The Case of the West Memphis 3 Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The of the West Memphis 3 - Case Study Example Such questions as to how they were able to feel confident in theory that they would have put together from those assumptions and have that become the case they would ultimately be able to form. For criminal prosecution, evidence based on factual findings is fear greater than that which would have been obtained through assuming something to be true or incorrect. In that not only were there assumptions made very soon after the crime was discovered to have been committed, but the police would have been approaching potential suspects based on such information with questionable validity and relevance. In the offset, the case against the resulting suspects would appear to be tenuous at best. As it stands, the events leading up to the arrest and prosecution of the three men in question for the heinous crimes committed against the three young boys, would lack the necessary means of just and righteous prosecution. To the citizens of West Memphis, it would have been a great relief to see the apprehension and subsequent prosecution occur. Based on the question of assumptions being made, the linkage of the three accused to the murders, in part by their alleged connection to a Satanica l group and also the behaviors of the groups themselves, would lead to further questions involving whether or not the young men did in fact belong to such a group and if those groups partook and sought to encourage such behavior on the part of its membership. The citizens of West Memphis were relieved that the monsters that had committed these heinous crimes had been apprehended and justice would be served. There was a great deal of anger in the community directed towards these three adolescents, supposedly involved in Satanic cults, who were accused of killing three innocent boys as part of a Satanic ritual. Rumors of Satanic groups had abounded in this dominantly Baptist community for decades. Details of their exploits were well known although there was never any proof of any murders actually having been performed in the past. (Steel, Ch. 1). With everything thus far, the case against the three youths appeared to lack strength. While the details were to have been known throughout the community at large, there would have been no proof whatsoever as to whether or not these groups would have taken part in ritualistic murders as part

The Lord of the Rings Essay Example for Free

The Lord of the Rings Essay To begin describing my unlikely hero’s we first have to ask ourselves what makes a hero. Is it always a big, strong alpha male with a square jaw and cocky attitude? I hardly think so. I feel that a hero is someone who puts others needs in front of their own to complete whatever task is set before them, even though they may have to give their life in the process, they keep going. Once in a while you come across a story where the hero not only does not fit into the stereotypical hero status but is as far away from what you expect as you can get. The unlikely hero†¦ The unlikely hero is a hero who never wanted to be a hero. The unlikely hero proves that anyone can make it as a hero. This diamond in the rough disguises his true potential until tough times call for his aid. He is greatly unsure of himself and often unsure on what to do. He just knows that something has to be done. The odds are usually greatly in favor of the villains and there is much to overcome, both mentally and psychically. My unlikely heroes are Frodo from the Lord of the Rings (Tolkien) and Pug from the Riftwar Saga. Both of these unlikely heroes must overcome great odds to complete quests that are thrust upon them. One, a small hobbit with little knowledge of the world outside of his home in the Shire, the other, a small orphan boy from the rustic town of castle Crydee. Neither is aware of the dangers that await them or that their lives are about to change forever. Frodo Baggins is a hobbit. Hobbits are short and stocky and do not go out very often. Life outside the Shire does not concern them too much and they are very content on staying on their own land doing what pleases them. Frodo lives with his uncle Bilbo in his hobbit hole Bags End, a house carved into the side of a hill. Frodo is usually quiet and reserved and does not like to cause a scene. (Tolkien) While living with his uncle Bilbo, Frodo is left in the Shire as heir to Bags End and all of the possessions. This included a magic ring. All Bilbo knew about the ring is that it turned the wearer invisible; the true nature of the ring had become lost to history. After keeping the ring hidden for 17 years the wizard Gandalf came to Frodo to tell him that it is The One Ring of the Dark Lord Sauron and that his agents are searching for it. Gandalf informs Fordo he must take the ring to Rivendell, home of the house of Elrond, an elf lord in order to keep it out of the hands of the Nazgul, Sauron’s agents. (Tolkien) At the start of his journey Frodo is joined by his friend and gardener Samwise Gamgee, and his cousins Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. They leave the shire for Rivendell and almost instantly they are tracked by the Nazgul, barely escaping. They make it to an inn in the town of Bree where they are joined by Aragorn who helps them escape their next attack and guide them to Rivendell. Once in Rivendell there is a meeting on what to do about the ring. There are representatives from each race at the meeting. They come to the conclusion that the ring is to be destroyed but an argument ensues on who will take possession of it to destroy it. Then Frodo volunteers for the task and everyone else takes an oath to protect him on his journey to Mordor to destroy the ring in the fires of Mount Doom. (Tolkien) There are many things that Frodo must overcome in order to complete his task. The ring drives the humans around