Question

monday homework: hunting for witches
use the close reading strategies we practice in class. you will read the article three times, each with a different focus!
step 1: first read - skim and notice

• do a quick skim of the article.
• use your notice and note symbols from your journal to mark anything that stands out. (look for things like contrasts, tough questions, again & again, etc.)

step 2: second read - read carefully & take notes
read the article more slowly and carefully. as you read, take notes in the space provided. include:

• comments that show you understand the article (summarize or tell the main idea of important parts).
• questions about things youre wondering or confused about.
• notes that tell the difference between facts and opinions.
• thoughts about the authors choices (how they organized the article, their word choice, what they focus on, etc.)

step 3: a final quick read, noting anything you may have missed during the first two reads.
write your annotations in the space provided - this is not a summary
1.
2.
3.
4.
tuesday: answer the following questions using short answers - 3 - 5 sentences.

1. what key factors led the people of salem to believe that witchcraft was the cause of the girls strange behavior at the parris household? provide evidence from the text to support your answer.
2. based on the section \the first hearing,\ how did titubas confession affect the course of the witch - trials? make sure to state her confession and give textual evidence of how it affected the trials.

Explanation:

The homework involves close - reading an article about the Salem witch trials and answering questions related to the content. For the first question, one needs to analyze the text to identify factors that led to the belief in witchcraft, such as superstition and lack of scientific understanding at the time. For the second question, one should focus on the section about Tituba's confession and how it influenced the trials, likely by fueling the hysteria and leading to more accusations.

Answer:

1. The key factors included the highly superstitious nature of the Salem community and the lack of alternative scientific explanations for the girls' strange behavior. For example, in that era, people were quick to attribute the unknown to the work of the devil. Evidence could be found in the text where neighbors and officials immediately suspected witchcraft without considering other causes.
2. Tituba confessed to consorting with the devil and bewitching the girls. Her confession set off a chain - reaction, as it gave credibility to the idea of witchcraft in Salem. The text likely shows that after her confession, more accusations followed, and the trials gained momentum as others were pressured to confess as well.