Politics and Witchcraft

After talking about politics and witchcraft in class, I became interested in finding if any kinds or what kind is still going on and how modern day governments deal with it.
http://www.butterfliesandwheels.org/2011/witchcraft-accusations-and-politics-in-akwa-ibom-state/
I found this article about Akwa Ibom and the child witch hunting that is currently occuring. The article talks about how the government, at first, chose to ignore the seriousness, thinking of it as just a superstition, followed by soon after beginning to take drastic measures to stop the child hunting, and also trying to pass all accusations off as fabrications. If you read through it, how do you think the government handled it? In comparison to old governments that we have learned about, have they handled it better?
-Jessica Petrus

Dance of Death

This song reminded me of class music since it goes with superstitious theme, even the instrumental parts are creepy at the beginning.  Just posting the lyrics ruins the song though so you'll have to listen yourselves.  Even the album picture looks strikingly similar to their sabbats.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZDB0mAMkA4

Music

We have had some great music played for us at the beginning of each class this quarter. I thought I would share a song with the class as well. It's Florence + The Machine's "Shake It Out". It's a great song! I'll also post the lyrics under the link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbN0nX61rIs&ob=av2e

Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play

And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself
I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn

And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around

Our love is questioned, such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
So I like to keep my issues strong
But it's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

And I am done with my graceless heart
So tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'Cause I like to keep my issues strong
It's always darkest before the dawn

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
And given half the chance would I take any of it back
It's a fine romance but it's left me so undone
It's always darkest before the dawn

Oh whoa, oh whoa...

And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat
'Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me, yeah

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa

My Top 5 Study Tips

1. Make bullet point notes for each reading, online lecture, and movie. Include: Author/Issue/Title, Date, A Quick Description, and 2 Main Points (e.g. an author's stance on witchcraft trials, how they addressed a particular problem or question, etc.). This will help you to sift through the details and focus on key information.

2. Group similar materials together in chronological order (e.g. a list all the witch hunters, a list of people condemned as witches, a flow chart that tracks critics of witch trials, a timeline of key events, etc.). Grouping information will helps you to remember it more quickly.

3. Memorize your notes. Speaking out loud works best for me. Other suggestions: go over them on a treadmill or on a walk, compare notes in a study group, writing them out in different patterns or colors. Anything that helps you is good.

4. Review your notes with others to fill in remaining gaps. Look over materials that you forgot or are troublesome to you. Ask questions.

5. Re-read texts the day before the exam. This is very effective if you have studied your notes because it will solidify your knowledge and put additional details in your short-term memory for the test. The goal is not to re-read everything, only as much as you can digest, and the process is much more effective than cramming unlearned material.

That's my top five. I hope these tips will be of help to some of you as we round out the term. Please comment if you have good tips of your own! -Michele

Final Exam Preparation

Dear 240 Students,

Beginning tomorrow (May 22), Robey and I will bring copies of Test 1 and Test 2  to the classroom. You may wish to use these to review for the final. We also have your answer sheets for Test 1 (Test 2 should arrive back from testing services any day). Just a reminder: the final is cumulative. The questions will not be identical previous tests, but they will provide you a great starting point for review.

If anyone has concerns about how to prepare for the final please don't hesitate to contact one of us for guidance. We are here to help.

We also suggest that you form peer study groups. Feel free to use the blog to make these arrangements as long as you are opening your group to the whole class. If you would like to reserve classroom space for study groups we can do this through CMRS.

Michele

Witches' Hammer in Relation to Communism

Before we watched Witches' Hammer on Tuesday, Professor Green noted that it was made contemporary to The Prague Spring and as a reaction to Communist Party Rule in the former Czechoslovakia. Though it was a striking historical portrayal of the hysteria of the witch hunts, I read the entire film as a political allegory. The most striking example of this allegory appears in the nature of the accusations juxtaposed with the behavior of the inquisitors. Superficially, the feasts and parties of the inquisition seem to be elements used to move the plot of the film forward. However, it was very striking how the inquisition indulged in gluttonous feasting, copious drinking, and implied fornicating at their huge parties and when the "witches" were accused they faced charges of gluttony, boozing, and fornicating with the devil. This draws a very clear parallel to the Communist Party. While propagating a message of communal labor and living, the Communist Party reserved special privileges for itself. By not "practicing what they preach," the resentment for the Party and its continuous thirst for power grew. The movie raises the question: What makes these behaviors acceptable for the inquisition, but a grounds for torture and execution of the common class? This question presented in the film can be applied to the political frustrations of the people: What makes the Communist Party so privileged, but the proletariat must submit to a pure communist ideal of no privilege? As the power of the elite groups grow, so does the paranoia and the irrationality of the situation. Did anyone else notice allegorical elements? Why would a use of the witch trials as an allegory be so striking, especially within an Eastern European culture? Could this be interpreted any differently?

Medieval torture

This link outlines some of the common medieval torturing techniques. One that fascinated me in particular was the "Keep Torture." The witch or other victim would be nailed to the door of a cage, which only had openings big enough for small animals and birds to get in and antagonize the victim. The cage was always hung high over the main square or above a church for more public humiliation. After much pecking from birds and torment from other pests, the victim would commonly pass out from pain and exhaustion, only to be woken up from rocks being thrown from passer-bys. What do you guys think, or do you know of any interesting/crazy torturing techniques from this time period?? http://medieval-castles.org/index.php?cat=31 DAVID STENGER

Witchcraft Trials Then. Terrorism Trials Today?

Although several notable terrorist acts occurred in the United States before 2001, no other national event has affected our cultural awareness of terrorism in such a way as the destruction of the Twin Towers and concurrent plane hijackings on Sept 11. As Dec 7, 1941 in Roosevelt’s time, we all know this infamous date. More significantly, Sept 11 has brought about cultural shifts and changes in U.S. legal conduct (e.g. the Patriot Act, extraordinary rendition, Guantanamo prison, “enhanced interrogation”). It has been mentioned in this class that there are some similarities between witchcraft trials of the early modern period and terrorism trials today. What do you think? Are there similarities? What are some of the essential differences? Would it be fair to compare cultural attitudes towards terrorists today to cultural attitudes towards witches during the Renaissance? Perhaps you have already thought of some important questions to share.

We know there are highly political issues embedded in this topic, and ask that you all make as much use of real data and other source materials as you can. Disagreement, to be expected, is inherent to debate, and it can always be approached in a respectful manner. This is an excellent opportunity to set aside differences and come together in meaningful discourse on an important cultural issue.

The TAs