Premium Essay

Dead Man Walking

In:

Submitted By evanschumo
Words 1193
Pages 5
Name:
Professor:
Course:
Date:
Dead Man Walking Sister Helen Prejean has for years travelled the world and her country to speak against capital punishment – the Death Penalty. On these talks, she discusses her experiences of being a spiritual advisor to inmates sentenced to death row, and explains what it really means to accompany men to their death, meeting the family of a man doomed to die by the state as well as the families of the victims. She’s a fervent critic of politicians and the legal system, discussing how and when the court system works and when it doesn’t. She also speaks on and of forgiveness. She also writes about her beliefs, latest is a book “the Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions” that came out in 2004. It is a book that delves into her experience of witnessing two men that she believes were wrongfully executed, revealing evidence that the juries did not see. It is the second book after her famous novel “Dead Man Walking”, that was adapted into a hit film by the same name, telling the story of Sister Prejean as she establishes a special relationship with Matthew Poncelet, an inmate on death row. While each story might be of slightly different dynamics and different characters, the message remains that before you make up your mind about the death penalty, learn all that you can about it. She believes that many of the people who are for the death penalty may have never actually reflected on it. In this paper, I will analyze Sister Prejean’s argument against the death penalty as chronicled in her books and essays, and provide a personal response. In her essay “Would Jesus Pull the Switch”, Sister Prejean describes her experience being the spiritual advisor to Patrick Sonnier, the first inmate she led down to his death. She calls out people who use the Bible as a crutch – a concept she terms “biblical

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Dead Man Walking (Senior Year Essay-Catholic School Report)

...December 17, 2010 What scene or image from the film stood out to you? Why? The film Dead Man Walking is a very powerful motion picture, one that captures the most natural and deep aspects of the human spirit. Throughout this film there are many powerful scenes. What is most powerful about this film is its ability to evoke thoughts of love and sympathy, for both innocent people and savage killers. Sister Helen exemplifies what it means to be a caring individual throughout this film, and Matthew Poncelet shows why even humans who have done the gravest wrongs are still capable of change, and deserve their dignity. Of all the scenes in Dead Man Walking, the most powerful is the resolution to the film’s conflict, the execution. When preparing for his death in his jail cell, Matthew Poncelet confesses to Sister Helen that he in fact was guilty of rape and murder. The closing scene begins when he is being led by guards into the execution room. Matthew asks for permission for Sister Helen to touch him, and it is granted so. Sister walks with him, reading to him from the Bible. He tells Sister that he is not afraid, and that he knows he is going to be in a better place. Sister tells him that the truth has set him free. At this point, the emotional power this scene carries begin. A man, though about to die, has found comfort in what a nun has preached to him. He has taken faith on the way to his death. The next dramatic part of this scene is when the curtain to the execution room...

Words: 528 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Dead Man Walking

...Dead Man Walking Many people have very strong feelings about the use of capital punishment. Some people including myself believe that the death penalty gives murders what they deserve, while others believe killing anyone is wrong. When I first saw Matthew Poncelet I could have sworn that he wasn’t an innocent man, I thought that the movie would be about a nun who freed an innocent man, but I was way off. I grew to realize throughout the duration of the movie that he wasn't as evil that he was made out to be and the movie made me more on the fence on the debate of capital punishment. There are many arguments made in the movie that are against the death penalty. The main argument for against the death penalty would be how Sister Helen is trying to get Matthew Poncelet off of death row. Matthew Poncelet is poor, which is a reason why he is given the death penalty in my eyes. He couldn’t afford to pay for a good lawyer so the court appointed an attorney which only raised one objection in the trail. This shows that Poncelet’s lawyer did nothing at all to help him in his charges. If Matthew would have been able to afford a better lawyer like Carl Vitello then there would have been a higher chance that he would have received life in prison instead of the death penalty. People should not receive the death penalty simply because they grew up in poverty they should be appointed a lawyer that will do everything they can for their defendant. Then again Matthew was also a victim of bad...

