Definitions by Lorelili
Salem Witch Trials
1692, in Salem (now Danvers), Massachusetts, fourteen women and six men were executed on charges of witchcraft because of the antics of a group of girls and young women.
The girls, who were most likely acting and seeking attention, had been screaming hysterically, thrashing about, uttering strange sounds, and were generally acting in very aberrant ways. Owing to the already tense atmosphere of the village, people suspected witchcraft and, upon hearing the testimonies from these "possessed" girls, they were willing to follow whatever the girls said. The Puritans, as humorless and superstitious as always, were convinced that God had abandoned them.
By October of that year, nineteen people were hanged, one man was pressed to death under a board weighted with rocks, and hundreds had been jailed. It was only when the girls began accusing ministers, men, children, the wealthy... and the governor's wife of witchcraft that the authorities finally intervened and stopped the trials.
The girls, who were most likely acting and seeking attention, had been screaming hysterically, thrashing about, uttering strange sounds, and were generally acting in very aberrant ways. Owing to the already tense atmosphere of the village, people suspected witchcraft and, upon hearing the testimonies from these "possessed" girls, they were willing to follow whatever the girls said. The Puritans, as humorless and superstitious as always, were convinced that God had abandoned them.
By October of that year, nineteen people were hanged, one man was pressed to death under a board weighted with rocks, and hundreds had been jailed. It was only when the girls began accusing ministers, men, children, the wealthy... and the governor's wife of witchcraft that the authorities finally intervened and stopped the trials.
The Salem Witch Trials would probably not have gone very far had the girls named very respectable people first, but they first named outcasts, people who were already suspect by the community, such as Sarah Good (an irritable beggar) and Sarah Osborne (a bedridden old woman who rarely went to church). But soon the accused included highly unlikely people: the arrests of Rebecca Nurse (a pious, elderly matriarch, highly respected by the community) and Martha Corey (pious and respected, but skeptical about the credibility of the girls) shocked Salem; it meant that anybody could be a witch.
The youngest accused: four-year-old Dorothy Good, the daughter of Sarah Good, who probably confessed to be with her mother in jail. While spared, Dorothy lost her mother and was traumatized for the rest of her life.
Now the Salem Witch Trials are invoked to recall Joseph McCarthy's legacy or any other irrational panic that leads to scapegoats.
The youngest accused: four-year-old Dorothy Good, the daughter of Sarah Good, who probably confessed to be with her mother in jail. While spared, Dorothy lost her mother and was traumatized for the rest of her life.
Now the Salem Witch Trials are invoked to recall Joseph McCarthy's legacy or any other irrational panic that leads to scapegoats.
Salem Witch Trials by Lorelili July 28, 2011
glib
Gifted with the ability to speak articulately and even charmingly on the spur of the moment, but there is a lack of accuracy or understanding. Slippery or slick in speech, cunningly persuasive.
cunning
Adjective:
1) sly, crafty, tricky, clever in secret or underhanded dealings.
2) artful, skillful, wily, streetwise
3) cute, appealing (in very rare usage)
1) sly, crafty, tricky, clever in secret or underhanded dealings.
2) artful, skillful, wily, streetwise
3) cute, appealing (in very rare usage)
The con man gloated as the train carried him off. He had cunningly swindled another town into investing in a technology that didn't even exist. He really was a cunning linguist and it helped him to escape capture.
conscience
One's moral sense of what is right or wrong, and especially how it affects one's behavior. One's moral compass.
However much that I wanted to vegetate and indulge myself while the cleaners cleaned my house, my conscience tugged at my mind, telling me to keep busy and see if they needed anything.
A small minority of people are born without a conscience and a similar number of people never develop one. Psychopaths are those born without a conscience and most sociopaths are not given a chance to develop theirs. And hence they are not bothered or remorseful about their antisocial behavior.
