Truman Capote's nonfiction novel "In Cold Blood," he follows intently the murder investigation of the Clutter family. Four members of the family were killed in their home in Holcomb, Kansas in November of 1959. The two convicted murderers were put to death in 1965. "In Cold Blood" came out the following year. Truman Capote claims that all information contained in the book is true, but he did take some creative liberties with the material - especially when he did not describe the murder scene until after the killers were caught and had confessed. The following is a detailed account of the scene of the murders of Herbert Clutter, his wife Bonnie, their daughter Nancy and their son Kenyon.
Nancy Clutter is the first body to be discovered. Her room is upstairs, which is where she was killed. The walls and her bedroom furniture are splattered with blood. She lay on…...
Criminal
Capote, like the investigators to the case of the Clutters in examining the crime scene, felt that there were certain aspects that "speak" to the character of the murderers. It is of interest that none of the women was sexually molested, that Mr. Clutter was laid upon a mattress, to presumably make him more comfortable. In addition, that Kenyon's head was propped upward with pillows. In examining these facts of the case, was Capote fascinated with what kind of killer (s) could take the time to make their victims comfortable, and yet also shoot them mercilessly in the head and tie them up? Setting out to find answers to these questions, Capote invariably began extensive interviews with the killers, which reached into the depths of their background and lives. The fascination with how human beings can commit horrendous crimes was most likely sparked by In Cold Blood, and modern…...
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Works Cited
Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood: A True Account of a Multiple Murder and its True Consequences. New York, NY: Random House, 1965. 3-343. Print.
Flaherty, Mary Pat, and Scott Higham. "John Lee Malvo: Smuggled Into This Country, A Transient Life in Shelters." Washington Post Oct. 2002, Print.
Wikipedia Contributors. "Lee Boyd Malvo." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 2011. Web. .
He has to object to it to keep from confronting it in himself. The Oklahoman is not so cynical, however, for he immediately grasps hold of Parr's contradiction and cries out, "Yeah, and how about hanging the bastard? That's pretty goddam cold-blooded too" (Capote 306). The Oklahoman objects to the murder, which he views as a product of that coldness which he hears in Parr's words. The Oklahoman may represent a kind of outsider, not yet tainted by the American thirst for blood and sentimentality. To save the killer, he is willing to grant mercy, if only it will help put an end to the coldness.
At this point another man, the Reverend Post, interjects his thoughts. He seems to understand something of mercy, but at the same time he despairs of ever seeing it: "ell,' he said, passing around a snapshot reproduction of Perry Smith's portrait of Jesus, 'any…...
But Perry, there was, in Dick's opinion, something wrong with little Perry (p. 108).
Clue: Dick feels Perry is mentally unbalance, but fails to see his own behavior as anything but "normal," when it is far from it
Precognition that Perry is tainted
They shared a doom against which virtual was no defense (p. 185).
Clue: Perry's sister Barbara sees Perry also as damaged goods.
Rivalry and one-upmanship going out of hand.
[Dick] was holding the knife. I asked him for it, and he gave it to me, and I said, 'All right, Dick. Here goes.' But I didn't mean it. I meant to call his bluff, make him argue me out of it, make him admit he was a phony and a coward. See, it was something between me and Dick. I knelt down beside Mr. Clutter, and the pain of kneeling -- I thought of that goddam dollar. Silver dollar. The shame. Disgust.…...
There is also ample evidence in the book that Smith is indeed severely unbalanced, if not an outright paranoid schizophrenic. During the trial, he notes of Herb Clutter, the patriarch of the family that Smith slaughtered on the same night he first met them, and whom he vaguely attempted to reassure as he tried to rob the man's house, "I wasn't kidding him. I didn't want to harm the man. I thought he was a very nice gentleman. Soft-spoken. I thought so right up to the moment I cut his throat" (Capote 244). This kind of statement shows the general mental and psychological state that Smith maintained during the crime and the trial, yet the judge would not let such evidence be presented and effectively asks for the death penalty in his final instructions to the jury, following the close of the defense's case. This case took only a day…...
Using Bobby Rupp's testimony to interrupt the story of the killers creates an abrupt and deeply personal shift of focus. His description of Nancy, his on-again/off-again girlfriend, shows how much the Clutter's were cared for and respected in the community: "Nancy was wearing socks and soft slippers, blue jeans, I think a green sweater" -- Rupp's memory of details helps the reader to clearly picture this victim (51). The abruptness of the shift in focus also mirrors the abrupt change in circumstances -- for the community, the murderers, and most obviously the Clutters themselves -- that the murders created with shocking suddenness.
3)
Capote creates a concrete and palpable tone in the section beginning "The cider-tart odor.." On page 206 of in Cold Blood by using words that evoke the sense of death and decay now that the murders have been committed. His language choices juxtapose images of life and vibrancy with…...
