The incident of the Salem Witch Trials in colonial Massachusetts in the late 17th century stands as a haunting reminder of the dangers of mass hysteria and the consequences of unfounded accusations. In 1692, a group of young girls in Salem Village claimed to be possessed by witches, setting off a chain of events that would lead to the imprisonment, trial, and execution of several individuals accused of practicing witchcraft. The hysteria quickly gained momentum, fueled by fear, superstition, and religious zealotry. The accused witches were primarily women, including those who were socially marginalized, such as widows, outsiders, or those perceived as different in some way. The accusations were often based on flimsy evidence, such as spectral evidence or the testimony of the afflicted girls, who claimed to see the accused as their tormentors in their dreams or visions. As the number of accusations grew, the authorities established a special court to oversee the trials.
As the number of accusations grew, the authorities established a special court to oversee the trials. This court, known as the Court of Oyer and Terminer, operated under a flawed legal process that prioritized confession over evidence. The accused were subjected to harsh interrogation techniques, including sleep deprivation and physical torture, to force them to admit their alleged crimes.
Blog Archives
TC – The inspiration for the story came from the dust jacket cover art. I had just finished my memoir, Roads Over Brown County, which took me two years to write, and I was playing around with a fairy design and thought it would be a fantastic image for a book cover. I keep thinking how nice a fantasy book cover it would make but didn’t know what kind of story it should be, and I didn’t have a title. For some unknown reason, while I was working on the cover art, I was also reading Frank L. Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz again.
After I added tattoos on the fairy’s arm and some glowing orbs behind her, it came to me. I knew exactly who this fairy witch was. It made perfect sense; she was a good fairy witch, Glinda’s daughter, the Good Witch of the South. I instantly knew what I wanted to write.
For reasons I can’t explain, the first chapter I wrote in my journal was the epilogue. Everything else about the plot instantly fell into place.
What were some ideas that you wanted to keep from the classic Wizard of Oz and what were some new ideas you wanted to introduce?
TC – That’s a good question. I decided to combine aspects from Baum’s original book and the 1939 MGM movie with Judy Garland. Not many realize that in Baum’s books, Glinda was the Good Witch of the South, or also known as Glinda the Good, and not the Good Witch of the North. For fun, I decided to give Glinda the last name Glinda Goodwitch. I also decided to have the main characters from Baun’s book and the movie, The Scarecrow, The Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion play a part in my book. I also thought it would be fun to add subtle echoes from the movie within my book.
One of my favorite moments in the film is at the end when Dorothy is back home in her own bed, and she is telling her family and friends about Oz. I wanted to capture this iconic moment in the book.
So when the main character, Samantha Goodwitch, Glinda’s daughter, is recuperating from a terrible injury from fighting the vicious red alpha dragon. She wakes up in an unfamiliar bed and looks up at her companions, and tells them about a dream she’d been having. She points a trembling finger at each one and says, “You, and you, and you . . . . . and you were there.” I also had the new Wicked Witch taunt her victims as she did in the movie, using some of the barbs the Wicked Witch of the West used. All of these small touches made the story special and fun for me when I was writing. It made me smile.
I added one piece of imagery at the beginning of the book when Sam is crouched on the roof of the castle looking out across the land of Oz that has been with me since I was a child. I am almost sure it started from the very first time I watched the movie. It happens when the Munchkins escort Dorothy to the center of Munchkin City to show her the Yellow Brick Road. Where the Yellow Brick Road spirals out from the center of the city, there is another spiraling brick road, but the bricks are red. That always fascinated me, and I have ever wondered what kind of adventures one would find following the Red Brick Road. To this day, when I watch the movie, I whisper, “Dorothy, take the Red Brick Road.”
Sam is an intriguing character that I enjoyed watching develop. What were some obstacles you felt were important to the characters development?
Mainly believing in herself and proving herself to her mother, to her sister, and to everyone she loved. Every time I start a new book project, I struggle with it, from my children’s picture books to my novels – especially my novels. So, I say to everyone, “Believe!”
Do you plan to write other stories within the land of Oz?
When I first started writing this Ozarian tale, I said to myself, “What am I think writing a book based on a classic like Oz!” Doing another book? Well, I will tell you this: I have already written an outline. But to be honest, the two years it took me to write The Good Witch of the South knocked the breath out of me. I am not sure I have it in me to write another adventure in the Land of Oz. But one never knows.
I have to admit. Now that this Good Witch story is finished, I find myself genuinely missing my daily visits to the Oz.
Author Links: GoodReads | Amazon
There is a darkness brewing in the west and alarming rumors of dragons and an evil enchantress building an army to overthrow the Great Head of Oz. A demon fairy witch the Land of Oz hasn’t seen since Dorothy Gale destroyed the Wicked Witch of the West.
Soon to be sixteen-year-old Samantha Goodwitch, the daughter of Glinda, the Good Witch of the South, knows she is disobeying her mother’s wishes when she leaves the castle to search for dragons, but she’d rather have an adventure than follow her mother’s command. When one of the Shadow Mountain Cats, Akasha, unexpectedly saves her life, the adventure turns deadly and a friendship grows between them.
But the rumors soon become real, and the freedom that had captured the hearts of the citizens of Oz is quickly unraveling. As the tensions mount and battles begin, Sam and Akasha find others who join them in the last Great War of Oz, to fight against the darkness that is devouring a once peaceful land.
*** A spectacular Ozarian adventure in the land of Oz ***
*** A spectacular Ozarian adventure in the land of Oz ***
Those who maintained their innocence were often sentenced to death by hanging. The Salem Witch Trials finally came to an end in 1693 when the Massachusetts Bay Colony governor disbanded the Court of Oyer and Terminer, recognizing its egregious errors and lack of due process. The surviving accused witches were released from prison, and the remaining cases were dismissed. The events in Salem have since become a cautionary tale, illustrating the dangers of false accusations and the perils of unchecked fear and prejudice. The trials serve as a reminder of the importance of due process, the presumption of innocence, and the need to critically examine and question evidence before hastily accepting accusations. While the horrors of the Salem Witch Trials are a dark stain on American history, they continue to resonate as a testament to the fragility of justice and the consequences of mass hysteria..
Reviews for "nathan burton comedy magic show"
Warning: foreach() argument must be of type array|object, string given in /home/default/EN-magic-CATALOG2/data/templates/templ04.txt on line 198