A small minority of people are born without a conscience and a similar number of people never develop one. Psychopaths are those born without a conscience and most sociopaths are not given a chance to develop theirs. And hence they are not bothered or remorseful about their antisocial behavior.
conscience by Lorelili July 28, 2011
theatrical
1. Of or relating to the theatre or actors.
2. Excessively flashy, exaggerated or fake; melodramatic, especially when intended to attract attention.
2. Excessively flashy, exaggerated or fake; melodramatic, especially when intended to attract attention.
The wedding was extravagant and theatrical, and bridezilla gave murderous glares whenever something went wrong, as if marriage was a performance.
The news in the United States has become increasingly theatrical since Edward R Murrow covered Joseph McCarthy; just look at Glenn Beck.
"Keeping up with the Kardashians" and the "Real Housewives of..." are theatrical and delightfully trashy in their demanding histrionics.
The news in the United States has become increasingly theatrical since Edward R Murrow covered Joseph McCarthy; just look at Glenn Beck.
"Keeping up with the Kardashians" and the "Real Housewives of..." are theatrical and delightfully trashy in their demanding histrionics.
theatrical by Lorelili July 28, 2011
concubine
A woman who is involved in a monogamous relationship with a man but is not legally married to him. An old term for a kept woman or girlfriend.
She is usually a willing participant in the relationship and may be of any social status.
She is usually a willing participant in the relationship and may be of any social status.
Anne Boleyn was just a concubine in the eyes of her opponents and she was slandered as a homewrecker; Katherine of Aragon was Henry VIII's true queen in their eyes.
The harem of the palace did house the Sultan's wives and concubines, but it typically also housed all of the women of the palace, including his mother, sisters, aunts, and cousins.
Queen Catherine de' Medici resented her husband's dalliances with his much older concubine, Diane de Poitiers.
The senator's wife was indignant, barely containing her rage when she confronted her husband about the secret series of concubines that he had.
The harem of the palace did house the Sultan's wives and concubines, but it typically also housed all of the women of the palace, including his mother, sisters, aunts, and cousins.
Queen Catherine de' Medici resented her husband's dalliances with his much older concubine, Diane de Poitiers.
The senator's wife was indignant, barely containing her rage when she confronted her husband about the secret series of concubines that he had.
Cosette
A character in Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. Cosette is the illigitimate daughter of Fantine, who had to leave her in the care of the Thénardier family while she worked to support Cosette. Unknown to the illiterate Fantine, the sociopathically cruel Thénardier family abuse the little girl and make false claims about her health so that Fantine will send more money to them. The money is then used for their own expenses and to spoil their own daughters, Eponine and Azelma, while Cosette is treated as a virtual slave... until Fantine's death, when her former boss, Jean Valjean, comes to rescue Cosette, bribing the ruthless Thénardiers to let her go. From there, Jean Valjean and Cosette escape to Paris.
Nine years later, at age seventeen, Cosette is a beautiful, well-bred young woman and doted on by Papa Valjean. Trouble begins when she runs into Marius Pontmercy, a young nobleman and student, and they fall in love. Valjean, worried about his discovery by Javert and about his adoptive daughter's safety, tries to thwart the budding love affair until he realizes that she's no longer a little girl and he has to let her go; out of love for her, he saves a wounded Marius from the barricade. She and Marius eventually marry before Valjean dies, leaving his life story to her.
Nine years later, at age seventeen, Cosette is a beautiful, well-bred young woman and doted on by Papa Valjean. Trouble begins when she runs into Marius Pontmercy, a young nobleman and student, and they fall in love. Valjean, worried about his discovery by Javert and about his adoptive daughter's safety, tries to thwart the budding love affair until he realizes that she's no longer a little girl and he has to let her go; out of love for her, he saves a wounded Marius from the barricade. She and Marius eventually marry before Valjean dies, leaving his life story to her.
Cosette's character is much stronger in the book and the depth of her romance with Marius a major emotional focus while Eponine is a peripheral character, although no less sad and pitiful.
Cosette is the peripheral character in the musical, almost one-dimensional while Eponine's presence is much stronger and shares the pathos with Fantine.
Cosette is the peripheral character in the musical, almost one-dimensional while Eponine's presence is much stronger and shares the pathos with Fantine.