Problem Solution Essay: Death Penalty

The death penalty has existed since the beginning of the United States judicial system. It has been a controversial issue for as long as anyone can remember. For the death penalty, there is an array of explanations that can convince people that it is an infraction to human rights and a corruption to the American image. On the other hand, there is another collection of arguments that can persuade people into believing the death penalty is a tool to stop insensitive criminals from harming innocent citizens. It is ruled that people strive to think the death penalty is an equivalent punishment for murder, causing the poll’s results to show that a majority of people support the death penalty in the United States. However, when there are alternative punishments that would replace the death penalty, less than the majority of people believe to keep the death penalty in place. According to the results, solutions that will replace the death penalty are favored. So with uncertainties about the United State’s system of implementation, the death penalty, a punishment favored to be eradicated, should be replaced with alternatives to convict criminals of serious grade.

        There are many reasons on why the death penalty should be abolished and possibly reformed. Many instances and reasons make people believe the death penalty has eliminated innocent lives. Since humans are not perfect, our judicial system and evidence inquiry is not perfect. This creates a slight chance of imperfection to the sentence of a possibly innocent life. In the case of Jesse Tafero and Sonia Jacobs, a couple convicted of killing a Florida state trooper, were sentenced with the death penalty. Two years after Tafero’s execution, the federal court released his wife and they were proven innocent (The Death Penalty 37). Although people who support the death penalty would say it has punished those of criminal actions, it has also caused punishment to innocent lives. Another reason why the death penalty should be abolished is because of racial injustice and the lack of attorney representation. The death penalty discriminates against racial minorities because it is shown that more criminals get the death sentence when it is a white victim rather than a black victim. It is believed that a higher percent of defendants sentenced with the death penalty are African American and not Caucasian. In 2000, a study by the U.S. Department of Justice concluded that 72 percent of cases the attorney general approved for death penalty persecution involved defendants of color (Henningfeld 120). Moreover, lack of attorney representation makes the death penalty unfair. When an inmate does not have enough money to hire a personal lawyer, the state supplies them with the district attorney. With these district attorneys, personnel who are thought to not have the skill and experience for murder cases, it is believed that the inmates have more of a chance of being prosecuted with the death penalty. With all of these explanations stated, it is obvious that the death penalty should be abolished or adjusted.

        To reform the death penalty, many solutions have been proposed to amend the punishments for those criminals of serious grade. An alternative idea to prevent injustice in the death penalty is that inmates should choose their fate by accepting or declining the death penalty. When a person commits a gruesome crime, the one and only right that should be given to them is the choice of deciding between life in prison with no parole or the death penalty. If the criminal was willing to choose his own death, then that would possibly mean that the inmate was guilty. With this method in action, court costs would reduce because there would be fewer appeals and lower trial costs from eliminating the death sentence. With this method of punishment, it seems that both parties would have one positive thing, the inmates can choose for their life and the U.S. government would have a reduction in trial costs.

        Another solution that would modify the death penalty includes making the criminals attend reformatories and rehabilitation centers to later be released into society. Reformatories are facilities specifically to rehabilitate the inmates challenged physically, mentally, and morally. Although reformatories are commonly used for juvenile delinquents that range from the ages of 16 to 25, they should be used for adults (The Death Penalty Information Center). Contenders to this solution would say that it is reasonable to reshape teenage lives that have commenced their course in the real world, however, reshaping the lives of mature adults would be. Even though that is rational, it is believed that people can change their way of life. For example, many Americans who are addicted to drugs are capable of staying sober and being completely rehabilitated. In fact, most criminals that are on parole have never committed a violent crime again when re-entering society. This method of rehabilitation is a good solution to the death penalty since it creates a civilized approach to punishment.

        The last solution that is capable of reforming the death penalty includes that of restitution. Restitution is the act of forcing convicts to work and use their earned money to pay a percentage to the city and to the families affected by their crime. Instead of using taxpayer money to compensate for housing prisoners in cells, the convicts themselves are able to help pay for the food, lighting, and water. Although this sanction seems very beneficial to the country, counterarguments would support the claim that the amount of money given to an inmate in prison is not even enough to buy a cigarette or candy. With this being true, the simple solution is to increase their pay. To make restitution more feasible, an inmate must be required to work 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year, for over 25 years at $3 per hour to earn $150,000. This money can be received by the family that was affected by the criminal. Restitution would reduce the need of vengeance from the victim’s family since there would be some sort of satisfaction knowing that the person who inflicted suffering into their family is repaying them for their wrongdoing.

