Philip Yenawine conducts a VTS discussion in Amsterdam, 2012.
http://vimeo.com/51146289
View the video link above. You will watch how an instructor helps guides other teachers into discussing how to interpret visuals. His discussion helps support what you will have to do very quickly within the AP Lang & Comp exam because part of the exam requires you to synthesize sources into an argumentative response, and one source is always visual.
After watching the video, carefully construct a response directed towards your opinion of the death penalty. You need to use part of the discussion from the video to help mold your response. Comments that come from the video, whether quoted or summarized, need to be cited within your sentence by way of a "lead-in". Use these as possible "lead-ins" for your citations:
- One person from the audience highlights . . . . . (Yes, I know using the word highlights may feel awkward to use, but get use to it and start using it because it is the language of academic writing.)
- According to the instructor he notes . . . . . . (Notice I use a strong verb "notes" and the verb "highlights" is also a strong verb. And notice that I am using these verbs as present tense verbs.)
- He also points out . . . . . ("points out" is acceptable to use even though it is colloquial.)
- An audience member argues . . . . . . (another strong verb in the present tense)
- Strong Verbs: highlights, notes, points out, argues, and so on.
- Notice that when a lead-in is used to cite who said something, you do not need to cite again at the end of the sentence.
- No need for a Works Cited page for this activity
Graded Task
- Post your reflection on the dealth penalty that integrates something from the video.=20 pts.
- Respond to two classmates' ideas thoughtfully. (And I mean thoughtfully. Not just "I agree with what you said." In fact, I'd rather have you disagree--but politely.)=20 pts
And one more note: if you have not already experienced the nightmare of losing a response, I suggest that you write your response within a Word doc and check it for spelling and grammar. Next, save it to your desktop and then copy/paste it into your blog reply.
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn the video “Virtual Thinking Strategies” the speaker has the audience looking at a painting of a young man with a sword and a head in his one hand. One person high lights the story of John the Baptist. The story of John the Baptist talks of how King Herod is celebrating his birthday and his daughter did a dance for him. He was so pleased with her dance that he asked her what is it that she wished for. She then requested for the head of John the Baptist. That to me was unfair, like how sometimes the death penalty is unfair. John the Baptist was in prisoned and then he was killed, his sentence was to die in prison. Take the death penalty for example, we the people make the choice to take another person’s life, but is it our right to take the life of someone even if he has committed a crime such as murder, wouldn’t that make us the same as the person on trial? Why can’t they just stay in prison and die, like John the Baptist was sentence too, instead of being killed, isn’t the greatest punishment having to live with the crime you committed?
Respectfully,
Kristen Yam
Pd.3
Dear Kristen,
DeleteI will have to respectfully disagree with you as I feel that a terrible person should be put to death instead of being able to touch other peoples lives, even if they are in prison. Just think about this, people that are sentenced to life in prison have nothing to lose. I mean the worst thing they could do is probably kill another inmate, or even worst kill a inmate with a five year sentence and it was his last day in prison, ouch. People who have nothing to lose are more deadlier than a man that is put to death.
Respectfully,
Shiloh Begley
Period 3
Dear Shiloh,
DeleteYou have a good point; those who have murdered once could do it again, but is the death penalty really the best solution? You call them a "terrible person," but every person has a complex story that nobody but them and God can ever fully know. Not all murderers murder because they get some grotesque pleasure out of it, I'll bet a lot of them are just people like us--they might have been afraid, unsure, and just wanting to fit in. Even after they have killed someone and are in jail, they might still have, as you put it, "something to lose." Killing killers will profit nothing.
Sincerely,
Jessica Meek, P.2
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDear Kristen,
DeleteIn my respose I also wrote that the criminal should just stay and die in jail, but it got me thinking that some people's lives many have been worse than jail. So to them jail woudl be a much better option. If the death penalty is ended then some crazy people might make it their goal to be sent to jail, therefore be killing inncoent people for their benefit. Another factor to consider would be if the jails would become over populated ?
Sincerely,
Sariah Beeby pd.1
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteWithin the video, Yenawine gets an active conversation going quickly among the group of people in the room. The subject, a painting depicting a man holding a sword in one hand and a blade in the other, quickly becomes analyzed and different opinions are drawn about its meaning. At one point during the conversation, an audience member argues that although the man has just beheaded someone, he shows no sign of triumph or victory in his expression. What he does show is a feeling of remorse or solemn sadness towards the severed head, which he holds tightly by the hair in his left hand. Later on in the video, we learn that the picture depicts David and Goliath, a Biblical fable in which the giant Goliath is slain by David with a sling.
This got my mind thinking about the death penalty. For example, the movie Capote showed that Perry and Dick had to be put to death for their crimes, however it did not mean that people felt victorious for avenging the murders of the Clutters (much like David’s expression after slaying Goliath). Obviously the two murders had a hard life, and this may have caused their line of acceptable morals to be blurred a bit after being battered by a horrible childhood. This also relates to the death penalty in general. Although death may be what needs to be done, it doesn’t mean that it is the enjoyable or noble thing to do. Many people question whether a life for a life is really the correct action to take. Personally, I believe that this negative cycle of death is morbid, and I believe that underprivileged children should be helped early on before they turn to murder or crime.
Respectfully,
Maluhia Stark-Kinimaka
Period 1
Dear Maluhia,
DeleteAfter reading your post I almost completely agree with you, such like the death penalty and how theres no winner when it comes to revenge, as the saying goes "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind". Like how the clutter family was avenged, nobody was happy, death is just someting that will always bring sadness. I thought I would be the only one to immediatly think of david and goliath when the picture was first shown but I guess Its something quite famous.
respectfully,
Shiloh Begley
Period 3
Dear Malu,
DeleteAs I continued to read through peoples comments I began to become frustrated that no one saw as I did, underprivileged kids need to be helped before they begin down the wrong path of murders and drugs. I am glad you see that the death penalty only continues the cycle of deaths, and by sentencing someone to the death penalty nothing is being solved.
Respectfully,
Shania Weiss, Period 3
Dear Malu,
DeleteI agree with you on the fact that the murderers who were at first underprivileged and troubledare not totally at fault, and I agree that the cycle of death upon death trying to get justice for the crime committed is not the best action to take. People fail to consider them as not at complete fault. And society should seek to stop the cycle before it begins so that way no one is killed. To me this seems like a much better option because just like in the man's expression, no one really means to kill someone else and they are sorry when it occurs as another woman in the audience brought up the darkness of the arm holding the sword, as the man doesn't seem to have control, and has some sort of "duality" as said by philip, when holding the cut off head as if he is good and the evil he has no control over, just like in Perry's in "in cold blood", he had no control over his anger and didn't know what he was doing until after it was done, and he didn't mean for it to happen. In much ways the piece of art and the death penalty have relation.
Respectfully,
Jalissa Rapozo-Carveiro
pd.3
Dear Jalissa,
DeleteI agree with your reply to Maluhia because of the way you analyzed not only the way Maluhia herself responded an choose great evidence to relate but you also made great view points about your own understanding such as the death penalty. I really enjoyed reading you response.
Sincerely, Kelieann Nuesca Pd. 1
Dear Ms.Carlson
ReplyDeleteIn the video the instructor takes a unique approach by inviting the opinions and ideas of the class before teaching them anything or correcting them on what the answer is. He first starts by showing them a piece of art work and listens intently to each audience member. The picture is of what looks like a young man with a sword holding a giant head, now the first thing that came to mind was david and goliath because of the stone impact mark which is located on the giants forehead which goes along with the story. But when the idea of the death penalty sitting in my mind I began to think metaphorically as in seeing the young man in the picture as a youth, where that young youth has made a decison he regrets in this case is murder, and the youth realizing what he has done as felt a sudden wave of regret and remorse. Also what added on to my ideaology was when one of the audience members illuminates a key detail in the painting regarding the dark shadow engulfing the young mans right arm suggesting "inter-lives, where theres a sorta sereinity and roughness"
which conotes a sense of inner struggle which can also be seen in most youth nowdays fighting with the right thing to do and the easier bad thing to do; which really sums up how our youth are faced with many challenges even from birth.
Respectfully,
shiloh begley
period 3
Dear Shilo,
DeleteI agree with what you highlighted about the painting being a young man who has inerconflict and with a dicision he regets. So why could this not be a factor in the death penalty as jessica had said while commenting on my post. People dont just wake up one day and say hummm.... I think ill kill someone today, tragic events occur to cause someones mind to not be all right. I know this from personal experience, a tragic thing happened to my grandmother to cause her to be both schizophrenia and bipoler.
Respectfully,
Kristen Yam
Dear Shiloh,
DeleteI have seen the same as you. I agree when you say that the "youth now days fighting with the right thing to do and the easier bad thing to do." This shows what type of time we live in now. Everything is so crazy and we face many challenges. This relates to the death penalty, the right thing may not be the easiest thing.
With much love,
Jonathan Paleka
Dear Shiloh,
DeleteI really liked your comments about when you pointed out our youth today. That we have to choose between the hard but right thing to do, and the easy bad thing to do. That is so true, and it is so hard to do! Our society is changing by the second and its so crazy how our youth is stuck right in the middle of all of it.
Respectfully,
Maile Tuttle period 3
Dear Shilo,
DeleteIt is true that the youth a constantly faced with decisions between good and bad, but adults are also faced with these types of inner conflicts. Think of the parent who turns to crime to provide for their child, it's an ugly reality that we never grow of.
