Capital Punishment - Essay Example

Capital Punishment Introduction Capital punishment has been a controversial Since time immemorial, debate has beenranging as to the efficacy of capital punishment and how ethically right it is. Of course there are those who feel that the sentence is justified in a number of instances. Many people for example portend that when an individual has murdered another one it would be justified if he or she was to be sentenced to hang. However, there is the other group that christens the sentencing other individuals to hang as a bestial act that should not be condoned at any time. Whatever the reasons they put forward for their proposal, on very few instances will you have individual to be hanged thought of as a human being like any other. Many people actually think of him as an object (Moore 3). Very few people think of the individual as having a conscious. It is this aspect of the individual to be hanged that George Orwell brings to our attention, in his story, “A hanging”. The story details the last moments of a small Indian man just about to be taken to the gallows. His hands bound tightly to his body and guarded by strong warders who guide him gently to his death there are three interruptions of episodes that take place, which pique the interest of the writer as to the conscious nature of the prisoner. At the beginning, a dog rushes to him and jumps to lick his face. The individual also side steps a puddle on his path as he is led to the gallows while the third instance happens as he has the hangman’s noose around his neck. He calls out to his god with the words “ram, ram, ram”. However as all these things go on, the wardens and the other prisoners go on their business as if there is nothing absurd about it. In fact, later on they seem to be celebrating the life just terminated. The fact that they do not seem to think that the same fate will befall them is ironical more so after they are seen to be laughing and in a jovial mood a short moment after the Hindu has been hanged. George Orwell connects the reader with the man just about to be hung and strikes the mind of the reader to think more of him (Orwell 2). He makes us realize that the man is not just another object but rather a living human being whose body processes are taking place like in any other person. It is a call to rethink the capital sentence. II) Body Interruptions before the hanging: 1) The dog This comes as the first interruption to the hanging of the Indian man. It is as they lead the man to the gallows that a dog appeared in the prison’s yard. It hounded around the procession or the group and in the words of the writer “wild with glee at finding so man human being together”. Everyone is surprised when it suddenly dashed to the small Indian prisoner and “jumping up tried to lick his face”. The inclusion of the dog in the story is of great significance to the theme of the whole story. It goes on to prance at the prisoner just about to be hung and wanting to lick his face. The fact that it does not discriminate the prisoner from the wardens goes on to affirm the thought that the Indian man is like any other living being. 2) The puddle The second episode even sinks the perception of hanging as evil even more. It involves a puddle that lay on the path to the gallows. The man would have been expected to not to care about the puddle and just walk through it instead since he was just about to be hung anyway. However, what happens proves one incredible truth. Orwell states that “in spite of the men who gripped him by each shoulder, he stepped slightly aside to avoid a puddle on the path”. This episode opens the eyes of the writer as to the meaning of destroying a conscious and healthy man. It goes on to show the inappropriate nature and the mystery surrounding the termination of the life just when it was “in full tide”. The fact that the man was conscious jerked the mind of the writer (and consequently the reader) as to the fact that he was alive the same way that they were alive. Every other bodily function would be taking place up to such a time when the noose tightens the breath out of him. Before he died, the man and the warders make up a group of men who are walking together and understanding a similar world but within no time one of them would be no more. 3) Ram! Ram! Ram! The third interruption relates to a cry the small Indian man makes just before he is hanged. Once the hangman’s noose had been fixed into his neck, he started crying out to his god. The story outlines that “it was a high, reiterated cry or ‘Ram! Ram! Ram! Ram!’ not urgent and fearful like a prayer or a cry of help, but steady, rhythmical, almost like the tolling of a bell”. Even after a cotton bag has been drawn over his face, he continues muttering the cry. These cries seemed to jerk everyone to the realization of the magnitude of what was just about to happen. It could have reminded them that this was another life no less important than theirs just about to be lost to the world yonder. The fact that the man is conscious enough to remember to call his god definitely strikes a cord on the writer’s mind reminding us that “each cry, another second of life”. The climax of the cries is when the prisoner is finally hanged, bringing about dead silence with the rope twisting on itself. III) Conclusion The debate on the efficacy of capital punishment or death penalty ranges on with fundamental flaws being brought to the fore. It is understood that every human being is culpable of making mistakes and therefore, chances are that the wrong person will be executed. In addition, even when individuals have been accused of murder, it is ironical that people would feel that justice has been done if they are hanged without considering whether they have been relegated to murderers as well. Even more astonishing is the fact that quite a large number of innocent individuals have been in certain instances been executed either due to their inability to prove their innocence or the ignorance of the judges or even human error. Such issues could however be prevented through abolishing the capital punishment. As Orwell says, it is one mind lost, one world less. In any case, playing God would not be effective in mitigating crime. Works Cited Orwell George. A Hanging. Aug. 31. 2011. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. Dutta, Sunil. (2007). Kill the Death Penalty, n.d. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. Moore Julie. Capital Punishment--Is it Really Something We Can Agree with as a Society? May 4 2007. Web. 13 Dec. 2011. Read More