The Importance Of The Supernatural On Society

The act of blaming another requires less effort than dealing with a monster, which is likely why this method is used so often. “It’s easier to blame someone else than to accept

During World War II, Hitler used his power to persuade the government to make him the chancellor, which gave him more control over Germany. This lets him manipulate the people so they would think that same way as he did. The people believed this because they did not understand what Hitler was going to do with the Jews, during this time they used the Jews as a scapegoat to blame for their problems. Many situations have a scapegoat that people need to blame to help them deal with their problems. In The Crucible written by Arthur Miller the town used witches as their scapegoat. In the New York Times article Extended Forecast: Bloodshed the people in Tanzania used witchcraft as their scapegoat. Finally in the Quartz Magazine article Fear of the Government Makes Americans More Likely to Reach for a Gun the government is creating scapegoats out of the certain people and events. Some people need to find a scapegoat to blame for example, in The Crucible, the New York Times article Extended Forecast: Bloodshed, and the Quartz Magazine article Fear of the Government makes Americans more likely to Reach for a Gun the people had to find a scapegoat for the problems that they faced.

In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the supernatural and the role they play in motivating characters is apparent throughout the duration of the play. The supernatural is what causes conflict in the play and the prophecies from the witches in act one scene three is the inciting action in the piece. The supernatural causes the future conflict by motivating Macbeth to kill Duncan so he could become king of Scotland. Through temptation, the supernatural motivates characters to think arrogantly and for their own benefit. The supernatural in Macbeth presents prophecies which tempt Macbeth and Banquo with the idea of power. This leads Macbeth to contradict his loyal and courageous personality by planning a treacherous murder on Duncan with the

Singer and Benassi (1981) described a positive correlation between environmental uncertainty in western countries and occult beliefs. Although it could be argued that they may be overreaching with this generalization which is not supported with data, there is truth to this correlation. Humans try to be rational, and logical, and think critically, but in uncertain situations, we look to our environment, the physical and social environment, to provide us with information. Therefore, superstitions and supernatural phenomenon seem possible if no logical explanation can be given, and if the feedback from the environment reinforces what could be occult beliefs. French, Haque, Bunton-Stasyshyn, & Davis (2009) conducted an experiment attempting to investigate whether they could try to create a “haunted” room, and if participants would experience more abnormal sensations. Participants were informed they may feel some abnormal sensations prior to entering the room. Majority of participants reported having three or more abnormal sensations in the 50-minute period they were in the room. These sensations can be a result of susceptibility, but the uncertainty of that environment, and the lack of information may create these sensations and can validate occult

“I think it’s the kind of events that replays itself throughout history when cultures come under stress. When societies come under stress these kinds of things happen. People start looking around for essentially human sacrifices. They start looking around for somebody they can blame…” (Margaret Atwood). Throughout time people have engaged in actions that they later regret and instead of taking it upon themselves they have simply given someone else the responsibility of the blame.

People come up with crazy ideas all the time, many of which are torn apart by scientific evidence. However, some ideas are crafted so precisely and detailed; they are accepted as fact by millions of people. These alternatives to accepted history are known as Conspiracy Theories, and the people who create them are of a special breed. It is difficult to imagine having the time and passion to craft an alternative reason behind many of the world’s events and tragedies, but these people are born to do so. There is a specific recipe for such a person, a carefully crafted powerful concoction that breeds the hatred for government and the quest for the “truth”. Such people have been around for thousands of years,

- These kind of characters tries to put all the attention away from them by blaming innocent people.

There can be no truly universal experiences or perceptions of the supernatural among African-Americans, due to the incredible diversity within the community. Individual differences will also inform different worldviews related to paranormal and the occult. In fact, historical evidence reveals a rich and varied spiritual expression, which was not tied down to or by any one religion. At the same time, archaeological evidence reveals a palpable spiritual unity, "a coherent, transatlantic belief system," ("Conjuring in the Big House Kitchen" 1). African syncretic traditions blended seamlessly with life in antebellum America, and would later be fused with African-American life also after emancipation. White perceptions of Black spirituality are bound to be problematic, as are any white perceptions of the Other. Projections of idealized exoticism and fantasies of powerful voodoo-men paralleled white fears of Black power. This was especially true after emancipation, as whites for the first time contended with the real possibility of coexisting on equal footing with African-Americans. One of the ways to contend with and conceptualize African-American power was through exoticism, which works much like Orientalism. It is a self-serving endeavor to project exotic power onto the Other, either for entertainment purposes or existential titillation. Another way to contend with African-American power was to presume that such power was primarily used as a vessel to benefit whites.

The supernatural model states that people believed and explained abnormal behaviours in terms of supernatural forces. In other words, abnormal behaviours are caused by demonic and evil

Supernatural elements is something that cannot be explained by the laws of nature. These elements, such as religious figures and activities, ghosts, witches and anthropomorphized animals have been used to develop themes throughout literature. These supernatural elements are often used to outline the conflict within the plot and creates an atmosphere of mystery and suspense throughout the text, which establishes the gothic. Supernatural components leave us to question what is real and what is our imagination.

The purpose of the supernatural in Literary Works The purpose of the supernatural in literature can vary in function from story to story. The supernatural can be used to create a certain mood in writing or to enhance the dramatic effect of a story. The supernatural can also be used as the reasoning behind a story and act as the theme it centers on, creating a paranormal effect and a mystical experience for the reader.

People believe in the supernatural and witchcraft because such things explain the unexplainable and they have grown up with such beliefs engraved into them; belief in specific human beings is a more complicated issue. People either believe Katherine Branch because of her startling symptoms, contemporary events and because they fed their own beliefs and narratives or disbelieved her because of her inconsistency and how easily she snapped out of the supposed trances of bewitchment.

The “Supernatural” is something that defies the laws of physics, and is said to exists above and beyond nature. In early British texts many writers used the supernatural and magical power to enhance their characters being. They made them above others and noble, in a way that no other character was. Reflecting on the different approaches people conduct when they read and analyze literature, there is a multitude of ways that the supernatural can be interpreted. A reader should consider what is supernatural about a certain situation in the text. Are there faeries, witches, wizards and ghosts? What about spells, dragons or angels and devils? By observation, the supernatural or magical senses usually involve a character with certain power,

To say that the supernatural beings are merely spreaders of fear and doom is to overlook their adaptability. The spirits in The Tempest and Dr Faustus also use their powers to create spectacles, masques,

The beginning of the nineteenth century was also the start of a legendary movement in literature, known as Romanticism. Authors during this period created their own worlds by using their imaginations. Individuals no longer saw themselves a measure of everything around them, but rather as one more component of the great source of life and creativity: nature. The Romantics placed emphasis on emotions such as apprehension, terror, and awe as an authentic source of aesthetic experience, as well as the feelings that accompany confronting the sublimity and beauty of nature, especially. Supernatural elements are not present in all Romantic literature; however, the supernatural approach was an important and arguably crucial strategy for Romanticism to achieve its purposes.