Death and Justice

Meaning

1. Edward Koch's argument is that the death penalty helps people realize how precious life is before they go out and murder somebody. Koch's main idea is that the crime of murder would decrease if the death penalty was enforced. Murderers would think twice before killing. They would think of their victims before they are killed, not after. Yes, the death penalty may kill one human, but it will save more.
2. Koch's second and third arguments dealt with the issue that the dealt penalty could be used as a deterrent to murder. In those arguments, Koch used statistics to show that a person who murdered a person before had done it again. If the death penalty was an option towards these murderers, then it will scare another person from following in those footsteps. Koch's sixth and seventh arguments dealt with the issue that the death penalty could be used as a form of justice to those who were murdered and to their families. It states that the death penalty for a murderer is the only choice for that situation. If they had the audacity to kill an innocent person, then citizens shouldn't show sympathy toward them. At the same time, all these arguments add up to the thesis: life is precious and the death penalty helps people realize that.

Purpose and Audience

1. Koch's purpose of this essay doesn't seem political at all. When reading, this essay does not come across as a "vote for me" type of paper. Koch wrote this essay to make America a better place to live in and not have a fear of getting killed by another individual. David Buck says that Koch know "how little the facts have to do with the public support for capital punishment." Koch used a lot of facts and statistics to support his argument. He not only want people to support him, but also believe it.
2. Koch does expect his audience to agree with his position. In his first two paragraphs, he used real convicted killers who has been executed. He wrote, "It is a curiosity of modern life that we find ourselves being lectured on morality by cold-blooded killers." That statement alone get readers to stop and think about what he wrote. These murderers have killed innocent lives. These teenagers didn't even get the chance to live a full life yet. All of a sudden, when it's their lives on the line, they want to pull the whole "killing is wrong" line.

Method and Structure

1. Some examples of ethical appeals are in his second and third arguments when Koch puts in statistics of how a person who have killed once will most likely kill again. It's also in his sixth argument because he brings up the Bible. Koch uses examples of rational appeal throughout the essays when he states that the death penalty would increase the value of human life. The examples of two convicted murderers are emotional appeal. The most effective is the ethical appeal because that's something that can't be argued. It is studied by reliable sources and is a fact. The least effective is rational appeal because it is something that can be argued.
2. Willie and Shaw wants to preach on morality. Willie and Shaw are convicted murderers.
   Therefore, all convicted murderers wants to preach on morality. Koch believes that convicted murderers who are about to executed wants everybody on their level. They want the accusers to feel bad for them. Koch thinks that it is too late for them to receive sympathy. These murderers were not thinking about "killing is wrong" when they were attacking innocent people, so why start now?
   
3. I don't find this method of argument in this section convincing. In fact, I think he agreed with the argument that he is trying to counter. He wrote, "...it's not the method that really troubles opponents. It's the death itself they consider barbaric." Exactly. People don't care about the way a person is killed. It's the fact that they are dying in the first place.

Language

1. In this essay, Koch's tone is unsympathetic toward convicted murderers. Throughout the essay, he has called them "cold-blooded" and "killers." He wants the reader to relate this to their life. He wants them to visualize how they would feel if somebody killed their loved ones. Should there be death penalty or not? As Koch gives out examples of convicted murderers who has been executed, he's not sympathetic at all. He's asking himself, "Why should anyone show you mercy? You didn't do it to the innocent people you killed."
2. Koch feel like the thoughts of his opponents are foolish. Jimmy Breslin believed that life sentence is actually harsher than the death penalty. Following that, Koch wrote, "This is sophistic nonsense." The point he's trying to get across is that we may kill one person in the death penalty, but we are saving much more. Giving these murderers unjustly sentences is not giving the victim justice.