Bridget Bishop: Salem Witch Analytical Essay

Bridget Bishop: Salem Witch
This essay discusses the background of Bridget Bishop, who was convicted of witchery and hanged in the Salem Witch Trials.
# 128188 | 1,058 words | 7 sources | APA | 2004 | PH
Published on Jul 04, 2010 in History (U.S. American Society, 1640-1750) , Women Studies (Historical Figures)


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Description:

This essay describes the events of the Salem Witch Trials which were held in 1692 in the Puritan community of Salem Village. The essay explores the circumstances leading to the trials and focuses on the background of one convicted woman in particular, Bridget Bishop, who was the first to be hanged during the proceedings. It investigates the life of Bridget Bishop and the actions that lead her to become one of the accused. It finds that Bishop was accused because she acted differently from other Puritan women of her time and because she had a previous conviction for speaking negatively to her husband.

From the Paper:

"Other theories on what really accounted for the unfamiliar and strange physical phenomena in the Village in 1692 include the development of hysteria among the girls who exhibited convulsive symptoms caused by ergotism (Wikipedia, 2006) and a "deliberate hear-fulness or repulsion for too much speech (Kamensky, 1998)." Ergot is a poisonous fungus, which grew from bread, then plentiful around Salem (Wikipedia). Ingestion of this fungus could produce convulsions, stupor, delirium and hallucinations. These were the findings of a psychologist called Linnda Caporeal in 1976, something which the Salem villagers of 1692 were unaware of."

Sample of Sources Used:

  • 1. Evening Standard. (2005). On This Day in 1692. Associated Newspapers, Ltd. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4153/is_20050610/ai_n14661188
  • 2. Hill, Frances. (1996). A Delusion of Satan. Doubleday
  • 3. Kamensky, J. (1998). Puritan Concern with Speech Set Stage for Witch Trials. Oxford University Press
  • 4. Noble, C. (2001). Legal Bill Exonerates the Last of the Salem Witches. London: The Independent: The Independent Newspapers UK Limited http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20011102/i_214431210
  • 5. Westwood, M L G. (1990). A Sketch of Bridget Bishop. The Student Historical Journal: Loyola University. http://www.loyno.edu/journal/1990-1/westwood.htm

Cite this Analytical Essay:

APA Format

Bridget Bishop: Salem Witch (2010, July 04) Retrieved September 30, 2023, from https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/bridget-bishop-salem-witch-128188/

MLA Format

"Bridget Bishop: Salem Witch" 04 July 2010. Web. 30 September. 2023. <https://www.academon.com/analytical-essay/bridget-bishop-salem-witch-128188/>

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