witch Trials Reader. (New York: Da Capo Press, 2009), xix Franklin G. Mixon Jr. ""Homo Economicus" and the Salem Witch Trials," The Journal of Economic Education 31, no 2 (Taylor Francis, LTD 2000): 181. Linnda Caporael, "Ergotism: The Satan Loosed in Salem?" Science 192, no. 4234 (April 1976): 24 Marilynne K. Roach, The Salem Witch Trials: A Day-By-Day Chronicle of a Community Under Siege (New York City: Cooper Square Press), 7. Mary Beth Norton, In the Devil's Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692 (New York: Vintage Books: a Division of Random House, Inc., 2002), 17 Nicholas Spanos and Jack Gottlieb, "Ergotism and the Salem Village Witch Trials," Science 194, no. 4272 (Dec. 24, 1976): 1391.

They Are Our Grandparents, Our Relatives, Our Friends. They Essays

They are our grandparents, our relatives, our friends. They are the immigrants. They came from all over the world for many reasons, such as, religious persecution and racial tension, but the largest reason for coming to America was for freedom. The freedom to live where we want, to own property, to take part in the government and most importantly, the freedom to be treated like a human being. Coming over was extremely difficult. For some, there were good, seaworthy boats, but most boats were overcrowded, dirty, and disgusting. For Jews, the passage was extremely difficult because of the non-kosher ship food. People were pushed together like cattle. Most people became seasick. From one account came descriptions of unsanitary bathrooms. This, surely, must have been torture, but, hopefully, most immigrants found the dreadful trip to be worth the freedom at the other end. Ellis Island, also, was far from sanitary. The people would break down into lines, and walk by a doctor, trying to hide any physical problems. Children over two had to be able to walk by themselves. If the doctor noticed anything wrong he would use a piece of chalk to show the person required further inspection. If, this was indeed the case, the person would be set aside in a cage. Another test was that of sanity. An interpreter would ask each person a few questions just to find a sensible answer to test mental stability. The last and most feared doctor checked for disease by lifting the eyelid. He scared children, and probably spread more disease than the people he checked. From an eyewitness account, his gloves were not sterile, and he did not change or even wash them between examinations. I, myself, found this disgusting, and dangerous. Then, immigrants filed into lines by nationality to be questioned. The questions scared many people. Should they tell the truth or lie. Which answer would make sure that they could stay in America. Later, for Jews, help came. A group called the "Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society," (HIAS) told them to tell the truth, and helped them through the period between leaving the boat and getting settled in the west. Some officials were corrupt, and allowed bribes. This makes me wonder, if this was the land of freedom and justice as it had been claimed. Through the ordeal, one thing is certain. All of the immigrants passing through Ellis Island were scared and confused. It was one feeling that most of these people would probably be exposed to for the next few months. There were many restrictions. People with certain diseases would be sent back. Laws, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, would not let certain nationalities into America. In the early twentieth century it was decided that Japanese people would not be allowed into America. This was surely not the land of liberty that had been promised by our forefathers. One of the nationalities traveling to America were Jews. They were treated somewhat differently. This was probably because many of their countries would not accept them. The first Jews in the new world were Morranos from Spain. They fled their homeland because of the inquisition. They traveled from Spain to South America, and then to New Amsterdam. They, at first were rejected by Peter Stuyvesant, but petitioned the Dutch West India Company of Amsterdam, Holland, and, eventually were let into the colony. Stuyvesant was determined to make life hard for the Jews, and therefore denied them the right to build a synagogue. Luckily, for the Jews, the colony was soon to be taken over by the British. Under certain British naturalization laws, the Jews were able to build a synagogue in the colony. Jews in Savannah were accepted, but only to a degree. This was because of Samuel Nunes, a Jewish doctor who helped to stop a disease that had already killed many people. Even then, Jews were given land away from the main town. In the American Revolution Jews did not take any specific sides. Some believed that the freedom that they had gained under the English rule would be lost. Other felt that the taxes were too high and joined the Patriots. Later, in the Civil War, Jews took sides as everyone else. Their location meant everything. Jews in the north sided with the Union, and Jews in the south sided with the Confederacy. Unfortunately, a law was passed by Congress forbidding Jewish Chaplains in the Union army. Congress later passed a law stating that chaplains had to be "ministers of some religious denomination," which included Christian ministers and Jewish rabbis. Then, more trouble came for the Jews. Ulysees S.