Warm-blooded vs. Cold-looded Animals
Most animals can be classified as either warm-blooded or cold-blooded. For example, all mammals and birds are warm-blooded, while all reptiles, amphibians, insects and fish are cold-blooded. As the owner of a leopard gecko, which is cold blooded, and a dog, which is warm-blooded, I chose this topic for my essay because I wanted to understand exactly what it means to be warm-blooded or cold-blooded, and how these creatures differ.
asically, the temperature of an animal's blood is directly related to its body temperature. Warm-blooded creatures keep the inside of their bodies at a consistent temperature by generating their own body heat when they are in a cold environment, and cooling their body heat down when they are in a hot place. In order to create heat, warm-blooded animals transform all consumed food into energy. In comparison to cold-blooded animals, warm-blooded animals must eat a lot of food,…...
The desperation evident in the tone of the book makes it clear that this preservation is a last ditch effort, and would be unnecessary if taking a life was truly disallowed.
Towards the end of the book, when Capote is both narrating Smith's writing of his account of his own life and presenting large chunks of this narrative in what purports to be Smith's own hand, Capote comments that "Smith's pencil sped almost indecipherably as he hurried," signaling the extreme desperation on the part of this author, as well (Capote 339). The taking of a life is something that cannot be condoned, but the psychological anguish Smith goes through is worse than the deaths he inflicted in his crimes. It is certainly arguable that Smith deserves such anguish and worse, but society deserves better than to be responsible for inflicting such torture. When life is held in enough esteem to…...
Dinosaurs: arm-Blooded?
There is presently much controversy regarding the issue of dinosaurs, as the fact that experts have access to a limited amount of resources concerning this matter makes it difficult for them to express certainties concerning this particular animal reign. Even with the fact that there are presently no living dinosaurs to be dissected, scientists have come up with a series of theories based on how dinosaurs behaved. In spite of their physiology, most dinosaurs put across behavior characteristic to mammals and birds. One of the oldest debates in the history of dinosaur studies is related to the blood temperatures of these creatures, as some experts insist that they were cold-blooded while others maintain that they were warm-blooded. The presence of dinosaur fossils at high altitudes makes it possible for one to consider that dinosaurs were warm-blooded, taking into account that cold-blooded creatures typically evolve in warm areas.
All living bodies…...
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Works cited:
Misiroglu, Gina, "The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents)," (Visible Ink Press, 2009)
Norell, Mark; Gaffney, Eugene S.; and Dingus, Lowell, "Discovering dinosaurs: evolution, extinction, and the lessons of prehistory," (University of California Press, 2000)
Norman, David, "Dinosaurs: a very short introduction," (Oxford University Press, 2005).
The picture to the left depicts the various elements that are responsible for thermoregulation in human skin. The illustrations shows the various layers of skin along with the veins, arteries and capillaries of the circulatory system that assist in insuring that the thermoregulatory system works properly. The sweat glands are responsible for selectively removing materials from the blood the sweat glands then concentrates or alters these toxins, and secretes them for elimination from the body. The perspiration or sweat is then removed through the sweat pore. This has a twofold purpose: to remove toxins and thermoregulation (in this case cooling the body).
Thermoregulation involving perspiration is brought about by both internal and environmental heat and exercise. As it relates to the latter, there have been many studies related to exercise and thermoregulation. According to Marino (2004)
"thermoregulatory effector responses of humans and concluded that temperature regulation during exercise is dissimilar to temperature…...
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Works Cited
Caterina MJ, Schumacher MA, Tominaga M, Rosen TA, Levine JD, Julius D. The capsaicin receptor: a heat-activated ion channel in the pain pathway. Nature. 1997;389:816-824.
Dugan SA, Powell LH, Kravitz HM, Everson Rose SA, Karavolos K, Luborsky J (2006)
Musculoskeletal pain and menopausal tatus. Clin J. Pain 22: 325 -- 331
Deecher, D.C.K. Dorries (2007)Understanding the pathophysiology of vasomotor symptoms
diseases in the world are suffered by all children. Babies and adults alike have to endure them at some or other point of their life. Furthermore, those whose immune systems are poor or weak have a greater tendency to contract diseases such as the common cold, infant diaper rash, earaches, stomach aches and diarrhea (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2015)
Common cold
The common cold shows the following symptoms: a sore throat, runny nose, headache, and watery eyes. Up till now, no precise medication exists to 'cure' the common cold. Normally, this viral illness wanes by itself after a period of 5-6 days. However, in the event that symptoms continue for an unusually long time, the patient must stay alert, as severe cases of common cold may result in pneumonia, sinusitis, ear infection, asthma attack, and bronchitis (Justadd, 2015). A study indicates that several individuals suffer each winter from sinusitis, impacting both…...