        In the United States judicial system, many Americans have argued about the situation on punishing criminals of severe status. One of those choices for convicting criminals includes the death penalty, a punishment that cannot be reversed once executed. Since that punishment is irreversible, there is no room for mistakes. So with the belief that humans and their social systems are not perfect, uncertainties about the United State’s system of implementation are developed. Therefore, the death penalty should be replaced and solved with alternatives. The best of the alternative punishments includes that of the restitution where criminals work in jail to pay the city and the victim’s family. So overall, since citizens have qualms about the United State’s system of punishment, the death penalty should be abolished and substituted to condemn criminals of severe grade.

Journal 1

As being the archetype of the dragon slayer, Beowulf faces death to save a threatened community. This is a characteristic similar to all heroes in the comic book realm. Typical of fictional heroes, Beowulf possessed great strength. In the scene where Beowulf defeats Grendel and Grendel’s mother, once and for all, he had to lift “a heavy Sword, hammered by giants…”(Raffel 37). It was described as being “so massive that no ordinary man could lift its carved and decorated length” (Raffel 37). Being blessed with great strength is a great responsibility that Beowulf interprets as a weapon to protect the people of his community from evil dwellers. Beowulf’s character is very much like Captain America’s persona. Both of the heroes were humans that attained great strength in order to fight foes whom threaten to harm their community or a society. After Captain America induced the “Super Soldier Serum,” an injection enhancing his agility, vision, speed, intelligence, and strength, his duty was to protect the American population from the Red Skull, a villain with intentions to conquer the world. Both of these great heroes characterize the best qualities of society’s heroes, past and present.



Journal 2

Analyzing Grendel

                As being one of the first great works of English national literature, Beowulf contains many supernatural situations and creatures. To start off the epic, there is a description of a beautiful mead-hall called Herot. It then explains how it is terrorized every night by a hideous monster named Grendel. After dusk, when Hrothgar the king of the Danes, and his thanes are asleep, Grendel slithers out with thirst for blood. With rumors spreading around the country and villages, Beowulf, a strong hero, feels empathy for the city and its people. He decides to help eradicate the merciless imp from the prosperous city ruled by Hrothgar. Beowulf eventually battles Grendel hand to claw. So in Beowulf, translated by Burton Raffel, the character of Grendel is portrayed as naturally evil, jealous, and cowardly.

                Grendel is considered to be naturally evil because he was born to create despair, pain, and agony in innocent human beings. In the story the author describes Grendel as an evil omen, “He was spawned in that slime, conceived by a pair of those monsters born of Cain” (Raffel 21). Since Cain killed his brother Abel, becoming the first murderer of the Earth, Cain was eternally cursed by God. With that implication, Cain is pictured as the root of all evil, explaining Grendel’s natural evilness. It was a trait he was born with and a trait dragged along throughout his life. So Grendel’s actions which caused desolation, ache, and distress are known to have resulted from the actions of his ancestry.

                Through Grendel’s actions and motives, jealousy can be analyzed throughout Beowulf. In the beginning of the epic, the author explains how the monster is able to hear celebration in Herot. Raffel translates, “A powerful monster, living down in the darkness, grounded in pain, impatient as day after day the music rang loud in that hall, the harp’s rejoicing call and poets clear song… warriors sang of their pleasures, So Hrothgar’s men lived happy in his hall till the monster stirred…” (Raffel  21). Through these descriptions, the author tries to convey that Grendel is jealous of the joyful, festive people in Herot. Grendel’s jealousy is noticed when it was implied he was “impatient” to create chaos and darkness, characteristics comparable to his life and his home. Additionally, Grendel “grounded in pain” when he acknowledged that people were living a life that wasn’t as dark and sinful as his. “So Grendel ruled, fought with righteous, one against many, and won, so Herot stood empty, and stayed deserted for years…” (Raffel 22). It is believed that Grendel envied Hrothgar’s prosperity with a great kingdom. Unfortunately for Grendel, he was not able to get near Hrothgar because “he never dared to touch King Hrtohgar’s glorious throne, protected by God” (Raffel 23). With this hold back, Grendel’s only means of eliminating his jealousy was by creating chaos in the once happy kingdom. So through Grendel’s actions and motives, he was able to attempt to exterminate his jealousy that existed in his subconscious mind.