it mad and they will eventually try to kill Frodo for it. Frodo is also hunted at every turn by Orcs and every other being that Sauron has under his control. Frodo eventually has to leave all of his companions behind with the exception of Sam in order to protect the ring from those that wish to use the rings power. Frodo and Sam made their way through Emyn Muil, followed by the creature Gollum. As they finally reached Mount Doom, Gollum reappeared and attacked Frodo, who beat him back. He continued on while Sam fought with Gollum. Having finally reached the Sammath Naur, or Crack of Doom, however, Frodo lost the will to destroy the Ring, and instead put it on, claiming it for himself. Gollum got past Sam and attacked the invisible Frodo, biting off his finger, and finally regained his precious. As he danced around in elation, Gollum lost his balance and fell with the Ring into the lava. The Ring was thus destroyed, Saurons power lost and his realm ended. Frodo and Sam were rescued by Great Eagles as Mount Doom erupted. (Tolkien) Pug is the child of unknown parents, an orphan abandoned at a monastery near Crydee, a town on the north-west coast of the Kingdom of the Isles. As a boy, he is sent to Castle Crydee and is adopted by Megar, the castle keeps cook. He grows up there, becoming the closest friend of Megars son, Tomas, becoming almost a brother to him. While gathering shellfish at age 13, Pug is caught in a storm, his ankle is sprained, and he is charged by a wild boar. He is saved by a franklin named Meecham, who is in the service of the court Magician Kulgan. (Fiest) Kulgan discovers Pugs talent for magic and takes him as his apprentice on Choosing Day. Under Kulgans tutelage, Pug makes satisfactory progress in the theory of magic, but finds himself unable to cast spells in the traditional way. Pug appears to suffer some form of mental block. Kulgan decides that as a foil to Pugs very logical mind, Pug is to be taught equestrian skills. This leads to Pug being selected to accompany Princess Carline (daughter of the Duke of Crydee) into the countryside on a ride. During the course of this ride, they are attacked by two trolls; Pug manages to defend the princess demonstrating skill first with a sling and then with his unexpected success in casting a spell, his first of any power. The spell causes the trolls excruciating pain and they drown. Kulgan voices to Pug that this is a skill unheard of in Midkemian magic. Casting this particular spell without a device to focus the power was impossible. Casting the spell in the manner in which Pug did should have caused great pain to himself instead of the Trolls. Upon return to Crydee, Pug earns the gratitude of the Duke and the affection of Carline, Duke Borrics beautiful, but willful, daughter. As a reward for this feat, Pug is made a squire and was granted land, to be held by the crown until the age of majority. Then, mysteriously, the Tsurani invade Crydee. A bitter nine year war ensues at the start of which, Pug is captured while helping Kulgan get safely away from a skirmish and taken to Kelewan, kept at first as a swamp slave, cutting timber and pulp for the Tsurani. He is liberated from the swamps by Clan of Tsurani nobles, and instructed to tutor their sons in the ways of the Kingdom. Pug is respected but never allowed to forget that he is nothing but a slave. During this time Pug meets and falls for Katala, a slave girl of great beauty and wit, and Laurie, a former Troubador from the Kingdom, most recently a friend and confidant of Pug. However, one day Pugs former training is recognized by a Tsurani Great One. Pug is trained as a Greater Path Magician, and is remarkable in many ways. His outworld status (as well as his former status as slave, enemy and lesser path apprentice) makes him something of a celebrity. Pug is renamed Milamber. Fiest) Pug becomes instrumental in bringing the Riftwar to an end, by destroying the planetary rift between Kelewan and Midkemia, in an effort to stop the return of the enemy to Midkemia. When the Riftwar ends, Pug is rewarded with the title to the island of Stardock, previously gifted to him by Duke Borric for saving his daughter. It is also revealed that after he had been considered dead, the Duke gave him a name in memorial, adopting him into the ConDoin family, effectively making him an adopted member of the royal family. Fiest) Midkemia is very similar to Earth in climate, and its flora and fauna. It has three continents: Triagia, Novindus and Winet. It has two oceans, though there are various names for them depending on the continent or nation. The Endless Sea is west of Triagia and is east of Novindus where it is called the Blue Sea. The Sea of Tears is east of Triagia and west of Novindus where it is called the Green Sea. (Fiest) Tolkien prepared several maps of Middle-earth and the regions of Middle-earth in which his stories took place. Some were published in his lifetime, though some of the earliest maps were not published until after his death. The main maps were those published in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and Unfinished Tales. Most of the events of the First Age took place in the subcontinent Beleriand, which was later engulfed by the ocean at the end of the First Age; the Blue Mountains at the right edge of the map of Beleriand are the same Blue Mountains that appear on the extreme left of the map of Middle-earth described in the Second and Third Ages. Tolkiens map of Middle-earth, however, shows only a small part of the world; most of the vast lands of Rhun and Harad are not shown on the map, and there are also other continents. (Tolkien) The two unlikely heroes are a lot alike as well as being very different. Pug has many powers he can use later on in the books to help him do what needs to be done. Frodo just has his will and the help of Sam. No matter how hard things became, they both pressed on in order to save their world.

