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Article Summary: Jeff Jacoby Bring Back Flogging

1760 Words8 Pages

Bohan Fan
Whip and Cage Circuses use whip and cage to train animals like lions and bears, force them to perform for audiences. It appears that columnist for the Boston Globe, Jeff Jacoby, is in favor of using the same combination for criminals. He published an essay named “Bring Back Flogging” on the op-ed page of Boston Globe on February 20. 1997. The essay held a serious discussion of the prison system of the United States, identify it as a costly, insecure and useless. Then he suggest we should replace the system with a method that we used centuries ago-flogging, or at least at it to the list of penalties. Jacoby pointed out facts such as in many states, in order to ease the pressure of prison-building, “nearly all convicted felons …show more content…

Statistic is more accurate when it comes to show the level. For example, 1 bottle of soda might be “a few” for soda lovers, but it might be “too much” and unacceptable for the ones who want a healthy life or just hate the feeling of hiccups. Jacoby used statistics to support his argument, and let audiences get convinced after they get the numbers and start to feel the same way Jacoby feels. For example, when he discussed how jail is costly, he mentioned the price with the statistic. “Meanwhile, the price of keeping criminals in cages is appalling-a common estimate is 30,000 per inmate per year.” That is way better than “Meanwhile, the price of keeping criminals in cages is extremely high.” After realizing their tax collector which is government, is paying for this, readers may start to feel the distance between them and the problem is not that far after all. Jacoby is not trying to discuss a question about “those criminals”, but “our society” which “those criminals” are a part of it. Another example would be when he mentioned the high risk for criminals get raped in jail, he wrote “The Globe reported in 1994 that more than two hundred thousand prison inmates are raped each year, usually to the indifference of the guards.” Novels, movies and TV shows love to mention rape when they discuss jail. This is a mark, even something to joke about. Of course, they don’t have women in there, what else can they do? Maybe they are having fun, no need to worry! However, by showing the number- 200,000, Jacoby is sending his message that this is no laughing matter. The situation is not just a myth, it is a real problem and a lot of people are suffering from it. Statistics are not only evidence of the research that author did for this essay, but also a link for readers to start listen to him. If a reader saw the numbers and agreed that it is as critical as the author wrote, that would at least

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