The Help Entry 1: Ignorance

    Right now I am about 150 pages into The Help, and I have to say that I love it so far. The story captured my attention after just the first chapter, but it also has taught me a lot about what life was like for African American maids, as well as African Americans in general. The story takes place in Mississippi in the 1960s and focuses on a few different characters. Each chapter switches the perspective; getting to read from different characters' perspectives is very helpful, because it gives me a better understanding of how blacks and whites of all ages felt during this time period. For example, one of the main characters is named Aibileen and she is a black maid who works for a white woman. There is also Miss. Skeeter who is a white woman, but the more she gets to know the maids, the more she is against the way they are poorly treated.
    The whole story has been very interesting and thought-provoking, but there is one scene in particular that still sticks out in my mind. Miss. Skeeter is reflecting on her childhood and remembers one day when her mother told her before she went outside to play with other children, "Be nice to the little colored girls when you're down there." Then, Miss. Skeeter replied with, "Why wouldn't I be?" I found this part of the novel incredibly powerful. It truly demonstrates the idea of innocence. As a child, Miss. Skeeter was too young to understand the difference between a white child and a black child. To her, everyone was a human being and deserved to be treated equally. I think that this demonstrates how ignorant some people can be. No one grows up thinking that whites are more powerful or worthy than African Americans; they think that because that is what they are taught. It makes me sad to think that only children have such a loving and open mind, whereas so many adults are quick to judge and form opinions.
    Right now, the plot is beginning to form in the novel. Miss. Skeeter is determined to have a career in journalism, and as a result she is trying to create a novel that includes interviews from black maids who work for whites. It will be interesting to see how the story unfolds, because as many of the characters have commented, what she is doing is very dangerous. It could put both her life and the lives of the maids she is interviewing in danger. However, I hope that in the end the interviews will be published so that some of the more ignorant white characters can see the truth more clearly.

The Death Penalty - Cruel, Inhumane, Flawed, and Unsuccessful

    There are many steps and stages that take place during a capital case, and many of these are aimed towards helping the accused. Most importantly, the jury is taken under careful consideration. In a capital case, prospective jurors must be “death qualified,” so that they are able to make the proper decision regarding the defendant. In addition, the defendant has the opportunity to rebut the prosecution's evidence. This allows the defendant to establish innocence, showing that it is true that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Once the verdict is made, the defendant cannot argue his or her innocence, but even if found guilty, he or she can still fight for a lesser punishment. They have the chance for a direct appeal and can attempt to reverse the court's decision. I believe that the system is made so that it can try its hardest so that only the guilty are convicted. However, despite this attempt, and the many stages in a capital case, it is still never certain that the defendant is fully guilty for the crime. Although I believe that the system is strong and can be trusted, it is still flawed in some ways and cannot completely guarantee that it only convicts the guilty.
    Personally, I do not believe that any type of intentional murder is humane. People have the right to live-how can we say that any death, even a painless one, is humane? Any type of killing is cruel and heartless. If I had to pick, I would say that the method of lethal injection is the most safe and successful. If injected successfully, no pain should result. I would expect there to be a greater chance of pain and discomfort from some of the other methods, such as electrocution or gun shots. The method of using a gas chamber, in my mind, is by far the worst. Millions of people were wrongly killed during the Holocaust by this method-it was wrong when Hitler did it, and it would be wrong to use now. I believe that all of the methods, with the exception of lethal injection, are cruel and unusual. Any time of discomfort that would be felt by the guilty individual would go against the 8th Amendment. I was disgusted to read that our country would allow such cruel methods of killing to take place within our country.
     The death penalty takes time, money, and effort. Once the defendant is found guilty and sentenced to death, they are placed on death row and not immediately executed. I noted that out of 3264 inmates on death row, only 1099 have been executed. Interestingly, Texas is the state with the most executions-405, yet California is the state with the most death row inmates. Virginia has the second most executions, yet it has the 22nd most total death row inmates. This discrepancy is shocking, and I believe it demonstrates the flaws within the system. 
     The first fact that I noticed was, "88% of these experts rejected the notion that the death penalty acts as a deterrent to murder." If that's the case, then why do 35 current states still allow the death penalty? It was reassuring to note, however that out of 1226 executions since 1976, 1052 of those used lethal injection. Based on the information provided, I believe that lethal injection is clearly the best method. It is also interesting that the South had by far the most executions compared to the West, Midwest, and Northeast over the past 30 years. However, in 2009, the South still remains as the region with the highest murder rate. This makes me wonder how it can be said that the death penalty acts as a deterrent. The South uses the death penalty the most, but they still have the highest murder rate--not taking into account other factors, this proves that the death penalty does not stop murderers from killing. This information is incredibly interesting and insightful, and I think it is important for everyone to learn about it, because a decision regarding something as important as life and death requires as much knowledge as possible. I also believe that given these facts and statistics, it could change one's mindset towards the death penalty.

Did Clifford Boggess Deserve to Die?

  I am completely against the death penalty. I believe that killing others to show that killing is wrong is a statement that makes absolutely no sense. However, hearing the details of Boggess' case and forming an emotional attachment to it makes it difficult for me to say that I believe that Boggess does not deserve to be executed. After hearing his side of the story, it has only made it harder for me to argue against the death penalty. He showed me that he did not change. I would like to believe that people--even bad ones--have the power to change, but Boggess, unfortunately was not one of those individuals. He never showed any grief or regret towards his immoral actions. In addition to that, he was content with himself in prison. Since I firmly believe that Boggess deserves no right to happiness, the only other option would be to execute him. However, it is important to remember that I cannot let the emotional arguments get in the way of the most important fact. As much hatred people may feel towards Clifford Boggess, we must still remember that no one deserves to die, and the death penalty further teaches murderers that killing is moral.
   I believe that everyone individual has the right to live, and even if they don't use it, they have the potential to be of some value. Boggess might have been a terrible and sick man, but he was also an incredible artist. His value lied within his artistic abilities. It is wrong to kill him, and by doing so, the world misses out on the art that he could have provided. In addition to his value in society, the fact that the victims' families recieved no justice after the fact further proves that Boggess should not have recieved the death penalty. After watching Boggess get executed, one of the victim's granddaughters expressed that she still felt empty and hurt about her grandfather's death. She explained that Boggess got what he wanted; he picked the day he wanted to be killed and prepared himself so he was ready to die. The victims' families didn't recieve justice because killing Boggess did not bring their loved ones back.
   Am I happy that Boggess is no longer alive? Yes. But do I believe that he deserved to be executed? No. The death penalty sends out the wrong message by teaching others that killing is allowed. Even though Boggess hurt many people through his cruel actions, that does not mean that he should be killed as well. Everyone deserves the chance to change. Even though Boggess might never have grown into a good man, he deserves the change, just like all other individuals have. Executing Boggess did nothing for anyone; most importantly, it did not give the families the justice they were after. As hard as it may be for me to say after seeing and hearing about Clifford Boggess' insane mind and terrible crimes, I still believe that the death penalty is wrong and immoral.