...Truman Capote once said, “No one will ever know what In Cold Blood took out of me. It scraped me right down to the marrow of my bones. It nearly killed me. I think, in a way, it did kill me.” What about In Cold Blood was so harrowing for Capote? The answer is not clear from the quote but the answer can definitely be found in his book. The answer can be discerned by examining and analyzing his use of rhetorical elements. Thus, Capote’s projected persona must be examined, his audience must be identified, his relationship with the audience must be analyzed, his central message must be dissected, the arrangement of his arguments must be sorted out, the context must be explained, and the influence of the context must be thoroughly understood. By understanding these elements and their roles in In Cold Blood it will give readers an insight into Capote’s purpose and experience as an author. The First Rhetorical Question The first question that must be answered when examining the rhetorical elements is: “What kind of person does the writer or speaker seem to be?” This simply means to look at Capote’s diction and tone and determine his persona. In Cold Blood is alleged to be entirely factual; however, Capote blatantly infuses biases in the novel to further his overall argument and entertain readers. Capote shows himself in the text as a recorder of events, a reporter of the murders of the Clutter family, detailing the lives of every person involved. However, he gives special attention...
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...In Cold Blood Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood covers the story of the Clutter family murder in Holcomb, Kansas. Many find it difficult to classify, as it is a mix of journalism and Capote’s creative ideas. It is known as a classic for its thorough characterization, intricate details, and accuracy. Capote combines these all of these ideas through his use of dialogue, plot development, characterization and imagery. A 1959 article was released a day after the murder, reporting what was inside the Clutter home. These details included how they were killed, what they were wearing, and where they were located inside of the house. Capote uses these details to create imagery, referring to the scene as “blood-soiled” and “blood-splashed” (78)....
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...In the 1960s, a time when American views towards crime and punishment were relentless, Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood was a shock to society as it challenged the prevailing attitudes towards criminals. Throughout the era, society often demonized criminals and thought that they were unworthy of a second chance. The belief of the time was that these individuals were inherently evil and deserved only the harshest punishment: death. In the context of these perceptions, Capote began his novel about the brutal murders of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas. While conducting his research, Capote got to know the perpetrators of the crime, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock. Instead of condemning Smith and Hickock as irredeemable monsters, Capote chose to give his readers another perspective on them. By strategically choosing how to...
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...In the novels Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson and In Cold Blood by Truman Capote both authors demonstrate their use of characters and their change throughout the novel. In Kidnapped, the characters David and Ebenezer Balfour and the characters Herb Clutter, Perry, and Alvin Dewey in In Cold Blood are dynamic characters because they all undergo a change within the novels. Furthermore, Capote and Stevenson use suspense to promote the character dynamics within the novels. Capote and Stevenson cohesively use suspense with irony, the theme of chase and the overall structure of their novels to illustrate the character dynamics. Suspenseful irony is used to show the change in character throughout the novels. Suspense adds to the theme of chase because the characters try to converge on something they are after. The structure of the novels plays to the authors’ use of suspense in their own styles. Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Kidnapped, depicts the adventures of David Balfour in search of his inheritance in the perilous Scottish Highlands in 1751. David comes close to retrieving his inheritance, but his uncle, Ebenezer Balfour, has other plans for David. He tries to kill David by coercing him to climb a rickety, old stair-tower. David barely manages to make it out alive because his uncle has lied to him about the condition of the stairs thus the devious side of Ebenezer Balfour emerges. Ebenezer’s failed attempt to get rid of David calls for the use of his secondary plan involving...
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...Truman Capote’s novel “In Cold Blood” was a very monumental step in the genre of real crime, mostly due to his extreme narrative take on this true story. The story in which an average farm family were brutally murdered by two men for a shameful amount of money. These two men are none other than Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. Both being main focal points in Truman Capote’s way of making a true story into a narrative. He uses these two as something to relate to, making the reader understand them and feel more compassion for them. Slowly twisting the truth to make the reader depict the image of two normal men incapable of doing such a misdeed. With all of this in mind I believe Truman does this to make you very confused about the two. Making the readers opinion become the central reason why this novel is considered a narrative because without there would nothing be guiding the narrative....
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...Analysis of Truman Capote’s Purpose and Language in “In Cold Blood” Truman Capote, author of “In Cold Blood” wrote this book, like most authors, for the entertainment of others, but he has created a new genre, true crime. This wasn’t his intended purpose but it was the start to crime drama. If Capote didn’t write this crime entertainment wouldn’t be the same. This novel was different than anything ever done before, making this genre more appealing to consumers creating a feedback loop expanding the industry. His actions are clearly effective through the strong evidence of crime drama in today’s society. This new genre let readers ‘get into the mind’ of the criminals which is appealing to the average person. A backstory doesn’t justify...
