Final Reflection
Reflecting on this course over the past semester, I have learned about the history of witchcraft and the history of the patriarchy. In a modern context, witches are often used as a laughingstock, whether in popular media or real life (think about Halloween costumes). They are also seen as the fringe group of society, something that is unknown and to be feared. But all of these sentiments, both modern and historical, extend beyond just the mystery and allure behind witchcraft. The demonization of women as witches was deliberately used as a control mechanism to get them to behave by society’s standards. Looking at the case of Salem, this is abundantly clear. The Puritans were a group of religious reformers from England. They sought to come to America because they felt the Church of England was becoming too similar to the Roman Catholic Church. They believed they had a direct covenant with God that would allow them to bring social order to the ...