Analysing The Process Of Gold Mining English Language Essay

Analysing The Process Of Gold Mining English Language Essay Extensive environmental baseline data are collected prior to mining in order to evaluate potential impacts from mining. Mining, reclamation, and mitigation plans are reviewed and approved by the appropriate federal, state, and country regulatory agencies prior to initial mining activities. 2. Vegetation Removal Based upon the approved plan, vegetation is removed from the area to be mined. Usually, a combination of logging, cutting, and stacking trees for firewood and transplanting smaller trees to reclaimed areas are used to conserve woody resources. 3. Topsoil Handling Dozers, loaders, and trucks are used to collect salvageable topsoil for storage until it can be used for reclamation. 4. Mining The mining process includes controlled blasting, hauling, crushing, leaching, processing, and beneficiation for the recovery of gold. 5. Backfilling, Contouring, and Re-grading Overburden rock is places either in engineered storage areas or used to backfill mined areas according to the approved reclamation plan and shaped to establish a stable post-mining slope. 6. Topsoil Replacement After re-grading, salvaged topsoil is replaced, and fertilizers and other amendments are incorporated in order to prepare a suitable seedbed. 7. Revegetation Newly resloped and topsoiled areas are seeded annually in the fall with a mix of grasses, forbs, and shrubs known to establish successfully in the region. Following establishment of a permanent vegetative cover, seedings from the trees in the permitted area are transplanted by hand, on at a time. 8. Monitoring for Sustainability To ensure that a stable and productive post-mining land use has been re-established, monitors and evaluates reclaimed areas is needed for several years following the reclamation process. The Mining Process Where to Dig Nowadays, the process of gold mining is very complex. It starts with a well structured plan but not directly excavate the mine with tools and equipment. First, a mining company will make sure the funds is sufficiently enough for the purpose of setting up the necessary equipment and to execute the recovery of the gold should it be found. The next step will be hiring geologists and specialist to analyze the rock contents in a specific geographic area. The main interest that the specialists look for at the mining area will be things like igneous rocks, quartz and ore which indicates gold may be in that area. Starting the Extraction Once the determination has been done to confirm that there are high possibility to find a huge amount of gold in that particular area, the gold mining company will begin their operation. Generally, in the mining area, large machines is required to pulvarize rock, ply away soil and basically strip down the earth until they reach the pockets where gold is located. In mining, pocket will be defined as a pit which filled with ore or different kind of precious metal. In some cases, the mining process requires drilling through solid bedrock, followed up by creating a mine shaft with specialized digging equipment. The mine shaft is built to intersect the gold pockets, and workers are then dispatched to extract the gold. Recovery Sometimes, gold can only be found in a tiny portion throughout the ore in the soil. In order to remove the gold from the dirt, extraction methods can be used. After all, once the gold ore is completely removed from the ground, the rocks will be sorted and crushed into fine powder, then this is mixed with a solution and turned into sludge. The sludge will be then stored in tanks and then sent through a clarifier and finally through a filter where the gold is separated from the liquid and recovered. The following are the mining process in details: 1. Location Drilling The active mining process begins with the drilling of blast holes, approximately 40 feet deep and 16 to 22 feet apart. The drill holes are located by Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping technology. The drill cuttings are sampled to confirm gold content. 2. Blasting Controlled blasts of the drill holes break the rock and minimize movement. Controlled blasts help limit ground vibrations that are carefully monitored ensure the vibrations are within strict permit limits. 3. Mining The broken rock, called muck, is surveyed and marked with flags to indicate gold-bearing ore and non-gold bearing rock referred to as overburden. 4. Hauling Large dump trucks are then used to move the ore to the primary crusher for processing. The overburden is backfilled to previously mined areas or is moved to engineered storage areas. 5. Crushing One is processed at the two-stage crushing and screening facility and hauled to Valley Leach Facility (VLF). 6. Leaching The VLF is a double-lined, and in some areas triple-lined, zero-discharge area where the gold is recovered. A dilute solution of sodium cyanide is applied using agricultural-type drip irrigation tubes, which are buried under the crushed rock surface to dissolve the gold. The gold-bearing solution is captured at the bottom of the lined area. The solution containing the gold is called pregnant solution. 