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In Cold Blood Murder

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In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote, “reconstructs the murder and the investigation that led to the capture, trial, and execution of the killers.” Murders of this kind cause more fear and phobias in not only rural communities, but really any community. The murder of the beloved Clutter family is more widely recognized and emits an abundant amount of fear upon citizens in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. No one thought such a terrible tragedy could transpire to them… until it happened. There have been similar small town crises throughout history that have left lasting effects on not only the town, but the nation as well. A few of the other major incidents include the Jonesboro School Shooting, the Columbine Massacre, the Sandy Hook Shooting, and more recent the Petit Family Murders. The Jonesboro School Shooting took place in Jonesboro, Arkansas on March 24, 1998. Two young boys, at the ages of eleven and thirteen, killed four students and one teacher, all the while injuring another ten students. Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden (the shooters) were not charged as adults and were released in 2005 and 2007. “Neither has any criminal record,” as stated on …show more content…

On December 14, 2012 twenty first-graders and six educators were killed by a man who then killed himself. There are many conspiracy theories that pass the whole thing off as a hoax; when in fact, it was a very real situation. Peter Houlahan, a Newtown EMT, “Before Sandy Hook I looked at the world as a good place where bad things happen. Now I look at the world as a bad place where good things happen.” Many people have had an emotional and scarring reaction. Based on this EMT’s response, “But Connecticut 's public safety culture is changing, and with it, perhaps, the notion that emergency service workers are somehow immune to emotional injury,” it is directly shown how everyone involved is effected on a large

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These type of killings were unheard during their times. Terrifying a population to the point of not trusting a neighbor. These disgraceful acts against innocent people, has been a constant reminder for people for many years. The book, In Cold Blood, has sold millions of to the reading community, even though it is actually based on factual murders.

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693 Words | 3 Pages

Sympathy for all Truman Capote was a well known author for Breakfast at Tiffany's, House of Flowers and his most famous In Cold Blood. The one he is most famous for, In Cold Blood, is about the spontaneous murder of the Clutter family; it sparked a new genre of writing - the nonfiction novel. The book describes how the detectives are solving the murders and also includes the perspective of the ones who committed the crime. Capote additionally encompasses the towns people’s outlook on the situation. He was able to create sympathy for all characters in this book, including the murderers and also show that there are always two sides to every story by using the rhetorical devices of pathos, foreshadowing and conceit to create the effect of giving

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793 Words | 4 Pages

Truman Capote enlightened the world with an insight to the brutal murders committed by Perry Smith and Dick Hickock of the six innocent lives of the Clutter Family. It was entirely clear that the victims’ lives were taken out of spite. Capote exposes the murderers’ mentality and its relation to family by expertly exploiting the characters, accentuating the setting, and constantly foreshadowing the outcome.. Due to the fact that the crime was committed by two people, Dick and Perry, it is essential to fully comprehend these characters and who they were.

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264 Words | 2 Pages

“It doesn 't deter crime, but merely cheapens human life and gives rise to more murders.” This is one of the many quotes that reflects Truman Capote’s view on capital punishment. In writing his novel, In Cold Blood, Capote’s primary purpose is to convey his opposition towards the death penalty. Through the stylistic elements of rhetorical appeals, diction, and a selection of detail, Capote reveals the attitude he holds against this unreasonable form of justice. Tying into the events of the trial, Capote uses the rhetorical appeal pathos to highlight his point by appealing to the emotions and sensitivities of his audience.

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515 Words | 3 Pages

In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote, was a non-fictional novel published in 1965. Written in four parts, Capote meticulously details the brutal 1959 murders of the recognized farmer Herbert Clutter, Bonie Clutter, Nancy Clutter and Kenyon Clutter in the small, once peaceful, city of Holcomb, Kansas. Throughout the book, while Capote sympathetically depicts the murders of the Clutter family, we also realize that the author has a strong sympathy for one of the murders called Perry Edward Smith. Although the novel was intended to be written in a journalistic form, Capote seems to fictionalize much of the information used to write the novel in order to add suspense and certain reactions from the readers. Truman Capote’s new literary form of “the non-fictional novel” leaves the readers feeling conflicting emotions

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611 Words | 3 Pages

“In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote is a true crime novel that follows Detective Alvin Dewey’s investigation into the murder of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. The requisite of this novel is the confusing and shocking nature of the crime, as there was seemingly no motive for it at first glance. The brutal nature of the crime delves into questions such as the debate of right vs. wrong, and explores subjects of morality, especially when it is combating components of human nature, while also touching on themes of the American Dream. The line of right vs wrong is seen as blurred, particularly in the case of the murder due to the extreme circumstances. Capote vividly portrays the antagonists/perpetrators people with complex upbringings and circumstances faced

