Justice And Punishment In Truman Capotes In Cold Blood

In the United States, there are millions of people that are in jail cells for crimes they have committed. One of the goals of prison is to provide justice for the victim’s crimes but in our prison system, this is not the case. These people face harsh punishments that only cause worse actions in the future. The theme of justice and punishment is explored by Truman Capote in the book In Cold Blood. The two criminals, Dick and Perry, are challenged by society on if they should be imprisoned or if they should be free. In Capote’s work, the use of syntax, diction, and a variety of details portray the current system of punishment as cruel and ineffective in providing justice. The use of syntax helps describe the treatment in prisons as†¦show more content†¦The next sentence is structured to show how the government is hypocritical as it murders people even though it is against the law. This shows how the system of murder is against the law, it shows how punishment is not legally justified. The system of murder does not give mercy as described later on and does the opposite. The parallelism of the word mercy shows how the system of murder is an ineffective form of punishment as it does not give mercy but instead seeks revenge by killing someone. Through syntax, Dick describes his ideas on capital punishment. Capote states that all the government wants is revenge by stating that †They’re mad ‘cause they’re not getting what they want revenge. I believe in hanging. Just so long as I’m not the one being hanged†(336). The informal tone is broken with the hyphen that makes the word revenge stand out. The tone is said with more emphasis and it becomes very serious. Thus, the capital punishment did not provide justice but instead only focused on revenge rather than improving a persons mental state. Through the use of diction, Capote implies that prisoners are treated differently from others. Capote uses diction when he states, â€Å"Unlike conventional prisoners, the condemned†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Capote 321).The use of the word condemned makes it sound as if the prisoners are victims. Since they are victims, it is implying that society is cruel and prisoners are treated unequally and as victims. The use of prisonsShow MoreRelatedTruman Capote s Cold Blood1620 Words   |  7 PagesTruman Capote is recognized by many for being a screenwriter, creating a plethora of short stories, and famously for his notable work-- Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Not only was this novel popular back in the 1950’s, Capote released a later novel that drew in many fans-- In Cold Blood. The very formation of Capote s novels and short stories seems to be increasingly insufficient to the eccentric dynamics of the time era (nytimes). Agonizing, horrible, surfeited with disasters -- all used to describeRead MoreInvestigation Of Justice State V. 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