The death penalty has been a controversial topic of debate for years, specifically whether the punishment is ethical and effective. Many have even argued that the criminal justice system has imposed flawed and misguided standards and practices which have caused choatic conditions to seep into American life. Truman Capote’s novel “In Cold Blood” examines the nature of this system by recounting the trail of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, who had been accused of murdering the Clutter family in rural Kansas. Through Capotes vehement opinions about numerous aspects of the process, the narrative includes a stong implicit answer to the central question of whether society actually achieves justice when it imposes the death penalty. Throughout “In Cold
In addition, transitioning to the present-day system, Jacoby highlights the modern issues in prison “The Boston Globe reported in 1994 that more than 200,000 prison inmates are raped each year, usually to the indifference of the guards.” This information serves as a strong emotional approach, challenging readers to question the morality and humanity of our modern convictions. Lastly, Jacoby poses the question whether “puritans were more enlightened than we think, at least on the subject of punishment.” Jacoby strategically plays on the readers emotions, empathizing with a reflection upon the modern penal system. The idea of a quick, painful, corporal punishment as a potential alternative invites the reader to consider whether such measures are more humane and emotionally tolerable than the hidden atrocities within the penitentiary system.
The death penalty has been a controversial topic of debate for years, specifically whether the punishment is ethical and effective. Many have even argued that the criminal justice system has imposed flawed and misguided standards and practices which have caused chaotic conditions to seep into American life. Truman Capote’s work “In Cold Blood” examines the nature of this system by recounting the trail of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, who had been accused of murdering the Clutter family in rural Kansas. Through Capotes vehement opinions about numerous aspects of the process, the narrative includes a strong implicit answer to the central question of whether society actually achieves justice when it imposes the death penalty. Throughout In Cold
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.
The prisoners had seen and experienced so much brutality, endured repeated beatings, and humiliated beyond imagination, so one more death did not affect them. Their emotions hardened to the point of being non-existent… or so they thought. Although the prisoners seemed hardened and unaffected by death, a different hanging did deeply affect them.
In the following essay I will discuss and form a clear analysis about Elizabeth Bishop’s poem ‘Exchanging Hats’ that was published in 1979. Elizabeth Bishop is an American short-story writer that was born in 1911 and loved writing poems to describe the dominating side between male and female. It addresses many things such as crossing dressing, gender roles and it brings out a deeper meaning of fashion. It refers to the world famous story of Alice in Wonderland. It is done in such a way where everything that is being describe is not being said directly but rather describing actions that symbolizes different principals of theories.
Jeff Jacoby provides a strong argument in “Bring Back Flogging”, suggesting that we should adopt a few of the punishments of the Puritans. This argument is built on logical appeal, emotional appeal, and his own personal credibility as a writer. Providing statistics and information, Jacoby creates the logos, or logical appeal, and ethos, or personal credibility. In Addition, he uses ethos, or emotional appeal to force the reader to think about what they believe is morally worse. In “Bring Back Flogging”, Jacoby says Puritan forefathers punished crimes with flogging, including whipping and branding; however, in current times we tend to put a person in jail, no matter the crime.
Although blood is shed, and lives are lost, they are not in vain as they allow for future change to commence. In each piece, punishment is described, although, in differing light. In one it is used to show how it will lead to pain and strife, with a description of the torturous consequences. In the other, it is used to show how it can be the effect of doing the right thing, with. This addressing of punishment shows similarities between “If We Must Die” and “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry
Who gets to decide the consequences of actions committed, and if they are proportionate to the original decision itself? People make decisions unknowing of the results. Their original decision could result in getting justice, getting what they deserve, or possibly getting wronged. As shown in this essay, there are various examples of literature, including novels and short stories, that discuss and symbolise the consequences of decisions made and their results in justice. Both the novel Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepety and the short stories “Marionettes Inc.” by Ray Bradburt and “The Possibility Of Evil” by Shirley Jackson all contain and debate this theme.
His combination of appeal and troupes proved to be effective when Leopold and Loeb were gifted life in prison rather than a rope. His plea became an avenue for the digression of capital punishment by creating a sense of shame and sadness in his audience, a result of his ethos and pathos. Darrow’s rhetoric directly saved the lives of two young men as well indirectly saved the lives of many more by creating a negative connotation towards the death
They were hanged from chains and whipped till they were no longer able to scream. This unjust treatment was aimed to tame mental individual from “lashing out.” Their mental conditions were unrecognized; they were forced to endure harsh “punishments” due to their mental state of mind. The stand
Similar to Puritan punishments, public ignominy as a consequence for failings of the character is too severe a punishment. These events demonstrate that, as a modern society, America has still not evolved from appointing vigilante-like retribution upon those who seem worthy of such
The screams and bludgeonings are the relative normal, and evil is left to be the only residing party. Therefore, in this circle, life knows no similarity with reality, and for eternity, this violence is numb. The true punishment is to reduce the value of the inmates consciousness and actions, above the endless physical
While we prefer life in jail, they preferred death. To conclude, a significant extent of the nature of crime and punishment changed between social classes and over the years since the Medieval Period. This is seen through the significant groups that were involved in medieval crime and punishment, the effects of a person’s social class on crime and punishment, the sort of crime each punishment was used for and the difference between crime and punishments between the Medieval Period and today. The Medieval Period lasted from 476 CE to 1453 CE, with different punishments for each crime committed by different social
Rhetorical Analysis of “A Hanging” In his personal narrative, “A Hanging”, George Orwell, a renowned British author, who often used his talents to criticize injustice and totalitarianism, describes an execution he witnessed in Burma while serving as an officer in the British Imperial Police. Originally published in The Adelphi, a British magazine, in 1931, the piece was written for educated, politically aware people in England, in hopes of provoking questions regarding the morality of capital punishment, and perhaps imperialist society overall, in those benefitting from such a system. Although he died nearly seventy years ago, his works are still influential and relevant today. Using vivid descriptions and a somber tone, Orwell recreates his experience in a tense narration that clearly shows his thesis concerning the value of human life and the wrongness inherent to a system that dismisses it so casually.
