Witchcraft and the Town of Groton in 1671 Essay -- History Historical

Elizabeth Knapp sat perched on a small three- legged stool in front of a roaring fire in the hall of her family's home as the last late October light faded through the yellowish oilpaper windows. The wind had already picked up a taste of the winter bite that the early Massachusetts Bay colonists had grown to despise, and tonight it whipped down the chimney of the eight foot wide fireplace with a shrill, devilish whistle, causing the shadows projected by the bayberry wax candles to shimmy and waver against the rough hewn rafters. Elizabeth drew her red knit hood tighter down over her head and huddled towards the hearth. Her mother, also named Elizabeth, watched her from farther back in darkness of the hall, where she was mending a pair of breeches. By December, she knew, the wind whipping down the chimney could cause the sap emerging from the burning logs to freeze solid. The temperatures would make many a grown man in town wish to curl up and sleep away the winter until rising temperatures and longer days made Groton, just hewn from the Massachusetts wilderness a few decades ago, hospitable once again. Despite the gathering winter she felt relieved to see that her sixteen- year old daughter, now her only child after the early death of her son James, was acting normal again. For the past fortnight the younger Elizabeth had been carrying herself in a strange manner. While walking along normally she would sometimes cry out. Last week she had shrieked at extremely inappropriate time in Sunday dinner and that day in church she had been overcome with irreverent laughter. She was always quick to offer a reasonable excuse to spare the swift punishment usually dispensed to children at the time, but the extravagance and immodes... ...essen the symptoms. Bearers invariably die 10 to 25 years after the onset. Chorics have been dubbed everything for saints (the Catholic church recognizes four) to witches since the sixteenth century. References: Butler, Caleb. History of the Town of Groton. Boston, 1848. Dow, George F. Everyday life in the Massachussetts Bay Colony, Soc. for Preservation of N.E. Antiques, 1935. Earle, Allice M. Customs and fashions in old New England. Scribner and Son, New York 1893. Greene, Samuel A., Groton in the Witchcraft Times, University Press, Cambridge, MA 1883, 29pp. Greene, Samuel A., ed. Early Records of the Town of Groton 1662- 1707, University Press, Cambridge, MA 1883, 186pp. May, Virginia, Groton Houses. Groton Historical Society, 1978. Okun, Michael S., The history of adult onset Chorea, at www.medinfo.ufl.edu/histmed/okun/slide1.html

Ann from “The Painted Door” by Sinclair Ross Essay

Because of John’s lack of communication skills, Ann feels isolated psychologically and emotionally, and as a result, she is seen by the reader as a woman in despair seeking companionship during the Great Depression. Ann is dutiful and submissive, so typical of the women of the 30’s, as it is shown when she claimed, â€Å"Plenty to eat – plenty of wood to keep me warm – what more could a woman ask for?†(p.48) even though it is clearly the opposite of what she really wants. She says to John â€Å"I know. It’s just that sometimes when you’re away I get lonely†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the hesitation in this particular sentence explains her powerful desire to have someone to talk to, yet is afraid of John’s response. But we think Ann is more than just what she appears to be. There are moments where her rebellious personality is shown, such as when she went out of the house during the blizzard to feed the animals when John had plainly stated to her, â€Å"Everything’s fed and watered, and I’ll see that there’s plenty of wood in.† This depicts Ann’s willingness to go so far as to distract herself from her loneliness. Also, the way she beseeches John to stay and the way she reacted, â€Å"She glanced up sharply, then busied herself clearing the table†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pg49) at the mention of a visit by Steven shows that she presents some good intuition and intellect as to what may happen. One can argue that Ann is unconsciously selfish and even ungrateful, for John is constantly trying to please her by working continuous hours without aids of others. She also has a roof over her head and food in her tummy that so many lacked during that era, and yet, she gives hints that she is highly unsatisfied of her current situation and commits adultery. However, the lack of companionship, increased by the barrenness of the surroundings in which the character lives in, makes Ann desperate for anything that would get her out of her miserable existence. As we know, humans are extreme social creatures, and when Steven arrived on her doorsteps with his, quote, â€Å"still-boyish face† (pg57) and â€Å"his lips drawn in a little smile that was too insolent, but at the same time companionable†(pg57) , Ann forgets all  rules and drops her mental barrier, giving into what she desires the most: companionship. So in conclusion, we feel that Ann is a woman with an extremely good heart, but is misguided into doing wrong actions by the isolation and loneliness in which her husband had ultimately caused.

Forbidden Love in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet - 738 Words

Romeo and Juliet is a world famous play that was first performed in 1594, written by William Shakespeare. Forbidden love is considered the most influential type of love in the play. In fact, it is parental love which is extremely prominent and the most significant type of love in the play Romeo and Juliet. This type of love can be between a parent and child or a guardian and child. The parent is meant to lead, guide, and protect and not all of the guardian figures in the play do that. Considering the actions and words of Lord and Lady Capulet, Lord and Lady Montague, and the Nurse, determines that parental love influences the play and the fate of young Romeo and Juliet. Lord and Lady Capulet are the parents of Juliet and have a great love for their only daughter. The Capulet parents do not show their love in the typical way at the beginning of the play and the fact that Juliet does not realize their love influences her choices. Capulet believes he is doing the right thing for his dau ghter by marrying her to Count Paris. Lord Capulet states: â€Å"O’ Thursday let it be: o’ Thursday, tell her, She shall be married to this noble earl† (III. iv, 20-21). He thinks he is doing the right thing for his daughter; this marriage might cheer her up because he supposes she is sad about her cousin’s death. Juliet does not recognize her parents are acting the way they are is out of love and she may have made less extreme decisions. Towards the end after the tragic death of theirShow MoreRelatedForbidden Love in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Essay807 Words   |  4 Pagesdespite it all, ends in ruins. This is the theme of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. In this tragic tale, two fated lovers risk everything, even life itself, to be with one another. They go against family, friends and fate to be together. Had premonitions in the play been taken more seriously by key characters, tragedy could have been avoided. 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The scaffolding of a tragic love story was made into a modern classic in the year 1996 by director Baz Luhrmann. Shakespeare s play â€Å"Romeo and Juliet† will be analysed for its relevance to be upheld in 21st century’s school curriculum due to its