Exigence/Relevance Many murder reports and atrocities pervade the news today, but rarely do writers go into as much detail as Capote did with In Cold Blood. Although it was just about four of the countless murders that have occurred in history, In Cold Blood is still relevant today because of the way Capote wrote it. Its detail and descriptive nature allows the readers to familiarize themselves with the murderers in an unprecedented fashion.
Audience
The entire United States was meant to read In Cold Blood. It was written for those people who were curious about the crime and for those who wondered about why Smith and Hickock did what they did. This book was also written for those who analyze the actions and thought processes of the mentally unstable.
Purpose
No other author had
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He simply relates the real events back to the readers and does not include any fabricated lies. Capote also refers to professional opinions when writing about the two killers’ mental stability.
Pathos
The details that Capote included allowed the reader to become intimately familiar with all of the characters, and to seem almost like friends with the Clutters. This familiarity thus caused sorrow and concern when any of them died, including Hickock and Smith. Capote also appealed to pathos when he described Smith’s childhood and thoughts, and by focusing on the virtues in him, even as he was hanged for murder.
Ethos
Simply already being a respected writer granted Capote automatic ethos, but he further established his credibility with the immense amount of detail that he cascaded into the book. All of the details assist in validating that Capote is an expert on the subject and that he knows the Clutter case exceptionally well. Capote also attempts to keep his personal opinion out of the account, making In Cold Blood more reliable and accurate.