Herb Clutter Film Analysis

Violence is easily seen in today's culture through criminal actions in the media. Surprisingly, "on average, American youth view more than 1,000 murders, rapes, and assaults each year" (Rockefeller 2). This shocking fact demonstrates just how prevalent violence is in the young minds of Americans. As a result of these viewings, young adults are sure to have psychological effects. Studies have proven that "children who view media violence are more likely to have increased feelings of hostility, decreased emotional response to the portrayal of violence and injury that lead to violent behavior through imitation" (Tompkins 1). Children absorb what they see in the world around them, highlighting the importance of protecting them from violent media. The viewers are more likely to imitate violence, and are also more likely to feel hostile and aggressive. These impacts, along with a loss of empathy for humans, should not be encouraged in a classroom. While these effects are linked to violence in the media, they can be generalized to murder. In Cold Blood, is centered on the Clutter family murder, where Herbert, Bonnie, and their two children, Nancy and Kenyon, were killed. Therefore, murder is a prevalent theme. The family was gagged, tied down, and then killed individually, as the book describes in detail what happened that terrible night (Capote). Violence through murder is displayed explicitly throughout this novel, further justifying the banning of In Cold Blood in high school

In the nonfiction novel, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” American author, John Berendt, gives his account of a 1981 murder case that took place in Savannah, Georgia. Even though during the 1980s, United States as a whole is heading towards prosperity as the Cold War ends in 1981, he repeatedly touches back on the undercurrent southern racism. Berendt draws a vivid picture of Southern Gothic weirdness to convey, using real life occurrences and characters, the idea of what kind of people exist in the community to readers of all places. The writer uses rhetorical devices such as description, foreshadowing, and dysphemism to successfully depict the occurrences in suspenseful yet humorous tone.

For over 20 years, millions of Americans have been following the twisted and unsolved murder of six-year old beauty contestant JonBenet Ramsey. Christmas of 1996 brought terror to Boulder, Colorado as the world watched the crime scene unfold as Little Miss Colorado was found strangled in the basement of her family’s home. Pieces from the brutal murder such as a lengthy ransom note are unheard of, leaving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shocked. Two decades later, the case remains a mystery due to police mishap, mishandled evidence, and an abundance of conspiracy theories. Suspicions have ranged from her parents, John and Patsy Ramsey, to the outrageous, Santa Claus. One of the more credible theories is that JonBenet’s brother, Burke,

The Zodiac killer is one of the most infamous killers in American history. He murdered at least five people between the 1960s and 1970’s. His victims were often couples who were in secluded places around San Francisco. He received widespread media attention due to his habits of taunting the police and newspapers with coded messages. He signed his letters with his symbol, which was a circle with a plus sign over it. Although several suspects have been identified, the cases involving the zodiac killer have never been solved.

On Sunday, November 13, 1842 a double murder occurred at Smith Farm in Old Fields, Long Island. The victims, Alexander Smith and and Rebecca Smith, were a wealthy, well- respected married couple who ran Smith farm. George Weeks, the Smiths farmhand, was reporting for work the monday after the murder and heard the dog barking from the work-shed by the Smiths house. George Weeks then became suspicious since the dog was usually inside with Mr. Smith. George then looked in the house and saw that the east room window was broken and Mr. and Mrs. Smith were lying on the floor covered in blood. The authorities showed up not long after. The Bodies were discovered on the floor in the front room with head wounds from a blunt force and appear to have been burned in the fireplace. Alexander Smith had three wounds on his head all coming from a weapon that would cause blunt force trauma. The Suffolk County Coroner concluded that two wounds were to the right Auditory Meatus. One wound was along the lambdoidal suture and the hair was driven into the head, and the other was on the Parietal bone, an inch and a half in length. The blunt

In the book, “In Cold Blood,” Truman Capote takes us through the lives of the murderers and the murdered in the 1959 Clutter family homicide, which transpires in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas. The first chapter, “The Last to See Them Alive,” vividly illustrates the daily activities of the Clutter family—Herbert, Bonnie, Nancy, and Kenyon—and the scheming plot of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith up to point where the family is found tied up, and brutally murdered. In doing so, he depicts the picture-perfect town of Holcomb with “blue skies and desert clear air”(3) whose safety is threatened when “four shotgun blasts that, all told, ended six human lives”(5). Through the eyes of a picture perfect family and criminals with social aspirations, Capote describes the American Dream and introduces his audience to the idea that this ideal was no more than an illusion.

