Character Analysis Of Cotton Mather s The Wonders Of The...
Conversely, Cotton Mather stood by the use spectral evidence even after his father had condemned it.
In The Wonders of the Invisible World, Mather outlined his belief that the convictions in Salem were
justified. In fact, it was the judges of the court of oyer and terminer who asked Mather to write a book
to clear their name. Directly contradicting his father s stance on the admission of spectral evidence,
Cotton Mather stated that, We are Humane Creatures, and we are safe while we say, they must be
Humane Witnesses, who also have in the particular Act of Seeing, or Hearing, which enables them to
be Witnesses, had no more than Humane Assistances that are to turn the Scale when Laws are to be
executed. Cotton openly opposes his father by ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The parallel continues in regards to the presentation of evidence. In modern child abuse cases,
authorities historically tended to believe what children said because they did not want to believe that
they could make up such harsh accusations. However, this blind faith in a child s testimony has
recently been challenged as children have been increasingly educated on the warning signs of abuse
and are, therefore, more capable of making fake accusations. Much the same, the authorities in Salem
did not want to believe the girls could make up such severe claims of witchcraft, even though they had
been increasingly made aware of the folklore and, therefore, able to fake the symptoms. It has also
been noted that the girls supposed fits, if not truly choreographed and acted out, could have been the
result of asthma or even epilepsy. Asthma can be caused by stress, changes in room temperature, or
the presence of mold. However, attacks can also occur randomly without warning. Therefore, when
they do occur, it will look as though the person experiencing the attack is in critical condition. It has
been concluded that, If asthma played a part, it is not surprising that the girls attacks of choking were
common indoors, in damp and moldy houses, and in the evening, when fires were stoked, rooms
became smoky, and temperatures increased. Furthermore, asthma is most
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