Film Analysis: Dead Man Walking

Prisons were extremely unsanitary. Bugs and rats were in the rooms, and things were covered with silt and dirt. People stuck in prison had diseases, and were there for years. Prisons were extremely crowded and full because of the high crime rates in cities and the unfair justice system. Rooms were dark and gloomy, the smell of the place was horrid, and prisoners were freezing cold. No one was allowed to talk to anyone so prisoners invented ways to communicate through taps on walls or through talking in a drain pipe.

The essay “A Hanging” by George Orwell speaks to the reader about the author’s stance on capital punishment. I believe that Orwell was able to communicate his point, without actually saying I’m against capital punishment, through three steps. The first step is to set the mood and bring you into his perspective. From the dreary description of the morning to the slow procession of the condemned man to the gallows, Orwell puts the reader in a mood that conveys the experience of watching a man die. The second step is to compare himself to the condemned man, showing how we are all equal. A life is a life, whether you are a condemned man or not. The third step is to show how everyone tries to cope with the aftermath of the execution. This

Prison populations have been on the raise since the early 1970s. Today we incarcerate over 2 million men, women and juveniles in the various correctional facilities around the country. These facilities can range from local jails or detention facilities to the new so called "Supermax" prisons. Conditions can also vary across the spectrum for these different correctional institutions. Each type of inmate has his or her own challenges when faced with incarceration. Many factors play into determining "the experience" they have. Age and sex are one of the things that determine what type of institution you are committed to. Adult male prisoners are committed to adult male prisons.

In the film, Night of the Living Dead, the movie starts with two siblings, John and Barbara, driving to their father's grave to drop off flowers. John is reluctant to be there and is eager to leave while Barbara is trying to pray. John teases her like when they were children saying “They’re coming to get you, Barbara!” when they both see an unknown man. Barbara goes to apologize to the unknown man but it seems he is dazed and kills John. Barbara escapes and finds herself at an empty house. In the house, she meets Ben, who borders up to the windows after taking down 3 undead. After a bit of listening to a radio for the current status of the state of emergency, Harry and Tom come upstairs. We learn that two men, two women, and a child had been in the basement of the house during Barbara’s and Ben’s struggle with the undead. After much argumentation on if the basement or upstairs was safer between Harry and Ben, Harry went back downstairs to his wife and child. Tom and his wife, Judy, stayed upstairs with Ben believing they could properly border up the windows together. After much convincing from Helen, Harry’s wife, Harry and she join the others upstairs. While listening on the radio, they are given more updates of the state of emergency. The radio announcer suggests instead of staying in place, to now go to one of the designated “safe areas”. When places are announced, Tom says that one of the

The death penalty is a very controversial topic that has been the top of discussion for years around the world. It is a topic that many individuals feel very strongly about. Christopher Hitchens, a political journalist in Washington D.C., writes an essay entitled “Scenes from an Execution” in which it is clear that he is against it. To get his views across in the essay, he uses light humor rather than very serious scenarios directed toward it, although it is a very serious topic. Instead of ranting about opinions, Hitchens writes about his experiences and how others as well as himself were affected. He uses rhetorical devices such as ethos, logos, and pathos to attack capital punishment.

The death penalty is a very controversial topic that has been the top of discussion for years around the world. Christopher Hitchens, a political journalist in Washington D.C., writes an essay entitled “Scenes from an Execution” in which it is clear that he is against it. To get his views across in the essay, he uses light humor rather than very serious scenarios directed toward it, although it is a very serious topic. For example, he says, “it is quite easy to book an appointment with death, and see for yourself your tax dollars at work” (Hitchens96). Christopher Hitchens uses rhetorical diction such as ethos, logos, and pathos to attack capital punishment also known as the death penalty.

