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Summary Of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

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Rationale In this unit we have been studying the book, In Cold Blood written by Truman Capote. Having read and studied this nonfiction book on the case of the Clutters, I became interested in the investigation by the police. I decided to write a transcript of a press conference after the arrest of the murderers. It would be held by Al Dewey, the leader of the investigative team in the case of the Clutter family. He is speaking to the public about the details of the police investigation and the motives of the killers. The press conference also gives a small solace for the people of Holcomb, where the crime took place. They have lived under anxiety and fear for 1 month. In order to make the task reflect a real press conference, the conference …show more content…
Also, a press conference is an appropriate format to use, because it’s common for police to hold one after the arrest of the murderers. And since Dewey didn’t reveal any information about the suspects to the public during the investigation, he needs to make it clear to the public later.

Writing a press conference contributes my exploration of the details in the book - the investigation of KBI in the case of the Clutters and the motives of the killers. Since the motive of the killers is linked to the overall theme of the book, it also shows my understanding of the idea of the American Dream. To achieve my purpose, I have researched both the text type by listening many different press conferences held after arrests and by reading Capote’s description of the murder.

In the press conference, I incorporated ethos and pathos to make Dewey’s words more credible and emotional so that the audience, Kansas, especially people of Holcomb, would be comforted. Visual imagery was also used to inform the audience about the process of the investigation, and to show more

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