The Biology Guru (I beat you Nick)

Michael Decker

Mrs. Robinson

AP English 

To the surprise of anyone who knows me, I am all for capital punishment.  Perry did deserve to be put to death.  He committed the crime and admitted it was him who did all 4 acts.  Regardless of his perception at the time, he knew that killing was wrong.  He did it anyway.  What was human in him had long-ago died.  The only thing that died was the outer shell that only harbored an evil and vicious killing machine in it.  I do not understand why people who assume that if someone is more oriented to kill then they are without fault when they do.  Everyone has something intrinsic to them that may or may not be desired.  It should not be treated aside from us.  It is part of what we call ourselves.  Regardless of whether he was a child and all that changed him, he was still Perry.  His environment may have changed him but then that was him, was it not?  If we were punishing another Perry then why had he never manifested himself?  Murder was okay for this Perry and this is the Perry we were killing, was it not?  Being more inclined to kill does not excuse the killing.  He went there knowing he was going to kill.  He knew it was wrong and that was why he had second thoughts about it.  He went ahead with it.  He was “proving a point” to Dick.  Then let us “prove a point” to the world and extinguish those who kill.  Dick on the other hand, did not deserve to die.  Capital punishment is only meant for those who committed murder, which he did not.  Perry admitted to all 4 murders.  Why Dick was put to death is beyond me.  He was only an accomplice to the crime.  That is what his punishment should have been based on.  He drove Perry there and pretty much got Perry to do the murder.  He gave the plan.  He was the mastermind.  He wanted them dead.  But he never killed.  He was not a “[explicative] killer”.  Yes, people do deserve the death penalty.  I do like the way Green put it.  Even if you come from a religious point (which is not where I am coming from but it at least proves it both ways).  The Bible, on which our law is largely based, does call “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth”.  Jesus kept the laws as is.  The summation done by Green was the work of pure genius.  My view comes more from a less noble perspective.  I believe that if the law is in place and you violate the law, knowing the punishment, then you should receive that punishment.  Also, if you do claim that some people are more inclined to killing than others, then why keep those with killing in their genes to propagate and create more killers?            

 Michael Decker

Mrs. Robinson

AP English 

Objective: “not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; based on facts; unbiased”Subjective: “existing in the mind; belonging to the thinking subject rather than to the object of thought”

 ————————Dictionary.com

In my humble opinion, I feel very earnestly that Capote was very subjective (which is why I feel that this book is so revered).  He not once added a commentary by the narrator of the story.  Not once did he show an opinion.  He presented facts.  And just because the facts favor one side does not constitute any role of subjective linguistics.  Capote created sympathy for the two vagrants as he depicted how awful their lives where – Perry dealing with rampant suicide as an adult and as a child, a drunken mother and very stern dad who was very hard on him, and Dick who dealt with not being able to go to College even on a scholarship (knowing it would attract attention to the American attitude Intelligence and will power equals success, with “minimal” influence of money) because it would cost too much money.  Even so, Capote showed how dear the Clutters were to the community (5,000 showing up for the auction, not one person having something bad to say about a single one of them, everyone’s understanding of the situation with the Mother, Nancy being seen as the person who could do anything — cook, teach, be popular, be smart — and was kind to everyone, and on a last note, everyone’s interest in who could ever do harm to those people).  He also showed how they had humble beginnings (Mr. Clutter being raised on a poor farm and taking 7 months to take his boss’s spot) and how they didn’t feel to be above anyone (Nancy repeatedly being called not spoiled).  Also, Capote showed how Mr. Clutter was a community man and very loved for it (Nancy staying at the county school, being a prominent member of the 4-H club).   Capote showed how both sides felt.  He showed how the mother of Dick knew he was a good kid but knew he had to pay up for what he does.  Capote continuously described Dick and Perry in a “rose-colored” fashion — not using words of spite or hate but words that truly described them.  Capote made sure that he showed how both sides could be supported by any individual.  He is surely brilliant!  

Michael Decker

Mrs. Robinson

AP English

     I will attempt to present my humble reflection of In Cold Bloood as it relates to theme. I rather think that the theme of the novel is that one cannot outrun the past and that all that she or he has done will manifest itself and make him or her take his or her just desserts.  It is a kind of Karma, if you will. This is very evident to me in the fact that Smith could not outrun what happened to him as a child. It caught up to him, and, in my humble opinion, was the cause for his crime. Though not his fault (his mother and father), he did pay for it.  …..”The sins of the father….”  His childhood of causing problems for others and his parents did ultimately affect his character and is the reason why he committed that vile act. The same is true for Dick.  His childhood struggle with his father came back on him. With these two accounts stated, I have found another theme. Fate is inescapable. Perry’s entire family, with exception to his sister, lived and ended life is tragedy and shambles. The same should be true of him. Dick, who was the cause for the deaths in the first place, after calling upon Perry to make the “sure cinch”, was the cause of death for the Clutters.  It is only due that he should die. Once again – Karma.  Let us look at a more positive side.  That of Dewey and his team- They worked long and hard. Dealing with phone calls up until 2 at night from drunks only deserved a reward. It was destiny that his help should catch the vagrants. As with Floyd — what purpose was there of him and him alone knowing of the upcoming murders — for him and him alone to break the murderers. And one last note — The Clutters. They were destined to die that night. Perry and Dick both came to kill and for what, to not kill? Wrong! To kill.