Determinism essays

Determinism essays The modern philosopher in the quotation argues that Modern science is experimental because it uses the experiment to understand nature. According to him, this is true because nature can be explained by the cause-effect relationship. Modern science uses the experiment to prove events that are assumed to be true in advance. Before conducting the experiment we have assumptions or a theory in mind and we conduct experiment to prove them to be true. The theory itself, determines which experiment should be used and which results will be obtained. We get some results after experimenting, those results feed our theory. Based up on these theories we create new assumptions and from these assumptions a new theory is formed . Again to prove that newly formed theory we conduct experiments according to its own assumptions. Experiment turns into job of looking for answers to questions which come from the theory. Moreover those questions are dependent on assumptions. So we find ourselves in a cir cular reasoning when we are doing experiments. Here, experiment is done to confirm theory. There is no new innovation, we do experiment for finding out whats already there. Therefore, when the writer says experiments are set up for the sole purpose of asking whether and how nature follows the scheme preconceived he shows that he is a determinist and proves that there is a circular reasoning. Because in determinism events are determined by the former events, the pattern is determined. However this logic represents a basic limitation in the scientific description of nature because it excludes the chance factor, flexibility. Nature is not just a cause and effect relationship. To understand why this logic is a limitation to modern science we should examine what are the rules of this philosophy. In determinism the nature is seen as a closed system. In that closed system every event is the effect of the preceding one and at the same time c...