Respectfully
Amanda Althouse
Period 2
Dear Shiloh,
DeleteI never thouht about the concept of the "inter-lives" statement you mentioned as representing inner struggle in youth. I agree that this is true, and the idea of the darkness engulfing the man's arm holding the sword brought to attention by one of the people in the audience gives the effect of duality and in a sense no control over the evil doing of murder. And it is hard to see that representation just as it is hard to see that there is good in a murderer and it is hard to to see also the fact that the murderer didn't mean for the actions he did, leading to the sorrow, regret, and remorse in his facial expression. The death penalty is wrong to an extent as to whom is really at fault for the occurance of murder, and its just as complicated because each individual is different, and may have grown up in a bad household therefore not knowing right from wrong and possibly traumatized or scarred for life mentally and emotionally and filled with hatred. If society would take care of troubled children and remove them from these experiences and help teach and give guidance, it could throw them off the path of committing murder and also the result of the death penalty. This is a more tollerable solution as it eliminates the factor of death nd taking a life alltogether.
Respectfully,
Jalissa Rapozo-Carveiro
Pd.3
Dear Ms. Carlson
ReplyDeleteAs I was watching the video I noticed how the audience was quick to judge the the young man and the severed head he was grasping tightly. The young man was bathed in a bright light giving him an angelic appearance, whereas the severed head was shrouded in sinister looking shadows. Based on the young man's appearance, especially his facial expression, many people in the audience judged him to be of good character and “remorseful”. In contrast, the distorted facial expressions on and the disproportionate size of the head forced the audience to see him as a monster.
After seeing how quickly the audience was to judge the individuals in the painting based solely on their appearances, it brought to mind how easy it is for someone to be unfairly convicted in a court of law by a jury of their own peers. Every member of every jury is human and every human comes with their own set of preconceived notions based on personal experiences both good and bad, positive and negative. Because of this many opponents of the death penalty argue that when it comes to a life or death sentence the jury's bias has far more influence on their assumptions and assessments of the defendant. End result: unfair convictions.
Respectfully,
Lars Vali Pd.2
Dear Ms.Carlson,
ReplyDeleteMy very first thoughts after viewing the picture of David and Goliath were negative. When I realized that the man with the sword had beheaded someone, I quickly thought of him as a bad person. As I looked closer at the picture, I came to realize that this might not be entirely true. One person from the audience highlights that the man with the sword has a soft expression for someone who just beheaded another person. Other teachers in the room add in that the facial expressions show a sort of good character about the man holding the head.
As more teachers began stating their opinions of the man and the picture, I connected this to the death penalty. We often judge people off of what we see, instead of what we know. I do not think that this is fair. I believe that everyone has a reason for their actions, just as the man in the picture had a reason for beheading the giant. In some cases, I can understand why people would think the death penalty is crucial. In my opinion, the death penalty is not always necessary. I think a life sentence in jail would be best so the person can live with all the wrong they have done. To me, that is the greatest punishment.
Sincerely,
Burgandi Williams Pd. 2
Dear Burgandi,
DeleteI do agree that a life sentence is the greatest punishment. However, issuing everyone a life sentence in place of a death penalty or other cheaper alternative is simply impractical. The average cost of a year in prison is $22,000 - That's almost twice the rent of a three bedroom house. Add that up and the average cost of a life sentence is $1.5 Million. Tax dollars. Now, I'm not one to hound on expenses or whine about tax increases, but putting every serial killer on a life sentence would be, put bluntly, very expensive - this is why the death penalty exists in this country.
Respectfully,
Griffin Madden, Period 1
Dear Burgandy,
DeleteI also agree that a life in jail would be a more effective way to punish someone that has caused another human death. But after eading Griffins comment i came to the concluions that any option would be costly. Keeping someone in jail their whole life as well as creating programs to prevent adolecents from doing this behavior later in life would be expensive as well. And where is all this money coming from ? our pockets. Is there even a cheap preventative way to do this ?
Sincerely,
Sariah Beeby pd.1
Dear Burgandi,
DeleteI immediately thought of the young man as a bad person also ! I didn't really look at the young man's face, which showed remorse. And I couldn't agree more on how you said that we judge people by what we see instead of what we know. But sometimes even when we try not to judge people by the way they look, we end up doing it anyway, so I guess it's just a human nature.
Thoughtfully,
Precious Custodio
Pd. 2
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteI found this video to be particularly fascinating in the way that the audience could pull so many different opinions and thoughts out of one image. When the audience first saw the image their first thoughts seemed to automatically be directed towards the sword and the beheaded man. But soon after, one person from the audience highlights that the man holding the head has a very soft expression considering he just killed someone.
With that thought in mind it takes me towards the idea that this man who holds the head is an immensely troubled person. As I learned last week, most people given the death penalty seemed to have been brought up in a very harsh environment that may have contributed to the way they are as adults. As we saw in the movie, Capote explained how he would never get the image of Perry and Dick being hung out of his mind and what a truly scarring experience it was for him to witness. It just shows what an inhumane thing it is. Personally I find it revolting especially now that I know we could help these people in their adolescents so the death penalty can be avoided for those with troubled upbringings.
Sincerely,
Maria Fish Pd:2
Dear Maria,
DeleteAdding on to your part about Dick and Perry in the movie of Capote we saw. Facts suggest that both men had a troubling adolescents, for example Perrys brother and sister committed suicide. That in its self is enough to drive a person to their low point. And thinking about how these men could have been if they had different experiences in life suggests that they should have had a second chance at their lives, instead of being sentenced to death.
Sincerely,
Whitney Beck Pd.2
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeletePhilip Yenawine projects a picture of a young man holding a decapitated head in one of his hands and a knife in another, to a group of about twenty adults. Without telling them any background of the photo, he asks for their thoughts of the picture. One person in the audience highlights that the expression of the young man holding the decapitated head appears to be solemn. This audience member notes that this is quite peculiar because the young man doesn't have a look of triumph for killing the other, much larger man.
When the audience member pointed this out, I pondered on whether or not the person who has to fulfill the sentence of the death penalty feels any remorse to the life that is being taken. Some people might believe that the death penalty is fair; a life for a life, while others think it is grim. I for one think it is not the answer. I am personally against the death penalty because I feel like the criminal should rot in jail for the rest of his life, living with the guilt of his crime. Yes this would be putting some people out of a job- those who have to give the lethal injection to the accused- but this clears the conscience of the one giving the killing poison. Even if the person giving the lethal ejection is okay with it, my bet is that in the back of his/her mind; they may feel a little remorse for the alleged killer
Sincerely,
Taylor McGinnis Pd.1
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteDear Taylor,
DeleteI agree with you on all but one point. You say, "the criminal should rot in jail for the rest of his life, living with the guilt of his crime." However, many of the people in jail come from such horrible backgrounds that jail could almost be considered a luxury to them. They have clothes, shelter, and food. Being taken care of for the rest of their life might, in their eyes, be worth having to live with a little guilt.
Though I am, like you, against the death penalty, I do not think that just keeping them in jail for life is the answer either.
Sincerely,
Jessica Meek, p.2
Dear Taylor,
DeleteI also think that the death penalty is not the punishment we should be giving to criminals. Serving a life in prison could be, in some ways, more punishable than death. While some criminals may consider jail a luxury, good living conditions or not, that person still has to live with the fact that they killed an innocent person, being reminded constantly about what they did. That, in my opinion, is more of a punishment than death it self.
Sincerely,
Lexy Stogner Pd: 1
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to see in this video the different interpretations of a painting. One of the first comments from the audience was that they were "not seeing the victory" on the boy's face. He had just triumphed over his enemy; shouldn't he be happier? Yet, his face has a sad expression as he gazes at his adversary's severed head.
I imagine that those who perform the executions of those with death penalties today feel the same way. Some people might say, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!" in support of the death penalty (i.e. murderers deserve to be killed). But do we, as imperfect humans, have the right to put another human to death? Are today's executioners so calloused as to not feel the guilt of killing another human being? As Gandalf once said, "Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgment. For even the very wise cannot see all ends." We, as humans, do not have the right to take another person's life.
Sincerely,
Jessica Meek, period 2
Dear Jessica,
DeleteAs I do agree that taking another’s life is hypocritical and unjust, what alternative do you suggest? Sitting in jail for the rest of their lives, a jail in which the majority of our taxes are forced to pay for? I believe the only way to deal with things like this, is to take the money used to support jails and interevene in the lives of our young who are headed down the wrong path.
Respectfully,
Shania Weiss, Period 3
Dear Jessica,
DeleteAs always, your response was well-thought out and extremely thoughtful. However, I must disagree with your opinion. Human beings abide by the law, or they are punished. Human beings create both the laws and the punishments. Human beings commit the crimes. Human beings give life to other human beings - so why should we hesitate to take life away? To follow the laws that we ourselves create? To enforce the punishments? I believe in capitol punishment not for the "eye for an eye" revenge argument, but because for the betterment of society as a whole. I agree that revenge is no excuse to take a life.
Sincerely,
Casey Nakamura, Period 1
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteYenawine gives us no background on the picture, but asks for the opinion and theories to its meaning. To me, I relate this to court hearing; The jury and judge are given, like the audience in the video, one solid case and must come up with a solution. The court doesn't deeply consider the criminals motives for committing the crime, or possible personal issues that cause an outbreak. Their main focus is to analyze what happened in a short period of time. This is what makes me against the death penalty, because I believe instead of putting to death people who have walked down the wrong path, is to get them help they need to make a better person. Or even better, like the man in the pervious video argued, is to have a program to help troubled adolescents who if not guided, make up the population of the death row. Im not saying that criminals should not be punished, but we need to more carefully consider is, did they do this to themselves, or society. Relating to the video, the audience was quick to assume that the young boy had killed the man, but as time goes on they discuss other evidence such as a clean sword and the young mans strange facial expression. As one women in the audience words "there is duality, you could almost question if the right arm is his because it is so hidden, so as if two sides in a life are depicted.". When we as a court decide, the first assumptions are always dominate. What needs to be done is focus more on the criminals life and problems, and yes punish him/her, but help them and give them a chance to be a better person.
