Death penalty speech.
Michael Robinson.
Good morning Adjudicators, members of the proposition, ladies and gentlemen. Today I will be opposing the motion that we should introduce the death penalty into Ireland. Today I will be bring you three main points: firstly the value of human life, secondly the prohibitive costs of introducing the death penalty, lastly the need for rehabilitation not revenge. I will also be refuting the argument of the proposition.
Ladies and gentlemen personally, I don't believe that the state or anyone for that matter should have the right to take someone's life. Life is the most precious thing that we have and should be not only be cherished but protected. Even someone who has killed another person should not be killed themselves because by doing so we lower ourselves to their level. I believe that someone like this should serve the rest of their life in prison as punishment for their crimes not just end their life. As a society we have outlined that there is nothing worse than killing another person. This is reflected in our laws and in our culture. Fundamental we Believe that killing is wrong. So why would it be ok for the state to kill someone?
On to my second point, the prohibitive costs of putting someone on death's row. First there is their trial followed by appeals and legal fees. All the while the person charged with the crime is in a prison with lots of extra guards and security. Also the state is paying for all their food and needs. Also the ending of their life is also expensive.
On my third and final point, the need for rehabilitation not revenge. We have to focus on preparing these people to re-enter society. People who do terrible things have their punishment it is their prison sentences and they should no longer be punished once they have completed their time in prison. So we should welcome them into our society. One of the main arguments for the death penalty is that people will murder again but if we actually make an effort to help these people we will have no need for capital punishment. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your time.
Good morning Adjudicators, members of the proposition, ladies and gentlemen. Today I will be opposing the motion that we should introduce the death penalty into Ireland. Today I will be bring you three main points: firstly the value of human life, secondly the prohibitive costs of introducing the death penalty, lastly the need for rehabilitation not revenge. I will also be refuting the argument of the proposition.
Ladies and gentlemen personally, I don't believe that the state or anyone for that matter should have the right to take someone's life. Life is the most precious thing that we have and should be not only be cherished but protected. Even someone who has killed another person should not be killed themselves because by doing so we lower ourselves to their level. I believe that someone like this should serve the rest of their life in prison as punishment for their crimes not just end their life. As a society we have outlined that there is nothing worse than killing another person. This is reflected in our laws and in our culture. Fundamental we Believe that killing is wrong. So why would it be ok for the state to kill someone?
On to my second point, the prohibitive costs of putting someone on death's row. First there is their trial followed by appeals and legal fees. All the while the person charged with the crime is in a prison with lots of extra guards and security. Also the state is paying for all their food and needs. Also the ending of their life is also expensive.
On my third and final point, the need for rehabilitation not revenge. We have to focus on preparing these people to re-enter society. People who do terrible things have their punishment it is their prison sentences and they should no longer be punished once they have completed their time in prison. So we should welcome them into our society. One of the main arguments for the death penalty is that people will murder again but if we actually make an effort to help these people we will have no need for capital punishment. Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for your time.
Dulce et Decorum Est
The poem I have studied is Dulce et Decorum Est by Wilfred Owen. This poem is about soldiers in World War One fighting in the trenches. The theme of this poem is war. We see this through the poet's description of the horrors that had befallen the poor soldiers in the First World War. The effect it had on me was that I realised it is not sweet and honourable to die for one's country.
The poet gives us a vivid image of the conditions that the soldiers had to live in. He describes them as “Bent double, like old beggars under sacks, Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge, Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs.” The poet uses grate similes to compare their lives to horrors of which we could only dream. He pants a picture of them and there conditions that they are sick and hunch over and coughing from gas.
The First World War wast were chemical warfare began and where it ended for one reason because it was the most inhuman form of killing ever invented. In the poem we see the monster that gas was. “Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! An ecstasy of fumbling, Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time; But someone still was yelling out and stumbling, And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime.” This grueling description of the poor soldier that couldn't get his gas mask on in time just shows you the brutality inflicted by the gas.
The soldiers have be fighting the war for so long that they have been desensitized to death. “If in some smothering dreams you too could pace Behind the wagon that we flung him in.” the fact that the poet uses the word flung shows you that they are accustomed to death they see it every day and to them he is just one more life claimed by this “Great War”. They flung him into the wagon like a sack of trash he wasn't even died but they still flung him in with the dead. They don't care anymore they just want to go home and this poor unfortunate soldier didn't make it.
Dulce et Decorum Est it is sweet and honorable to die for one's country is it thow? That is the question that this poem tries to answer and i think it does a pretty good job. It go into great and horrific details about the hell of was and the burden placed upon the men fighting in it. In my opinion it is not sweet nor is it honorable to die for one’s country.
Juror 8 Biography
Juror 8 Biography Juror 8's name is Davis and his occupation is an architect. It is obvious that he was very intelligent and has many years of experience in his job. You can tell that he is a good architect when he specifically demonstrates things like how far the old man went from his room to the door and he even drew out blue prints. He also gets into the shoes of even the witnesses to see what it is that really happened according to their ages and physical abilities and disabilities. Personality Juror 8 is a kind hearted and caring intelligent man. He thought long and hard about the fate of the 16 year old boy because he couldn't live with himself if his decision killed an innocent person. At first everyone else had their decisions made but Davis was the only one who put the most thought into it. He was intelligent in coming up with actual possible scenarios that might have happened at the murder scene. He used his skills as an architect to measure how fast the witnesses reacted to the killing by using information about their disabilities to his advantage. He cares for the wellbeing of everyone and believes that everything has a rational explanation to it. Memorable Quotes "It's always difficult to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this. And wherever you run into it, prejudice always obscures the truth. I don't really know what the truth is. I don't suppose anybody will ever really know."
