Disadvantages Of Hysteria

Mass hysteria has been part of history since the beginning of time. It happened in the United States the years 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. In Salem, two young girls were responsible for starting mass hysteria by showing erratic behavior and accusing other people of witchcraft. This resulted in the death of over 20 people. Salem citizens were very confused and scared because they were never sure of how secure they actually were. Another reason Salem citizens were nervous was because, if their fate was put to the test, it would be in the hands of an unreliable court. Another event that involves mass hysteria was the one known as “The Red Scare”. The Red Scare was a variety of actions that led to an enduring episode of fear and hostility through the years 1940s and 1950s. The Red Scare was caused by a series of threats towards America. The Red Scare had many figures but two that were exemplary to others were Hoover and McCarthy. These men stirred up the environment with more problems than it had before. Citizens of America were surrounded by many threats especially their homes being corrupted by the pressure they were surrounded by. Politics played a very keystone part in The Red Scare because it was the fuel to the fire. Families and friends were being separated since

Imagine being so wrapped up in a lie that you yourself begin to genuinely believe that the lie is really the truth. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, there is a character named Abigail Williams who is stuck in the middle of a questionable situation. To try to get out of any punishment for her acts, she starts blaming people for being witches that make her do evil things and physically harm her. In spite of the obvious theory that Abigail was at the root of the witch hunt in Salem, Massachusetts, there are many other beliefs as to who was really the start of the frenzied delirium. The three people most responsible for creating this mass hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts are Thomas Putnam, Reverend Parris, and John Proctor.

Hysteria is defined as an exaggerated or irrepressible emotion or excitement, especially among a group of people. In Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, hysteria rocked a small Puritan community. Over the span of four short months, nineteen people were hanged to death and another was pressed to death by stones. Puritans in the community accused one another of witchcraft—a crime punishable by death—and so hysteria swept the village. The causes of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 remain a mystery to this day; however, religious, economical, and social reasons were undoubtedly to blame.

During both the devastating Holocaust in the Germany and the tragic Salem Witch Trials in the small town of Salem, innocent people were brutally killed, causing hysteria among the people. Both groups of people endured hardships because of the hysteria that occurred among them. This hysteria caused people to react in ways that they would not usually act. Both of these events are very historical and help The United States of America be a unified and prosperous country that it has grown to become today. Hysteria is defined as an uncontrollable outburst of emotion or fear, often characterized by irrationality, laughter, weeping

Mass hysteria can strike anywhere, anytime. Mass hysteria is an illusion or condition that affects a group of people, and is caused by anxiety, fear or stress. It can sometimes put people at risk because in most cases, it makes people sick. Mass hysteria has a negative impact on people like it did on the people of Salem who were killed and locked away. The Crucible was one of many examples of how fear can cause mass hysteria and unfortunately there are many more. Fear causes mass hysteria and has many cases that can prove that this is true.

In today's society there are many cases of mass hysteria just like long ago. In the book John Proctor says a quote that hits big time for mass hysteria, he says “God is dead” while laughing insanely, and if that does not cause mass hysteria then nothing does.

Firstly, let me explain to you what a hysteria is, it is uncontrollable emotion or excitement. You’re probably wondering why would this be exciting, well I am about to tell you. When nine and eleven-year-old girls sought to know their destiny they found the unfortunate answer by engaging with a West Indian woman named Tituba. To see their future the woman used an egg white in a glass of water and looked for telltale shapes. One of the girls thought she

Throughout history fear causes people to act in a way that is today is thought of as absurd. In the Salem Witch trials, people commit murder for what they believe to be dangerous, yet they were acts of the fear of the unknown. Within the Puritan belief, the followers are so scared of the wrath of God that they will take radical action to prove they are good Christians. Hysteria can cause groups of people to come together and act upon a radical belief that can lead to a point of ignorance of reality.

Abigail Williams, the main antagonist in the play The Crucible, had successfully manipulated the three most important people during this hysteria; The judge (jury), the witnesses, and the one who knows the most about witchcraft and can give the most definitive knowledge to the court, John Hale. The Puritan’s idea of religion and superstition blinded them to reason and logic which could have saved the lives of 19 people and very possibly the lives of the hundreds of people that were jailed. The Crucible is a prime example of how easily people can be manipulated and how simple it can be to become blind to the evil intentions of others. I challenge you to strive to understand others. Understand their character and their values before condemning them

John Mellencamp once said, “When you live in hysteria, people start thinking emotionally.” Arthur Miller's drama The Crucible expresses many themes including the dangers of pride and envy. However, out of many themes conveyed in The Crucible the most applicable, that relates to Puritan America and the McCarthy Era, is the role that mass hysteria plays in tearing down a community. In The Crucible, hysterical fear becomes a senseless means of declaring the bitterness and anger subdued by Puritan society.

34). It states that other political inspiration other than the religion of Christianity has called out the devil and will continue to tempt the people that are all really on their own side. He explains that the outside will continue to tempt the people. He makes an inference that there is some people in Salem that worship the devil and are discovering the dark spirits. The Puritan belief clouds his judgment in the witch trails. Hale shows his resistant to believing Abigail and the girls are lying when he questions all of the towns and John Proctors Motives. He questions the innocents not the guilty. In the book, several times the testifiers are questioned whether they were innocents because they “were going again the court”. Hale uses theocracy to place fear in the town.

Mass hysteria can have an immense effect on situations and groups of people. It can transform a person’s way of thinking and develop a different reaction to a situation based on excessive fear or anxiety. For example, in the Salem Witch Trials, mass hysteria completely blindsided the townspeople, judges, and reverends. The mass hysteria surrounding the Salem Witch Trials were justified.

“Believe in yourself. Do not let doubt, fear, panic, hysteria or even extreme faith to get in your way” is a quote by Ruben Papian. Mass hysteria occurred in LeRoy, New York and also in Salem, Massachusetts. Mass hysteria is a situation where many people suffer from similar symptoms. Mass hysteria can lead to a disorder called conversion disorder. Conversion disorder is a mental condition that turns into a physical problem over time. Conversion disorder could cause you to have blindness numbness, paralysis you and also cause fits with no reason at all. This disorder is commonly found in people who have been in stressful situations that could affect their mental health. The girls in LeRoy, New York and Salem were suffering

In The Crucible, how fear forces individuals to comply with the collective’s standards and beliefs are displayed through the characters’ struggles with their moral values and the belief of witchcraft in the community. When John Proctor demands that Mary Warren proves that Elizabeth Proctor is innocent by revealing that Abigail Williams stuck the needle in herself, Mary Warren protests, saying, “I cannot, they’ll turn on me---” (80). Even though Mary does not want Elizabeth to be hanged and knows that the spirits that Abigail and her friends claim to

Hysteria is a mental disorder that causes uncontrollable emotions. When Hysteria was first diagnosed, it was something completely different than it was today. In about the 1800s Hysteria was thought of as a disease that the woman's sexual organs were not normal. Hysteria in today’s definition, causes social anxiety because the patient is anxious, and does not know when their next emotional outbreak will be.