True Crime In Susan Glaspell's A Jury Of Her Peers

The consumption of media is impactful on the personal lives of viewers. What one absorbs through television or narratives provokes an emotional reaction that stems to an opinion. True crime is one major influence that seems to grab an audience’s attention through the curiosity of how it makes them feel towards the information. The downfall of the report and presentation of these unfortunate events is that it can become desensitized in the process and falsely promote an image of entertainment that lacks compassion. On the opposite spectrum, journalism is a pivotal source for true crime, as it aims to present information for means of knowledge about society. It is motivated to educate and provide accurate facts through truth. While these two

The story is built around a crime following the perspective of a woman living in the early 1900s. Glaspell uses the theme of gender roles by demonstrating their minimal significance through the characters’ actions. The attorney makes a comment to Mrs. Hale, exclaiming about "dirty towels!”, saying that the wife of the murdered man is “not much of a housekeeper, would you say, ladies?" (Glaspell 5). The idea of feminism in the story shows just how much it is needed, as another theme is the importance of details. This is demonstrated through the two women’s discovery of the dead bird, and how it is dismissed as a “trifle” by the men. The author successfully uses a negative event as a catalyst for important themes that will benefit society. A Jury of Her Peers also supplies entertainment through the use of fiction. This type of true crime presentation leaves room for the reader’s imagination for visuals and mystery. The feeling of fear while reading is evoked purely by fantasy and how one chooses to interpret Glaspell’s work. It takes an ethical approach on true crime by precisely explaining the event without further exaggeration or dramatization that could mislead the

The presentation lacks an obvious positive message to take away. Because its main focus is to entertain, 48 Hours: Nightmare in Napa could easily fall victim to “forsaking ethics for the sake of drama“ (Jinx Serial Ethics 1). Much like the documentary The Jinx, the feelings of the people involved could be taken for granted in order to get a well-constructed scene that would ultimately attract more viewers. The lack of an educational purpose in 48 Hours: Nightmare in Napa leaves room for a lack of compassion. It is primarily focused on utilizing the fear aspect of true crime that provides an entertaining experience. The dramatic features such as narration with dark connotations follow the murder case from beginning to end, revealing details that keep the audience on the edge of their seats. The haunting words of “Lauren slipped on something and realized it was the blood of her roommates” is one of many provoking statements. Despite deprivation of the ethical motivation that is found in A Jury of Her Peers, this television program efficiently provides dramatic entertainment that provokes thrill and suspense that leads to curiosity of the true crime