                Through a series of actions and peoples’ response, Grendel is considered a coward. After describing how Grendel  is evil, the author illustrates his acts on how he kills and haunts the people in the infamous Herot. The author writes, “He found them sprawled in sleep, suspecting nothing, their dreams undisturbed… he slipped through the door and there in the silence snatched up thirty men, smashing them unknowing in their bed and ran out with their bodies, the blood dripping behind him, back to his lair, delighted with his night’s slaughter” (Raffel 22). Finding the easiest and non-confrontational way to kill people, Grendel murders the people in Herot at their most vulnerable times. This proves how much of a coward Grendel really was—“no savage assault quenches his lust for evil.” During the scene where Beowulf established his ambush plan, Grendel slipped in the hall, killing a young warrior.  Once Beowulf sought the right time to attack, he commenced the battle man-handling Grendel. This caused Grendel’s “ mind to [flood] with fear” and his “one thought was to run from Beowulf and flee back to his marsh and hide there” (Raffel 23). Additional to the evidence that Grendel is a coward, he was obviously afraid of confrontation and battle with Beowulf since his first thought was to flee the scene. The author wrote “after that bloody combat the Danes laughed with delight” which showed how Grendel’s reputation as a merciless, gruesome monster downgraded as a cowardly fool. When describing Grendel, coward is a good adjective since he lacked bravery and pride when it came to battle.

                Throughout Beowulf, Grendel  is shown to be naturally evil, jealous, and cowardly through the attributes such as his actions, motives, and peoples' responses. Grendel was naturally evil since his ancestor was Cain, the root of all evil dwelling the earth. Grendel is jealous of Hrothgar’s and Herot’s peace, happiness, and prosperity because he had none of those attributes in his life. He was portrayed as a coward since he chose to kill people at their most vulnerable states. He was also filled with fear when battling Beowulf. Grendel was an interesting character that had many traits which made him an immoral, envious, spineless supernatural being.

Journal 3

            In the poem of Beowulf, Beowulf, the great warrior of the people, was wounded by a furious fire-breathing red dragon. Although great in power, his mortality got to the best of him, causing the weak old King to announce his last wishes for his Kingdom of the Geats. He stated his wishes to his loyal warrior Wiglef, a brave and appreciative fighter who battled beside Beowulf in order to defeat the dragon. Once Beowulf died, Wiglef berates all of the cowards that did not help their loyal king. Additionally, the Geats, Beowulf’s people, dedicated a burial tower by the sea where voyagers could speculate the treasures gathered in the victory against the treasure-guarding dragon. Through the tone and images in these last scenes of Beowulf, it created an elegiac note. When the dragon was defeated, Wiglef was “hoping he would find the leader of the Geats alive” (Heaney 47) but he “found his lord bleeding profusely” (Heaney 47) while his life depleted. In this scene there is a sense of hope, however, a sense of sorrow is created when young Wiglef finds his lord dying. When Beowulf states, “’…I behold this treasure here in front of me, that I have been thus allowed to leave my people so well endowed on the day I die’” (Heaney 47), it established a thought of honorability since Beowulf wanted the best for his people. Although it was honorable, his state of weakness and closeness to death set a sad mood because it was known that his kingdom would prosper in his reign. Another final scene that created a note of mourning includes the scene where Beowulf demonstrates his great-heartedness one more time and gives Wiglef his collar of gold and telling him to use it, his warshirt, and the gilded helmet. This was depressing because these were the last actions of the once great king of the Geats.

