Ryan Higgins
Professor Jasmine Mulliken
English 1113
4 October 2011
The Waiting Game
The waiting is the hardest part. That is what Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers sing about in a classic song by the band. It is also what Liz Goodwin, a reporter for The Lookout, writes about in her blog, “Are Last Minute Supreme Court Stays Cruel and Unusual Punishment?” Goodwin describes the story of Troy Davis, a Georgia Death Row inmate, who awaited his execution on September 21. After a last-minute appeal, the U.S. Supreme Court delayed his execution as it considered whether or not to grant a stay. His appeal was unsuccessful and Davis was put to death a few hours later. The Lookout is a Yahoo! News blog with a small staff of reporters, such as Goodwin, who is listed as The Lookout’s “national affairs reporter.” Goodwin takes the readers through the execution night to paint a picture of what Davis must have been going through. Her choice of words and pictures on the blog site also support her argument that it is wrong to prolong a death sentence. She also cites statistics from other executions. Goodwin uses pathos and logos to argue that it is cruel and unusual to make death row inmates wait until the last minute to find out their fate.
When writing about a controversial subject such as the death penalty, it is natural to use pathos to support the argument. Goodwin effectively uses pathos by choosing an emotional subject like the death penalty for her blog. People have a strong opinion, whether they are for or against the death penalty. Goodwin wants the readers to feel sorry for Davis when she describes how he ate “his last meal” the night of the execution and how “his supporters celebrated and prayed, hoping that the delay meant Davis would stave off death one more time” (Goodwin).
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The thought of someone’s last meal and staving off death makes the reader want to support Davis. She later says Davis was, “strapped to a gurney and put to death,” which creates a negative image in the reader’s minds. Goodwin never tells the readers what Davis was convicted of so they have no reason to dislike Davis. If they did dislike him, Goodwin’s use of pathos would not be as effective.
Goodwin’s main argument is not to stop the death penalty but to stop making death row inmates wait until the last minute for a stay. She argues, “…another issue raised by Davis’ roller-coaster ride through state-mandated life and death over the past 20 years is whether Death Row itself constitutes cruel and unusual punishment” (Goodwin). Goodwin believes that Death Row inmates should not have to play the waiting game with appeals and last minute stays because it is too emotionally stressful. Her use of pathos to support her argument continues when she describes how members of Amnesty International compare multiple last minute stays of execution to “ ‘mock executions’ – a practice widely recognized as torture” (Goodwin). Goodwin’s use of pathos is not limited to her words. The blog also features a picture of Davis in 1991. He is wearing a suit and looks like a model citizen, not someone convicted of a crime. Using a picture of a younger and clean-cut Davis is a way to make the readers feel more sympathy toward him. There is another picture of people crying. There is no caption saying they are crying for Davis but readers are led to assume they are. Showing pictures that cause emotion in the readers is a use of pathos.
Goodwin uses logos when providing background information about Davis’ past legal history. Goodwin cites three previous times when Davis avoided execution at the last minute. She hopes that the readers will think three previous stays are unreasonable and agree with her argument. Goodwin supports her argument with more statistics, another use of logos. She says
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that in 2008, Death Row inmates “spent an average of 13 years waiting for their executions” (Goodwin). Goodwin uses quotes from Supreme Court justices as well, including the argument from Justice Stephen Breyer, who, in 1995 said that the Supreme Court should consider whether the idea of Death Row is cruel and unusual punishment, which would be against the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. In the blog’s final paragraph, Goodwin explains how some countries change the death penalty to life in prison if the execution does not happen within three years of sentencing. This citing of statistics, quotes from authorities, and historical examples from other countries that use the death penalty are logical ways for Goodwin to support her argument and an effective use of logos.
The Lookout is not as thorough as Time or Newsweek. The blogs are short and comments are welcomed. The intended audience wants its news quickly without a lot of details. Blogs are usually read by younger people who know how to use technology while older people tend to read newspapers and other print materials. By using mostly pathos, Goodwin captures the emotions of young adults who might be more easily influenced than older people. She supports her argument with the use of logos by providing enough facts. People who are interested in current events are most likely to read this blog. They are informed about the world and need facts to influence their decisions. Also, since Goodwin is not a recognized authority on the death penalty, she must use facts to give her credibility to the readers. A week after the blog was written there were 2,476 comments posted, which proves that the readers formed an opinion from Goodwin’s argument.
Goodwin makes use of pathos and logos to argue that last minute stays of execution are cruel and unusual. She is not necessarily opposed to the death penalty but is opposed to the extended waiting period Death Row prisoners face. She uses strong words to grab the emotions
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of young adult readers. Goodwin cites enough statistical and factual information to back up her argument for those who are familiar with current events. Since Goodwin is not a recognized authority on the death penalty, she cannot use ethos effectively unless she quotes experts on the subject of the death penalty. She concludes her blog with a combination of pathos and ethos. Goodwin says the 1989 European Court of Human Rights called Death Row inhumane because of “the anguish and mounting tension of living in the ever-present shadow of death” (Goodwin). Those are emotional but authoritative words since they came from the European court of Human Rights. Finally, she effectively uses ethos when ending her blog with a powerful quote from an authority. In this case, the quote is from the United Kingdom Privy Council, which said a long stay on Death Row is inhumane because it means “additional torture of a long period of alternating hope and despair” (Goodwin).
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Work Cited
Goodwin, Liz. “Are Last-Minute Supreme Court Stays Cruel and Unusual Punishment?”
Yahoo! News. Yahoo! Inc., 21 Sept. 2011. Web. 29 Sept. 2011.
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