Dead Man Walking
1. "There are two situations that make interesting stories: when an extraordinary person is plunged into the commonplace, and when an ordinary person gets involved in extraordinary events." Dead Man Walking, written by Sister Helen Prejean, is a novel which challenges the ethics of the death penalty, and more specifically tells story of one young nun, Sister Helen, who is a crusader against the death penalty. Because she is the narrator, the reader gets to see all sides of the conflict, and learn with Prejean about the system of capital punishment. The reader is able to see a unique side of the capital punishment issue; rarely is it possible for the general public to gain access to the lives and stories of those on death row. Sister Helen, through her involvement in the lives and deaths of several convicted murderers, their families, the families of their victims, is able to share her views on capital punishment from a true Christian's perspective. Specifically, Sister Helen is assigned to two death row inmates. Sister Helen believed that through educating the public about the truth of executions; the death penalty will be abolished. She writes, "...we must persuade the American people that government kil
After meeting the family of Pat Sonnier's victim, it is impossible for Sister Helen and the reader not to feel sorry for the situation the victim's family is in. They lost their daughter, Hope, and they feel as though the only way to release some of their pain is to watch Pat Sonnier be executed. 3. Sister Helen interjects her own opinions when she speaks candidly with others about the death penalty. She assumes that the reader knows little about the death penalty, and writes to inform the reader on the evils of the death penalty. "I know that it is not a question of malice or ill will or meanness of spirit that prompts our citizens to support executions. It is quite simply that people don't know the truth about what is really going on." (197) She says this with her own personal experiences in mind, before coming in contact with Pat on death row, Sister Helen knew little about the process of capital punishment. lings are too costly for us, not only financially, but- more importantly- morally." (197) Sister Helen, from the very beginning of her book, depicts herself as an honest and open person who is very straightforward. She had a blessed and humble childhood, and felt from a very young age that she was called to become a sister. She had no contact with men on death row until she was assigned the job to correspond with a man who was especially troubled, Pat Sonnier, who was charged with the murder of two young adults. It was Sister Helen's job to try and comfort this man, Pat Sonnier, and to try and help him to ask God for forgiveness. 4. Sister Helen, when reporting facts, cannot help but be bias towards her cause when talking about the criminals and victims she works with. She is particularly candid when addressing her reader. "Who killed this man? Nobody. Everybody can argue that he or she was just doing a job--the governor , the warden, the head of the Department of Corrections, the district attorney, the judge, the jury, the Pardon Board, the witnesses to the execution. Nobody feels personally responsible for the death of this man." (39) When reporting details about death, Sister Helen does not shy away from the gruesome aspects. She recognizes that death in of itself is gruesome, especially death by execution. By being truthful in her portrayal of execution, she provokes the reader to question whether or not execution is humane. Sister Helen appeals to both emotions and reasons. She uses facts and personal experiences to inform the reader about the death
Some common words found in the essay are:
Sister Helen, Pat Sonnier, sister helen, Sister Helen's, Dead Walking, death penalty, Pardon Board, Helen Prejean, death row, pat sonnier, Department Corrections, Jesus Christ, Pat Sonnier's, capital punishment, sister helen's, victim's family, head department corrections, row sister, penalty morally, family pat, death row sister, death row inmate, row sister helen, death penalty morally,
Approximate Word count = 1689
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