Sincerely,
Whitney Beck Pd 2
Dear Whitney,
DeleteI strongly agree with you when you say that we need to focus more on the criminals life and problems. I also agree with you when you say we should give them a chance. Some people may think that if you just commited a murder, then therefore you should be punished too. But if we actually got to understand why they did it, then we could give them a proper punishment rather than hang everybody who commits a murder.
Respectfully,
Burgandi Williams
Dear Ms.Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn the video, Philip Yenawine gathers a group of adults and projects a picture of a man holding a severed head in one hand and a sword in the other. With no background information, the audience had so many different opinions and thoughts coming from one picture. The audience automatically directed their opinions toward the sword and the head and assumed that the young boy killed the man. While one person in the audience argues that the man has a sorrowful look on his face towards the decapitated head.
This video got my mind thinking about the death penalty. In my opinion, I am against death penalty. I feel that the person should be sentenced to life in prison and live with the guilt of taking another individuals life. We often judge individuals only from what our eyes see, instead of what we know. Everyone has a reason for their actions. Some people may think that death penalty is fair, but is it our right to take away another human's life away?
Respectfully,
Angelika Questin
Period 2
Dear Angelika,
DeleteI totally agree with you being against the death penalty, but just because everyone has a reason for their actions does it mean that every time someone has a reason to do something it is okay for them to do it? But i like where you were going with your response.
Respectfully,
Kayla Tokuda, Period 2
Dear Angelika,
DeleteI completely agree with what your thoughts are on the death penalty, you made very great points. Also great reciting on the people commenting on the photo in the video that you stated in your first paragraph.
Sincerely,
Shianne Schorr
Dear Angelika,
DeleteI agree!!! No one should be able to judge who deserves to live and who deserves to die. It's simply not something we have the authority to decide. I think that it's an ignorant thing to do for someone to throw another persons life away over a single act, no matter how violent it is. Besides even if it may bring some consolation to a victims family, the individuals must undergo the grieving process regardless and often the death of the perpetrator doesn't provide the relief that most expect from it.
Respectfully
Amanda Althouse
Period 2
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteI found this video quite interesting, in a sense that people could compose so many different ideas and opinions about a simple painting. One person from the audience points out the fact that the man who has the other man’s head in his hands has a sad or solemn look on his face. As the video progresses, Yenawine explains to the audience that this painting is of David and Goliath, the biblical story of the normal boy who killed the giant. In the story, he killed the giant to save his people. In a way, this is similar to the death penalty; killing someone for committing a murder. This got me thinking about how the people who take part in the task to kill the murderer feel. Would they feel somewhat sad, and guilty, like David expresses in this photo? In my opinion, I feel that nobody deserves to die, no matter what they do. In some cases, maybe death would be sort of tranquil to the murderer, meaning that they wouldn’t have to live with the constant regret of taking some innocent persons life. If I had it my way, I would wish that there would be no murders or unnecessary death at all. But, that’s not reality, and some things like that can not be prevented. So as human beings, we can either make good choices, and stay on good paths, or go in a total opposite direction.
Sincerely,
Lexy Stogner Pd. 1
Dear Lexy,
Deletewatching the video I got the impression that the story of the picture was open ended, and they never came up with a conclusion as to its meaning. David and Goliath was a suggestion made by one of the audience members, who brought up the fact that the severed head was significantly bigger than the young mans. But if that was the case, I do agree with your view of the painting as murder for murder .
Sincerely,
Whitney Beck Pd. 2
Dear Lexy,
DeleteI agree with what Whitney stated above, that the discussion was open-ended and they did not come to the conclusion that it was in fact a painting of David and Goliath. Goliath was not beheaded, so even if this is actually supposed to be of David and Goliath, it is inaccurate. I do however somewhat agree with your "eye for an eye" take on the death penalty. It would seem fair for the person's life to be taken if they killed someone else, but you also have to think, what if they did it on accident or if they were on drugs, or even pressured to do it.
Respectfully,
Aveilana Saldana
Dear Lexy,
DeleteI am going to have to agree with both Ave and Whitney. Personally I would have just taken one of the audiences comments about the mans look of sorrow and then continued your view of an "eye for an eye." Other than that I agree that the death penalty can seem pretty harsh but I also find that it may be exactly what the murderer wants. It could be their escape from the guilt of their actions.
Sincerely,
Maria Fish Pd: 2
Dear Ms.Carlson,
ReplyDeleteA discussion is being held by Philip Yenawine, who has a room full of adults to discuss a painting. The painting depicts a man holding a severed head that appears to have been cut-off by the man's sword, which he carries in his right hand. An audience member noted that the look on the mans face was not one of triumph, but one of sadness. Another member of the audience highlights that the severed head appears to be larger than a normal head. It is revealed at the end of the video that the painting is of David and Goliath.
After the video, I remembered the death penalty. If people are brought up in their youth in a harmful way, the odds are his adult life will not be good. These murderers obviously know that killing is wrong and I'm sure most of them don't like what they did. There is a chance to help these people. It is very hard for me to say it because I know the murderers are harmful people, but I'm sure that most if not some will receive help and get their life back on track. If the murderers do not try and get help and will most likely murder when they get out, then and only then should they be executed or be set in jail for the rest of their lives.
Sincerely,
Kailer Scopacasa Period 1
Dear Kailer,
DeleteI agree in that it is very hard to say whether or not the death penalty is just. There are pros and cons to having a death penalty and having no death penalty, and it is difficult to come to a final conclusion as to whether or not the death penalty is ethical.
Respectfully,
Griffin Madden, Period 1
Dear Kailer,
DeleteI agree that this is a difficult decision. Two people who have done the same crime might both get out might end up doing totally different actions. In order to determine if the death penalty is just, you almost have to know the convict on a very intimate level.
Sincerely,
Don Maddock
Peroid 1
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteAfter viewing this video I got a more clearer understanding then just looking at a picture and saying what you see in the picture then making your own prediction on what you think this picture actually reflects. Phillip Yenawine obviously makes the audience view a picture about a young adult such as myself but instead of just commenting about what they visually see in the picture, they are thinking outside of the box. One of the people in the audience highlights the emotion on the young boys face not of anger or destruction but of remorse n pity of victory as you would say. This connects me to the death penalty video because even though maybe the person that had that head may have gotten the punishment he deserved or not did he or others get any sort of justice when killing a life? Maybe and maybe not we dont know what actually is the truth we ourselves just judge on the picture we see and tell our own opinion and what we see visually.
Sincerely, Kelieann Nuesca Pd. 1
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn the video, Philip Yenawine collects various adults and asks there opinion of the picture he has projected, a man holding a severed head in one hand and a sword in the other. Lacking any background information, the audience forms many different opinionated conclusions, many of which revolve around the thought that the young man holding the sword and the head has committed a murder.
In society today, this is thought to be deserving of the death penalty, and who’s to say it isn’t. For this man may have committed uncountable amounts of murders and needs to be put down. Though, is the death penalty the right way to deal with the supposed killer? If what we try to enforce throughout society is that the killing of another human being is wrong, how are we to then become so hypocritical that we go and commit the same crime and kill the murderer. However, is letting the man rot in jail for the rest of his life any better of an alternative? In this case both society and the man shall be punished. Thousands of tax dollars will go to the feeding, clothing, sheltering, and supervising, of the criminal; tax dollars that may have otherwise been put to use building centers for children who suffer from living in an unsafe environment.
In the video a subject from the audience notes the lack of triumph displayed upon the supposed killers face. This may indicate remorse for the crime he has just committed; a crime in which he may have committed against an individual who tormented him as a child, or maybe killed off his family members, or maybe previously attempted to kill him. Without any background information a fair punishment can not be formed for either the man in the painting nor a commoner of today.
Respectfully,
Shania Weiss, Period 3
Dear Shania,
DeleteBefore reading your response, I beleived that a life sentence was a good punishment. After reading it, I have to agree that it might not be any better than the death penalty. You made a very good point on how we could use money for other things such as building centers for children, rather than on the hospitality of a criminal. Great job.
Respectfully,
Burgandi Williams
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn this video, Philip Yenawine brings together a group of adults and shows them a picture of a man holding a sword in one and a man’s head in the other. Without telling the audience anything he asks them what they think the picture is about or what it means, and instantly the audience comes up with many different opinions, most say that they think the man cut off the man’s head because of a crime or something in those lines.
The video got me thinking about the death penalty a little more. I myself am against the death penalty. I am against it because if someone commits a crime bad enough that they get the death penalty they should have to sit in guilt to life in prison so they know that what they did is not right and they will get punished for it. But everyone has reasons to live and everyone has reasons to get their lives taken (not saying it’s okay), people just have to think before acting more.
Respectfully,
Kayla Tokuda, Period 2
Dear Kayla,
DeleteI agree with your statements because even within ourselves its a controversial thought to process.
Respectfully ,
Shannon Delaney
Period 1
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteThe video is an instructor that shows a group of people a picture and asks them what they thnk is going on in the picture. Many of the audience memebers have different views of what is happening. As a few audience members mentioned, the boy in the picture, who is holding the head, looks like he has mixed feelings.
That is exactly about how i feel about the death penalty. I think that someone who has done something as bad as murder should be punished. But, I also think that the murder of someone is a horrible, morbid thing. Even if that person murdered others himnself, he shouldn't be put to death. Stay in jail for the rest of his life? Maybe, but death? No. People do things for several different reasons. What if a man murdered someone in self defense? Is he wrong? Should he be put to death? There are different circumstances that we need to keep in mind. All in all, murder is wrong. No one should have the right to take the gift of life away from anyone else.
Sincerely,
Cassie Wilson
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn the video, Philip Yenawine introduces an unfamiliar painting of a man with a sword in one hand, and a head in the other to a group of people. Each person carefully examined the artwork and instantly came up with a meaning towards the piece. Many of them brought up the idea of the man feeling guilty from looking at his expression on his face.
