This coursework is designed to understand the early superficial practices in England during the years of 16th and 17th century. This paper focuses on the reliable evidences, if there is, about the witch and witching practices of those old days. This paper focuses also on the conclusion; whether the explanations about witches have a good and reasonable basis to create an outbreak of witch-hunting during those times. I included here about the analysis which came from different non-fiction books which provides fact records and evidences about the witch and witch-hunting events during the 16th and 17th century.
Thesis The witch-hunting outbreak in England is an out of logical basis practice which caused a lot of innocent woman to be executed. The prosecution of those suspected witches relies on the decision made by most of the elites which is generally out of justice. On the 16th and 17th century of England, there were many tortured and executed innocents because of the accusations made by most elites which caused panic and hysteria to most of the population.The given evidence by those who made a study about the witch and witchcraft through those times are unconvincing and irrelevant so as to the means that every witch cases lack enough evidence in order to prove any means of accusations. There is really no strong reason for the outbreak of witch-hunting during those times because basically accusations do not present strong evidence. Another is because they don’t give a fair basis for seizing certain persons who are accused of being a witch.Primarily, believing in witches and witchcrafts are cause by innovations in such ideas as what Levack discussed therefore witch are created only by people’s wide imaginations. I am definitely unconvinced of the foundation of England’s witch-hunting because they prosecute people, mostly old aged woman, because all that they have is an alleged basis or not-so-proved basis.
Witch-hunting in England for me is not a just act; they created crucial mass accusations basing on such ideology that there are certain individuals who have powers obtained from making a pact to the devil which is an example of alleged basis.Since all the given evidences are never proven as a strong hold for the accused execution and witnesses are considered bias, the outburst of witch-hunt during those times does not have a real essence. People scatter gossips and then involve themselves into witnessing such malice accusations but then their act is a meaningless act that results into a more considered crime which is the execution of those innocent accused individuals.Moure than a thousand of accused witch were hunted and executed; the witch-hunting left no chance for those who are accused to defend themselves and obtain a just result of judicial process even though they are innocent and even if they claim that they know nothing about the other people’s accusations. Witchcraft as a Popular Culture According to Clive Holmes’ part at Steven Kaplan’s book, Thomas considered popular cultures especially witch and witchcrafts as a certain kind of orientation for people to immediately make a solution to different problems (Kaplan).
On the contrary, Sharpe disagreed with Thomas’ statement.According to him, the trials created a sort of challenge to the interpretations of English’ traditional witch and witchcrafts which declined the essence of devil in the beliefs of the stated popular culture and also turned as a basis for Sharpe to say that popular beliefs on certain witch and witchcrafting is a non-reliable basis and therefore it still needs a more explanative research (Sharpe). In addition to this, popular culture sends us back to the facts in which the witch craft depends on the recordings of the judicial procedure and records made through the trials (Kaplan).
