Social Awareness Project Class 811 Max Kessler
Reading Response Option #4
The text, "To Kill or Not to Kill,"by Patricia Smith is about the ongoing debate about whether or not to ban capital punishment, better known as the death penalty.The author talks about how recent polls have shown a great decrease in backing of the death penalty. The author does not have a strong opinion on the issue but shows some signs of not supporting capital punishment. In the artivle the author speaks about how the general way to perform the execution is to give them a lethal injection but recently some of them have malfunctioned leaving the victim writhing around suffocating for half an hour before finally resting, this is not what is wanted, obviously.
In this passage the author wants the reader to see both sides of the argument, and with this Smith does a great job. She shows the anti injection side when she talks about the "significant problems" of the death penalty. In which segment of the article, Smith interviews some anti-death penalty people. They say talk about the fundamental issues such as, "racial bias, uneven application of the death penalty, situations in which there were individuals on death row who were later found innocent." The author also shows the supportive side of capital punishment when she talks about some high up authority figures opinions and what they think. For example when she talks about how Obama supported it for "the most heinous of crimes." Or when she talks about Kent Scheidegger and how according to him, "There are some crimes for which any less punishment is unjust."
I think the author does not have a bias. I say this because they keep their opinion out of the article, and shows both sides of the argument, leaving all bias or evidence of it out of the article. The author also quotes both types of people, pro capital punishment, and against it. I think the purpose of writing this article was to show the reader an important issue in today's society and to show some facts, to help the reader make a choice about which side they back up and support.
This article has really deepened my thinking on this specific issue. It shows me to deep arguments and interpetations of both sides of the issue. I would like to learn more about this topic, such as how many people have had botched executions, or what is the specifics someone looks for to sentence to someone to death. After reading this article I have decided to be anti-death penalty, and don't back it.
Reading an article like this really made me question our beliefs as the human race. Not because I have a strong opinion on the article but because this is a very big issue. People's lives are ended for sometimes incorrect reasons, or just they are innocent. I believe that this issue should have one final answer and not a foggy line of how to do it and who we do it to.
Poem Option #5
Suffragettes wanted women's voting rights
They would do anything for it including including fights
They marched through streets and malls
Sometimes even breaking down walls
For many days even through some nights
For this poem I did some research first and looked up some facts on the Suffragettes and thought about which ones would fit with the poem scheme and rhyming. Also in this topic there were many things I could have wrote about, their beliefs, their ideas, but I thought it would make for the most interesting poem if it was about their marches. Marches were a big part of their campaign for womens suffrage as thousands of people would march through streets protesting and complaining for their rights.
The issue in this poem is women's rights. Women's suffrage was a big issue in the late 1800's and the early 1900's as women felt like they were used by men and wanted to stand up for their rights. Women held marches and gatherings to help protest and fight against the sexist laws. They would march through streets protesting holding home made signs with clever slogans. Eventualy the womens brave actions carried through and they got the right to vote.