7. Processing The gold is recovered from the pregnant solution with a carbon adsorption process. The gold laden carbon is processed to create a gold-rich mud. After the gold is recovered, the solution with no gold, called barren solution, is reconstituted and then re-circulated to the VLF to repeat the gold recovery process. 8. Pouring: The gold-rich mud is sent to the refinery furnace and heated to separate the gold and silver from any non-metal substances. The resulting 98% gold-silver mixture is called dore (daw-rey). The dore is shipped to specialized refinery to be processed into 99.999% pure gold or 24 karat. 2.1 Definition According to Wikipedia, gold mining consists of the processes and techniques employed in the removal of gold from the ground. Golf mining can be expounded in another way where several terms is added to elaborate the definition of gold mining, the specific terms includes exploration of gold mining, drilling, geological assessment, financing, development, extraction, initial refinement, and delivery of gold bars to a bullion refiner. Besides, gold mining can also refer to as a mine where gold ore is found. Sometimes, human being relates the things that they desired and the source of wealth with gold mine, because gold is a kind of metal that symbolize wealth and a store of value. 2.2.2 Country of gold mining Based on the list of top gold producing coutries as provided by British Geological Survey on 2006, the top three countries that have the highest production of gold are Russia, China, and Australia. The total production of gold by countries from all over the world that produced on the year of 2006 was 2,310,000 kilograms. Below table shown the ranking of countries with top production of gold in 2006: Russia Russia has overtook China, Australia, and United States to become the worlds top country that produce the highest amount of gold during the year of 2006 according to the Bristish Geological Survey that accessed in July 2008. Being the top producer of gold, Western gold mining companies has an very great impact on it while these company are very active in Russia and managed to developed a successful track record as well as shown both rising production and profitability. Besides, a thorough understanding of the licensing process, legal environment, coupled with the developments of relationships with local partners, has also played an important role in the success of these companies. However, there is also a risk which will probably influence the mining performance in Russia while the foreign companies have had mining licences terminated or suspended. The map shows the mining project site in Eastern Russia. China In 2006, China overtook Australia, United States and Peru to become the worlds second largest gold producer. Today, China almost leads the world in gold mining output which also bring to a great raise of gold production over the year. In year 2006, China has produced 247,200 kilograms of gold based on the Bristish Geological Survey. According to sources of information provided by Gold InfoMine, the production of gold has usually been focussed in the eastern provinces of Shandong, Henan, Fujian and Liaoning. Recently, western provinces such as Guizhou and Yunnan have seen a sharp increase in their gold output. China is utilizing the advancement in metallogenic theory and exploration methods for Carlin-type (Nevada) gold deposits by American geologists. There are over hundred Carlin-type gold deposit occurrences have been recognized in southwest and central China. From the map above, the orange shaded area shows the sedimentary rock-hosted gold district in China which located at Jidong Area, Qin Ling Fold Belt, and Dian-Qian-Gui Area relatively. Australia Australia is now the world third largest gold producer. The gold production in Australia do not only concentrate in a particular state or area. However, gold can be found and produced all over in Australia. Among other states in Australia, Western Australia known to be the largest gold producing state and manage to produce two third of the nations gold total output. Besides Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland are also a considerably large producers in Australia. The yellow shaded area in the map shows the mining sites of Australia. United States Gold mining in United States is unlike Australia that the gold is produced all over in that country. It merely focus on the states of Nevada, Alaska, Utah, and Colorado. There are also gold operations and exploration projects in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah, and Washington. Nevada is the state that leads United States in gold production with highest amount output of gold compare to other state. Mines in Nevada amounted to almost 82% of domestic production in year 2006. Nevada applies the technique of open pit mining and the gold is recovered by means of cyanide heap leaching. The largest gold operation in Unites States is