Hysteria: Salem Sorcery and the Chupacabra Craze Death and hysteria are both prominent features of the Salem witch trials of 17th century Salem and the Chupacabra attacks of modern Latin America. Although the Salem witch trials and chupacabra hysteria both involve a fear of the supernatural, the Salem witch trials are more horrific because? of the time period? they occurred in and of the loss of human life.? The Chupacabra hysteria and Salem witch trials both are related to an extreme fear of supernatural beings. The Chupacabra is usually described as an alien experiment with leathery skin and a bipedal gait.
No specimens of the creature have ever been found, and the only evidence for its existence has been mass killings of goats and other livestock throughout Latin America. Similarly, the Subject of the Salem witch trial hysteria is also based on the supernatural notions of witchcraft. There is absolutely no tangible evidence in Salem to support the numerous claims of witchcraft, but the accusations are upheld by court based on the accounts of teenage girls.
At the peak of both the Chupacabra and witchcraft hysteria, the lack of evidence related to these subjects only serves to heighten the fear and horror throughout the population, instead of encouraging them to disregard the myths and stories their fear is based on.? The Salem Witch trials are also more horrific then the chupacabra attacks because of the time periods both events take place in. The first chupacabra attack is reported in Puerto Rico in 1995, an age where science and reason eventually disprove many of the supposed attacks. In contrast, the Salem witch trials are held in 1692 and 1693, when religion dominates the populations everyday decisions. Thus, the populace possesses the same beliefs as the local religious leader.
When Salem??™s minister believes the town??™s daughters are being possessed by witches, it is only a matter of days before the rest of the town follows and descends into chaos. This lack of an ability to analyze what is causing the hysteria, as is done for the chupacabra attacks, helps increase the fear and uncertainty in Salem throughout the course of the witch trials.? Finally, the most important differences between the chupacabra and Salem witch trial hysteria are the resulting effects on human life. Nothing outside of livestock is injured from the alleged chupacabra attacks.
Actually, wild foxes and coyotes are harmed the most, as farmers hunt and shoot them, believing them to be the supernatural beast. However, the results of the Salem witch trials are much more ghastly. In all, twenty people are found guilty of witchcraft and executed, mostly by hanging.
This massive death toll for such a small town is a horrifying conclusion to the hysterical witch trials, one that is easily more awful than the outcome of the Chupacabra hysteria. The resultant massacre makes the Salem witch trials a much more horrifying experience than the Chupacabra attacks. A large amount of hysteria is prevalent in both of these events, but is much more distinct in 17th century Massachusetts than present day Latin America due to the lasting effects it has on the area and it??™s people.