From watching this video and relating it to the death penalty, it helped me to understand it a bit more. Looking at the painting, the man that killed the other man shows a guilty expression that could resemble the feelings of the murderers. I feel that everyone deserves to live, and by helping the ones' who got off on the wrong foot could really make an impression to the community. If there is hope for the lives of these killers, that would be a more responsible thing to do instead of just execute them for their wrong. I understand that it's not okay to take another human beings life away, but instead of holding the grudge we should try to help them and from there on if they are not willing to change themselves it will determine the choice of life in jail or execution.
Respectfully,
Kendra Vega, Pd. 3
Dear Kendra,
DeleteI enjoyed reading your response. The way that you gave a different perspective in "life in jail or execution" showed me a new side. I agree that the video relating to the death penalty gave me a better understanding also! Again, good job explaining the second portion of the idea.
Sincerely,
Jimmelle Parong
Period Two
Dear Kendra,
DeleteI completely agree with you on this, everyone should have a second chance. I'm not saying that murder isnt bad but it would be a greater punishment if they put them in jail for life and by doing that they live, and also suffer for there wrong doing.
Sincerely,
Kanani Colburn
Period 3
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn the video, a discussion is being held pertaining to a depiction of a young man holding a sword in one hand and a man's head in the other. Yenawine asked: "What's going on in this picture?" The first audience member states that "he's chopped off someone's head". Several others said the same thing, but another audience member added that "there was no blood on the sword" so the man in the picture may not have done anything yet. Others noticed the soft expression on the man's face, ironic considering the implications of the piece. Many also pointed out biblical connections to stories like David and Goliath as well as links to John the Baptist. The main implication of the painting, however, is that the young man depicted in the painting has severed the other man's head and is holding it.
This illustration of David slaying Goliath reminded me of the last journal we did about the death penalty. David conquered Goliath, even after King Saul told him it was unsafe, to save his people. This brings about the morality of penalty by death. Was it just for Goliath to be slain?
Even after the last journal, I still don't know whether or not I think the death penalty is just. There are just too many variables to factor in to someone receiving such a penalty. But one thing I can say is that early prevention would prevent a lot of people from having to undergo this horrible procedure. In the last journal, David R. Dow stated that early prevention would be the most ideal solution to the death penalty. In a number of cases, a "life for a life" penalty is just. However, a handful of people have been wrongly convicted of crimes they did not commit, and suffered the death penalty needlessly. I think our justice system should be improved to seal any holes that might lead to wrongful conviction, as well as starting early prevention programs to prevent criminals from becoming criminals in the first place. This will reduce the amount of death penalties issued to those who truly have killed an innocent human being on purpose.
Respectfully,
Griffin Madden, Period 1
Dear Griffin,
DeleteWhile I concede that no program is perfect, the advances made in our justice system regarding capitol punishment over the last decade are vast and progressive. What specific suggestions would you make in regard to avoiding wrongful convictions? What are the "holes" you are referring to? The few criminals who are actually executed (California, with one of the largest death rows in the country, has not carried out an execution in seven years) have had the opportunity, under our legal system, to be a part of a system that considers your mental state, scientific evidence, and any witness your lawyer chooses to call. I agree that early childhood programs must be implemented, but unless you can point out specific failings in our justice system, you cannot call for reforms.
Sincerely,
Casey Nakamura, Period 1
Dear Griffin,
DeleteI must say, that in a way i can agree, i do believe that an early childhood juvenile prevention would be an excellent substitution for the death penalty, however, might i inquire what you mean by "wrongfully convicted" criminals? Nothing personal, i just think that if they got that far into a case as to go to the death penalty, for might they have been wrongfully convicted? I mean seriously, i think the justice department in this nation is that inadequate to send someone to their death wrongfully.
Sincerely,
Brandon Jenks, period 1
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear Ms.Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn the video "Virtual Thinking Strategies", Philip Yenawine guides a group of teachers in an active dicsussion on analyzing a picture projected on a wall of a young man holding a sword in one hand and a decapitated head in the other. When he asked the audience about their opion on what was going on in the picture and how they felt about it there was an varriety of answers. some thought it looked like the boy had just come out of battle, where other thought he looked sad about the dead man in his hand. One person even related the picture to a personal memory. One thing thing all of the teachers agreed on was that the boy had killed whomever the head had belonged too.
This is how i feel about the death penalty. Everyone can agree that the criminal should be punished in the worst way possible. I believer that the death penilty would be getting off too easy. Most likely the person who commited the crime has already been in the state of mind were they have already considered death. Having to spend the remainder of your life in jail would be much worse than death.
Sincerely,
Sariah Beeby pd.1
Dear Sariah,
DeleteI felt the same way as you did about the death penalty at first, but after watching the video and reading comments from my peers, I feel that the death penalty is much worse than having someone spend the remainder of their life in jail. I feel that jail is in some ways a sanctuary. You are fed three meals a day, given a bed to sleep on, a bathroom to use, and are able to interact with other people. These are ammenaties that some people, who have never committed a crime, don't even have. By sending a person to death row, you are no longer allowing them to live their life, which i feel is the greatest punishment of all.
Respectfully,
Brooke Spencer, Pd. 1
Dear Sariah,
DeleteJail is a terrible place. No doubt about that; But isn't jail also called a "correctional center". Theses inmates don't want to die, but they can take the life of another. Death penalty would be the best punishment because a large amount of inmates in prison get killed by other inmates anyway.
Sincerely,
Kailer Scopacasa Period 1
Dear Sariah,
DeleteI also thought it was odd how someone related it to a personal experience who dealt with dead bodies. I felt that they were straying a but from the discussion but that's just my opinion. You briefly highlighted on the diversity of responses towards the picture. I also drew conclusions that each person had their own depiction of it and that other people feed off others ideas. I couldn't agree with you more that spending your life in jail is far worse than death. Just the thought that you would never be able to have freedom would want me to wish that I was dead.
Sincerely,
Kulia Blalock
Pd1
*pd3
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteThe thing that amazed me most about this video is that one person in this group successfully guessed that this painting was about the biblical story of David and Goliath. He stated that, "I noticed that the head of the chopped guy was a little bigger, so I suppose it would be a giant..." I honestly cannot draw a conjecture between what was actually said in the discussion in this video and my opinion on the death penalty. I will not say that the video got me thinking about the death penalty (as many of the other students did)because it didn't - your instructions I read beforehand did. However, I do have thoughts on the subject of the biblical story of David and Goliath in relation to the death penalty, which I hope will suffice.
In the Bible story, David's faith in God is what gives him the courage to challenge the giant Goliath , David's victory eventually crumbles the morale of the Philistines, and the Isrealites win the battle. David's actions can be seen as a metaphor for prosecutors whose faith in justice overcomes even the greatest enemies of society. I believe that every time a criminal is executed, it gives pause and tempers the convictions of their peers.
I believe in capitol punishment for the betterment of society. Even though David defied the commandment "thou shalt not kill", he did it for the advancement of his people - which I think is the only reason anyone should ever be killed. In most cases involving the death penalty, the murderer, rapist, or arsonist must be removed from Earth so that members of society can mourn, receive closure, and move on. Advance.
Sincerely,
Casey Nakamura, Period 1
Dear Casey,
DeleteI can't fully agree with you on the fact about killing people off. I can't say anything for the rapists and arsonists, but you mentioned in your response about David who killed Goliath for his people. The murderer could have had a similar reason to him, but could still get the death penalty. You never know. There are too many variables to consider about the death penalty?
Dear Casey,
DeleteI know that the death penalty may seem the best way to handle all types of murders, but don't you think that killing them is making it easier on the killer? He/she gets to die and have no guilty conscious for the rest of their life, instead of being reminded everyday all the sorrow they've caused people?
Respectfully,
Shannon Delaney
period 1
Dear Casey,
DeleteWhile I find the introduction of your response comical because I too (well at first) could find no relevancy between the video and the death penalty (even though I did not have the creativity to admit it within my response as you did), the second part of your response I will have to challenge. We are all entitled to our own views in life, but I think killing for the "advancement" of a people sounds a bit devious. Does that justify the killing of the Native Americans as europeans "advanced" their culture throughout America? Does that justify concentration camps built to slaughter so the views of Hitler could be advanced throughout the world? Does that justify any war? I simply think it would be much more punishing to lock up a criminal in a cell with no windows for the rest of his/her life. All they would have are their thoughts and sins then, and what a maddening life that would be.
Respectfully,
Maluhia Kinimaka
Pd.1
Dear Casey,
DeleteI honestly thought that the painting had nothing to do with David and Golliath, and to be honest I've never been really heard of this biblical story (or any besides Noah and the ark, so i'd like to thank you for the insight, however, even though i respect your views on the death penalty, i feel i may be at a cross road on this subject with you, for in all honesty i feel it's quite a waste of our tax payers money. 80'000$ just to get someone through the process to be killed, and besides that, killing someone because originally they themselves killed someone (or more than one)doesn't make sense to me, for do two wrongs make a right? Sure their may be a sense of justice and security in society through the execution of criminals, but what message does that send to society, that murder is okay? That to fight fire with fire solves anything? We could be working on stopping people before they even get into that court room through proper care and education, and mold them into model citizens, rather than send them to their deaths. I apologize if it seems like i'm on the offense, I'm simply stating my views in contrast to yours.
Sincerely,
Brandon Jenks.
Dear Casey,
DeleteI like how you gave insight into the biblical reference side of the video because quite a few of the audience members referred to bible stories. At first It was hard for me to draw insight from the video towards the death penalty as well. I had to dig pretty deep. In the beginning when they talk about the look on the beheader's face and how he seems remorseful or unvictorious provided a bit of insight into the death penalty.
On the other hand I dont necessarily believe that the picture entirely related to the story of David and Goliath seeing as that the man was beheaded and David used a sling shot to lodge a pebble into Goliath's frontal bone, killing him. But i can see what you were getting at.
