Hannah Yoon Mr. Afram AP Lang 18 May 2023 In “Warm” Blood The question of whether capital punishment is more “cold-blooded” than the crime committed to receiving such punishment came to a rise with the murders of the Clutter family in 1959. Taking the opportunity of such context, Truman Capote documented the account of the murder of the Clutters and the trials that followed in his experimental “nonfiction novel”, In Cold Blood, to portray crime events in a narrative manner. Though one would assume the title of this book implies the “cold-blooded" murderers, a deeper reading reveals the idea that it may instead suggest the cold-bloodedness of capital punishment. Throughout his work, Capote weaves his message of immorality regarding the death …show more content…
He used Perry Smith’s autobiographical statement, which summarized events from his past that revealed his dark childhood. Perry wrote that he was often beaten by his father, sent to detention homes where “every night was a nightmare”, and had an absent mother who was “always drunk, never in a fit condition to properly provide and care for us” (274-275). This inclusion of Perry’s personal anecdote extensively appeals to the audience's feeling of pity for his hardships by displaying a more hurt and emotional side to him rather than portraying him as an incompassionate killer. This display evokes wariness when Perry is sentenced to death because the audience has a greater understanding of the situation that developed his character and reflects on the injustice of executing a troubled man who could have improved his life through rehabilitation instead of punishment. Thus, Capote’s use of Perry's personal anecdotes encourage readers to consider whether capital punishment is ideal by appealing to pity and understanding of Perry as more than a "cold-blooded" …show more content…
Perry described seeing a “golden bird” in his hard times, which he described as a golden parrot that “gently lifted him, enfolded him, and winged him away to ‘paradise’” (93). This bird is portrayed as a savior-like figure to Perry, implying his longing for someone to look up to and be understood as he grew up, which would later lead to his admiration of Dick as someone who would listen to him. This inclusion of symbolism is significant because it presents a vulnerable, child-like characteristic of Perry, mirroring his traumatic past, and emphasizes his portrayal of Perry as a man who felt genuine remorse and disgust when committing the murders. It also contributes to the mood of sympathy because Perry’s softness and vulnerability led him to be meekly pressured by Dick to invade the Clutters’ home and eventually commit their murder. This results in apprehensiveness by the audience about the Perry's execution and emphasizes Capote’s message as it evokes a perspective against capital punishment. Perry’s hardships play an extensive role in creating conflict within the audience about the death penalty, which is amplified by Capote’s use of symbolism to portray Perry as vulnerable and encourage even more
Dick and Perry had already once been in prison due to nonviolent charges, but when they were released for parole, they conducted a mass murder. The Catholic Church’s point of view is in correspondence with many in the book, “Assuming that the guilty party’s identity and responsibility have been fully determined, the traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude recourse to the death penalty, if this is the only possible way of effectively defending human lives against the unjust aggressor” (Catholic Church 2306). The Catholic Church does not fully support the death penalty, it is only used as a last resort. The Catholic Church does not believe that capital
Capote makes Perry seem as if he is a lost puppy, misunderstood by those around him, and an all-around sensitive person throughout the novel by using pathos to lure the audience into feeling sympathetic toward Perry. Truman Capote uses Perry’s difficult, sorrowful childhood, as well as his appeal to pathos, to convince his audience that Perry was not as bad as he seemed, even though he was the one who shot the Clutter family the night of the
However, over the past few decades people have begun to question the validity of the objectivity of In Cold Blood. One such person is Joe Berlinger, the director of ‘Cold Blooded’ a documentary full of first hand accounts of the Clutter murders. In an interview in Mel Magazine, Joe Berlinger stated that they want their perspective “to allow them to set the record straight, and to air their disappointment in how Capote treated the family”(MEL). Berlinger’s documentary has spotlighted the vast difference between Capote’s accounting and that of the family’s. As Berlinger says, Capote’s over humanization of the criminals has done a disservice to the Clutters and caused the Clutter family to feel more like a side note.
(Capote 93). BY explaining the brutal beatings that Perry experienced can further show how Capote also uses direct statements from the trial to show how Perry’s abusive childhood altered his life forever. As explained in the book, “The History relating to extreme violence, weather fantasied, observed in reality, or actually experienced by the child, fits in with the psychoanalytic hypothesis that the child's exposure to overwhelming stimuli, before he can master them, is closely linked to early defects in ego formation and later severe disturbances in impulse control” (Capote 300). As explained in the passage, the history of the events that took place throughout Perry's life is “closely linked to early defects in ego formation and later severe disturbances in impulse control,”making it even more evident that the circumstances of the un nurturing abuse he went through corresponds to his future actions of murder. By explaining the brutality in which Perry grew up experiencing, Capote further backs the argument that Perry smith lacked the nurture it
In Cold Blood Rhetorical Analysis Essay The cunning nonfiction novel ‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote is a whirl of emotions. He manipulates the reader into feeling pathos for the killers, because he wants you to feel guilty. Capote is trying to make a point that the Criminal Justice System is flawed, and that the death penalty was unfair and unjustly. In pages 107-109, Dick and Perry’s relationship is starting to show flaws.
The book In Cold Blood highlights many societal and personal issues which in all honesty have never crossed my mind. Regardless, not one of these resonated with me more than the death penalty, which in my mind was without a doubt Capote’s intent. In specific the death penalty existing for individuals proven to be mentally insane or deemed mentally unfit, in other words they truly did not know any better. Capote indirectly argues the death penalty throughout the entire novel. An example of this is when Capote talks about the family members of the Clutters not wishing for the death penalty on the duo as even they believed it was too harsh a punishment.
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.
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
While nurture may be the primary factor in deciding why Perry did what he did, his childhood does not excuse him from being prosecuted the the full extent of the law. The controversial debate of nature versus nurture may never be fully solved, however it is clear in the case of Perry Smith that his surroundings were the primary cause of his motivation to kill the Clutter family. Between his abusive family and the inmates at the Kansas State Penitentiary, the emotions convening inside of Perry fell too much to bear. Perry was a victim of his environment and projected the rejection he felt onto
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
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.
Facts and Fiction: A Manipulation of Language in Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood English is a fascinating and riveting language. Subtle nuances and adjustments can easily change the understanding of a literary work—a technique many authors employ in order to evoke a desired response from their readers. This method is used especially in In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, a literary work which details a true event about the murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small community of Holcomb, Kansas, in 1959. Although Capote’s 1966 book was a bestseller nonfiction and had successfully garnered acclaim for its author, there is still a great deal of confusion about the distinction between the factual and fictional aspects in the book.
“In Cold Blood” was ultimately finished after the executions because of Capote's need to feel fulfilled in his own way, knowing that he will have to see Perry and Dick die. Truman’s opinion of not approving of the death penalty is also highlighted in the novel. On page 245 it says, " The
" Clearly there was only one way to declare safety to these people, and it was to kill off the people who made them feel unsafe. Perry didn't realize that his one action of killing a family full of innocent people would have such a huge after effect on the town, let alone he himself. Perry and Dicks gullible decision to become murders changed the people of Holcomb and changed their lives in a tremendous
Capote did a great job explaining the nature of some crimes in order to help readers gain a better understanding of why people do the things that they do. The question is, after you understand someone’s mental state, what can you do to help them? This question relates to the topic of the ethics of capital punishment (regardless of mental state), which I have already mentioned a few times in this assignment. Capote included several examples of metaphors and symbolism in the documentary, even if the actual details did not occur in real life. One of these examples is the wild squirrel that Perry tamed, which I believe represents the fact that Perry is intellectually gifted and capable of being civil, but he is still tempted into committing crimes.