the Carlin mine in northeast Nevada, which is producing gold from a large low-grade deposit. The map shows the mining area in United States. Peru Peru ranked as the top five largest gold producer throughout the world. In Peru, Inca and the Mariategui Regions produced most of the placer mines. Placer mines can be also found through rivers and streams all over in the jungle. The Inambari River in Peru and its tributaries signify a well known placer zone situated in southeastern Andes. One of the largest and gainful mine in Peru is The Yanacocha mine in Andes the northern Peru. The Yanacocha mine also known as one of the world biggest mine. Gold deposits in Yanacocha are high sulfidation epithermal gold deposits, with varying amounts of silver. The Yanacocha gold district within a belt of Tertiary volcanics is a 10 km x 4 km zone of altered rocks that extends the whole length of Peru. The map shows the location of Yanacocha Gold Mine in Peru. South Africa According to the British Geologicall Survey as accessed in July 2008, South Africa known as the top 6 gold producer in the world. Almost the entire gold mine in South Africa are underground operations. The output of the gold in South Africa highly rely on the production cost, power interruptions, personnel problems, depth of mining and lastly the most significant criterion is the ore grades. South Africa has numerous gold ore reserves. Archaean Witwatersrand Basin is the main gold producing mines in South Africa. This basin has been mined for not merely 100 years and has produced more than 41,000 t of gold. Dissimilar with most of the worlds major gold deposits, the Witwatersrand is an ancient placer deposit, with gold being hosted by conglomerates and grits. The Witwatersrand sedimentary basin stretches through an arc of approximately 400 km across the Free State, North West and Gauteng Provinces. The area shaded in blue shows the goldfield in South Africa. 2.2.3 How to measure golds value? Gold appears in many forms and this comprising of gold bars and gold coins which we using it everyday to trade something that we wanted. Most gold in the market is not in pure form in virtue of the attributes of gold. Gold is rather soft that we can easily damage it. Solution taken to overcome the frailness of gold is that we alloyed gold with another metal to make it solider and durable. Is is a complicated task in finding the value of the gold in a piece of jewelry. First, to measure golds value, we may have to convert the weight of gold into Troy ounces rather than grams or regular ounces. Since Troy ounces is the measure used as the price of gold is quoted on world markets. The guides on the measurement of golds value: Step 1: Gauge the item of gold using a presicion scale. We must convert the unit into Troy ounces if the scale is calibrated in grams or regular ounces. To convert the unit of measurement into Troy ounces, divide the weight in grams by 31.10 to find the weight in Troy answers. Formula from grams convert to Troy ounces: Formula from regular ounces convert to Troy ounces: For example: If the project weighs 88.85grams. divide 88.85grams by 31.10 for a weight of 2.86 Troy ounces. Step 2: Determine the proportion of actual gold. To verify the karat weight of the gold item, we may refer to the jewelers mark located on the Gold jewelry. In general, the purity of gold is rated in karats. Pure gold rated as 24K(karats). However, most gold jewelry only ranges from 14K to 22K. This indicates that the gold jewelry contains that portion size out of 24K of real gold. For instance, 15K gold jewelry contains 15/24 (62.5 percent) gold. Gold bars have the ratio of gold stamped on them. For coins, we may look up the type of coin in a catalogue as provided by Professional Coin Grading Service. Formula in calculating the percentage of gold contains in a 15K gold jewelry: 62.5% here indicates the portion of real gold contains in that 15K gold jewelry. Step 3: Find the amount of gold in Troy ounces. Multiply the weight in Troy ounces as we obtained from Step 1 by the percentage of gold in the item from Step 2. For example: Find the amount of Troy ounces which contains 2.86 Troy ounces and 62.5% (15K) actual gold. This means that the item consists of 1.7875Troy ounces of gold. Step 4: Calculate the gold value of the item. Gold known as a commodity and the value of gold differs from day to day as it is traded on world markets. The current price or value of gold per Troy ounce is quoted daily on many websites and newpapers. Multiply the current price of gold by the number Troy ounces to find the gold value. For example: Suppose the current price is RM900 per Troy ounce. Using the previous example, we multiply 1.7875 by RM900. The gold value works out to RM1,608.75. The answer shows that the gold value works out to RM1,608.75. 2.2.7 Impact of gold mine on the environment 2.2.4 Benefits of gold mining It gives us access to necessary minerals and material that we use constantly. Mining gives jobs and makes money, as well as giving us all the materials we need, so it is very good in that sense.

