Capital Punishment: Looking at Both Sides
Gisele LeRoy
English Comp. 2
Controversial Issue
Capital Punishment: Looking At Both Sides
It’s so hard to say where I stand with the death penalty. There are those moments when a person commits a crime so heinous you’re in that state of mind of wanting the death penalty for them. But then you realize this is a human being. I truly do not believe in the death penalty. To me, I think executing someone for a various form of wrongdoing would not punish them. Instead I think that’s just taking them out of their misery. The punishment for doing something wrong that is, for that the person committing such an act, should not be killed but put through suffering by living in jail for the rest of their life. It’s tough, and honestly people have their opinions and it’s in their right to go with or without the death penalty. Capital punishment is one of life 's topics that leave many divided opinions due to its risqué nature. It has been a subject full of controversy for centuries and still continues to be discussed to this day. Throughout my piece I will explain the case that is pro Capital Punishment, as well as the contrasting side - the opposition.
Capital punishment has been the center of much controversy dating back to its origins. Although the roots of capital punishment can be traced as far back as 1697 BC, arguments over its effectiveness and morality continue in the midst of its existence today. There are many people who have come up with reasonable arguments for both sides of the issue. Most people who believe that the death penalty is a fair punishment use the argument, "lex talionis", meaning, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, an arm for an arm, a life for a life." (Hooker, 1996, p.34). Although in today 's modern society many countries have now opted to declare capital punishment obsolete, some areas still feel that keeping the penalty instated is
English Comp. 2
Controversial Issue
Capital Punishment: Looking At Both Sides
It’s so hard to say where I stand with the death penalty. There are those moments when a person commits a crime so heinous you’re in that state of mind of wanting the death penalty for them. But then you realize this is a human being. I truly do not believe in the death penalty. To me, I think executing someone for a various form of wrongdoing would not punish them. Instead I think that’s just taking them out of their misery. The punishment for doing something wrong that is, for that the person committing such an act, should not be killed but put through suffering by living in jail for the rest of their life. It’s tough, and honestly people have their opinions and it’s in their right to go with or without the death penalty. Capital punishment is one of life 's topics that leave many divided opinions due to its risqué nature. It has been a subject full of controversy for centuries and still continues to be discussed to this day. Throughout my piece I will explain the case that is pro Capital Punishment, as well as the contrasting side - the opposition.
Capital punishment has been the center of much controversy dating back to its origins. Although the roots of capital punishment can be traced as far back as 1697 BC, arguments over its effectiveness and morality continue in the midst of its existence today. There are many people who have come up with reasonable arguments for both sides of the issue. Most people who believe that the death penalty is a fair punishment use the argument, "lex talionis", meaning, "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, an arm for an arm, a life for a life." (Hooker, 1996, p.34). Although in today 's modern society many countries have now opted to declare capital punishment obsolete, some areas still feel that keeping the penalty instated is
Cited: "State by State Database." Death Penalty Information Center. 2010. 8 Apr. 2010. <http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/state_by_state>. Foucault, Michel. Discipline and Punish. New York: Vintage Books, 1977. Johnson, Robert. Death Work. California: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 1998. Encyclopedia Britannica. 8 Apr. 2010 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/618112/Universal-Lexicon#>. Peterson, Kavan . "Death penalty: 34 states permit executions." Stateline.org. 6 Apr. 2010. <http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=25995>. Zimring, F. (2003). The contradictions of American capital punishment. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press 6 Apr. 2010. Williams, M. (2000). Capital punishment. San Diego: Greenhaven Press Inc. 5 Apr. 2010. Williams, M. (2002). The death penalty. San Diego: Greenhaven Press Inc. 5 Apr. 2010. University of Texas. (2002). Pros and cons of the death penalty. 3 Apr. 2010 on the World Wide Web: http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~tonya/spring/cap/group1.htm