Words: 1023 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Dead Man Walking

...Dead Man Walking Death is a very final state and the punishment including death can often be a very hard thing to comprehend for some people. The film Dead Man Walking by Tim Robbins is all about this death penalty, and why the view on this penalty can change from person to person, and also from time to time. However, why do the view from some people change, when it comes to the death penalty and how can Sister Helen love this very hard criminal? The story takes place mainly on death row, where Sister Helen visits Matthew Poncelet. During this time they talk about different things, to calm Matthew down before he is to be executed. They also try to get the execution postponed or cancelled, because Poncelet claims that he did not kill the two people. They talk about the Bible, because Sister Helen means that religion could give him the final peace he needs, before he leaves the earth. She tells him a quote from the Bible, saying that the truth will set him free, and he also confesses to killing the people, and repent his sins to the parents, which show that he know that he has done terrible things, and shows he has his dignity still. Sister Helen is a very religious woman and she quotes the bible several time throughout the movie. In addition, whenever things seem hopeless and she needs help, she prays to Jesus to give her power, or to help her overcome the situation. She also prays for him to help Poncelet overcome the situation he is in. All in all Sister Helen is a great...

Words: 628 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Film Analysis: Dead Man Walking

...I think Dead Man Walking was definitely an anti-death penalty movie because Sister Prejean was one of the main characters and she was unequivocally against the death penalty. In addition, she believed that there are several factors for why someone commits crime and that they’re actually victims of social injustice and inequality. Moreover, she didn’t think that executing someone was the right thing to do. She believed that it was morally wrong and unjust. Sister Prejean also said in the movie that she “did not glorify Matthew or condone his crime.” However, she believed that he was “worthy of dignity and had the right not to be tortured or...

Words: 580 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Walking Dead Ideology

...ideological perspective The television has been around us for centuries and it has become a major source of information to society. Spreading information amongst the people means spreading a particular kind of ideas. These ideas or beliefs provide people with a way of understanding the world and they are referred to as ‘ideology’. It is believed that the media is used to set certain ideology in society. Consequently, television, as a part of the media, has its own role in putting through these ideas. In this essay I am going to explain what ideology is and how it affects society through television. I am also going to give an example of creating particular ideological perspective using the American horror drama television series The Walking Dead (AMC, 2010) developed by Frank Darabont. Ideology, as I already mentioned, is a particular set of ideas. However, we call ‘ideological’ only the ideas that relate to the distribution of social power. (Branston, G. and Stafford, R., 2010, p. 172) There are different ideologies, such as religious, political, etc. and each of them imposes its own way of seeing the world. Yet, ‘ideology’ was first defined by classical Marxism. Karl Marx claimed that our society is capitalist, i.e. it is divided into two major groups: the dominant class (the richer/ bourgeoisie) and the working class (the poorer/proletariat). The higher class are the people with power, the people who own enterprises, the employers. On the contrary, the lower class, are...

Words: 2435 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

The Walking Dead Research Paper

...Over the past ten years, The Walking Dead have been the most popular TV show. The Walking Dead is an American horror drama television series developed by Frank Darabont, based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The Walking Dead premiered in the United States on October 31, 2010, shown on cable television channel and internationally on Fox International Channels. The Walking dead is my favorite TV show because when you watch the show, you will never know what will happen next and that’s what is making it so interesting and exciting to watch. In my opinion, this TV show is one of the best TV series I have ever seen. The Prison Break is also one of my favorite TV show over the past ten...

Words: 343 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Effectd of Violent Tv

...family, regardless of the child's initial aggression levels, their intellectual capabilities, their social status as measured by their parents' education or occupation, their parents' aggressiveness, or the mother's and father's parenting style. Violent shows for children and teens are far too common. Aggression can begin from constantly seeing these violent images. AMC’s The Walking Dead (2010-present is the most watched show in cable television history, according to the number of views. This television show is all about zombies , or walkers as they call them in the show. A serial about a handful of humans struggling to survive in a world infested with lifeless walking bodies. The recently dead awaken with an inborn and insatiable craving for any type of flesh, if it smells alive they crave it, including human flesh. Their cannibalism is contagious, the people who get bit by the zombies turn into one of them. So it begins an exponential spread of the zombie plague and the collapse of their society. The few uninfected persons join to form a defensive cliques or they too get infected. The Walking Dead novel and series has a siple catch: it is an open-ended story. It never ends. As the story unfolds, just like the original comic series, the scene begins in the center of a small town. Sheriff deputy Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who awakens from a coma and sets off to locate his...