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...Typically, writers of murder novels attempt to take the side of the victims rather than the murders. It allows them to appeal to their audience by taking the side of “right” rather than wrong. That is until Truman Capote came along and changed the game. He is recounting the events of the Clutter Family Murder in Holcomb. Although Capote attempts to write a strictly fact-based piece of non-fiction, his own opinion on the characters cannot help but make an appearance. In Capote’s In Cold Blood, he reveals bias towards one of the criminals, Perry Smith, through his narration and the excuses he makes to defend the criminal. On the other hand, Capote’s favoring of Smith can be apparent through his dislike of Dick Hickock, Smith’s partner in crime....
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...are some of the factors that come into play when we think about how an individual is molded into who they are. Or is an individual born with these qualities? Are cold blooded killers naturally born as killers? The environment where you grew in may have a great effect on you. It influences the way you behave and respond to situations. What shapes us and how we...
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...In Cold Blood is a non-fiction novel written by Truman Capote. Truman Capote was born in New Orleans in 1934. His birth last name is ‘Persons’, but his stepfather adopted him and took his last name. Growing up, he was largely neglected by his parents and bullied by schoolmates. Truman was a very good student in subjects that interested him but failed in all other academics. Although, many of his teachers had recognized his excellent writing skills. During his teen years, Truman got a job at The New Yorker. He attempted to get his own works published, but they would not publish them and he quit. After many years and some hit novels later, Truman read an article of four mysterious deaths in Kansas in 1959. Truman and his friend, Harper Lee, went...
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...One decision can make an impact in everyone’s life, whether they deserve it or not, and Truman Capote demonstrates this in his novel, In Cold Blood. Tone was a key tool in Capote’s substantiation of this claim. Despite constantly being Dick’s parents being referred to as model parents, their lives were ruined as their son brought humiliation and devastation upon the family. Something Capote uses to bring an overwhelming sense of sympathy for each of them. The author’s makes sure to emphasize certain characters opinions on the murderer’s parents, like Perry who had said that they were “good people” and speaks of Dick’s family like he wanted the same for his own (24). Speaking of, Capote exhibits the impact Perry had on people more frequently...
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...Human psychology and the human mind can work in mysterious ways such as, in the case of criminal and violent minds compared to the average. Interestingly enough, the differing factor in that of a violent mind than in the average mind can stem from a multitude of reason but the majority can be traced back to one time period in the individual's life, their childhood. Instances in childhood such as abuse and trauma whether stemming from parental cause or other factors deeply impact the impressionable children (Salvatore 1). Parents who expose kids to physical and verbal abuse and have a history of substance abuse cause trauma to an impressionable child's mind forming future violent and criminal tendencies Exposure to physical and verbal abuse...
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...Human history has always been tainted with crime and wrongdoing. Thus being said, the severity of crime has varied and likewise, the punishments for crime have varied. In the case of murder, there has always been the question of the morality of capital punishment and whether or not the criminals who committed the murder have been sound of mind. In his novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote uses diction, imagery, and tone to convey his central message that criminals such as Dick and Perry belong in a mental hospital, not on the Death Row. Truman Capote utilizes diction to persuade his audience to share the same view that he has on capital punishment. Capote’s target audience, particularly during the trial, is those who work in the judicial system...
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...Bad things happen to good people because of the ill intent of others, their actions, or chance. In In Cold Blood, the Clutter family’s murder served as an event of the result of the ill intent of others. The murderers, Dick and Perry, planned a “‘sure-fire cinch’” by stealing from the Clutters and leaving “‘No witnesses’” (Capote 233). Their plan resulted in the misfortune of the Clutter family. The bad things that happened to Perry and Dick also resulted in the murder of the Clutters. Unable to provide for his family financially, Dick resorted to criminal activity. Perry's parents vastly affected him. His happy life changed when his mother started physically abusing his mother, who took to drinking and infidelity. Ending up in orphanages and...
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...An Obsession In Cold Blood: a 343 page book that took over a man’s life for six years. Truman Capote and his lifelong friend, Harper Lee, went to Holcomb, Kansas just six short weeks after the Clutter Family murders. Capote was able to make a tense, atmospheric, and grounded book. Along the way he discovered some unlikely friends, bold personalities, and encountered some questionable actions. Truman Capote was the type of writer who could make a mass murder into a six year project; he used his time for research and preparation. The “literary photographer” never used a tape recorder in his time writing the book, he took everything from memory and from the help of his assistant, Harper Lee. He had a way of writing that was described as literary...
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...In the book, In Cold Blood, the author, Truman Capote, utilizes rhetorical strategies such as ethos, pathos, and literary elements to create a suspenseful story, which ultimately contributes to his central argument that criminals are not always inherently evil. Capote persuades his audience by empathizing for both of the Clutter family murderers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, in part three of the book, “Answer”. In this case, Capote describes both Clutter murderers in a sympathetic and impartial way, and portray them as sensitive, thoughtful, creative, and highly intelligent people. This in turn, gives the reader a feeling of empathy for Perry and Dick. First, in order to establish his credibility and trustworthiness (ethos) throughout the entire narrative of the Clutter murder case and the Clutter murderers, Truman Capote uses interviews and letters from a...
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