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Truman Capote's In Cold Blood: Nonfiction

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Literature continuously evolves over time; may it be with a new genre or a new style of writing. Truman Capote pioneered in the field of nonfiction novel, a genre he invented with his work In Cold Blood. In this book, Capote intertwines facts and real events with elements of nonfiction to cover the 1959 murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small community of Holcomb, Kansas City. Although it is important to keep the book as accurate as possible, it is inevitable for the author to change some details in order to keep the book engaging throughout the novel. Capote’s work faces controversy as it deviates from the truth with his modification and rearrangement of events, and his obvious bias towards Perry Smith, one of the killers …show more content…

There is barely any piece of narrative journalism that is a hundred percent accurate. It is the author’s job to organize the story to make it easier for the readers to comprehend, which is exactly what Capote did for his account of the murder case. Capote is not the only writer guilty of manipulating some facts in a nonfiction work. In Capote’s case, it is also his responsibility to make the book compelling. In his book, In Cold Blood, narrates from the night of the murders to the day they were hung as punishment. Capote included background and side stories to keep the story engaging. His bias towards Perry Smith is controversial but Capote knew that the details he included about Perry would evoke emotions from the readers and keep them …show more content…

The changes were made to add drama and suspense to the story. Capote balances out the nonfiction and novel part of his book, carefully modifying facts to limit his account’s distance from the actual truth. Capote did what he needed to do in order to make his book as compelling as possible with the expense of sticking with the facts. He shows how two contrasting writing styles can coexist in the same literary work. Truman Capote explores beyond the classic literary genres and opens the door for other authors to experiment with a new writing

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706 Words | 3 Pages

I think Capote wanted to write about the murder of the Clutter family because it was horrifying and the process of getting evidence and reports from police officials is a different technique from what he usually did. Also, during the 1950’s people where not familiar with non-fiction novels. If Richard Hicklock and Perry Smith knew Herb Clutter had money and they came to his home seeking for money and got what they went to look for, why did they kill the family? Was there another way they could of handle the situation? If the murder was accidental why did they

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1254 Words | 6 Pages

In Cold Blood Rhetorical Analysis Typically upon hearing about a murder, especially a brutal and unwarranted one, we find ourselves feeling a great sense of disgust for the murderer or murderers who committed these crimes; however, in Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood, the lives and experiences of the murderers, particularly Perry Smith, are displayed in a way the makes you feel pity for him as well as the victims. When comparing Capote’s Novel to a typical news article on a similar topic it is easy to see the that Capote's style varies from typical journalism. An article written by Frances Robles and Nikita Stewart titled “Dylan Roof’s Past Reveals Trouble at Home and School,” discusses the childhood and background of Dylann Roof, a twenty-one

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1006 Words | 5 Pages

In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote in 1966 tells the story of the murder of a prominent family in 60’s Kansas. Capote traveled to the small town of Holcomb, and befriended many of the townsfolk and the detectives involved in the trial to tell the story of a violent event that shaped this community for the decade until the eventual conviction and execution of the killers. Because of information being told, Capote makes the choice of writing his novel as if it were a news report. This journalistic structure and word choice helps to establish the serious and dark tone of the novel.

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969 Words | 4 Pages

The novel, In Cold Blood, is an anomaly in the literary paradigm. The author, Truman Capote, designed his novel in a way that made it unique when compared to others. His fundamental purpose was to present the problem of American violence and the fragility of the American Dream and how it can be so easily shattered. In order to portray his purpose, he used many rhetorical devices including syntax, diction, tone, ethos, logos and pathos. These devices allowed Capote’s novel to be different from the spectrum of other non-fiction novels and to support his purpose.

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277 Words | 2 Pages

In Truman Capote’s nonfiction text, In Cold Blood, the Herbert Clutter family was brutally murdered by two men by the name of Richard “Dick” Hickock and Perry Smith. Once the deaths of Herb, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon Clutter were found, almost no clues were present to link Hickock and Smith as the killers. Despite In Cold Blood being nonfiction, Capote writes as if the text is a novel using tone and diction to manipulate the reader’s mood, and engaging the reader. In custom, nonfiction books are written to state facts, which discourage people from reading it as they feel that nonfiction is not as amusing as reading a fiction book.