Bret Harte Essay Example for Free

Bret Harte Essay Choose cite format: APA MLA Harvard Chicago ASA IEEE AMA The United States has some of the best literature that has ever been written. American literature is very well refined and unique from other countries. In the writing world, American literature has not even been around that long. The past 337 years that America has been a country is relatively short compared to the thousands of years that literature has existed. The many great American writers are what make American literature able to overcome its short lifespan and be one of the greatest countries for literature in the world. From Washington Irving to Mark Twain, American authors are responsible for American literature’s current amazing state. One certain author played an especially important role in shaping a specific genre in American literature. Bret Harte is the man responsible for making the Western genre of literature popular. His stories are captivating. Bret Harte was able to contribute to the rise of American literature by shaping the Western genre so that other authors may adapt to his new style of writing, and by writing some of the most memorable stories of all time, such as â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat. † Bret Harte was born in Albany, New York, on August 25, 1836. He was raised as one of his family’s four children. Harte was very ill from ages six to ten, which gave him free time for reading (Franks 829). This time for reading had a great influence on Harte, giving him blocks for him to build on in his writing career. He was especially affected by the writings of British author Charles Dickens (Franks 829). His family was so poor, that they were unable to afford for him to finish school (Franks 829). When his father died in 1845, Harte and his family moved to Brooklyn. When his mother became engaged again, he and his family moved to Oakland, where his mother was married. His family was still very poor though. These times of hardship were also very influential on his writing. He was able to understand difficult struggles, thus making the problems that his characters face in his stories more interesting. He connected with his characters in many ways when they would experience times of hardship. His time in Oakland is what made him such a great â€Å"Western† writer. It made writing about the Wild West natural for him. Harte then moved to Union, California, but was run out of town after publishing a newspaper story about local white men slaughtering Indians. Harte married Anna Griswold, and they had four children together. They lived together in San Francisco, where Harte wrote most of his popular stories and became quite famous. During the height of his popularity, he signed a contract with The Atlantic Monthly for $10,000 for 12 stories a year, the most money then offered to a U. S. writer (â€Å"Hutchinson’s†). His fame led to his stories becoming even more popular, but it would also go to his head. The main genre used in most of Harte’s stories is the â€Å"Western†. According to The New Encyclopedia Britannica, the â€Å"Western† is defined as â€Å"an original genre of novels and short stories, motion pictures, and television and radio shows that are set in the American West, usually in the period from the 1850s to the end of the nineteenth century,† (598). An average Western story was about a cowboy fighting Indians or a sheriff catching a bad guy, but Harte made his special. Of those stories, one of the most popular is â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat. † This story is about a group of people who are kicked out of their town for being â€Å"bad† people. They set up camp together and attempted to work with each other to stay alive. The group experiences many setbacks, including a member betraying them, a long snowstorm, and a shortage of food. While the reader watches the story unfold, he or she starts to see that these people really are not that bad, and perhaps they did not deserve this punishment. This story is very different from the traditional Western stories. In â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat,† Harte is able to make criminals seem like good guys. Usually a â€Å"Western† is about a perfect main character, who stops the bad guys; but in this story, the main characters are some of the worst people in the town. His is also different from traditional â€Å"Westerns† in the way that it does not have any guns. When most people think of a â€Å"Western,† they think of guns, but Harte was able to change that. He wrote a story with no guns at all, and it is able to focus more on the characters and their feelings, rather than action and violence. Harte goes far beyond the ordinary way of writing with this story. In the opening paragraph of â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat,† Harte writes: As Mr. John Oakhurst, gambler, stepped into the main street of Poker Flat on the morning of the twenty-third of November, 1850, he was conscious of a change in its moral atmosphere since the preceding night. Two or three men, conversing earnestly together, ceased as he approached, and exchanged significant glances. There was a Sabbath lull in the air, which, in a settlement unused to Sabbath influences, looked ominous. (â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat†) As is visible in this paragraph, Harte was a very descriptive writer. He was able to paint a picture in the reader’s mind and effectively set his story’s mood. The characters that Harte used in this story were very significant. As said by Abby H. P. Werlock, his characters included â€Å"the stoic gambler, the soft-hearted prostitute, the unthinking drunk, and the vigilante committee driven by personal interests and blinded by the passion of a moment† (Werlcok). All of these characters that Harte used are still seen in many Western stories today. In fact, they are quite typical in modern Western stories, but Harte was the one to come up with them. Shaping the Western genre and writing some of the most memorable stories of all time, such as â€Å"The Outcasts of Poker Flat,† was how Bret Harte was able to contribute to the rise of American literature. After Harte’s era, â€Å"Westerns† became much more popular. He forever changed American literature to be much more Western themed. Harte will always be remembered as one of the best authors of all time, and more specifically, the man who changed the way Western stories are written. Bret Harte. (2016, Sep 06). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Henry Hill in Film of Goodfellas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Henry Hill in Film of Goodfellas - Essay Example A crucial example supporting this is the lifestyle that he led, which was full of riches. In addition, he himself claimed that he had always wanted to belong to a gang and it would have been a better achievement than being the President of the United States. In most instances, he had people supporting his actions and encouraging him, which meant that it would not be easy for him to leave the life. In fact, at one time, fully aware of the actions that Hill was involved in, his wife’s mother put up her house as bail so that Hill could leave jail. This is relentless support for crime and heinous actions in the society. This shows a huge difference between the films of the 60s where the gangs had no friends and the family members did not condone their behavior and could even have them arrested. Such actions bring many differences in the films that were produced between the 60s and the 90s. Therefore, Henry Hill is not portrayed as a villain that the audience wanted to see lose but one that was viewed as a hero. In fact, the audience wants them to succeed, when analyzing the storyline critically. Among the motives that prompted him to explore into criminality is money. He always wanted to live a good life and through crime, he managed to make enough to live expensive lifestyles. In addition, he wanted to make a name for himself in a neighborhood that he termed as ‘full of nobodies’. This can be taken to mean that he wanted to enter a social class of the group of people who were rich through the easiest ways available regardless of the morality involved. This depicts a desire for materialism. His main reason was to avoid being poor. This movement into crime seems justified to him because he had very many reasons to justify himself.