HIV/AIDS and EmbalmingHuman Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the causative agent of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), is a retrovirus that targets the immune system. It specifically attacks CD4+ T cells, which are important for orchestrating an immune response, leading to progressive immune dysfunction (Wang et al., 2010).Transmission of HIV occurs through direct contact with infected bodily fluids, including blood, semen, vaginal and rectal fluids, and breast milk. The primary routes of transmission include sexual contact, sharing needles and other drug injection equipment, and from mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding. This transmission dynamic categorizes HIV primarily as an acquired disease, although vertical transmission from mother to child also occurs, making it congenitally acquired in some cases (Wang et al., 2010).The infection begins with flu-like symptoms, such as fever, sore throat, and fatigue, which can occur shortly after the virus enters the body. As HIV advances, it severely weakens the…...
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ReferencesArts, E. J., & Hazuda, D. J. (2012). HIV-1 antiretroviral drug therapy. Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in medicine, 2(4), a007161.Ensoli, B., Cafaro, A., Monini, P., Marcotullio, S., & Ensoli, F. (2014). Challenges in HIV vaccine research for treatment and prevention. Frontiers in immunology, 5, 417.Kadam, S. S., Akhade, S., & Desouza, K. (2015). Autopsy Practice, Potential Sources of Occupational Hazards: a review for safety and prevention. Journal of Indian Academy of Forensic Medicine, 37(2), 196-201.Punitha, S., & Kiruthiga, N. (2021). Clinical stages of HIV. HIV Nursing, 21(02), 103-106.Wang, J., Lin, H. S., Liu, M. Y., & Li, Y. (2010). Immune reconstitution of acquired immune deficiency syndrome. Chinese journal of integrative medicine, 16, 557-564.
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble ingredient that is essential for the health of human beings. It is essential for normal growth and development and it has consumed regularly. Since Vitamin C dissolves in water, the excess amounts leave the human body through urine and this means the body needs a constant supply of this vitamin everyday. The body cannot store vitamin C in any form.
One of the primary role of vitamin C is to repair the body cells and tissues and to prevent free radicals and toxins from getting accumulated in the body. It repairs wounds and makes them heal faster. The free radicals are known to play a role in cancer and heart diseases and good amount of vitamin C everyday helps to prevent any damage.
Sources of vitamin C
Most fruits and vegetables contain some amounts of vitamin…...
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References
Frances Sienkiewicz Sizer, Leonard A. Piche, Eleanor Noss Whitney. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. Kentucky: Cengage Learning. 2011.
Weber, Olaf; Eccles, Ronald. Common Cold. New York: Springer. 2007.
The feelings of hot and cold are ones that we often consider simple. We either are hot, or we either are cold and the state of being definitely impacts is capabilities for behavior in for action. Yet, literature often takes every day concept and in powers them with an additional sense of meaning that signifies deeper concepts and emotions. This is exactly what several short stories do, including "1/3, 1/3, 1/3" by ichard Brautigan, "The Amish Farmer" by Vance Bourjaily, "The Ledge" by Lawrence Sargent Hall, and finally "Weekend" by Ann Beattie. Each of the short stories creates an additional layer of meaning behind the connotations of hot and cold; often the heat represents a sense of livelihood and vivaciousness, while the image of cold represent misery and death.
The contemporary short story is often extremely realistic in its structure and presentation. These are…...
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References
Beattie, Ann. The New Yorker Stories. Simon and Schuster. 2011.
Bloom, Harold. The Anatomy of Influence: Literature as a Way of Life. Yale University Press, 2011.
Brautigan, Richard. Revenge of the Lawn. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1995.
Gerke, Jeff. Plot vs. Character: A Balanced Approach to Writing Great Fiction. Writer's Digest Books. 2010.
Cold War and Film
Generally speaking, the Cold War has been depicted as an era of spy games and paranoia in popular films from the 1960s to the present day, but the reality of the era was much more complex. The Cold War was a period of military and political tension from 1947 to 1991, or from the end of WW2 to the collapse of the Soviet Union, in which the "politics of war" masked the business and social agendas of multinationals and ideologues. The era was marked by myriad issues: East-West mistrust, proxy wars, espionage, the threat of nuclear war, domestic and foreign propaganda, the rise of the military-industrial complex and multinational corporations, assassinations, detente, de-colonization, new nationalism, neo-colonialism, the vying for control of resources, alliances (NATO, Warsaw Pact), and an inculcation of the "deep state." [footnoteRef:1] It can be divided into five basic periods: 1947-53, 1953-62, 1962-79, 1979-85,…...
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Bibliography
Dominik, Andrew, dir. Killing Them Softly. NY: Weinstein Company, 2012. Film.
Eliot, T.S. "Burnt Norton." The Four Quartets. Web. 10 May 2015.
Frankenheimer, John, dir. Seven Days in May DVD Commentary. LA: Warner Home
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