Respectfully,
Aveilana Saldana
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn this video Virtual Thinking Stratagies, Philip Yenawine instructs a group of people to examine this piece of art work where a man is holding a sword in his right hand and on the other other a mans head. A lot of the people in the room had many different views of the picture. It was very interesting how so many thoughts and opinions could be brought upon one picture. What stood out the most to the audience was the boys sad expression on his face. Watching this video really made me think if death penalty was the right or wrong thing to do. I am completely against death penalty. I think murder is a horrible thing and should have a harsh punishment but being put to death makes it easier on the killer, being put in jail for a long period of time would make the murderer suffer in my opinion.
Sincerely,
Kanani Colburn
Period 3
Dear Kanani,
DeleteI also thought that jail time is a much better form of punishment since it allows the criminal to suffer in solitary with nothing but their thoughts, also another classmate of ours, Shannon Delaney, brought up the idea that innocent people could be mistakenly sentenced to death, which only makes me more against the death penalty!
Respectfully,
Amber Diaz
Dear Kanani,
DeleteI like how in your response you talked about the views thoughts and opinions of those in the room listening to Yenawine speak. At the start of the video it looked to me as if some boy just cut the head of a man off, but as the video progressed and i listened to the comments being said, my thoughts of the picture changed. The expression you mentioned is one of the things I noticed towards the end of the video. Why would he be sad if he was mad enough to kill someone? Makes me think in many new ways.
With much Aloha,
Jonathan Paleka
Dear Kanani,
DeleteI couldn't agree with you more when you said that having a life sentence in jail would make the murderer suffer even more by living with the guilt of killing an individual. Another thing that I agree with you on is that there were so many different opinions on just one picture, and having no background information about it. Killing the person is taking the easy way out and having one less murderer on earth, but in my opinion it's wrong to just take another individuals life away.
Respectfully,
Angelika Questin
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video about a VTS discussion numerous times, there was something two of the audience members at the end (along with Phillip himself) highlighted that seemed to catch my attention almost instantly; that the picture represented a symbolic relationship between serenity and darkness, heroism and tragedy,both good and evil, these are in a way similar to the opposing views on the death penality in this country; that it's good for society, it's like the heroic knight slaying the dragon that pillaged the village, but also simply cold blooded murder, of a murderer/criminal.
Raised by conservative southerners, originally i'd see the death penalty as a good thing, that a man had to answer for the wicked he had down and be "hanged high in the streets" from a tall oak tree. however, after watching that last video about the death penalty from that lawyer's point of view, my view has significantly changed, for now i can see the darkness even in the painting of this video. I've realized that truly two wrongs will never make a right, it's wrong for a human being to commit murder, especially on a high scale, but does killing this individual fix anything? Does the immense amount of tax payers dollars just for the death trial go to a good cause? To some that seems so, that in the battle of good vs. evil, the wicked must be dealt with in the harshest of ways, but what does that prove to society? That murder is okay? That taking the life of a human being solves problems? I no longer see it that way, i simply see it as cold blooded murder.......
Sincerely,
Brandon Jenks
Period 1
Dear Brandon,
DeleteIt is interesting to read about your change in views on the death penalty after watching the lawyer's video last week, because I too have had similar thoughts lately. I always thought, oh they're bad people and they deserve to be punished for slaughtering innocent civilians, but now that I can see that these murderers may have had a tough life and become very desperate and unstable people. Personally, I think these murderers should be helped early on in life, so hopefully they will never gain the title of "murderer" in the first place. Nice use of sentence structure in your response, made it interesting to read!
Sincerely,
Maluhia Kinimaka
Pd.1
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteThis video was a very interesting video where the instructor allowed the audience to point out different conclusions. The audience highlighted many different answers to what might the picture show. One of the members of the audience mentioned a "Greek mythology about a son who kills his father to show that he is a man". Another mentioned about "David and goliath".
Looking back on the responses I think of the death penalty. The death penalty is given to crimes such as murder and rape or something like that. I can't say anything for rapists, but should people who have murdered other people deserve the death penalty? Like the Greek mythology, mentioned in one of the responses, the son kills the father to show he is a man. The son had a reason to do it. It maybe wasn't a good reason, but still he had one and because of that reason he ended up killing someone. In Casey's response she mentioned that in the bible story David and Goliath; David killed Goliath for a reason and the reason was for his people. He killed or murdered someone for a reason. It might have been good to some people, but it also could be bad in someone's eyes. People who murder people always have some reason for doing it. That action could be labeled as something good or bad, and people may not consider the action good and think it was a horrible action that's inexcusable and give them the death penalty. The death penalty could be viewed as the people murdering the accused. Should the jury be murdered for giving the death penalty out? If the accused murdered someone to protect someone and is given the death penalty, should the jury also be given the death penalty?
To me the death penalty is really complicated to understand. The way I think of the death penalty is that you get rid of the problem instead of trying to fix it. Instead of trying to turn the person, who is going to be executed, into a better person you kill them off because society does not want to deal with it.
Dear Kalani,
DeleteAfter reading your response I understand where your coming from with people technically murdering those who have committed murders are murders too and shouldn't they be punished as well. Also I really agree that the death penalty was enforced to get rid of problems rather then fix it. Overall good response.
Sincerely,
Alanna Bauman
Forgot to put period 1
DeleteDear Kalani,
DeleteI strongly agree to your thoughts on what justifies the death penalty. There are always multiple sides to things, and you cannot look at the same offense in the same way.
Sincerely,
Don Maddock
Dear Ms. Carlson
ReplyDeleteWithin the video of, "Virtual Thinking Strategies" The instructor projected a picture of a young man with a sorrowful face holding a decapitated head of an older, angrier looking man in his left hand and a sword in the right. A comment an audience member stated about the picture was that she did not recognize any blood on the sword, so does that mean the sorrowful man did not commit the crime? Which in some death penalty trials, is the main question. Did this human being kill another? and if not, then who? This is what some people have over looked. Sometimes people are sentenced to death for a murder they did not commit which means that the killer is still living a free life. That is why the death penalty shouldn't be an option, because later on better evidence to the crime could come along and the system realizes the killed an innocent man.
respectfully,
Shannon Delaney
period 1
Dear Shannnon,
DeleteI never thought about the fact that it is possible that innocent men and/or women are sentenced to death, when it is quite possible they did not even commit the crime! I agree with the fact that the death penalty should not be an option even more than i previously had.
Respectfully,
Amber Diaz
Dear Ms.Carlson,
ReplyDeletePhilip Yenawine is holding a discussion with a bunch of adults about a painting. The painting shows a man holding a head that looks like it has been cut off in one hand and in the other hand he is holding a sword. The first impression that you get is that he cut the mans head off with the sword. An adult in the audience stated that the look on the mans face was not a look of triumph or victory, but one of sadness. Another member of the audience says that the severed head appears to be larger than a normal head. At the end they tell us that the painting is of David and Goliath. When the video was over i recalled the death penalty. If kids are raised in a harmful way, that child will probably grow up to live a harmful life. These murderers are troubled people and I think that if they had a chance to change most of them would choose to live a new life and change their ways.
Sincerely,
Gavin Bryan Period 2
Dear Gavin,
DeleteNicely put but there was one thing I don't fully agree with you. You talk about murderers and state, "if they had a chance to change most of them would choose to live a new life and change their ways." I do not agree with this because how would people know that these people would like to change? How do we determine that they would change their lives, versus fool us to get out of jail just to strike again. Giving these murderers a second chance endangers the public.
Respectfully,
Taylor McGinnis pd.1
Dear Gavin,
DeleteI have to disagree with your comment about how, "If kids are raised in a harmful way, that the child will probably grow up to live a harmful life". I feel that though many people with criminal history do tend to grow up in not the greatest family environments, not all of the people who do, end up being criminals. I feel that many people who have been put in that type of situation strive to work harder so that in the future, their children will not have to go through the same things they did.
Respectfully,
Brooke Spencer, Pd. 1
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteThe video of a VTS discussion lead by Philip Yenawine, was very intriguing, i found myself very surprised and interested by all the different opinions and thoughts that everyone shared. I was shocked to find that I agreed with many of they're thoughts and that each person had a plausible idea, supported by the painting. I mostly seemed to agree with the audience members who thought of the young man as a sort of hero, for example the woman who proposed that the lighting in the painting suggests that the young man is what the artist wanted viewers to pay attention to.
As for the death penalty, I believe that although someone has committed a crime, such as the young man in the painting, does not mean they do not feel remorse or that they should be punished with the death penalty. Another example i would like to use is that even though Dick and Perry, from 'In Cold Blood', committed murder and were sentenced to the death penalty I found myself feeling as if that sentence was too harsh. I strongly believe that after watching the VTS discusion video that it is possible to many different thought about something that seemed so concrete, such as, if someone commits a murder they should be put to death, but I do not believe in that statement. I think that if a crime is committed then the criminal should be sentenced to jail where they'll have years and years to think about their actions.
Respectfully,
Amber Diaz
Dear Amber,
DeleteI thought that your response was very well done, and I agree with your argument. I liked your reference to the novel 'In Cold Blood' and I felt it really strengthen your response. In my response I also included that people should be sentenced to life in prison rather then put to death, which has a close relation to your response.
Sincerely,
Alanna Bauman
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeletePhilip Yenawine discussion of the picture gave great leeway into my interpretation of the death penalty. One of the audience members highlights the fact that the picture of the man with the sword was a allusion to a biblical reference of David and Goliath. Another states that the boy, or the young man, has sincerity in his face, almost as if he wishes to take back what he’s done. I personally saw the sincerity on his face of maybe that man didn’t deserve that. As the instructor notes, all the people in the room perceived the picture differently, they all had their own opinions. Meaning everyone has their own opinions and the argument of the death penalty is very controversial.