A young hollywood starlet was brutally murdered in 1947 with no killer identified to this day. This is real case that still puzzles investigators today. The woman in question was named Elizabeth Short, but is more widely known as the “Black Dahlia.” She was given this nickname by the press because of the sheer, black clothing she tended to wear (“The Black Dahlia Murder - Read All about it in FBI Records.”). Her body was placed in an empty lot within the area of Los Angeles, California. The Black Dahlia murder has some questionable evidence concerning the victim’s whereabouts/the crime scene, the suspects that were ruled as innocent, and the most prominent suspects, Leslie Dillon and George Hodel.

Destiny and fate correlates with the theme that dreams will fail and die. Characters do not decide their destiny. However, they do decide their dreams. A character's fate and destiny affects their dreams. Whether their dreams come true or not, has many contributing factors. One being, their purpose in the world. One’s fate does not change, and it follows them throughout their entire life, affecting what they dream of and how they can accomplish all that they may dream of.

was supposed to be portrayed as true. It was shown that the actress acting as

English is a fascinating and riveting language. Subtle nuances and adjustments can easily change the understanding of a literary work—a technique many authors employ in order to evoke a desired response from their readers. This method is used especially in In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, a literary work which details a true event about the murders of four members of the Clutter family in the small community of Holcomb, Kansas, in 1959. Although Capote’s 1966 book was a bestseller nonfiction and had successfully garnered acclaim for its author, there is still a great deal of confusion about the distinction between the factual and fictional aspects in the book. Much

Typically upon hearing about a murder, especially a brutal and unwarranted one, we find ourselves feeling a great sense of disgust for the murderer or murderers who committed these crimes; however, in Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood, the lives and experiences of the murderers, particularly Perry Smith, are displayed in a way the makes you feel pity for him as well as the victims. When comparing Capote’s Novel to a typical news article on a similar topic it is easy to see the that Capote's style varies from typical journalism. An article written by Frances Robles and Nikita Stewart titled “Dylan Roof’s Past Reveals Trouble at Home and School,” discusses the childhood and background of Dylann Roof, a twenty-one

This essay will examine the case study of the convicted serial killer Gary Ridgway, who was eventually caught and convicted for the murders 48 women. Ridgway, went on a killing spree of women without getting caught for over two decades, he went on to become the Green River Killer (Reichert, 2004). The essay will explore and evaluate the characteristics including the attribution of Garry Ridgway’s horrific crimes. In the 1980s and 1990s Ridgway targeted prostitutes, runaway girls, hitchhikers and vulnerable women in the locality of where he lived in Washington State, USA (Reichert, 2004). It baffled the authorities as to how he was able to commit these crimes whilst working and living in the locality of his crimes however, he was not suspected

Murder. Murder is the unlawful premeditated killing of one human being by another. JonBenét was executed by someone watching her every move up until that point. A six year old beauty pageant participant, murdered harshly in her home by someone preying upon her as if they were a lion. Maybe someone was in the state of jealousy and anger that they murdered her because they wanted what she had. Her murder was one of the stories that began the chain of crimes soon to be uncovered. A kidnapping or family tied murder are two theories that are possible in this case.

The non-fiction novel ‘In Cold Blood’ interestingly begins as a fiction novel would-with the author setting up the scene of the gruesome quadruple murder about to take place, unbeknownst to the victims. Capote describes the isolated flatlands of rural Kansas, and introduces the victims and their killers as if they were the main characters of a fictional murder mystery.

It is human nature to occasionally feel the need to break society’s norms. Breaking the law often involves violence and is a form of breaking the norm. It leads people to be driven or drawn towards the concept. In Tom Wolfe’s essay- “Pornoviolence”- Wolfe makes a valuable argument that people are becoming more desensitized towards violence as a whole because of how books, movies, tabloids, and TV utilize brutality to grab viewers attention. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, Capote retells the gruesome event of a family who was murdered in Holcomb, Kansas. Wolfe implies that Capote promotes porno-violence in the book by delaying the specifics of the deaths that occur. Capote quickly reveals who the killers are and who they killed, but postpones