Capital Punishment: analyse af tekster og personlig holdning

1: Give an outline of the views on Capital Punishment presented in text 1 and 2.

In text one we hear about how the death penalty saves lives, and its effect on the murder rate in United States, and how most of the population in United States finds the death penalty morally acceptable. There are examples of studies, that the death penalty is effective in deterring crime, and how there is a strong link between executions, and reduced murder rates. At the end the text is summoned up and comes to the conclusion that the death sentence indeed saves lives.

In text two, the main theme is the antiquated death penalty, and how the death sentence and executions in United states, both reached historic lows, all executions occur in six states which also shows how, the United States is mostly abandoning the death penalty. One of the main points in the text is also, that for the first time ever, more than half of the states have abandoned the death penalty or have not made any executions for at least a decade.

2: Characterise the tone and style of text 3. Give examples from the text.

Text three is a very sensitive text, with lots of emotions. There is used a lot of pathos which is one of the appeal forms. The text plays a lot on emotions, feelings and it for sure hits you in the heart. One example of this is “Watching her leave the prison and knowing that was probably the last goodbye broke my heart. Jasmine had done nothing at all but like me, she could lose her father. If Mr Williams is executed, her loss, her pain will be as real as mine. I do not wish this on anyone” (p.1 line. 19-21) this shows how the text appeals to us with feelings with the use of Kayla Greenwoods own story and how she tells about what she experienced while watching Jasmine and thinking of all the pain it would cost her to be deprived of her father. This text also shows how important it is, to see past your own grief and pain. Being able to do that is an amazing gift and takes a special kind of person and tenacity, this is showed in this bit of the text “My family paid for Jasmine and her daughter´s flight, picked them up at the airport and drove them to the prison. Yesterday, I waited outside the prison while Jasmine and her daughter visited with Mr Williams.” (p. 1 line. 16-18) This truly shows how Kayla Greenwood has gotten over herself and sees the big picture, and to do that really takes a special kind of person.