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. It is clear that Truman Capote believes that the systematic execution of murderers is flawed, and that the legal system in which death-penalty bound convicts are tried is a skewed one. In the novel, the reader finds out that Perry has been diagnosed by a psychiatrist as a paranoid schizophrenic. “More extensive …show more content…
Now, there is no direct quote from Capote discussing his view on this issue, but it can be reasonably inferred by the quote’s presence in the novel that he would argue each citizen to think about how and why the death sentence is actually used. Capote himself would most likely not agree with this stance, but it seems to be the way it is. The innocent men and women of the town were baffled and torn by the scene of the gruesome murder, and they needed a relief, which in this case, was the death of Perry and Dick. Clearly, the death penalty can be used as a way to comfort the people in a time of distress. In In Cold Blood, Truman Capote conveys the message that the death penalty can be used wrongly and unjustly. Capote conveys through his novel that the way in which death penalty convicts are tried and convicted is unjust and that there should be a much more straight forward way in which they are convicted and sometimes sentenced to
One might want to read this novel, to see what makes an average man want to kill and to also see their psychological being leading up to it. This creates a mystery in the eyes of the reader to see why they did such a horrendous crime. The author’s purpose for writing this novel was to give the reader a different perspective on criminals. Capote uses a sympathetic tone when he talks about the histories of the criminals. He creates an emotional connection between the reader and the criminals because Capote allows the reader to get to know the criminal’s pasts, telling of the hardships the criminals have faced throughout their lives.
After most people hear what Perry has gone through you immediately give him a get out of jail free card right? You think that since he had a difficult upbringing he should be exempt from receiving the death penalty? Although you may think this, this is certainly not an excuse for such a violent act. Throughout In Cold Blood, Capote attempts to portray to the reader that Smith in a way should be exempt from the crime he commited and how one should not blame it on Smith himself, but his psychological background. Specifically when Al Dewey, the head of the Clutter murder investigation, states how the crime was not in fact Smiths fault.
In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote in 1966 tells the story of the murder of a prominent family in 60’s Kansas. Capote traveled to the small town of Holcomb, and befriended many of the townsfolk and the detectives involved in the trial to tell the story of a violent event that shaped this community for the decade until the eventual conviction and execution of the killers. Because of information being told, Capote makes the choice of writing his novel as if it were a news report. This journalistic structure and word choice helps to establish the serious and dark tone of the novel.
He presents all the events by way of an anonymous narrator who reveals all the events from a detached viewpoint. Through Part II the killers are presented more sympathetically. For instance, Capote tells the reader about the hard life Perry Smith has had throughout the book. Perry lived at different orphanages and Salvation Army homes. One nurse would even “fill a tub up of ice cold water, put [Perry] in it, and hold [him] under till [he] was blue.”(128).
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
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote was a crime novel that shock many people in the world because of how a small town family is kill out of nowhere by deformed murders and also how a community would be affected by this conflict. Also, Capote is successful of bringing the murders Dick and Perry back to live. Capote makes them too sympathetic because of how he expresses their mental health, their harsh backstories and the trial that take place in part 4. These three reasons make Capote successful of bringing the murders back to life. Capote is successful of describing the mental illnesses of the murders before they were evaluated by Dr, Jones.
Through similar tactics Capote allows the reader to feel sorry for Dewey, even though he is the man who catches the killing pair. Detective Dewey is first introduced in part two of In Cold Blood, where the readers learn that this would not be an easy case and the Dewey would be the head detective, even though he had personal ties with the Clutter family. The reader would automatically feel sorry for Detective Dewey because he was going to do heavy investigating on a murder of a family he knew and there was very little time to mourn the deaths. Detective Dewey spent countless hours trying to chase down every lead that popped up, taking family time away, which wears on all family members. The reader feels sympathy for Dewey as he loses time with his family around the holiday time because he has become so involved in the case.
Because of the arguments hinted at by Truman Capote in In Cold Blood, there will always be debate on whether capital punishment should be used for certain crimes. One can never be sure if a punishment, whether as mild as jail time or as severe as the death penalty, is justified for the crime
Option Three: Bias Truman Capote’s final book In Cold Blood, was an instant hit with readers when it came out in 1966. Capote himself hailed it as a new genre of literature, a nonfiction true crime thriller. However, upon reading the book, it seems as though Capote shifted the truth to make it fit his own personal narrative, and put in his own personal bias toward the criminals, and seeks to have the reader sympathize with the criminals and seeks to challenge their attitudes towards the criminals.
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.
Truman Capote’s tone for pages 103-104 reflects a feeling of perplexity and anecdotic. The reason of perplexity exists in consideration of being given details on the Clutter family being murdered. The apologia of the anecdotic tone exists in view of how Capote gives a vivid description on how the murders actually happened and how the assassins left them and what their intentions were. These two pages make the reader feel the irresolution of the crime scene.
Truman Capote, who was born Truman Streckfus Persons on September 30, 1924, in New Orleans, Louisiana, was one of the most well-known American writer of his time. His ability to say clever and amusing things and his overt homosexuality kept him on television and in magazines as a major personality. He worked for The New Yorker magazine where he wrote articles and short stories. Many of his stories were about bizarre incidents and were adapted for stage and film. Later, he started to write nonfiction novels in which he combined fact and fiction.
Capote’s Last Ditch Effort to Help Perry Although in In Cold Blood, Truman Capote is illustrating the aftermath of the murders, his prime motive is to humanize and create sympathy for Perry; therefore he asserts that the Law is biased and cruel to those who commit crimes. By utilizing amplification when describing the jury present at Dick and Perry’s murder trial, Capote is able to reveal the jury’s dangerous bias against the two. It consisted of “half a dozen farmers, a pharmacist, a nursery manager, an airport employee, a well driller, two salesmen, a machinist, and the manager of Ray’s Bowling Alley. They were all family men (several had five children or more) and were seriously affiliated with one or another of the local churches” (Capote 273).
“It doesn 't deter crime, but merely cheapens human life and gives rise to more murders.” This is one of the many quotes that reflects Truman Capote’s view on capital punishment. In writing his novel, In Cold Blood, Capote’s primary purpose is to convey his opposition towards the death penalty. Through the stylistic elements of rhetorical appeals, diction, and a selection of detail, Capote reveals the attitude he holds against this unreasonable form of justice. Tying into the events of the trial, Capote uses the rhetorical appeal pathos to highlight his point by appealing to the emotions and sensitivities of his audience.
Anthony Hinton spoke to us about his time on death row, and the events leading up to arrest, conviction, and being exonerated. He was there to inform us on his experience and the injustice that can come with the death penalty. This eventually leads to him trying to persuade the audience to take action to get rid of the death penalty. As a strong believer of the death penalty, Hinton’s