What impact do witches really have ?

What impact do witches really have ?

I. Introduction

Ladies and gentlemen, members of the jury, today we will explore the fascinating subject: "What impact do witches really have?" Witches have always been intriguing figures, present in tales, legends and collective imagination. Their image has evolved over time, from evil and scary characters to symbols of autonomy and emancipation.

To truly understand the impact of witches, we will examine different sources, including two relevant videos and a document. The first video, entitled "What do witch stories say about women?" , posted by the "Mrs Roquet" account, explores the link between witch stories and women’s perceptions. The second video, entitled "Modern Witchcraft Documentary", gives us an overview of modern witchcraft and its role in contemporary society. Finally, we will examine the document entitled "Witches", which offers a historical perspective on the beliefs in witchcraft and the consequences of witch hunts.

Through the analysis of these resources, we will seek to answer several key questions: What was the real impact of witches in history? How have witch stories influenced women’s perceptions and perpetuated stereotypes? What is the role of modern witchcraft and how does it redefine our understanding of this phenomenon?

It is essential to emphasize that our study will be based on a critical and nuanced analysis. We will seek to understand the different aspects of the impact of witches, challenging historical prejudices and exploring the new perspectives offered by modern witchcraft.

By exploring these resources, we hope to broaden our understanding of witches, their real influence and how they continue to shape our perception of femininity, spirituality and connection to nature.

Without further ado, let us begin our exploration of witches and their real impact through these different sources, striving to better understand their role in history, their influence on women’s perception and their significance in contemporary society.

II. Video 1: What do witch stories say about women?

The first video we will cover is entitled "What do witch stories say about women?" and was posted by the "Mrs Roquet" account on YouTube. This video offers an interesting perspective on the connection between witch stories and women. Here is a summary of the key points covered in this video and an analysis of its impact:

In this video, Kristen Korvette, a Witchcraft scholar examines how witch stories have been used to shape women’s perceptions throughout history. She points out that the stories of witches have often been used to stigmatize and oppress women who were outside the norms of patriarchal society.

Kristen start to take the exemple of the Wizard of Oz who is seen as a vengeful woman when she’s just upset that her sister was killed. It shows that women are not allow to feel angry. Moreover this character is a good exemple because she’s the typic representation of a witch in the collective mind, when we hear witch, we think of this kind of representation, the  halloween costume version.

The video highlights the fact that witches were often presented as powerful and independent figures, which went against the social expectations of the time. Therefore, women who defied traditional gender roles were associated with witchcraft and were seen as a threat to the established order.

Moreover, Kristen explains that the word « slut » and the word « witch » have been both been used to police female sexuality. It’s a proof of the link between « witch » and control of women’s lives and bodies.

The video also explores stereotypes related to witches, such as their alleged alliance with the devil, their use of magic and their so-called ability to seduce men to manipulate them. These characteristics have been used to portray women as inherently evil or dangerous, thus reinforcing patriarchal norms and expectations. According to Miss Korvette, a lot of films that contain iconic witches want you to think that every women is out to get you.

Kristen presents the exemple of Snow White, it’s a history that reflects the cultural fear of the aging woman.

The two principal representation of witches are the young seductress and the old crone.

Kristen then take the exemple of The Craft which is a film, according to Kristen this work make us think that when young girls get power they cannot handle it, so we shouldn’t be giving power to them. Problem with this fiction is that it’s a story depicted by men who are portraying the world a they see it and as they want to see it.

Kristen talks also about a positive exemple : Bewitched, a serie of the 60’ that coincides with the second waves of feminism and written by a feminist. In the serie we observe a « safe empowerement ». For its time the serie is pretty progressive.

By analyzing witch stories through this lens, the video raises questions about how popular stories can influence our perception of women and perpetuate harmful stereotypes. It encourages us to question these representations and to seek a more nuanced understanding of women outside the restrictive frameworks of witch stories.

This video invites us to reflect on how witches' stories have shaped our vision of women and to challenge the prejudices and stereotypes that flow from them.

III. Video 2: "Witches Look To Restore Reputation After Centuries Of Persecution

" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcKHzCtPutA)

The video entitled "Witches Look To Restore Reputation After Centuries Of Persecution" published by NBC News is a relevant resource for our exploration of the impact of witches. This video highlights the efforts of contemporary witches to restore their reputation after centuries of persecution.

This video starts with the apologies of the Scotland’s First Minister to a group previously persecuted : the victim of the Witchcraft act in 1563. This apologies were done in part thanks to The Witches of Scotland.

The video continues by recalling the persecutions and witch hunts that took place throughout history, causing the death of many people. It highlights the devastating consequences of these events on the lives of those accused of witchcraft and highlights the injustice of these acts.

A woman who seems to be from Witches of Scotland tells us that with the excuse of fighting devil in people, persecutors were only killing and torturing innocent women. About 4000 women were accused in Scotland over nearly 200 years.

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