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834 Words | 4 Pages

On December 14, 2012 is the day that the citizens of Newtown, Connecticut experience sorrow And the wrong type of fame. On Dec. 24, 2012 a man named Adam Lanza took the life of his own mother by shooting her in the head and then traveled to a nearby school called “sandy Hook Elementary” and releasing hell on 20 unfortunate children between the age of 5-10 and 6 adults that gave up their lives to protect the young ones. This devastating day had a big impact on all of society, not just the citizens that live in Newtown but in other states and countries. Adam was a young man that terrified kids to go to school, also had an effect on parents accepting they lost of family and friends, and finally the law to have a firearm changed after the board

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The Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting was one that shocked the nation and opened the eyes of Americans everywhere. This horrible event opened up our eyes to the fact that someone could easily come into a school and raise havoc with ease. This man, Adam Lanza, had no affiliation with Sandy Hook or any one inside it but still decided to take the lives of 20 children and 6 adults before taking his own. In the statements made by Joe Scarborough from his show “Morning Joe”, he says “Every American must know from this day forward that nothing can be the same again.” This is a very powerful statement because it brings up an important point.

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1381 Words | 6 Pages

In 1959, the Kansas town of Holcomb was left horrified after the murders of the Clutter family. The shocking murder caught both the attention and hearts of those who learnt of it. In 1966, Truman Capote brilliantly captured the acts of the murders in his book “In Cold Blood”. Shortly after in 1967, Richard Brooks released the adaptation to Truman’s book, “In Cold Blood” which uniquely captures the essence of the murdered and the murderers. Capote and Brooks depicted the killers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock in two comparably different lights While observing both works of “In Cold Blood” various differences and similarities stand out including: the portrayal of Bonnie Clutter’s illness, how the murderers are, and amount of time dedicated to

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1787 Words | 8 Pages

In 1966, Truman Capote published the novel In Cold Blood that pierced the boundaries of literary genres, as he narrated the events of the 1959 Clutter family massacre in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas and the quest that took place afterwards through the perspectives both the murderers and those looking for them. As Capote bends these genre normalities, he ventures with the killers and the detectives and describes the murderers’ lives in-depth to further characterize Dick Hickock and Perry Smith--their psychological states and the possible contributing factors to their undeniable personality disorders. A mental health professional ultimately diagnoses the killers with mental illnesses rather than chronic personality disorders, an injustice still commonly made today in the psychology field, and determines them to have known right from wrong in terms of their crime. Throughout this novelistic journey, Capote explores the distinction between psychopathy and sociopathy, specifically the textbook lack of remorse and guilt, the mask antisocial individuals tend to display as their public persona via falsified charm and manipulation, and overall moral compass, or lack thereof, between the two.

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316 Words | 2 Pages

A historical event can impact a lot of people such as the massacre at a theater in Aurora, Colorado in July 20, 2012. During the newest Batman movie debut “ ... A gunman opened fire..”(Wertheimer 1). Twelve people died, which impacted their family members, and other 70 people were injured during the shooting, and that’s why now they think twice before going to watch a movie again. ” Minutes after the attack, police arrested James Holmes.

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On April 20, 1999, two disturbed teenage boys Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris began a killing rampage at Columbine High School in the suburban town of Littleton, Colorado. This was considered one of the worst school shootings to occur at that time. In the morning of April 20, before noon, the two juveniles had killed 13 people to include 12 students and 1 teacher; they also wounded another 23 people before turning the guns on themselves. This event would change the theories as to why school shootings would occur. (History)

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Medical professionals constantly face patients’ deaths, and become desensitized to it (Robbins, 2012). This helps emergency medical workers deal with many traumatic incidents without negatively responding to each one, but responders still encounter countertransference (Rothchild & Rand, 2006). While empathy helps responders relate to and treat patients, it can also cause changes in their emotions and health (Figley, 1995). There are many factors in the lives of responders and the incidents they respond to that can make them more susceptible to traumatic stress reactions. These reactions affect responders in many ways, and responders should learn how to cope with this stress.

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In the book, “In Cold Blood,” Truman Capote takes us through the lives of the murderers and the murdered in the 1959 Clutter family homicide, which transpires in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. The first chapter, “The Last to See Them Alive,” vividly illustrates the daily activities of the Clutter family—Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon—and the scheming plot of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith up to point where the family is found tied up, and brutally murdered. In doing so, he depicts the picture-perfect town of Holcomb with “blue skies and desert clear air”(3) whose safety is threatened when “four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives”(5). Through the eyes of a picture perfect family and criminals with social aspirations, Capote describes the American Dream and introduces his audience to the idea that this ideal was no more than an illusion. Herbert Clutter: the character Capote describes as the epitome of the American Dream.

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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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