Colonialism and Africa Essay -- African Countries, Post Colonial Afric

Introduction Modern African states have several problems ranging from corruption, to armed conflict, to stunted structural development. The effects of colonialism have been offered as a starting point for much of the analysis on African states, but the question of why African states are particularly dysfunctional needs to be examined, given the extent to which they have lagged behind other former European colonies in many aspects. In the first section, I will consider the problems with African states from the level of the state. That is, the nature of the states' inceptions and the underlying flaws may explain some of the issues that have been associated with African states today. Next I examine the development of, or lack of, civil society and the institutions which took place across the continent in the colonial era. In particular, I consider the lack of education and judicial authority and how this affected the formation of the structures which exist in the post-colonial era. Lastly, the econ omic legacy of colonialism is analysed, and whether the failure of African states to prosper can be explained by colonial practices. State Formation Ever since the boundaries of Africa were drawn up in 1884/5, very little has changed in terms of the continent's territorial divisions. Much has been made of the fact that the post-colonial states which constitute Africa were the products of colonial demarcations, and whose territories are not congruent to existing political and ethnic organizations. Ethnic conflict within states is an unfortunate feature of several African states, and one which undoubtedly retards development of any kind. There has been debate surrounding the nature of African ethnicities and whether they were synt... ...provision of education in the colonial period affected the ability to develop from within. The civil institutions were weak, and the judiciary unable to provide a balancing role to the central power of the state. Indigenous Africans were typically not allowed to rise to meaningful levels in the industrial complex, and the infrastructure was built only enough to serve the extraction of wealth. The small number of educated bureaucrats who previously prospered in their positions, found themselves as a new elite class in the absence of the colonialists, and it was perhaps too difficult for them to change their behaviour after inheriting the state. In summary, it could be said that large portions of the inhabitants of the newly independent state had not entered into any sort of stable 'social contract' by the organic process which had been the case for other societies.

Team Leading

SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS – M2. 04 DEVELOPING THE WORK TEAM Learner name Learner registration number UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF TEAMS AND THE FEATURES OF TEAM ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDING THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES 1. How does a team differ from a group? Give 3 examples of the differences. (3 marks) hell 2. Leading the team is an important team role. Briefly describe 2 other roles that members of a team might fill using a recognised model (2 marks) . Describe the 4 stages in team development (4 marks) R6434c v2 13. 01. 11 4. Briefly describe 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages for an organisation of using teams to organise people to produce goods and services. (4 marks) KNOW HOW TO IDENTIFY TRAINING NEEDS OF A GROUP OR TEAM AND HOW THOSE NEEDS MAY BE MET 5. Explain briefly why an organisation might want to carry out a ‘Training Needs Analysis’ of its employees (4 marks) R6434c v2 13. 01. 11 6.State 1 advantage and 1 disadvantage of each of the following ways of training your team: a. Going on a 1 day training course away from the workplace b. Having a trainer come in and train them in the workplace c. You coaching them individually in the workplace (6 marks) Total marks available for unit M2. 04 (23) Marks required to pass 12 + VLA decision Total Marks Total 50%+ overall Outcome (mark as applicable) PASS FAIL Section fail if applicable: Name of VLA: Assessment date: R6434c v2 13. 01. 11

Essay Sample on Salem Witch Trials A Scientific and Historical Analysis