Journal 4

                Since epic poetry is known to embody attitude and ideals of an entire culture, Beowulf is noticed to have many applications of the Anglo-Saxon culture. Many of these applications include the kinship groups led by a great chief, old-warrior type of society, the life revolving around the mead-hall, the orating scops, and the code to be loyal to the king. In Beowulf, law and order were the responsibilities of the leader in any given group, whether family, clan, tribe, or kingdom. Since Beowulf was a great warrior for the Geats, his duty was to help the Danes fight off Grendel, the merciless monster that terrorized King Hrothgar’s Kingdom. Similar to the life of the Anglo-Saxons, Hrothgar’s kingdom revolved around the great mead-hall where warriors would gather to feast, listen to bard’s/scop’s stories of gods and heroes, and to sleep in safety. The loyalty to a king was also well represented in Beowulf when Wiglef showed his bravery and helped fight off the dragon with Beowulf. This loyalty was represented with gifts from the king, similar to when Hrothgar created the great feast after Grendel was defeated.

The universal theme that Beowulf reveals includes that of good prevailing over evil. Throughout Beowulf, there are three instances where Beowulf could be viewed as the personification of everything that is good in the Anglo- Saxon culture. When Beowulf arrives to Hrothgar’s kingdom, Wulfgar told him “’My lord, the great king of the Danes, commands me to tell you that he knows of your noble birth and that having come to him from over the open Sea you have come bravely and are welcome’” (Raffel 24). Apparent in the Anglo-Saxon values, Beowulf would be acknowledged as an honorable man, because of the honor he received from the Hrothgar. As Beowulf being the “good guy,” the creatures that created despair include Grendel, Grendel’s mother, and the treasure-guarding dragon. To support the theme that good prevails over evil, Beowulf successfully defeats every one of the monsters that harmed people. Although Beowulf died from wounds acquired during the battle against the dragon, he still prevailed and defeated evil. So in the end, the universal theme of the epic poem is that people with good intentions for their society will always prevail against those who create chaos and distress.

 

Journal 5

                The novel known as Grendel, written by John Gardner, is a retelling of the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf from Grendel’s perspective. As the narrator of the story, Grendel’s language is one of the most noticeable attributes of the novel.  Grendel’s language can be thought of as an image of loneliness since his language is now appeasable until the end of the novel. Through time and experiences, maturity is apparent when there are changes in his independent beliefs, voice, and style in his language. The change in Grendel’s language throughout the novel supports his approach to language that explains his maturity and his escape from solitude.

Although he was able to talk to the dragon and partially communicate with his mother, the only other person he completely communicated with was himself. Since this was the matter, he mostly talked to himself to escape from loneliness. Since his mother chooses only to grunt and the dragon not always available for conversation, Grendel always spoke to himself. For example, when he is complaining about the ram he tells himself, “’Why can’t these creatures discover a little dignity?’ I ask the sky. The sky says nothing, predictability” (6). Although Grendel understood the humans that he watched, he could not speak their language in terms of understanding. His “English” was known to be more of like a grunt than comprehensible spoken words. However, humans would never be able to speak to a monster like Grendel even if he was capable of speaking the language fluently. The only situation in where humans, Unferth and Ork, actually pick up or completely understand Grendel is towards the end when his language matures. In the end, language is used by Grendel to escape from his dreadful loneliness.

Throughout the story, Grendel is exposed as a growing character through which his language evidently portrays his maturity. In the beginning of the novel in chapters 1 and 2, Grendel was writing in a stream of consciousness and chaotic way. His language was disconnected sometimes, his thoughts were constantly shifting, and his diction was child-like. His child-like diction is clear when he says, “’Go back to your cave, go back to your cowshed—whatever.’” Later in the novel, especially after meeting with the wise, nihilistic dragon, Grendel starts to experiment with different styles in addition with a sophisticated voice. In chapter 4, Grendel starts to imitate the styles that of the Shaper, whom which he had been analyzing, which includes alliteration. In chapter 8 and 9, Grendel begins to understand the languagefully allowing him to create scripts such as those used in plays. After chapter 9, Grendel’s language is thought to be fully evolved, making biblical allusions, narrating as a Shaper, and using intricate words like the dragon. “’You’ll prowl the stalagmites of hell for that, friend Unferth—clever though you are.” Grednels development in language is conclusively perceptible, demonstrating Grendel’s maturity.

The language used by Grendel was a great factor of describing his character and creating understanding in his character. Through language, his loneliness was evident when he was the only person he could fully communicate besides the omniscient dragon. Also, his language was a tool in noticing Grendel’s maturity through the story. Towards the end of the novel, Grendel spoke with a sophisticated diction and style on opposed to simple language in the beginning. All together, the change in Grendel’s language supports his attitude to language; it explained his maturity and escape from loneliness.