Words: 1316 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

The Walking Dead Review

...Review Fear The Walking Dead “Pilot” A very dysfunctional mixed family and friends are driven as a group on the day they discover a rumored infection is literally the start of the undead apocalypse. Nick Clark (Frank Dillane) awakens in a heroin living area at a deserted house of worship. He investigates an outcry and afterward discovers his close friend Gloria (Lexi Johnson) feeding on an individual. Horrified, Nick flees outside to a pre-apocalyptic Los Angeles and is knocked down by an automobile. In their own home, Madison Clark (Kim Dickens) orders her adolescent daughter Alicia (Alycia Debnam-Carey) to get prepared for class. Just as her significant other Travis (Cliff Curtis) repairs the kitchen sink unit, they get a telephone...

Words: 1280 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Dead Man

...Dead man * Dead man (1995) * Genre: Drama fantasy western * Director : Jim Jarmusch * WritteR: Jim Jarmusch * Cinematography: robby muller * Editing : Jay rabinowitz * Music: Neil young * Starring : Johnny depp- Gary farmer PLOT Johnny Depp as William Blake, a newly-orphaned accountant who leaves his home in Cleveland to accept a job in the frontier town of Machine. Upon his arrival, Blake is told by the factory owner Dickinson (Robert Mitchum) that the job has already been filled.Jobless,hopeless and without money,blake meets a former prostitute called Thel Russell (Mili Avital), who sells flower papers. He lets her take him home. Thel's ex-boyfriend Charlie (Gabriel Byrne) surprises them in bed and shoots Blake, accidentally killing Thel when she tries to shield Blake with her body. the wounded Blake shoots and kills Charlie with Thel's gun before climbing bewilderedly out the window and fleeing Machine on a stolen pinto. Company-owner Dickinson, the father of Charlie, hires three legendary frontier killers, Cole Wilson (Lance Henriksen), Conway Twill (Michael Wincott) , and Johnny "The Kid" Pickett (Eugene Byrd) to hunt Blake as the murderer of his son and Thel, although he seems to care most about recovering the stolen horse. Blake then finds himself below a big american indian guy (Gary farmer) who is attempting to remove the bullet from his chest. the Indian guy called himself Nobody reveals to him that the bullet is too close to...

Words: 1555 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Walking Dead

...Series overview[edit] Main article: List of The Walking Dead episodes Based on the comic book series of the same name, The Walking Dead tells the story of a small group of survivors living in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse.[17] The first season mostly takes place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, and the second through fourth seasons in the surrounding countryside of northern Georgia, as the survivors search for a safe haven away from the shuffling hordes of predatory "walkers" or "biters" (as the zombies are referred to in the show), who eat any living thing they catch, and whose bite is infectious to humans. The plot focuses primarily on the dilemmas the group faces as they struggle to maintain their humanity during the day-to-day challenges of surviving in a hostile world. This includes battling the zombie hordes, coping with casualties, and dealing with predatory human survivors. The group is led by Rick Grimes, who was a sheriff's deputy[3] before the zombie outbreak. At every turn they are faced with the horror of the walking zombies, the changing dynamic of their group, and hostility from the scattered remains of a struggling human populace who are focused on their own survival now that society's structures have collapsed. Season 1 (2010)[edit] Main article: The Walking Dead (season 1) The series begins with sheriff's deputy[3] Rick Grimes being wounded in a shootout with armed criminals. He awakens weeks later from a coma in an abandoned and badly damaged...

Words: 2103 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Popular Literature

...the story-telling devices used in comics. The term "comic book" arose because the first comic books reprinted humor comic strips. Despite their name, however, comic books do not necessarily only operate in humor, most modern comic books tell stories in a variety of genres from superhero to comedy. The comic book I’m focusing is on The Walking Dead By: Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore and Charlie Adlard. The Walking Dead tells the story of a small group of survivors living in the aftermath of a zombie apocalypse. Most of the story takes place in the Atlanta metropolitan area, as the survivors search for a safe haven away from the shuffling hordes of predatory zombies who devour and infect any living thing they catch. The plot is focused primarily on the dilemmas the group faces as they struggle to balance their humanity with their survival. Unlike the usual comic books The Walking is a horror story with drama and also comedy in one. The Walking Dead received the 2010 Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series at San Diego Comic-Con International. The series was adapted into the AMC television series The Walking Dead, which premiered in 2010. The Walking Dead premiered on October 31, 2010 on the cable television channel AMC in the United States. The show received 5.3 million viewers, making it...

