Dead Man Walking One of Term Paper

Total Length: 738 words ( 2 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 1

Page 1 of 2

At the beginning of the film, she is clearly disturbed by the nature of the crime, and the criminal's apparent lack of remorse. But as the film progresses, and the killer and the nun establish a human bond, Sister Helen increasingly believes he is worthy of being treated as a human being by the law. This, for Sister Helen means, being allowed to confess his sins, as all human beings have the right to counseling and confession. Sister Helen seems to believe that only God can take a life. This makes murder wrong, but it also means that it is wrong for the state to take the man's life as well.

The film provides some opposing testimony about the nature of capital punishment when it presents the point-of-view of the families of the victims. But because the victims and their parents only appear briefly in the film, however sympathetic they may seem, it is difficult to feel for their loss with the same emotional intensity that one feels for the death of the individual that is the focus of the film, namely the killer.
The film was based on a true story, and perhaps Sister Helen felt the same way herself when she was counseling the real killer. Although she certainly prayed for the victim's family, it was the face of the killer she saw everyday, and it is hard to forget and to shut out the humanity of someone one sees on a daily basis.

The end of the film is simply spine tingling. Knowing that the state is about to kill someone by putting poison in the person's body, and no one will do anything about it, to try and stop it, is difficult to watch. In films, usually murder is something at least one character tries to prevent, but here, people are powerless to stop the killing. At the end of the film, even if one's mind has not been fully convinced of the wrongness of capital punishment, one has certainly been convinced in one's heart.

Works.....

Show More ⇣


     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Dead Man Walking One Of" (2006, November 11) Retrieved May 4, 2024, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/dead-man-walking-one-41852

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Dead Man Walking One Of" 11 November 2006. Web.4 May. 2024. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/dead-man-walking-one-41852>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Dead Man Walking One Of", 11 November 2006, Accessed.4 May. 2024,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/dead-man-walking-one-41852