Committing a heinous crime definitely should result in punishment. However it really matters how far we go with that punishment. Taking someones life is the worst anyone could do, or is it? Would a man rotting in prison for life with the basic necessities, needed to survive, be receiving a much greater penalty then death? Would that same man ask for death so he can be put out of misery? There is obviously a crime problem in the United States, but has putting the death penalty on the table really stopped anyone from committing a crime. Not really, neither does the fact that the prisons provide for what people need to survive. I don’t agree with the death penalty, I believe that those sick people out in the world should suffer. Like the victim did, or the victims family, friends, and neighbors did. We can’t stop people from committing crimes, but we could scare them by making life in prison a lot worse then the death penalty. You know what they say, “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
Sincerely,
Alanna Bauman
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteWhile watching this video I noticed that it is not the same as most speeches or presentations that I have seen. Philip Yenawine, instead of just giving out information and talking the whole time, he gets the audience to be thoroughly involved. The audience is listening to what others have to say about it and figuring out what they think about this picture, finding new information about it. At first when I saw the picture I wasn't aware of most of the things that people had pointed out. But after the discussion I saw things that I didn't at first. One audience member highlights her memories of being a medical practitioner and some reminisce about bible stories they had once read or heard about. People wonder if this boy with a sad, concerned look suggests that maybe he didn't kill this man now but it will happen in the future. This brings me back to the death penalty and how events as an adolescent, or child even, can mold someone into a criminal or murderer. I do not agree with the death penalty because killing a person who is so troubled and who would be in their right mind to even think about murder shouldn't get off as easy as to be killed. They should live the rest of their life knowing that they killed someone and have to deal with their consequences.
Sincerely,
Nikki Ramos
Period 1
Dear Nikki,
DeleteI liked how you brought up how the one audience member brings up an allusion of a "bible story". Contributing to the way that it connects to the painting. I strongly agree that a person shouldn't be let off the hook so easily, like you said. It's sort of ridiculous, but some criminals do spend their lives in prison for terrible acts, so I guess you could say there's some stability in that.
Sincerely,
Jimmelle Parong
Period Two
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the video by Philip Yenawine I now have a greater understanding of the death penalty. One person from the audience highlights the story of David and Goliath. This opened my eyes a bit and made me see things in a different perspective. The death penalty is something has always been around. It’s not about just getting rid of those murderers who took away lives, but doing the right thing. In the story of David and Goliath, David, after defeating Goliath, cuts off his head. Taking the life of one killer could possibly save more lives. If David hadn’t cut the head of Goliath would there have been a different out come? Now relating this to the story we are reading. In “In Cold Blood” the two murderers were killed because they murdered. If they hadn’t been hung would they have been released and killed even more people? The death penalty is simple; if you kill you will be killed. It has been here since the beginning of time and will probably be here till the end of it.
Respectfully,
Jonathan Paleka
Dear Jonathan,
DeleteReading over your response to this video I like your connection of David and Goliath to In Cold Blood. The only thing I don't agree with was when you said, "if they hadn't been hung would they have been released and killed even more people?" If they had not been issued the death penalty or if one of their appeals had gone successfully, they would most likely be sentenced to life in prison without parole. Therefore they would not have the opportunity to kill other innocent people.
Respectfully,
Taylor McGinnis pd. 1
Dear Jonathan,
DeleteI have to disagree with you simply because i don't think that if you kill YOU should be killed. I believe that rotting in a cell is better than getting out of it by being killed before your time. I believe that life in prison would serve much more effective.
Respectfully,
Triston Edmonds
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteThe clarification that Philip Yenawine partakes in the video is quite complex. In relation to the death penalty, the painting of the severed head and man holding it creates a bridge between the two. One person highlights the "soft expression" or "mixed feelings" in the man's face, on the left side of the painting. Also saying there's no "victory" in his face. From my judgement, I would agree. His face doesn't project total triumph. One woman depicted "duality" describing the man's body as I mentioned to be partially dark, and the other side, bright light showing two different perspectives. I definitely think that the people who carry out the death penalty actions, too- carry remorse themselves. Just like the man in the painting.
The death penalty being a contentious subject, there's always pros and cons to both sides. I've always thought that everyone has a purpose, and that being said, I disagree with the death penalty. Their actions have been done, but it shouldn't just lead to execution. A con being that jails are overcrowded, but even with that circumstance, it should not be that way. A more punishing sentence would be life in prison, in my opinion. It's more than enough time to reflect on their horrible actions in solitude.
Sincerely,
Jimmelle Parong
Period Two
Dear Jimmelle,
DeleteI couldn't agree with you more when you said that having a life sentence in jail would make the murderer suffer even more by living with the guilt of killing an individual. But after reading your cons about the death penalty got me thinking about it a little. It is true that if there were no such thing as death penalty the jails would be too crowded. Killing the person is taking the easy way out and having one less murderer on earth, but in my opinion it's wrong to just take another individuals life away.
Respectfully,
Angelika Questin
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteI never would have thought about the death penalty if I had not been prompted to do so before the video, but with enough over analyzation, I gathered two observations that help shape my thoughts about the death penalty.
The first thing somebody pointend out that stuck with me was that the lighting made the charcter look like the hero of the painting. An arbiter of justice, whose actions should be the norm and considered what is right in society. In this case, the killing of Goliath. I'm not the most well versed in the Bible, but I'd assume that this murder was for the greater good and, from what the lighting suggests, a suitable action for our "hero". In short, killing is just if it's for the greater good, right?
However, other things that people notice muck up this in depth analyzation of a painting. One of the audience members draws attention to his right arm, and the duality of the arm being black. In my interpretation, it is much more burly, almost like a bear's arm, and wicked in apperance. This goes along with my opinion that things are never so black and white. As many people have pointed out, killing a criminal is still killing a person, and you can never know what is morally right for everyone when everyone thinks that they are right themselves.
To me, this is a very difficult topic to have a solid standpoint on. Some crimials can reform while others can fall right back into crime. I believe that the death penalty can be the right thing to do, but people are too diverse of a group to be handled all the same way.
Sincerely,
Don Maddock
Peroid 1
Dear Dawn,
DeleteI really liked your comments on the lady that pointed out the lighting on the boys face made him look like a hero. I also like how you explain that afterwards. You have some really good key points that are right on the dot. And i also like your ending where you say that some criminals can regroup and others may not, which is why they have the death penalty.
Sincerely,
Maile Tuttle period 3
Dear Don Madockadockadock,
DeleteIt appears that you went very in depth with the lighting in the painting. I like how you pointed out his arm looking like that of a bears. You asked the big question; is killing good if it is for the right reasons? I believe that no killing is ever good, but hey, Osama was pretty terrible and look what happened to him; right? Right?
Sincerely,
Kailer Scopacasa Period 1
Dear Ms.Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn this video Philip Yenawine projects a picture of a man holding a sword in one had and a decapitated head in the other. With the room full of teachers, he asks for their opinion about this picture. Although there were a few negative feedbacks saying that he had beheaded that man so therefore they jumped into a conclusion that he is a murderer. While others with the positive feedbacks saw the details in the picture which was the facial expression on the mans face. The mans face had this look of remorse or the feeling like he didn't accomplish his task as one teacher pointed out. Also the fact that there is absolutely no blood on the sword.
I believe that the death penalty is cruel, yet necessary. People should have a choice if they would want to be put to death or stay in jail for the rest of their lives; but on the other hand i believe they deserve the death penalty because they took a person(s) life. I also believe that we (tax payers) shouldn't house these criminals with our hard earned money. All in all i believe that the death penalty is good because everything has a consequence and you're responsible for your own actions
Sincerely,
Thauris Manzano, Period 1
Dear Thauris,
DeleteYou mentioned that how could tax payers house these criminals. Sending people to death row is neither cheap either. I don't feel that we are in a place to order someone to die. We live in a "free" country where their lives are nothing but free. We take full responsibility for our actions but some of the accused are innocent, it makes us no better than the murderer.
Respectfully,
Kulia Blalock
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteThis weeks blog posting was about Philip Yenawines visual discussion. This video begins with Yenawine showing the audience a picture of what looked to be a young man, who is holding a sword in one hand, and in the other he is holding a head of an older man. The look on this older mans head was very disturbing in a sense that everything about his face, his mouth and eyes, were very frightening.
While watching this video i gathered somethings that actually really stuck with me.
Some one from the audience pointed out that "the lighting on the young man makes him look as if he was a hero of some kind". Yenawine then adds that " the young man Could look as if he should be praised and recognized for his heroic act. I like that little discussion because the lady from the audience pointed out something from the picture as simple as the lighting to make her point in this visual discussion.
Another thing that i noticed that an audience member pointed out was that "this picture could be about David and Goliath because the head the young man is holding looks slightly bigger and meaner, and the boy looks softer and smaller". Maybe this man had seen the picture or maybe he hasnt, but i noticed that at the end of the video they showed the title of the picture and it was called "David and Goliath". I thought it was really cool that he observed some little details about the picture and the feelings that went on in the picture, and he actually was right.
As far as this video helping me see better and understand the death penalty more, it helped a little.
I am not an expert on the subject but what i got from this video is that, although we may not want to kill the criminals, it has to be done because if not they could go out and do more dangerous things. Just like the story of David and Goliath; David was a good and soft boy, but if he didnt take a stand and kill Goliath, more people would have died from Goliaths destrictiveness.
Sincerely,
Maile Tuttle period 3
Dear Maile,
DeleteI agree that the video was very interesting, and it was surprising to see how some people picked up on certain details from the picture. I don't agree, however, on the part where you say that if criminals are not put to death, they can go on to do more dangerous things. Most criminals would just stay in prison, if they did something as bad as murder.
