In Cold Blood: Nature vs Nurture Essay

Parents are supposed to shelter their children from the fraudulent outside world and keep their purity intact. Perry Smith, murderer of the Clutter family, had an upbringing that “was marked by brutality and lack of concern on the part of both parents.” Due to his childhood he “seems to have grown up without direction, and without ever having absorbed any fixed sense of moral values.” He felt no regret for murdering the family, only that he felt sorry that they were the ones “ that … had to pay for it.” While Dick considered Perry as innocent, “he had never been with a woman”, he believed Perry was a “natural born killer” who “attaches little real value to human life”. Perry’s tragic upbringing had turned him into a cold-blooded killer unaware of the beauty of innocence, which he so easily stole from the Clutter family the moment he killed them. Innocent people cannot be protected from the individual whose innocence is not present.

A debate on whether or not Perry Smith was more controlled by nature and nurture when committing crimes is a hot topic. Most solemnly believe that this is what manipulated the actions that Perry took. According to www.simplypsychology.org, "Nature is what we think of as pre-wiring and is influenced by genetic inheritance and other biological factors. Nurture is generally taken as the influence of external factors after conception e.g. the product of exposure, experience and learning on an individual." Due to Perry Smith's exposure to abuse, the abandonment emotionally and physically from his family, and influential behavior from Dick, it led him to making extreme actions such as committing murder and other crimes.

On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, a family of four was brutally murdered by shotgun blasts only a few inches from their faces. The protagonist of the story, Perry Smith, a man with a troubled past, is the one responsible for committing these murders. In framing the question nature versus nurture, Capote’s powerfully written account of the Clutter family killings asks whether a man alone can be held responsible for his actions when his environment has relentlessly neglected him; Perry Smith is a prime example. He is an intelligent, talented, and sensitive human being, who has been warped and rejected by society and his environment, and therefore cannot be held

"Nature or nurture?",A common psychological question about whether a person acts a certain way because of their DNA or their upbringing. Nature is inherited traits of which can 't be controlled such as eye color. Nurture is the upbringing by our parents and family members. In the story In Cold Blood, Truman Capote talks about how Dick Hicock and Perry Smith committed four brutal murders. In this essay, we will go more in depth on how the nature and nurture of Dick made him do what he did.

Richard Mulcaster, a British instructor of English, once wrote, “Nature makes the boy toward, nurture sees him forward.” Mulcaster recognizes that both genetic and environmental factors determine the type of a person one becomes. Truman Capote’s nonfiction novel, In Cold Blood gives the reader an opportunity to see prime examples of how nature and nurture influence one’s character. Capote’s novel, In Cold Blood introduces the reader to two men; Richard Eugene Hickock known as Dick throughout the novel, and Perry Edward Smith whose lives of crime are almost identical; although both Perry and Richard come from very humble backgrounds, their childhood particularly their family life, has very little in common. It is not until later in their

Since 'In Cold Blood' is an older book, essay topics maybe tired and old by now. So it is important to find new exciting ways to make students think about this book while still using their skills learned in class.

Humans are conditioned to believe that murderers deserve punishments decreed by the justice system, with their days numbered, meaning to be spent in misery, as they wrongfully extinguished the lives of others. However, while murder is never acceptable, it is necessary to analyze the story, often rooted in trauma, of how a murderer came to be, which naturally can evoke compassion within the reader. Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood provides a look at a man who had a troubling childhood and adult life, ultimately arousing sympathy for Perry Smith. Perry lived through a hard childhood, and was deprived of many things every child should receive. Although Perry is portrayed as a cold hearted killer, readers can still find sympathy in their hearts for him.

Everyone loved Dick he was admired in school up until his crash.“An outstanding athlete - always on the first team at school. Basketball! Baseball!Football! Dick was always the star player.A pretty good student, too, with A marks in several subjects.” After his crash, he became a psychopath he couldn't help his thoughts and the fact that he felt no remorse for anything he ever did.He even admits that it wasn’t the money that he went for it was Nancy. “Before I ever went to their house I knew there would be a girl there. I think the main reason I went there was not to rob them but to rape the girl. Because I thought a lot about

Throughout my nineteen years of living I have gone through many events and have had many influences, both good and bad. Only a few of these events I would consider significant. I believe that both nature and nurture played a role in these significant events. Nurture had the biggest impact in my life and how I am today.

In, In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences, Truman Capote, includes the effects of Perry and Dick’s childhood to show the true possible reasonings behind their killings. Truman Capote talks about the murder of the Clutter family which took place in Holcomb, Kansas in the year of 1959. The Clutter family consisted of Mr. and Mrs. Clutter and their four children. He thoroughly describes the personality of each and proves how the family was completely innocent at the time of their murder. However, due to Perry Smith’s nurture and Dick Hickock’s nature, the innocent Clutter family was murdered on their farm in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas.

Hickock’s family provides him with everything he needs to succeed during his childhood. “Basketball! Baseball! Football! Dick was always the star player. A pretty good student, too, with A marks in several subjects” (Capote 158). Hickock’s father says this about his son when he is highschool, illustrating that he is a star athlete and is encouraged to do well by his parents. Hickock’s grades are so good that he aspires to go to college one day, but his family does not have the necessary funds. This ambition for money is what initially drives him to go with Smith to the Clutters’ house, as he thinks Herb keeps a safe at home. Also, the tragic motorcycle accident that Hickock gets into, that disfigures his face, causes a mental transition that coupled with his divorce leads him to a life of crime. During this time Hickock’s fondness for money leads to him passing fraudulent checks and this eventually lands him in prison. It was in prison that he becomes more emotionally detached from the rest of the world. This is illustrated by Capote when Smith keeps thinking about the murder, but Hickock is content and is ready to move on. Furthermore, Hickock’s impulsiveness, stemming from his need from money, is what further motivates the murder. “But at the time I never give any thought to whether it is right or wrong. The same with stealing. It seems to be an

There are always two main factors when it comes to the crime of murder: the victims and the killer. In the article “Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting Leaves 28 Dead” and the novel In Cold Blood the authors Steve Vogel and Truman Capote, respectively, establish rhetorical devices such as tone and perspective to influence the opinions of the reader regarding both victims and murderers, while describing the crimes committed. In the novel In Cold Blood, Capote establishes a tone of pity for both the Clutter family and the killers. He includes details of the family such as Kenyon’s hope chest created for his sister's wedding and Nancy’s cherry pie lesson to create a feeling of pity and empathy for the family.

1) Use the example of feral children to construct an argument in the nature versus nurture debate.

Nature vs. nurture has been discussed by philosophers in the past and by scientists more recently. Philosophers such as Plato argued that all knowledge was inherited from your parents and when you were told something you didn’t learn it you were just reminded of it. Aristotle however argued that all humans were born with a blank slate and built on it with influence from there environment. In the 1700’s the empiricists and the internalists took over the argument. They fought through letters explaining there point of views and denouncing the others. This leads to Pavlov coming up with the idea of behaviorism in the early 1900‘s. Behaviorism became the new wave of Psychology and influenced a lean towards the nurture side. It was not

Scientists and psychologists everywhere study twins. The argument most commonly studied is nature versus nurture. The focus of this essay, however, is whether or not to separate twins in schools. Some believe the separation is demeaning and traumatic to the twins. The side about to be proved however that is this separation is a necessary step in the individualization of twins. Often, separation sparks the path to individualization.