Death Penalty (Sofia)

I don’t think that the death penalty helps prevent crimes in this country because when you are doing something wrong, you don’t really think about the consequences. Especially is you are angry. Usually when a person is angry, they don’t think straight. We only think about getting back at the person or situation that is causing ones anger. I think a person reflects on ones actions after they made a wrong decision and are facing the consequences. Most of the time people regret the decisions they make when they are mad.

            I don’t think that the family members of the victim should not interfere with the convicts at all. I think the family members should be at, be a part of the trial, and hear the sentence but I don’t think they should have a say in anything that happens to the prisoner. I don’t think so because then they’d be doing the same thing to prisoner did to them. Like the prisoner also has a family. The victim’s family knows what it feels like to have a loved one hurt or killed so they shouldn’t do that. And also because that only opens the door to hate and negative feelings towards people, and that only makes a person bitter. And what if the prisoner’s family wants to do something against the other family. And it’s a war that’s never going to end. I think they should just let the police take care of everything. That’s why they are here for right?

Francois Villon (Sofia)

Francois Villon was a French poet, thief, killer, barroom brawler, and vagabond. He was famous because he was a criminal that wrote really good poetry. I think that Truman Capote used these words at the beginning of the book because Villon too was a criminal that had a tough life.

 When he was writing the book he was able to meet Perry and Dick personally. He was able to see that their lives had more negative impacts than positive. I think he felt pity for them. He was able to meet them as the two guys they were. Not as the two criminals that killed the Clutter family. I have read several documentaries, which state that Truman Capote went down hill after he wrote the book ‘In Cold Blood’. I think he was just sad that the men that became his friends’, were killed.

The connotation meaning for his words to me is that people hope that the next generation is different than the one now. For example, a problem my generation has is teen pregnancy. People hope that the next round of human beings doesn’t make the same mistake as the one this current generation is making.

The quote mentions that “we pity our poor selves, God is going to thank you more” I take this, as God will appreciate a person’s humbleness. I feel like this Francois Villon was a man that was against what most people believed. I think he wanted to live the life he wanted without people judging him and pointing fingers at him.

Execution Debate (Ana)

If someone in your family especially someone who you are close to is put on death penalty you should be able to have a say in the way they die or you should be able to put a stop to their death. The families should at least have an option of if they can’t stop their family members death they should at least be able to watch them die or be with them their last moment of life. The families also should have the chance to choose who is with them. They should be able to bring more than a certain amount of people there. Also they should be allowed to maybe spend a day with their love one before they are put to death.

            The families should not be allowed to pull the switch since I feel like that would be a messed up kind of thing to do. They should not have the death of their love one on their hands. It would be better to die by being put to death by someone who you do not know and by someone who is experience instead of by someone who loves you and that you have know a good part of your life. Although id they prisoner who is being put to death would prefer someone from his family to pull the switch then it should be his decision and not the governments.

"In Cold Blood" Outdated or Not? (Ana)

I feel like the story is not dated. Even though it did happen 40 years before the actual murders it is written to where the book seems timeless. While reading the book the readers feel like the story has just recently happen. The story seems fresh and new well except for some of the things that occur in it. The way the book is written makes it seem like the deaths could of happen today.

            The language is perfect so that it doesn’t seem like it was a time back in the day its just a general type of language which is timeless. The details the author gives makes it seem like the story could be put in any time of era without seeming weirdly out of place. The description of the things they wear doesn’t give it the impression that they had different morals or that they wore different clothes then we do now a days. The way the peoples act also don’t really give the reader the kind of impression that it was written in a different era than they were born.

            If people later on in the years read this book it could make it seem like it was written during their time or at least a few years back. That is if the technology doesn’t improve so that it affects the story but other than that it is written in the perfect way to make it timeless.

Hysteris (Keith)

A lot of times in the society now hysteria does take over.  Its not as bad as I would be hundreds of years ago but it still goes on. Ive seen people so scared of things like clowns that they’re not able to go out to the circus or things like that. After watching a horror movie where this guy was kidnapping people I admit that I was kind of paranoid for a little and I didn’t like being outside at night for a while. When terrorists attacked on 9/11 Americans were left in fear. People were taking drastic measures and people would avoid Muslims or Iranians. They were being judged just because people had the fear of what the people did and the fear of terrorists was taking over and changing how people lived they’re daily lives. There’s a lot going on with gun violence and I believe people are letting their fear get in the way of thinking and being realistic. I hear people saying that civilians shouldn’t be able to own guns but that would be taking away means of protection for people homes.  Yea hysteria is a problem in society today but I believe it doesn’t exist in strong minded people.

Death Penalty (oscar)

    Does the death penalty help prevent crime in our country? The death penalty will help prevent less crimes in our country. Because lets say you go and rob a bank and you don’t get away with it and you get captured, you will face the death penalty. And the next person who decides to do the same crime or a different crime will maybe think twice before making any actions. But in the other hand I don’t think the death penalty will make a difference because a criminal will not care about other peoples life. Eventually he/she wont care about their own life. So it wouldn’t make a difference if you are a cold blooded person. The families of the victims should not be allowed to administer the death pentalty because that would make them also a criminal.  They would have in their conscience knowing that by their decision they have caused the death of a person.  I don’t believe that the family would jump up and down with joy after seeing the person that victimized their family put to death. Families of victims know that taking the life of the criminal is not giving back their loved one. Only one more family will suffer. In addition the criminal has to pay while he is alive, for example serving at prison. I know that some families prefer the death penalty, but they still will feel some guilt in supporting the killing of a person, even if that person was a criminal.