The early 1700s in America were full of witch trials, of which the witch trials in Salem are the most well known. These witch trials didn’t come because of sorcery or black magic, but because of spite against, and fear of, anything different or unknown. Humans are generally content with their view on and understanding of life, and anything different or new is resisted. Difference is scary. Difference is a threat to the current way of life or way of thinking. Elizabeth George Speare’s book, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, highlights the dangers of the lack of diversity and how it can lead to stagnation, and the creation of false witches.
A lack of diversity results in an individual, or a population, growing very comfortable in their limited point of view and standard way of living. Provo is such a place. Little Rock, Arkansas was such a place. And in this story, Wethersfield, Connecticut was such a place. It was a small town of Puritans, separated by a good distance from any other towns and foreigners were very rare. The most diversity they have is in the form of Hannah Tupper, the only Quaker in town. Even this small difference is shunned, and Hannah is feared and hated. Children are warned away from this little old lady for fear her oddness could spread. This tiny town, so uniform and strict in its ways, was wholly unprepared for a bold, freethinking, foreigner to enter its borders.
Because differences were not welcome in that town, nothing really changed. There wasn’t much growth. New ideas lead to improvement and growth, but because new ideas were looked down on, that growth couldn’t happen. John Holbrook personifies this stagnated progression. Although he is intelligent and open, he is convinced that everything that his new teacher says is doctrine. He stops thinking for himself and tries to make himself just like his teacher. Growth can happen and did, but only to a certain point. No one can advance further than their teacher or parent if they never try anything new. John, and the entire town was stagnate without diversity in view and action to drive them to new heights.
The town’s hatred of difference was not only oppressive and halting, but their resistance to diversity became dangerous. When new ideas and behaviors were introduced, they were greeted with hostility. Her ability to swim and disobedience to town culture ended up getting Kat labeled as a witch by those who hated her. She was nearly killed just because she was different. We see that in the real world, as those different than us are persecuted. Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, homosexuals, women, and Muslims, just to name a few, are different than the majority of Americans and are stereotyped, mocked, feared, and are sometimes seen as so different that others don’t even try to understand them. They are more likely to be arrested, evicted, fired, mistrusted, or shot out of fear. The fear of the small town in The Witch of Blackbird Pond turned their distrust into anger and turned difference into witchcraft. Kat was lucky to have a more fair judge at her trial, and friends who showed everyone that different did not have to be a sin.
It is not until difference is accepted that change and progression can occur. A teacher that gives strict guidelines and docks points for straying will not be able to help that student progress beyond those limiting guidelines. A government that restricts immigration, mingling of races, or publishing of ideas, restricts the citizens growth. This town of Wethersfield restricted new teaching styles, plays, books other than the Bible, different cultures and religions, and levied a fine for not going to church every Sunday. If everyone was the same, their way of life would be safe. But as John Bytheway said, “A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are made for.” Growth and progression are not always easy, fun, or painless, but they are what humans need to be really happy. It was only after Kit had been proven by a court of law to not be a witch, and was only trying to help teach a girl to read, that Wethersfield came to accept her a little more. They were a little more open to diversity, and small concessions towards growth were made.
Diversity opens the mind to new ideas, cultures, and possibilities, but the change to get there is hard. The Witch of Blackbird Pond demonstrated the fear, dangers and stagnating consequences that come with a lack of diversity, and showed a slight softening towards differences in the end. However, it is still an issue we have today. We are trying to change and be more open to differences, but it is a continual fight and change is slow. But, as seen in this book, the rejection of diversity is dangerous for our growth and for those who are different. Our fear turns differences into witches.
No comments:
Post a Comment