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902 Words | 4 Pages

Perry is starting to feel guilty, and Dick is starting to fear him. In Cold Blood will leave the reader in pain and guilt by the way that Capote makes you feel Pathos for Perry’s bad childhood and anger for Dick’s cold, cold heart. The reader is drawn into Dick and Perry’s second day of Mexico as the two have

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902 Words | 4 Pages

He used Perry Smith’s autobiographical statement, which summarized events from his past that revealed his dark childhood. Perry wrote that he was often beaten by his father, sent to detention homes where “every night was a nightmare”, and had an absent mother who was “always drunk, never in a fit condition to properly provide and care for us” (274-275). This inclusion of Perry’s personal anecdote extensively appeals to the audience's feeling of pity for his hardships by displaying a more hurt and emotional side to him rather than portraying him as an incompassionate killer. This display evokes wariness when Perry is sentenced to death because the audience has a greater understanding of the situation that developed his character and reflects on the injustice of executing a troubled man who could have improved his life through rehabilitation instead of punishment. Thus, Capote’s use of Perry's personal anecdotes encourage readers to consider whether capital punishment is ideal by appealing to pity and understanding of Perry as more than a "cold-blooded"

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1445 Words | 6 Pages

In the village of Holcomb, Kansas a wealthy family, the Clutters, was murdered on November 14, 1959. Dick Hickock and Perry Smith were convicted of these murders and received the death penalty. In Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood, the audience receives different viewpoints on why Dick and Perry either deserved the death penalty or not. Though the decision to sentence someone to death should be based on the truth, the truth is not always easy to define; Capote shows this through his depiction of the controversial executions of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. Criminal punishment is an immensely ongoing controversial and societal issue in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world.

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Truman Capote, the author of In Cold Blood, creates sympathy for almost every character the reader comes across. Through the use of manipulating the reader's emotions and connecting them to each character, Capote successfully pulls it off. There are four main groups that Capote chooses to create sympathy for the murder victims, the murderers, the law officials involved, and the ordinary citizens of Holcomb, Kansas. Truman Capote created the most sympathy for two characters, Perry Smith and Detective Dewey. From the beginning of the novel, Capote showcases Perry Smith a likable character.

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1483 Words | 6 Pages

Growing up a Sociopath; Born a Psychopath In Cold Blood by Truman Capote is a true story of a quadruple homicide in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas that greatly impacted the community in 1959. Capote begins his novel by introducing a prominent, well respected family in the community, the Clutters. The Clutters lived average everyday lives until they were abruptly ended at the mercy of a 12 gauge shotgun. The killers were two men unknown to the Clutters, who had two completely different backgrounds and personalities. By choosing to include details about each of the killers, Capote delineates the differences between psychopaths and sociopaths and suggests that the combination of the two personality disorders creates the environment for horrific

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Contrastingly, the opposite opinion is revealed through the character Alvin Dewey in the book. Capote writes about Dewey’s beliefs on the case: “[The Clutter family] had experienced prolonged terror, they had suffered. And Dewey

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539 Words | 3 Pages

Additionally, Capote expressed the idea of there being two sides to every story for both the protagonist and antagonist. By doing so, he used a unique writing style to help develop the story. In Cold

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Option Three: Bias Truman Capote’s final book In Cold Blood, was an instant hit with readers when it came out in 1966. Capote himself hailed it as a new genre of literature, a nonfiction true crime thriller. However, upon reading the book, it seems as though Capote shifted the truth to make it fit his own personal narrative, and put in his own personal bias toward the criminals, and seeks to have the reader sympathize with the criminals and seeks to challenge their attitudes towards the criminals.

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596 Words | 3 Pages

In In Cold Blood, the issue over the death penalty is prominent. Did Perry and Dick deserve to die? Should the severity of one’s crime determine one’s fate? Although Truman Capote writes the novel in a straightforward, “from a distance” way, he conveys, through his characters, theme, and plot development, that the death penalty is an issue that should be looked at from all sides and that the legal system itself is the real issue at hand, and that the death penalty is used as a means to suppress the distress and indignation of the citizens surrounding the case, instead of suppressing the victim himself.

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1177 Words | 5 Pages

Facts and Fiction: A Manipulation of Language in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood English is a fascinating and riveting language. Subtle nuances and adjustments can easily change the understanding of a literary work—a technique many authors employ in order to evoke a desired response from their readers. This method is used especially in In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, a literary work which details a true event about the murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small community of Holcomb, Kansas, in 1959. Although Capote’s 1966 book was a bestseller nonfiction and had successfully garnered acclaim for its author, there is still a great deal of confusion about the distinction between the factual and fictional aspects in the book.

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