What role has education or lack thereof played in shaping different events and people? I believe that education played a large role in increasing the tragedies of certain events, such as the Salem witch trials and the success of individuals such as Elizabeth Lucas Pinckney. When we define education in this context we do not only mean the level of schooling, but also the cultural and religious knowledge of people different from our own lifestyle. The lack of religious understanding that occurred in 1692 in Salem led to the shift from logical reasoning to fear, and because of this the massacre of many innocent women occurred. Being educated to learn how to critically process information would have been of great help in evaluating what was happening and might have allowed them to identify that the root of their belief that “God had cast Satan upon the village” grew from fear and not reason. (Ray, 2009). Thomas Brattle, a Harvard graduate living during the time of the trials, writes a gripping letter to a priest describing the illogical and unjust conduct of the trials. Brattle maintains “that the meetings of witches, the baptism of the Devil, and the sham sacraments, of which they often speak, are nothing but the effect of their imagination, depraved and deluded by the Devil, and not a Reality to be considered or thought about. any wise man", further demonstrating how an education could have led to wiser men who could critically evaluate the situation (Ray, 2009). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be prohibited"? Get an original essay. However, experiments can be used to show the effects of lack of education and the inability to process evidence without bias or fear of escaping your vision there are many people who have thrived in the book perhaps thanks to their education and life experiences For example, Elizabeth Lucas Pinckney, a woman in a time when women could not dream of achieving anything more than being a wife or a mother, at least for most. colonial women, ran her own plantation. This defiance of norms was evident when Ripper's text informed that she “had more financial responsibility than probably any other woman on the continent” (Ripper, 2008). Eliza not only had a courageous, hard-working ethic, but also an education in England that I believe pushed her past the barrier of what women were expected to do. Running a business or plantation in particular required an abundance of writing and business strategies that would have been nearly impossible to manage with the standard education settler women received, which "rarely exceeded the learning of letters at home" (Ripper, 2009). It is very evident, given Eliza's history, that education promoted and was almost necessary for success, although it is also undeniable that Eliza also had other favorable traits that aided her in her achievements. It would be unfair to say that having or not having an education could lead to the prosperity or death of different events or people. However, pairing education with motivation or other positive attributes appeared crucial to making good cumulative choices that lead to success. The opposite can be said of the horrendous outcomes present both in historical events such as the Salem witch trials and in people. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay There were other important characters within the chapters, who seemed to have?