Sincerely,
Cassie Wilson
Dear Ms. Carlson
ReplyDeleteAs I was watching the video I noticed how the audience was quick to judge the the young man and the severed head he was grasping tightly. As I looked closer at the picture, I came to realize that this might not be entirely true. One person from the audience highlights that the man with the sword has a soft expression for someone who just beheaded another person. The audience automatically directed their opinions toward the sword and the head and assumed that the young boy killed the man. While one person in the audience argues that the man has a sorrowful look on his face towards the decapitated head.
In society today, this is thought to be deserving of the death penalty, and who’s to say it isn’t. For this man may have committed uncountable amounts of murders and needs to be put down. I am against it because if someone commits a crime bad enough that they get the death penalty they should have to sit in guilt to life in prison so they know that what they did is not right and they will get punished for it. But everyone has reasons to live and everyone has reasons to get their lives taken (not saying it’s okay), people just have to think before acting more.
Sincerely,
Keliikoa Baclayon
Dear Keliikoa,
DeleteI agree with you; I am also against the death penalty. Although I do not believe that their purpose of being sent to life in prison should be spent as sitting around and taking guilt for what they have done. Yes I do agree that a murderer should feel guilt for the wrong things they have done, but I also believe that a murderer should have a chance to get mental help to restore their humanity. A murderer could've had a rough childhood and maybe they are too pained by their childhood, they do not notice that what they are doing is morally wrong. A murderer should be able to have help and access to a psychiatrist.
Respectfully,
Jenny Anne Paleracio
PD 2
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn the discussion, lead by Philip Yenawine, I found it very interesting to see how one picture can bring about so many different perspectives from people.
Like the picture, many people have their own perspective as to how they feel about the death penalty. To me, the death penalty brings about mixed feelings. A woman in the video highlights that the young man holding the head seems to have mixed feelings and sadness expressed on his face. To me it shows that though victorious in conquering the criminal, there’s remorse in having done so.
Though the person being sent to death row may deserve it, is "an eye for an eye" really worth it? By sending a murderer to death row, aren’t we becoming just as bad as them?
Respectfully,
Brooke Spencer
Pd. 1
Dear Brooke,
DeleteI totally agree with everything you have to say. The death penalty brings out a lot of different feelings. I also strongly agree that by sending someone to death row, can also make us just as bad as they are.
Sincerely,
Cassie Wilson
Dear Brooke,
DeleteI definitely agree with what you wrote. Also, great reciting to the people who were commenting on the photo. What you stated in your last paragraph is very true! I never thought about it that way, I definitely agree.
Sincerely,
Shianne Schorr
Dear Brooke,
DeleteI disagree. Death row is putting guilty people to death in order to keep innocent people safe. whereas murderers kill innocent people. Someone who has killed someone else and feels shameful is very different than someone who feels that murder is a legitimate solution to whatever the situation might be. To one who feels guilty of murder, living with that feeling may be in fact a worse penalty than death.
Sincerely,
Podma Phillips
Pd:3
Dear Ms. Carlson
ReplyDeleteIn this video Philip Yenawine leads his audience into a discussion over a painting in which a man is holding a severed head.
Thinking back on the death penalty and looking at this photo you see how the mans facial expression is not victorious as it is remorse. Death is almost never a happy thing, but yet we kill murderers for murdering. I feel mutual about the death penalty. I do think there are cases where someone deserves death but other cases are quite controversial. Some murderers grew up in dis functional homes and where taught to treat people wrongly and act without thinking. Which is not their fault but they are still responsible for murder. Other murderers may actually have a chemical imbalance in their body which is not their fault either, but like in science when you have bad data you tend to throw it out all together. And in society we are doing the same, when we find our self with bad people we just throw them out a lot of the time. But as someone noted from the audience the mans arm is in darkness while the rest of him is in light portraying that there where two parts of him and the darkness was the one who committed the murder.
But in science we are discovering with brain work to fix people who have a chemical imbalance and possibly taking the dark side out of a murderer. Now if there was the option to fix someone instead of killing them I say do it, but if not it is eye for an eye, the person deserves death, not life in jail.
Sincerely,
Abi Rae Stine pd. 2
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn the video a piece of artwork is discussed by teachers and is lead by Philip Yenawine. The art work is interpreted from various perspectives and it somewhat intertwines with my view on the death penalty. One person from the highlights that the arm of the person holding the sword was in darkness and his expression was sorrow and serene, as if he wasn't actually in control. It pertains to a sense of "duality" as said by philip. In my opinion, some people don't know what their doing until after they do it, and in some cases it isn't really their fault. Some children have a background of violence and hatred and that is really all they know; so psychiatrically they are not at fault because they don't have an established ground of knowing the difference between right and wrong. And if they committ an action such as murder they physically do it and are "mentally" not there which in this case i believe the death penalty to be wrong. I also think that if killing someone is bad, you shouldn't kill another to fix it, but they are of a threat to others so a life-sentence would be reasonable or if it was possible to get them psychological help that could be a step taken. Either way death and suffering is bad, but some form of punishment is necessary as for they are responsible for taking a life for whatever reason, and for the grieving of people who knew and loved that person. Another thing about the piece of artwork was the expression of the guy holding the mans head, as if he was sorry. I would expect someone of human nature to feel regret for murdering someone, and pertaining to the situation be given a second chance. Also the mixed feelings in the man's face is relative to the death penalty, as people have mixed feelings and views for the concept as well.
Society has gotten better with not giving the death penalty as often as back then overall which is good. From the last blog posting however the solution to prevent murder in the first place is to stop it before it happens by helping troubled kids. In a way society plays a role of fault for not taking action before the crime, and if all could be prevented, then the death penalty and the negatives for a life-sentence would go away.
I think that people aren't born bad, they become bad for different reasons and those reasons are at most times solveable, simply by removing them from harmful environments or bad influences such as a bad family household, and teaching them to build moral concepts which they may lack, and giving them guidance.
Respectfully,
Jalissa Rapozo-Carveiro
Pd.3
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteAfter viewing the biographical movie about Truman Capote as well as viewing this video on visual thinking strategies, I feel that the death penalty is, in many situations, unnecessary or not entirely helpful. Often times the administrator of the death penalty is not even fully satisfied by the execution. As highlighted by one of the teachers in the video, "There is no sense of victory in the face of the beheader." Another teacher notes that "the look on the man's face is one of remorse rather than satisfaction or pride." Many times a homicidal person is not worried about dying. A more effective punishment, in my opinion, would be to let the murderer rot in prison for the rest of their life, in solitary confinement, with no chance of parole. By doing so they may even have time to change their hearts and lives, but to be safe, they would remain in prison. I believe that the only two viable situations for the death sentence would be a serial killer who has brutally murdered people on purpose, or a king pin type of drug-lord or mafia head whose cronies would still act violently without the command of their leader. After assessing this video as well as the biography, I believe that there is a time and place for the death penalty, but it is most certainly not always needed or rightfully sentenced.
Respectfully,
Aveilana Saldana
Dear Ave,
DeleteI also feel very strongly that some people should be put in prison for the rest of their lives because I find that it is much more of a punishment to a person. But what I hadn't thought about was that they might change their morals if they have that time in prison to really evaluate their life. Really good response!
Sincerely,
Maria Fish Pd: 2
Dear Ave,
DeleteI agree with your feelings toward the death penalty. I also agree with the fact that life in prison would be more of a punishment than death itself, although I don't believe that their mind set of a killer would change, simply because they are surrounded constantly by other troubled criminals.
Sincerely,
Lexy Stogner Pd. 1
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteAfter watching Capote and this video of Visual Thinking Strategies, I think that the death penalty isn't very necessary and has many, many thoughts upon it. That even the one taking the life isn't even content by doing so. That even after taking the life, there is still sorrow and that nothing has been fixed. Like many of the people commenting on the picture in the video saw the sorrow in the boys eyes, that there wasn't any power or accomplishment by doing so. I think that by keeping the person alive, they are able to look at all they have done, and they can also suffer for the rest of their lives while sitting in prison thinking about what they did and how this is their consequence everyday. Instead of taking an additional life, also hurting the loved ones of that person, not being fully satisfied, and making the consequences of that person's actions go by a lot faster. Also the death penalty is putting another person's life in your hand, making a decision to end someones life, which is what one would have to live with for the rest of their life as well. After watching this video, it made me think of all the different thoughts that are taken on the death penalty, and how whether going through with it or not, there will always be different opinions and there is no contentment for anyone. But there is more contentment, in a way, without taking the life of the prisoner than taking it.
Respectfully,
Shianne Schorr
Period 2
Dear Schianne,
DeleteYou said that death penalty is putting another persons life in your hand, I never really thought of it that way before, but what if the criminals don't think about what they've done ? What if they just get worst as time goes by, and what if they turn crazy ? Would you still think that death penalty is unnecessary ?
Thoughtfully,
Precious Custodio
Pd. 2
Dear Schianne,
DeleteI agree with you that keeping a person alive is a better choice. Although, a person has murdered someone, why should they be put to the death? A person shouldn't be put to the death. A murderer could be in need of a lot of help, and to me, there seems to be nothing wrong with getting help and restoring their humanity.
Sincerely,
Jenny Anne Paleracio
PD. 2
Dear Ms.Carlson,
ReplyDeleteAs a person who values art, this video was very interesting because of its discussion about viewer interpretation. As the group discussed the hidden meaning of the painting which was later revealed to be of David an Goliath, an audience member brought up the soft expression of David as he held the head of Goliath, and another pointed out the illusion of heaviness that David had as he held the head. The death penalty, in my opinion, is a brutal and outdated punishment system. Just as David held the heavy head of Goliath, the inmates facing the death penalty hold the heavy guilt of their crimes. They are not given the opportunity to heal themselves and grow to be better people because they are put to death. I don't feel it is justice to be sentenced to die by a small group of randomly selected people known as the jury. A persons life is something too valuable to be voted around and put on trial. It also seems ironic that David's expression mirrors that of Perry and Dick before their deaths in the movie Capote.
