Corpus : Phèdre, Jean Racine; Ruy Blas, Victor Hugo; Pour un oui ou pour un non, Nathalie Sarraute

Synthèse Which is Witch ?

Synthèse de la séquence

The First Witch Hunt (1692)

In the USA, there were two famous witch hunts, the first one occured in the late senventeenth century in Salem, Massachussetts, a community located in what was then called New England (The USA didn't exist at that time, New England was a British colony)

Puritanism that is to say strictness and austerity especially in matters of religion or conduct was the rule in New England. At that time people abode to (= se conformer à) a strict moral code, If you didn't respect or violated this code, you were suspect of being an heretic at best, a witch or a wizard / sorcerer at worst.

People were extremely superstitious and would interpret any misconduct (= mauvais comportement) as a sign of the force of evil (= mal). Adultery or gambling were considered as deadly sins (= pêchés capitaux). You had to follow the principles and rules written and edicted in the Holy Bible otherwise you were alienated, ostracized or even harshly punished.

A wave of hysteria and paranoia overwhelmed the village in 1692 when a bunch of girls became sick. Their delirium was seen as a sign of devil's possession. Influenced by their parents and other adults, they accused some villagers (most of them merchants) to have cast a spell on them (= jeter un sort).

Dozens of innocent people were arrested, jailed and trialed just because they had been denounced by the girls. 24 of them were hanged or died in prison.  

This story reflects the climate of paranoia and fear that would reign in those days. People who were considered as a threat to the community were eliminated without clear and solid evidence of their guilt. It was only bigotry, suspicion, rumours and jealousy that led them to their death.

The Second Witch Hunt (1947-1956)

In the late 1940's-early to mid-1950's, a second witch hunt took place during the crusade led by Senator Joseph MacCarthy to chase communists (aka commies or reds) from the USA.

As for the Salem Witch Hunt, this was more a movement inspired by fear and paranoia than a real threat that jeopardized (= mettre en péril) American liberties. This happened during a period called the Cold War during which the USSR and the USA would fight an ideological war.

MacCarthyism was a dark era in American history as many people were wrongly accused of being communist sympathizers or communist agents (the famous enemies within). A committee called the HUAC (House of Unamerican Activities Committee) was created to track down American « traitors ». It was not a court but a parliamentary committee chaired by members of Congress.

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