Words: 746 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Atlanta in Film

...benefited Georgia State University’s image. The writer of this article, William Inman, spoke to numerous peers about their interactions in different film’s that have recently come to Atlanta. Michael Oloyede shared his adventure as an extra in “Hunger Games II.” Oloyede played an exhausting roll yelling and screaming. Meanwhile, there have been other opportunities to be an extra in films such as, “Anchorman 2” or the “The Change-Up,” which provides extra rolls that are a little less involved as far as acting. Another show that Inman spoke about in detail was the production of the AMC series, “The Walking Dead.” As the series continues, “The Walking Dead” has actually continued to use Atlanta’s skyline in all three seasons. Inman interviewed Kevin Galbraith, a senior psychology major as Georgia State University, about his personal experience as an extra in “The Walking Dead.” The article shared Galbraith story as an extra. This article mainly contained short personal testimonials about experiences of others within Georgia State University. Throughout this article I noticed a few different things that could have made this article an easier read. Although the topic is incredibly interesting, Inman primarily only includes a vague interview with a few different peers at Georgia State University that have had the opportunity to participate as an extra. I believe Inman could have surveyed the individuals in greater detail to expand on what he had written. Questions that...

Words: 435 - Pages: 2

Free Essay

Poetry Paper

...de Guzman, Francesco Maria C. Humanities I – TFD2 2012-41947 Prof. Morales The Dead Man Walking They hail me as one living, But don't they know That I have died of late years, Untombed although? I am but a shape that stands here, A pulseless mould, A pale past picture, screening Ashes gone cold. Not at a minute's warning, Not in a loud hour, For me ceased Time's enchantments In hall and bower. There was no tragic transit, No catch of breath, When silent seasons inched me On to this death ... -- A Troubadour-youth I rambled With Life for lyre, The beats of being raging In me like fire. But when I practised eyeing The goal of men, It iced me, and I perished A little then. When passed my friend, my kinsfolk, Through the Last Door, And left me standing bleakly, I died yet more; The Dead Man Walking They hail me as one living, But don't they know That I have died of late years, Untombed although? I am but a shape that stands here, A pulseless mould, A pale past picture, screening Ashes gone cold. Not at a minute's warning, Not in a loud hour, For me ceased Time's enchantments In hall and bower. There was no tragic transit, No catch of breath, When silent seasons inched me On to this death ... -- A Troubadour-youth I rambled With Life for lyre, The beats of being raging In me like fire. But when I practised eyeing The goal of men, It iced me, and I perished A little then. When passed my friend...

Words: 4343 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

What Does Nature Symbolize In To Kill A Mockingbird

...symbolizes three individual people. In the novel To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee the three characters that symbolize the mockingbird are Tom Robinson, Atticus Finch, And Boo Radley. The character Tom Robinson was a black man who was poor and ended up being a victim of prejudice and racism. Heck Tate was on Atticus's front porch . Heck Tate said “There’s a black boy dead for no reason, and the man responsible for it’s dead…(Lee317)” Tom Robinson is dead for being accused for rape and Boo Ewell was responsible and he is now dead. Tom Robinson was a black, innocent man who did not deserve to die for a false accusation....

Words: 454 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Walking Dead

...Herrera 1 Karina Herrera Professor Drummond English 1102 29 February 2016 ​​​​​The Walking Dead ​In America, television producers greatly enjoy creating thriller and suspenseful shows that will have their audience off their seats wondering what will happen next. The television show The Walking Dead is a perfect example of that. The Walking Dead is a television series that follows the story of an infectious disease that began to spread all around the world killing many people, but surprisingly they become a killer zombie when they awaken again. The main protagonist of the film is Rick Grimes, a police officer who has been shot and was sent to hospital before the disease came about into the world. Rick awakens from the hospital only to realize that that he is in a world that is not like he has ever seen. As soon as Rick leaves the hospital his moral and ethics are continuing to be pushed by a life full of zombies. Throughout the film, Rick is constantly seen with his police uniform on even though the world is going through a zombie apocalypse. When Rick passes his hat to his son, Carl and no longer wears his police uniform that indicates the police man role does not exists anymore. The uniform in a way symbolized authority over the group and was also a cue for whoever ran into him that he was benevolent and on the side of order. While The Walking Dead is a zombie killing series it is strongly centered on old humanity is gone and the new life has to come because of the change...

Words: 1026 - Pages: 5