Marketing mix of Coca-cola in the United Kingdom and the United States Essay

Marketing mix of Coca-cola in the United Kingdom and the United States - Essay Example The Coca-Cola brand name was developed because of the ascetic value of the two Cs and the thought that this would make the company name stand out. In 1887 the extract and syrup for Coca-Cola was copyrighted. At this point, Asa Chandler became involved in the company, and attained personal control of both the formula and patents. He finally purchases the company in 1892 and continues to advertise the product and grow the company. In 1899, Chandler contracts a Chattanooga company to bottle Coca-Cola, a distribution technique that the company continues today. By 1913, the company was spending more than $1 million annually in advertising, had began expansion into Asia and was distributed through upwards of 415,000 retailers. In 1916, the contour bottle was developed, a distinctive advertising tool that was used to ensure recognisability of Coca-Cola. A substantial change came about for the Coca-Cola Company in 1919 when it was purchased by a group of investors, head of which was Earnest Woodruff. Throughout the following decades, the company continued to develop, including the use of movie stars in advertising for the product, overseas bottling and the presence of Coca-Cola in South Africa, Australia and Austria. As the company continues to develop, additional beverages are added, and the distribution of the products expands throughout the world . Coca-Cola is now the most recognizable brand of soft drink worldwide, and may be the most recognizable brand of any industry. Currently, Coca-Cola products are present in more than 200 countries and it is estimated that 1.7 billion servings of products are consumed each day. Worldwide, the company employs 139,600 staff members . The company is the largest beverage company... This essay will examine the marketing mix employed by Coca-Cola in two countries, the United States, where the brand was first developed and the United Kingdom. This consists of four key components, known as the 4Ps: product, price, promotion and placement. Coca-Cola has become a household name worldwide since its humble beginnings 125 years ago. Much of this growth comes from Coca-Colas innovative marketing methods and the way that the company quickly responds to changes in demand and public opinion. This can be seen in the use of Santa Claus as an icon to increase winter sales and the recent marketing work to associate Coca-Cola with happiness. Coca-Cola has a large product line, which differs depending on the country. The USA and UK are different markets with different market environments, although they do have many similarities. For the most part, Coca-Cola has continued with its global strategy of using a general advertising approach, rather than one that is specific to country. The main differences in marketing mix between the UK and the USA is the focus that the UK has on the environment and the need for additional information on packaging for the UK market that is not required in the US market. This trend may continue within the UK, creating significant differentiation between the two markets but currently Coca-Cola effectively in both countries uses most of the same marketing mix.

The Changing Mattress Business Essay -- Economy, Economic Downturn

Changes in the global environment, in conjunction with the deepest and most prolonged economic downturn since the Great Depression, have started a sea change in the domestic mattress industry. The end of conspicuous consumption for big-ticket items such as mattresses and foundations, is the result of declining new home sales, tightening of consumer credit, the consumer confidence index still well below pre-recessionary levels (Wang, 2010), and unemployment hovering near 10%. In order to remain viable in rapidly changing global and task environments, mattress manufacturers will need to lower material and manufacturing costs, develop products that differentiate them from their competitors, or develop new channels of distribution for their products. Domestic production of mattresses and foundations in 2010 was slightly below 6 billion dollars and almost 16% less than the peak mattress production of 2007 (International Sleep Products Association, 2010). Many consumers have lost confidence in the economic state of the country and therefore have begun to believe that, as Newt Gingrich said recently, "if you can’t afford to buy a house, don’t buy it" (Gingrich, 2010). The economic downturn has signaled the end of conspicuous consumption, defined as â€Å"the act or practice of spending money on expensive things that are not necessary in order to impress other people† (Merrian-Webster's Leaner's Dictionary, 2010). Identify functional and dysfunctional control systems within your own organization I am currently a Senior Vice-President of Sales for King Koil Licensing (â€Å"King Koil†). The company licenses mattress-manufacturing facilities, called licensees, both domestically and internationally, to produce the brands that King Koil owns. The l... ...ving the wherewithal to maintain our lifestyle will be difficult to achieve if this strategy fails. From a professional standpoint, I have had a certain level of success as a retail executive for the past 37 years, and have built a reputation that I do not want sullied through an association with a company that fails. The mattress industry in America has contracted as consumers have suffered through these difficult economic times and will continue to face more changes in the global environment and changes in the task environment. The enterprises that remain stuck in the middle, stick to the â€Å"old ways†, react to these changes too late will likely go the way of Two Guys, Kobackers, Woolworth’s, Montgomery Ward, Circuit City, Studebaker, and too many other businesses that failed to move their organizations through the economic mine fields that confronted them.