Capital punishment is a human way of being able to kill someone down for a certain crime. The movie Green Mile and Dead Man Walking both have scenes where Frank Darabont and Tim Robbins put the audience in a negative view about the death penalty. The green mile has two major points where it puts you in a negative position with Eduard Delacroix execution and how brutal it was and John Coffey’s story of why he is in there and his execution knowing he is innocent. Dead man walking had one major scene where they put you negative spot about capital punishment and that is when Mathew gives his speech to the victims’ families saying sorry for robbing the families of their children and the times they could have spent with them. Both directors have

Capital Punishment is when a person is put to death for a crime they committed. While most americans continue to support execution, there is always the few who are against it. One of the main arguments against capital punishment is that someone can wrongfully be charged for a crime they did not commit and then wrongfully have their life taken away. In the film, The Life of David Gale, the director, Alan Parker, tells of the story of a man who is sentenced to capital punishment for a crime, which he makes the audience believe, did not commit. With its over-reliance on pathos, its weak use of logos, and its tricky use of symbolism, the film

The living conditions for prisons around America are simply terrible for some prisoners. Some prisons don’t even meet basic standard for living making it unsafe to stay or live in. Inmates could be in prison for months, years, or sometimes life depending on the severity of the crime. Living behind bars is tough and can lead to mental illnesses. Some problems prisons face that make the living conditions unsafe for inmates are sexual harrassments, malnutrition, and

This documentary made a compelling argument against capital punishment. It used a variety of methods to support its views. By showing Death Row and the room where the executions take place, they create pathos for its inhabitants as the audience sees the crude cells and the table with straps. The graveyard where all the executed criminals are laid to rest is also presented with sad, slow music in the background. A close-up of one of the crosses that mark a grave is shown; there are numbers on it, no names, no nice little quote, just the person’s inmate number. This suggests the thought that if they are horrible enough while alive to be executed, they are not worthy of so much as a name in death.

Normally, due to the pain and suffering content, I do not partake in the viewing of movies such as Dead Man Walking; directed by Tim Robbins; starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. However, this is an opinion paper and I enjoy expressing my opinion when asked. The film is based on the nonfiction book by Sister Helen Prejean. In the film, a Louisiana nun becomes spiritual advisor to a convict on death row, and tries to get him to accept responsibility for his actions. I believe religion and the death penalty are the two main focuses in the film. The convict, portrayed by Penn, has been on death row for six years. He was one of two men convicted of a double murder and a rape. The other guy was not sentenced to death, only life without

“A Hanging”, by George Orwell, depicted a detailed observation of an execution. In it, Orwell expresses his strong opposition to capital punishment by thinking of the differences between people alive and dead. In brief, the story took place in Burma, where Orwell and other officials were attempting to execute a death sentence of a Hindu prisoner. The prisoner, with limply body, remains irresistible through the whole process. By watching the scene, Orwell was awakened to realize how ruthless and cruel it is to destroy a conscious human being in one second and began to dislike his job as an officer. On one hand, Orwell feels compassion towards the prisoner, ‘a puny wisp of a man, with a shaven head and vague liquid eyes.’, ‘desolately thin in

Ever thought to yourself what will happen if zombies were real? Although “The Walking Dead” comes late at night on Sundays , you should check it out. It’s watched by people all over the world. The Walking Dead is a TV series made by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The TV show follows the story of a viral infection on earth that leads to a zombie outbreak. The survivors are forced to fight for their lives no matter their age group. The main character of the story is Rick Grimes, a fellow police officer who’s been shot and is sent to the hospital before the outbreak. Rick later awakens in the hospital alone, finding himself in a world he’s never seen before. And once Rick leaves the hospital his morals and ethics are pushed

The Bechdel Test rates films based on films that have more than one female character, if these women talk to one another, and if that conversation leaves out the discussion of men or romantic interest (Vaglanos). This test was designed to rate films but a show that proves to be a prime example for evaluation would be “ The Walking Dead.”

Capital punishment is inhumane. The death penalty is a cruel and barbaric form of punishment that takes away the compassion and mercy from humans. This is shown throughout the story. In The Hanging is said “We were waiting outside the condemned cells, a row of sheds fronted with double bars, like small animal cages. Each