Matthew Poncelet should not be put to death in Dead Man Walking
. Based on the movie "Dead Man Walking" (1995). If you think that Matthew Poncelet, the main character, should be put to death, make as forceful an argument as you can for why he should not be put to death, and then show why this argument is, ultimately, unpersuasive. Respond with explicit reference to three of the following fourphilosophers: Kant, Rawls, Nozick, Nathanson. Exegesis: Develop your answers with reference to the texts discussed in class and be sure to cite passages you quote directly. Please use either the MLA or the Chicago Manual of Style format to cite primary and secondary sources that you quote directly or paraphrase. Citing the first line from the Groundwork according to the Chicago Manual of Style format would look like this: “Ancient Greek philosophy was divided into three sciences: physics, ethics, and logic.” Quoting Kant a second time would look like this: “act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law.” Details about the Modern Language Association (MLA) and Chicago Manual of Style (CMoS)footnoting format can be found at the following sites: MLA: http://honolulu(dot)hawaii(dot)edu/legacylib/mlahcc.html CMoS:http://www(dot)chicagomanualofstyle(dot)org/tools_citationguide.html · Analysis: (i) Take a stand! State and underline your thesis in the introduction of your paper and ensure that everything in the body of the paper works to prove this thesis. This is a fairly short paper and so everything that is said must be integral for what you are trying to prove. Be sure to proofread your essays carefully. (ii) Be sure to define the key terms that you are using. (iii) Do not simply state positions, but argue for why you think they are right. In other words, give reasons for why you hold these positions. (iv) Finally, be sure to consider opposing points of view to your own. That is, consider how someone might disagree with your position, and then show why they would be wrong to do so. · NOTE, again, that the deadline for this paper is absolute! No late papers will be accepted. Note: Plagiarism, broadly defined, is the presentation of someone else's ideas as your own. It is grounds not only for failure of the assignment, but for possible expulsion from the University. If you make use of any secondary sources, be sure to cite them in a footnote. See the Syllabus for more details. the sources are: Dead man walking (1995) a movie and the book from kant named ( groundwork of the metaphysics of morals) and if you need add any other source but please cite it because I need to put in turnitin.com
Dr. Wake
Ethical Analysis
June 27, 2014
Matthew Poncelet should not be put to death in Dead Man Walking
Dead Man Walking film is essentially a well-crafted film by co-producer, director, and writer Tim Robbins. The movie tells an account of a convicted murderer and rapist known as Matthew Poncelet. This man has been on death row for 6 years in the state of Louisiana and will be put to death soon following a number of appeals to federal and state courts. The movie is claimed to be an impartial perspective of both sides of the issue of capital punishment. Poncelet is accused of a criminal act he did in the year 1988. Together with his buddy, Poncelet found 2 teens while kissing inside a car in a wooded zone. Poncelet and his friend then pulled the teenagers out of the car, raped the girl and then cruelly stabbed the two before shooting them in the back of the head. There are several reasons as to why he should not be executed: (i) he is poor and cannot afford a good lawyer; (ii) it is immoral to kill someone as depicted in the film; and (iii) Poncelet is a victim of bad politics.
Poncelet is poor and cannot afford a strong defense lawyer: First, even though he is a killer, he should not be put to death given that he is poor and is not able to afford a good defense lawyer. Poncelet’s court-appointed attorney raised just a single objection at his trial hence this defense lawyer was not good. It is noteworthy that each person has the right to a strong and good legal defense; Poncelet’s attorney, however, did not do anything to help him. In case he could have afforded a strong attorney, then there would have certainly been a higher likelihood that he would have instead been given life imprisonment for his criminality. People should not be given capital punishment just because they do not have the means. Therefore, he should not be put to death since his lack of money made it not possible for him to get a good attorney.
The film shows that killing is immoral: Secondly, the film itself has shown that killing anybody, even someone who is a killer such as Matthew Poncelet, is something that is not only inhumane, but also cold-hearted and cruel. Basically, killing someone is an immoral thing hence Poncelet need not be put to death. It is immoral and wrong because destroying human life intentionally, any human life is wrong. The life of a person is so valuable and precious such that even the worst killer need not be deprived of the value of his/her life. The value of the murderer’s life cannot be destroyed by the bad demeanor of that murderer (Cuomo 7).
Although he confessed to Sister Helen that he in fact rape the girl and killed her boyfriend, the viewer also sees how painful and punishing the life on death row is for Poncelet. He spends 23 hours daily restrained to his penitentiary cell. Poncelet has to live this way for 6 years knowing that he could actually be executed at any time. If murder is an act that is both wrong and immoral, then there is no justice in executing killers. Killers could still be punished for their crimes by giving them life sentence devoid of any likelihood of parole. Nonetheless, this view might be challenged by Immanuel Kant who asserted that who whoever commits murder should be killed (Banner 11).
Poncelet is a victim of bad politics: Thirdly, he should not be put to death since he is a victim of bad politics. For instance, the governor of Louisiana does not give Matthew Poncelet an appeal since he is running for re-election in the upcoming elections and wants people in the state to believe that he is actually getting tough on crime and that he cannot condone criminality in Louisiana. The governor also speeds up the date of execution. It is not good that someone should be executed in order to assist someone else in keeping their job. Therefore, he should not be executed since he is a victim of bad politics. Moreover, Poncelet is not given another trial when his new attorney informs a judge that his client did not get a strong defense at his initial trial.
Putting Poncelet to death would mean applying an eye for an eye principle to ensure that justice is served. This view of an eye for an eye is completely rebuffed by philosopher Stephen Nathanson who pointed out that the principle of an eye for an eyeis totally unusable as a guide to punishment and cannot be utilized in justifying the death penalty. Upholding this principle would mean that punishment should both be of equal severity to the crime and be similar as the crime (Bedau 13). This implies that rapists should also be raped, and for airplane hijackers, their plane should also be hijacked. It is obvious that t...