How crazy would it be to interview criminals who murdered 4 people in cold blood? Well that’s exactly what Truman Capote did in this chilling book. In the novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote used different rhetorical strategies to create sympathy and influence the idea that there are always two sides to every story. Some of the mainly used rhetorical strategies throughout the novel were imagery, diction, tone, and pathos. Furthermore, Capote also illustrated sympathetical emotion towards both types of characters, the protagonists and antagonists.
Picture a town that is run-down. A place where streets are “ unnamed, unshaded, unpaved.” Where is it “ simply an aimless congregation of buildings divided in the center by the main-line trails of the Santa Fe Railroad.” Truman Capote describes this town, Holcomb, in In Cold Blood. Through this journalistic style of writing Capote uses imagery, selection of details, and structure.
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
This of course led to the killings of the Clutter family. So when referring to Perry,Capote uses light imagery and a sympathetic tone like “prophesied” but as the story goes on, it turns into a more aggressive tone towards Perry like when he begins to state more of Perry’s issues like his “already dangerous anti-social instincts.” Capote uses imagery the way he does to convey an important message that people can react to certain situations and act according to their surroundings. He wants the reader how people from a small, isolated town react to a murder and how a man who has been abused his whole life transforms into a criminal and eventually a murderer.
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.
In his book In Cold Blood, Truman Capote evokes questions about the justice served to Perry Smith and Richard Hickock. The jury sentenced them to death, as they should. The two men were a danger to the public due to their mental instability; although Capote puts a lot of effort into making Smith look like a caring person, Perry still murdered a family of four without motivation. Richard Hickock was the mastermind behind the murders. He deserved the death sentence because he spent so long thinking of how to pull of the perfect murder.
That specific phrasing can make someone’s skin crawl, and sounds like something one would find in a coroner’s report rather than a novel. Later, Capote goes on to talk about what happened to the townsfolk after, and how it was almost
In the novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote explores aspects of Perry Smiths and Richard Hickocks childhoods that may have affected their psychology and lead to the 1959 Clutter family murder. The fact that Truman Capote included these memories and old letters from their past was to show that he thought it played a part in the greater problem although he does not directly say that. He gives the reader the choice to decide for themselves, whether they think the awful childhoods of the main characters were the reasons they thought it was acceptable to murder a family in their own home in cold blood, or weather it was completely and fully their choice to commit this crime. From the way the writer describes Smiths past, it gives the reader the
Truman Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood epitomizes the shifting sentiments related to the murder of the Clutter family which range from terror, to sorrow, to pride, and all mixed emotions in between. Yet through Capote’s particular descriptions about each character, the connection between their feelings and their actions become further clarified. In effect, the readers experience feelings of sympathy for the victims, their friends and family, the investigators, and even the brutal murders of the innocent family. In order to craft this association, Capote employs a pathos appeal to amplify the audience’s ability to sympathize with each and every character.
Page 4-5 Destiny & Fate, Effects on dreams Destiny and fate correlates with the theme that dreams will fail and die. Characters do not decide their destiny. However, they do decide their dreams. A character's fate and destiny affects their dreams. Whether their dreams come true or not, has many contributing factors.
My main inspiration for my non-fiction piece, ’Who killed the Paperboy?’’ is the true crime novel, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. His ability of being able to engage the reader by using precise forensic knowledge and detailed description of not just the crime scene but how the society faced the struggles of not knowing who the murdered the Clutters. My non- fiction piece was created to be published in the True Crime: Unsolved Cases magazine.
Through myriad sources, Capote gathers his intelligence. He talks to Alvin Dewey, Dick, and Perry. He intertwines what he learns to make it appear as if he is with the townspeople, the murderers, and the Clutters at every moment in the story. The level of detail can be intriguing to the reader. Unfortunately, details are where the book verges away from reporting to storytelling.
I’m writing a book on the murder of the Clutter family and had been following the tracks of the killers, Perry and Dick, from even before they arrived in that innocent town,” he explained politely and he neared the door. “Oh, and don’t worry. I won’t use your real name. Good life, Mr.Bell.”
His relationships with the people from the town became strained, but Mayor Orden most of all was disappointed and angry at him. ‘The Mayor repeated, “I do not wish to speak in this gentleman’s presence. ”’(Steinbeck, 13) This shows that the Mayor is outraged that one of his own people compromised the safety of many innocent citizens.
This is because, throughout the book, it talks about several days where there were shootings and how gang life ran rampant. An example