Respectfully,
Amanda Althouse
Period 2
Dear Amanda,
DeleteI highly agree with your response. Life is too valuable and precious to be taken away from. Death penalty is wrong and it is wrong for the jury to sentence that to criminals, that is not justice. And I just realized that David's expression does mirror that of Perry's and Dick's, how ironic!
Respectfully,
Jeric Manzano pd.3
Dear Amanda,
Deleteit makes me wonder if the people who execute criminals sentenced to the death penalty feel similar to David in the painting. Are they equally guilty of murder? or are they noble heroes?
Sincerely,
Podma Phillips
Pd:3
Dear Ms. Carlson
ReplyDeleteWhile watching the video on Virtual Thinking Strategies , Philip Yenawine projected a picture of a man holding a sword on one hand, and a detached head on the other. the first thing that came to mind was Goliath being slain by David. Goliath was a giant as one of the teacher pointed out. And based on what I know, he was slain for a reason that David would be promised good fortune. One of the teacher highlights, " he shows no sign of triumph or victory." And then another teacher points out that although he may not show any victory, what he does show is a feeling of remorse. In my perspective, I see a look of guilt in his face like he's done the wrong thing. Death Penalty is something that could be compared to the picture because there is many controversy in the two. Did Goliath deserve to die? Should the person that is responsible for a tragic murder deserve to be put in death penalty? I believe that criminals should be punished and be sentenced to jail forever. That is much better than being put in death penalty because we the people are criminals and murderes also if we put that person's life to immediate death. If death penalty/execution is the only way to go then I think we have loss all our humanity.
Respectfully,
Jeric Manzano Pd. 3
Dear Jeric,
DeleteI like the fact that you mentioned about that by executing people we as people would have truly lost our humanity. You mentioned about the fact that the criminals should be sentenced to prison forever. I have to disagree with that as many people mentioned that the tax payers money is bing wasted on them. I don't know what a good solution would be, but I have to disagree with you on that point.
Respectfully.
Kalani Murakami period 1
Dear Ms.Carlson,
ReplyDeleteI thought that this video was very interesting. I like hearing peoples thoughts especially when they're making inferences about something that they have no facts about. The audience was given a picture and was given the task to explain what was going on. This picture being a young man holding a head which he had just severed. One of the teachers state " there is no sense of victory in the face of the beheader" which could closely relate to controversy of the death penalty. After watching the video it brought me to the realization that putting people to death may not be the best thing. I was one who believe that if you took a life, it was only fair to give yours. Now I believe that there is no advantage of killing those who kill. I mean justice is being served but its not satisfying anyone. Like many students have already addressed I think that instead of the death sentence, people should have life in jail.
Sincerely,
Kaikea
Dear Kaikea,
DeleteI agree with your statement that justice could be served through the death penalty, but that it is not satisfying to anyone. Lives taken away cannot be gained back so why take away more lives. The influence each person on this earth has is remarkably significant. A person can learn when they are given the chance. Death steals that slim chance away.
Respectfully,
Kekai Gonsalves
Dear Kaikea,
DeleteI agree with your inference from the video that people should serve life. I mean i don't exactly want to get rid of it simply because it puts fear into people to not do acts of crime. Good job!
Respectfully,
Triston Edmonds
Dear Mrs. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn the video discussion, of a painting, led by Phillip Yenawine I had difficulties making connections with the death penalty at first. They did not specifically talk about the death penalty but instead, made allusions concerning death. After re-reading the directions and watching the video multiple times my personal favorite allusion was about a Greek myth. An audience member briefly mentioned this mythology about "a son who killed their father to prove he was a man." I feel that people have motives behind their actions and we can't be pointing fingers until we understand who it is we're pointing at. The son who killed his father could have possibly been abused, molested, or carry heavy burdens. We would never know for we haven't walked in his shoes. Even within Truman Capote's novel, In Cold Blood, Perry Smith had a rough family life. What would we know if 2 of our 3 siblings killed themselves and the affect it could have on our emotional stability. In David Row's speech he highlighted that as a death row lawyer that served for 20 years many of his clients had a troubled childhood. I don't think that it's a coincidence. Nobody wakes up in the morning planning to murder innocent people, unless your occupation is a hit man.
Thoughtfully,
Kulia Blalock
Pd1
* pd3
DeleteDear Maddie Blalock,
DeleteCapote's thoughts on Perry shared in the film- "I feel like we were brought up in the same house... except he went out the back door and I went out the front," truly demonstrates that circumstances in life do not need to define who a person is. Although I believe that that the death penalty is not a great solution, I do know that murder is murder and it can't be justified.
Respectfully,
Kekai Gonsalves
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn the video discussion of Visual Thinking Strategies lead by Philip Yanawine, a gruesome painting was shown to the audience. What came to mind when I first saw the painting was that the young man must be a bad person considering the fact that he just chopped someones head off. I later had a change of thought when one of the audience highlighted the fact that the young man had a penitence look on his face rather than joy. That made me think about the movie Capote when Perry was hanged, the administrators still didn't look satisfied. In addition, I still feel that death penalty is redundant. A homicidal person wouldn't care if he died, maybe he'd be even thrilled to die, because what if he didn't even like his life. Life in prison with no parole would be a much suitable sentence.
Respectfully,
Precious Custodio
Pd. 3
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn this Vimeo video of Phillip Yenawine, a discussion is brought up about a painting concerning a young boy and a beheaded man. At first, I also did not understand the discussion video until I rewatched it, and took more note of people's opinions on the painting. There were many different opinions on the painting. Persons from the audience highlight Holy references, and details of the painting such as the young boys face, and putting a spotlight on the young boy, and also darkening the background. When a person from the audience highlighted the darkening of the background, the young boys facial expression, and the detail to beheaded man, it caught my attention. Perhaps the painting's background is of a dark setting because of the way the young boy feels inside. The young boys expression shows that he feels pain, sorrow, and possibly regret. He is looking at the beheaded man as if he is disgusted with himself. All those details about the young boy caught my attention because it related a lot to death penalty. The people who watch a person being hanged; do they feel sorrow and pain for the murderer or criminal? Do they stare coldly at the person being hanged, or the person being tied to an electric chair, and feel disgusted with themselves? Does watching death penalties affect them in any way: how does the audience feel while watching someone be killed? Do they feel like a murderer, themselves also?
My take on the death penalty is somewhat mutual. From the recent blog video post, I recall Dow discussing a patient of his who had a rough time during childhood and it affected him. Yes, I do agree that having a rough childhood could very much affect a soon to be murderer's motives. A rough childhood could create a twisted and pained murderer in the future. Would sentencing someone to death penalty really serve justice? It's like telling people "It is okay to kill people for killing people." Someone who is a twisted murderer could be mentally sick, and instead of killing them instantly, they should at least be sentenced to life in prison along with counseling, and a physiatrics help.
Sincerely,
Jenny Anne Paleracio
PD2
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteIn the video “Virtual Thinking Strategies” a member of the audience immediately points out that the man in the painting has just beheaded someone. Other people soon point out that the man’s face looks as if he is sad or feels some what a remorse for the beheaded man, its as if he himself did not behead him, but as if someone else had. The instructor draws a variety of responses from the viewers, and encourages them to dig deep into the visual aspects of the painting, so they can further understand the artists interpretation of that which he illustrates. This first statement from the audience proves that people make immediate assumptions from from an initial appearance. This is similar to will’s complication with the death penalty, where due to his known history of a troubled past coming from a harsh environment, people automatically assume that he is a violent and disturbed delinquent. Like in the analysis of the Caravaggio painting, upon further inspection, we come to know and understand the humanity in the character through details found in both stories.
Respectfully,
Podma Phillips
Pd: 3
Dear Ms. Carlson,
ReplyDeleteThe discussion held in Amsterdam about a month ago, led by Philip Yenawire, has been very helpful to my understanding of key “Visual Thinking Strategies”. Seven minutes were utilized in this video to capture a class debating and breaking down a single illustration. As one member of the audience highlights, “There’s some duality… He’s depicted so surreal. Then you’ve got his right arm and then you could question if it’s his arm because it is in such darkness.” This idea introduces the indisputable reality of multiple actions that individuals can take, whether they are in the same or different circumstances. The young man’s face and complete countenance could be “soft” yet his action of what appears to be cutting off a man’s head, with a sword in his right hand, accounts to a certain “roughness” and uneasiness.
These same thoughts can be instilled upon the controversy of the death penalty. Although a man may be a killer, he can have a goodness within him. How can you take away another’s life when they are not pure evil and ludicrous?
Respectfully,
Kekai Gonsalves
Dear Kiki,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your response to the visual video. I think mainly because you highlighted examples that I didn't catch myself such as how the light differs the persons feelings an the real emotions toward everyone's own perspective. I like how you highlighted the different dark an light sections within your response as well.
Sincerely , Kelieann Nuesca Pd. 1
Dear Kristen,
ReplyDeleteI have the same thoughts as sariah in my response i was agreeing to put them in jail instead of killing them because most crimes are caused by depression, or mental problems, but now thinking about it even more they do deserve to be put to death. Murder is very wrong no matter what the circumstances are.
Sincerely,
Kanani Colburn
Period 3
Dear Mrs.Carlson,
ReplyDeleteMy opinion on the death penalty is sort of a mixed opinion. It is mixed simply because i feel disgusted at the thought of killing someone before their time,but also i feel the death penalty sort of puts the fear in some criminals and helps them fly straight after committing a crime. I also feel that some people would be better of rotting in a jail cell than getting to die early and not having to spend some time thinking what they have done. one person highlights " the expression on the boys face is sort of blank or depressed". i agree and feel the same about some criminals who have the death penalty. sort of like they now they practically got away with their serious crime. I Don't strongly disagree with the death penalty for some very serious cases of people who deserve to die. But most that do get the death penalty should have rotted in prison forced to live with what they had done.
Respectfully,
Triston Edmonds