"I feel sorry for you... what it must feel like to want to pull the switch."(To Juror 3)
"Ever since you walked into this room, you've been acting like a self-appointed public avenger! You want to see this boy die because you personally want it, not because of the facts! You're a sadist!"(To Juror 3)
"Well I think that testimony that can put a boy into the electric chair SHOULD be that accurate."
"I'm not trying to change your mind. It's just that... we're talking about somebody's life here. We can't decide it in five minutes. Supposing we're wrong? " Summary After hearing the case I knew that I could not easily put the fate of a 16 year old boy to an electric chair as if I knew what really went on. I had to look further into it. Doing so I found that the witnesses did not even know themselves what it was that they witnessed in the first place. The old man with heart problems could not have made it to his door as fast as he did. The door was even locked. Also, the woman who claimed to have seen the killing wore glasses and could not have put them on as fast as she did. I took into account these obvious mistakes and did my best to convince the other jury members that they needed to use their logic to solve this case and not their own personal feelings. In the end of it all I was able to turn their decisions over and saved the life of an innocent young boy. Analysis Juror 8 was very important in this play. He was the reason why there was 12 angry men in the first place. Using his strong judgement and his intelligence he overlooked the case and was the only one to say that the defendant was not guilty. This made everyone mad mostly because some didn't like the defendant, some found Davis' ideas crazy, and some just wanted to leave badly and thought the case was a waste of time. Because Davis thought everyone else logical answers to things and patience he saved the life of a teenage boy. Character Impact Without juror 8 there wouldn't be any 12 Angry Men. There would be no conflict and the play would be short and tragic: The young boy would be killed in the hands of a jury who used personal feelings towards the boy to prosecute him without using their minds. An innocent boy would have died and everyone would have not cared because there was never another juror such as Davis to convince them that what they believed was the answer to the case just made no sense. In God We Trust The motto "In god we trust" is heard in the Star Spangled Banner. That song was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 and was later made the national anthem. The song was shortened to "In god we trust" and put on coins in 1864. This motto was put on the U.S coins large because during the civil war it was a religious phrase to many people.
The movement known as the Civil Rights Movement will always be remembered throughout history for the impact and change it brought to America. However, there is always a cause to an effect. What caused the Civil Rights Movement to erupt was a string of events that took place a decade earlier, in the 1950s. These events were prime examples of the prejudice and discrimination that the colored people of America suffered from in the early 21st century. Events included Brown vs. Board of Education, The Crisis in Little Rock, and the infamous Emmett Till case, all of which I will highlight today.
"I feel sorry for you... what it must feel like to want to pull the switch."(To Juror 3)
"Ever since you walked into this room, you've been acting like a self-appointed public avenger! You want to see this boy die because you personally want it, not because of the facts! You're a sadist!"(To Juror 3)
"Well I think that testimony that can put a boy into the electric chair SHOULD be that accurate."
"I'm not trying to change your mind. It's just that... we're talking about somebody's life here. We can't decide it in five minutes. Supposing we're wrong? " Summary After hearing the case I knew that I could not easily put the fate of a 16 year old boy to an electric chair as if I knew what really went on. I had to look further into it. Doing so I found that the witnesses did not even know themselves what it was that they witnessed in the first place. The old man with heart problems could not have made it to his door as fast as he did. The door was even locked. Also, the woman who claimed to have seen the killing wore glasses and could not have put them on as fast as she did. I took into account these obvious mistakes and did my best to convince the other jury members that they needed to use their logic to solve this case and not their own personal feelings. In the end of it all I was able to turn their decisions over and saved the life of an innocent young boy. Analysis Juror 8 was very important in this play. He was the reason why there was 12 angry men in the first place. Using his strong judgement and his intelligence he overlooked the case and was the only one to say that the defendant was not guilty. This made everyone mad mostly because some didn't like the defendant, some found Davis' ideas crazy, and some just wanted to leave badly and thought the case was a waste of time. Because Davis thought everyone else logical answers to things and patience he saved the life of a teenage boy. Character Impact Without juror 8 there wouldn't be any 12 Angry Men. There would be no conflict and the play would be short and tragic: The young boy would be killed in the hands of a jury who used personal feelings towards the boy to prosecute him without using their minds. An innocent boy would have died and everyone would have not cared because there was never another juror such as Davis to convince them that what they believed was the answer to the case just made no sense. In God We Trust The motto "In god we trust" is heard in the Star Spangled Banner. That song was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 and was later made the national anthem. The song was shortened to "In god we trust" and put on coins in 1864. This motto was put on the U.S coins large because during the civil war it was a religious phrase to many people.
The movement known as the Civil Rights Movement will always be remembered throughout history for the impact and change it brought to America. However, there is always a cause to an effect. What caused the Civil Rights Movement to erupt was a string of events that took place a decade earlier, in the 1950s. These events were prime examples of the prejudice and discrimination that the colored people of America suffered from in the early 21st century. Events included Brown vs. Board of Education, The Crisis in Little Rock, and the infamous Emmett Till case, all of which I will highlight today.