Journal 6

In the Anglo-Saxon poems of “The Seafarer” and “The Wanderer,” similar motifs, or recurring ideas, appear frequently throughout the works. Motifs such as fate, journey and exile are discovered in these poems.

During this time in the Anglo-Saxon period, people did not believe in God, they believed in fate. So in correlation with fate, “The Seafarer” states, “But there isn’t a man on earth so proud,/So born to greatness, so bold with his youth,/Grown so brave, or so graced by God,/That he feels no fear as the sails unfurl…”(39-43). This excerpt from the poem explains how the sailor was wondering what fate had willed and would do. In the poem “The Wanderer,” the idea of fate appears in the text, “…Man is fleeting, maid is fleeting,/All the foundation of earth shall fail!...”(101-102). In this piece fate is apparent because the wanderer tries to explain that the fate of the earth is that it will end; men, women, wealth, and friends will expire.

Throughout both of the poems, the idea of journey is reoccurring. In “The Seafarer,” journey is evident when it states, “The time for journeys would come and my soul/Called eagerly out, sent me over/The horizon, seeking foreigners’ homes.” In “The Wanderer,” journey is seen when the poem states, “…And I sailed away with sorrowful heart,/Over wintry seas, seeking a gold-lord…” (22-23). This shows journey because it explains how the wanderer went through an obstacle to seek for the objective. 

Finally, exile is another motif found in both of the poems. “The Seafarer” shows exile when explain how the sailor has left land to be at one with himself out in the ocean. The sailor believed that man and the land had changed drastically, causing him to exile himself from everyone. A short example of exile in this poem includes, “The freezing waves. The song of the swan/Might serve for pleasure, the cry of the sea-fowl,/The death-noise of birds instead of laughter,/The mewing of gulls instead of mead.”(19-22 because the sailor was alone, exiled from everyone.  Exile was a motif in “the Wanderer” because in the text it states, “…when friends are no more. His fortune is exile… ”(28), explaining his loneliness. He exiled himself because everyone was unfriendly to him between the two tribes politically.

So in the end, fate, journey, and exile are motifs that appeared in both “The Seafarer” and “The Wanderer,” two poems recovered from the Anglo-Saxon period.

Beowulf Riddle

Chair

Waiting, not being able to wander on all fours,

My mobility depends on my warm-blooded user.

Sometimes I’m padded with plush,

Sometimes I’m as plain and hard like permanent-earth

I occasionally have a nice paper-ancestor finish

And I facilitate the limbs of folks.

Mirror

Looking upon me is a complicated contradiction.

What you see is neither fake nor created.

When you focus you can see through,

But so can others see you. 

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Beowulf Boast

I, the remarkable Daniel G,

Demand you fools to bow down to me.

Descendent from the Great Middle lands of the Americas.

I am son of the great NG, chief of America’s flying vessels,

And LG, guardian of the kingdom. Brother of MG ,

Student inhabitant to the home of the Tiger and seller of Roasted aroma.

From the coastal shores of the Great Land of Bananas! I BELLOW!

Rider of Cycles, player of Set,

Listener of lovely reverberations, and Athlete of Sports.

As big man of the Basketball team

I advance to my rivals and restrict them with my

Brute body, pushing and boxing out,

Snapping bones, and breaking ankles from my foes.

I speak of and brag of the victories of my

Fellow Blue and White enduring Tigers!

When out in Sea catching Legends of the Deep

I extend with force, pulling in prehistoric Pes

With crucial endurance. Apprehending  dinner

Makes anticipation grow for grub.

Culinary creativity commends my Competency

In cooking. My specialty is making furious-flavors from the spices and marinades,

That manipulate the touchy-tongue of my comrades. My food

Surpasses such flavors of my competitors. No one can contest it!

I am a person of potency, an expertise of reeling in my rations, and

A chef with captivating palatable provisions. Ill make good

In life as a single-student surviving solidity. Acting,

Feeding, and providing later for my dependent dynasty

Soon to come in the future.

Kings will envy my essential handiness and available protection.

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