3/18/2020 0 Comments Superstitions of the Elizabethan Era Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 wordsSuperstitions of the Elizabethan Era - Essay Example Fear of the supernatural and man's anxiety about the nature of God during this period promoted the belief in superstition. A central figure in the superstitions of the Elizabethan era was the witch. The belief that witches were largely responsible for bringing bad events to a community brought out the superstition that they were able to fly and had magical powers. Though superstition was officially discounted by the royalty as a belief of the commoners, in 1562 Queen Elizabeth I passed a severe law against witches that led to widespread witch hunts and the persecution of anyone believed to be involved with witchcraft (Elizabethan Superstitions). These harsh actions may have been the result of the severe weather beginning in 1562 in Europe (Behringer). The public was looking for someone to blame for the hailstorms and frigid weather and during this period, weather making was "the most important charge against suspected witches" (Behringer). This superstition is carried over today with the fear of anyone who has 'a dark cloud hanging over them'. Superstition was often thought to be the property of the more ignorant classes, and most of the fear was directed at that class. However, Holliday notes that, "[...] even though the upper class discount the stories of the commoners, they themselves were taught the same stories. Most upper class families hired lower class nurses for the early rearing of their children". The stories were the primary method of education and were rich with superstition and witchcraft. Often passed along by the old wives to the children, this became the origin of the often-used phrase 'old wives tale' that is still in use today. Though the subject of superstition may be viewed as rather innocuous, during the time of Elizabeth it was a serious subject. During that period almost 250 witches were executed, mostly poor single women who lived alone (Elizabethan Superstition). Many superstitions that are harbored today have been carried over from the Elizabethan period and many were founded in some realm of truth. Spilling salt was considered bad luck during the Elizabethan period and this attitude was passed on to children. This belief had a practical use as the cost of salt was high and the desire for it was great (Elizabethan Superstitions). It was also believed that witches could brew magic potions. In fact, many elixirs, potions, and cures were brewed from herbs then and still are today. Usually herbs would have a particular lore that went with their possession. Mandrake, often used in rituals, was known to grow under gallows and was said to have, "shrieked so horribly that uprooted anyone hearing it would go mad" (Simpson and Roud, 224). The present day superstition that makes walking under a ladder unlucky is also traced to the Elizabethan era. Ladders were associated with hangings and executions and were naturally seen as a bad omen (Elizabethan Superstitions). Often times, superstition would involve objects found in nature. According to Simpson and Roud, "The cuckoo's habit of laying eggs in the nests of other birds explains why its cry was regarded, in medieval and Elizabethan times, as mocking cuckold
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Final Exam      The question of race and discrimination has been around a long time, dating back to the slave age. So the fact that it is still an issue today is no surprise at all. In fact, you might be able to say that race and discrimination is still around today but has changed over time. Why is it important to understand the question of race and discrimination? It is important because helps you be a more well-rounded person. I have learned this and have become more aware of this because I am taking this class. I will be examining ten pieces of popular culture and show how it relates to what I have learned in this class.      The first example I would like to use is the movie “8 Mileâ€. The movie is about this white man that lives in a bad neighborhood in Detroit. He has a lot of good rapping skills and he works at a car garage. He knows that the only way he will get out of this bad place is if beats the black rappers and lands a record deal. The movie shows the adversity that he goes through. This movie represents how a white man struggles to get recognize in the rap industry since he is not black and since it is dominant by blacks. I think that this shows the world that it does not matter what skin you have, but the talent you have is more important. I think this ties into class on the issue of how too many times that people get categorized because the color of their skin. This shows the idea of whiteness. Black people have been used the idea of whiteness and have used it on him. Wellman quotes: “I can relate to people whose backgrounds are similar to mine†(Wellman 152). Since he is white, the some black people have judged him first by his skin and looking passed his background. When in reality, he grew up with a rough childhood and the fact that he did have the talent to do what supposedly only black people could. The black people thought that just cause he had white skin that he was not able to produce the same rhythm as them because the white person did not listen to the kind of music they make.      The second example I would like to use is swing dancing. I saw a picture on the internet about swing dancing and how it showed white people dancing. Swing dance was formed by the African American people and it became very popular that it became the center of American life but... ...xist with no problem. This relates to the Min’s idea of how Asians want to be like whites and how they don’t want to be like blacks. I find this interesting because in this movie, the black people are trying to be like Asians, where as the Asians are trying to be like white people.      The final example I would like to use the James Bond movie “You only live twiceâ€. The movie is about how Bond gets killed by the Chinese enemy in the beginning of the movie but he really was not dead. So he has a mission to stop the Chinese gang from taking control of the world. This reveals to the world how the Chinese can be dangerous too. I think this relates to the when Min talks about gangs in his book. What I find funny about this situation on gangs is that Asian want to become more like white people yet the gangs would be more a characteristics of the black people. So it is kind of ironic that Asians want to be white yet they are also like black people. I am not sure what exactly you can classify the Asian people as either white or black, but I would like to see that the Asian community be classified as their own group and not have to choose either white or black,
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