Would you confess to doing something you didn't do to save yourself?
In Salem Massachusetts, during the late 1600’s, more than 200 people were accused of witchcraft and 24 of those 200 people who were accused were killed. The evidence didn’t have to be reliable; it hardly had to be there! All it took was someone to point a finger at you and you would find yourself in the middle of a trial, for something you didn’t do! If I were back in Salem Massachusetts during the time of the infamous Salem Witch Trials and I found myself in the middle, I would do whatever it took to save myself as well as the ones I loved even if that meant confessing to a crime I did not commit. The Puritans believed that once someone made a full confession to witchcraft, it was up to God to decide their fate. I would much rather admit to something I didn’t do then to suffer or even lose my life for something I did not do. The only problem with admitting to witchcraft is that everyone knows that you are a witch because you said so yourself.
Journal Prompt #4
Where would you stand if history were to repeat itself once more and you found yourself in the middle of a “witch hunt?” Would you agree to say something that wasn’t true in order to save yourself? Your family? What would you do if you became the scapegoat, the person on whom all blame is placed? How might you suspect you would react?
Think: How emotional do humans become when justice is on the line? How emotional do you think you would become in this situation? Consider specific hypothetical examples to illustrate and support your possible reaction(s).
Journal Prompt #4
Where would you stand if history were to repeat itself once more and you found yourself in the middle of a “witch hunt?” Would you agree to say something that wasn’t true in order to save yourself? Your family? What would you do if you became the scapegoat, the person on whom all blame is placed? How might you suspect you would react?
Think: How emotional do humans become when justice is on the line? How emotional do you think you would become in this situation? Consider specific hypothetical examples to illustrate and support your possible reaction(s).