Essay Sample on Salem Witch Trials A Scientific and Historical Analysis The Salem Witch Trials, of 1692, occurred in Salem Massachusetts. This is a case where people accused other people of witchcraft. Salem was a town governed by strict Puritan religion, and to have such a charge labeled against you could cost you your life. According to Boyer and Nissenbaum, there were many worldly reasons for the events that happened so many years ago. In this essay, the authors make their findings based on scientific analysis and much historical research. Paul Boyer and Stephen argued that the Salem Witchcraft Trials took place because of the separation of the east and west, the choosing of the ministers of the church, and the agricultural and merchant interests. After much research, â€Å"Boyer and Nissenbaum took their list of accusers and accused the noted the location of each village resident on the map†(Boyer Nissenbaum 36). Geographically there was lots of evidence of this theory â€Å"Of the fourteen accused witches living in the village, twelve lived in the eastern section† (Boyer Nissenbaum 36). The whole trial episode seems to have come down to the fact that one side of the village accused the other side. â€Å"That was Salem Village’s uneasy relation to its social parent, Salem Town† (Boyer Nissenbaum 36). As the community grew farther away from the original settlement people began to want their own village. As a result, the new settlers wanted to have their own separate entity â€Å"with their own church, their own taxes, and their own elected officials† (Boyer Nissenbaum 38). This east-west division continued to grow and came to the breaking point over taxes, â€Å"Everyone paid taxes to su pport a minister for the town church, to maintain the roads, and to care for the poor† (Boyer Nissenbaum). The western part of the village commenced to try to break away and form their own town. This is well illustrated in the map that which Boyer and Nissenbaum drew up. The map showed the location of the accusers and the accused. â€Å"The map showed that more accusers lived on the western part of the town and the accused lived on the eastern part.† (Boyer Nissenbaum 37) Another major reason the Salem Trials took place was the choosing of a minister for the new village. â€Å"Not long after the village received the right to build its own meeting house, it settled down to arguing over who ought to preach from its pulpit† (Boyer Nissenbaum 38). James Bayley was the first selection of the house but had to be relieved after complaints were heard. â€Å"Bayley didn’t attend regularly to his private prayers† (Boyer Nissenbaum 38). George Burroughs relieved James Bayley in 1680 but had to leave after other numerous problems. Deodat Lawson than relieved Burroughs and lasted fours years. Samuel Parris than took over the job in 1688. â€Å"His term was equally stormy, and in 1696 his opponents finally succeeded in starving him out of the job by refusing to collect taxes to pay his salary† (Boyer Nissenbaum 38). Boyer and Nissenbaum discovered a major part of this dispute in the churches records. Boyer and Nissenbaum discovered th at the same names were being put together. â€Å"The people who supported James Bayley usually supported George Burroughs and then opposed the second two ministers† (Boyer Nissenbaum 40). The same was found for the other two also. â€Å"Conversely, the supporters of Deodat Lawson and Samuel Parris had been the people who complained about Bayley and Burroughs† (Boyer Nissenbaum 40). This was closely linked to the divisions of the accusers and accused. Salem town was a spot for commerce in New England; those living in the east part were living well. â€Å"By contrast the farmers in the western portion of Salem Village were tied closely to traditional agrarian life† (Boyer Nissenbaum 40). Those living on the east side wanted to close out everything but the western side. Also those people accused lived on â€Å"Ipswich Road, a route that passed by the village rather than through it, a main thoroughfare for travels and for commerce† (Boyer Nissenbaum 40). Those who lived outside of he precepts of Puritan standards were always in danger. Anyone who dressed flamboyantly or ran a tavern could be accused. â€Å"Two tavern keepers, John Proctor and Bridget Bishop, were hung as witches; Elizabeth Proctor barely escaped with her life; and Joshua Rea, another tavern keeper on the road, signed a petition defending Goody Nurse†(Boyer Nissenbaum 41). According to Boyer and Nissenbaum â€Å"Their reconstruction suggest that the Salem body politic was experiencing its own social analogue of conversion hysteria†(Boyer Nissenbaum 41). The conflicts that occurred here in Salem went from disagreements between three factions and lead to accusations of â€Å"a plague from the invisible world†(Boyer Nissenbaum 41). The farmers of Salem were determined to stop the merchants at any costs and as a result the charge of witchcraft was applied.