Olivia's Witch Blog

I think it's interesting how many depictions we have of one particular topic and how many different connotations can surround that; how one topic can evoke both comedy and tragedy, laughter and fear, intrigue and disgust. I think this is how both media and society have created witchcraft to be.  Take movies like Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown for example. When I immediately think of these, I think of happiness, joy, laughter. They're not too frightful or fearful. They have a lighthearted air around them. Conversely, there are movies like The Witch and Blair Witch Project that evoke feelings of fear, horror, and thrill while watching. They're so different, yet so like. No one would think twice about the fright level of the first, but there's a whole slew of people that would refuse to watch the latter. One topic, a million different feelings. How can this be? I believe it all lies in perspective. The perspective shapes the material. However the director or writer or e...

Webster dictionary defines the word "Dichotomy" as " a division into two especially  mutually exclusive  or  contradictory  groups or entities." After this weeks reading, I'm sitting here thinking about how an overindulgence in seeking out dichotomies played a role in the Salem W itch Hunt , but also how it still is playing a role in our society. By dividing society into good vs. bad, it seemed almost easy to accuse people of being apart of the "bad" of society and in a way condemn them to their death. The othering of a people group, in this case the "witches", makes it easy to dissociate and have an utter disregard for the nature of life itself.  Witchcraft: A Very Short Introduction did a good job of introducing this. Gaskill writes, "People prefer  clear-cut definitions to blurred ones, order to chaos." I personally believe that as humans, in our deep-rooted nature, we're seeking understanding. There's so much evidence o...