During the medieval era, torture had been considered a legitimate practice in obtaining a confession or to gain the name of any accomplice in the crime committed. The form of torture depended upon what the crime committed was and the social class of the accused individual. Be that as it may individuals were primarily toured for acts of treason. Torture was only allowed to be practiced through the Church. Because, only Monarchs and the Highest nobles were granted permission to inflict torture. Torture had occurred so frequently during the medieval era that public holidays were declared for mass torture events. The most horrendous torture devices that were used during the medieval era were: the Judas cradle, the Scold’s Bridle, and Rat tortures. …show more content…
Yet, the Judas Cradle was most frequently used late in the medieval era. The Judas cradle is a wooden chair that possessed a pyramid shaped seat. Two torturers oversaw the Judas cradle in action. One torturer would strip all the clothes off the guilty individual. While the other torturer tied the hands of the guilty individual together, the feet of the guilty individual were tied together as well. Once the guilty individual was tied one of the torturers would slowly lower the naked individual onto the Judas Cradle. Being slowly lowered onto the Judas cradle forced the pyramid seat into the anus or vagina of the guilty individual. Some torturers would tie weights to the guilty individuals legs so that the Judas cradle would be even more agonizing. The Judas Cradle was not washed in between tortures which added even more humiliation to the guilty individuals. The primary reason for using the Judas Cradle was to extract information from an individual who had committed …show more content…
There was no noted first-time use of the rat tortures. There are many diverse methods in which Rat tortures can be performed. One method of Rat tortures is large rats were placed in a cage. The cage was placed on top of a guilty individual. The guilty individual was tied to the floor or the table so they could not move. The only opening to the cage was on the accused individual's stomach. Once the rats were inside the cage a heating element was placed on the side of the cage opposite of the guilty individual. The rats natural instinct was to break free from the extreme heat. In hopes to get free from the extreme heat the rats would naw the guilty individual’s stomach. When the rats nawed the stomach they would burrow through the intestines of the guilty individual. The second method of rat torture is very similar to the first form of rat torture. However, the torturer would cut slits into the stomach of the guilty individual instead of using heat. After the torture inflicted the slits starving rats were forced inside of the slits. When the starving rats were inside the slits the rat would eat the guilty individual alive. Both forms of torture were agonizing.Because, rat tortures took hours and in some cases days for the rats to chew through the guilty individual. Rat torture almost always resulted in death unless the torture was stopped immediately. Rat torture was a cheap and easily performed
Both of the acts given are awfully inhuman, but in all hanging a child is more inhuman than killing one’s father for a piece of bread. “But the third rope was still moving: the child, too light, was still breathing” (Wiesel 65). This child, along with the other two men were hanged in front of the prisoners of the camp,
After observing the documentary “Acres of Skin”, I realized that we as humans can be cruel. The torturing in the Holmesburg prison held from 1950s until about 1970s and the terrible things that happened in this video that took place long before I was born is was hard to watch. Dr. Albert Kligman came to Holmesburg originally to look at. Other experiments used the inmates as test subjects for far more hazardous even potentially lethal, substances such as radioactive isotopes dioxin, and chemical warfare agent’s prisoners undergo experiments. Leotus Jones and David Price are some of the former prisoners that were involved in the human experimentation at Holmesburg prison. I believe that the prisoners didn’t not deserve what the punishments that
...cs were forced to drink tons of water or other fluids or were forced to put burning coals on their body. Some heretics were tortured on a rack. The rack dislocated them or their arms and legs could be torn off. (Freeman). There were many other ways that they tortured heretics.
While being forced to live in Auschwitz they endured many cruel and harsh punishments. The main form of punishment was the gas chambers. These chambers were cells that were made underground and were able to be sealed. Zyklon-B was the poison used to gas and kill the Jewish people. “It takes about 10 minutes to kill 2,000 to 3,000 people in the gas chamber.” (Saldinger p.57) After gassing they would then be extracted from the chamber and taken to the crematorium where the bodies would be disposed of. Sometimes it wasn’t even the guards who would dispose of the bodies, most of the time it was the prisoners who were forced to extract their own people from the chambers. This was just one of the many forms of punishment; there were many more and some were just as bad.
...alling her at the same time a d—d b—h. After crossing her hands, he tied them with a strong rope, and led her to a stool under a large hook in the joist, put in for the purpose. He made her get upon the stool, and tied her hands to the hook (pg. ).” George Womble, a former slave, expresses how his slaveholder, Mr. Ridley, “Sometimes he whipped us, especially us boys, just to give himself a little fun. He would tie us in such a way as to cause our bodies to form an angle and then he proceeded to use the whip (1936-1938).” According to Womble, “At other times he would throw us in a large tank that held about two-thousand gallons of water. He then stood back and laughed while we struggled to keep from drowning.” The slaveholders would treat their slaves in such a cruel way and they would create many punishments for them, even if they did not do anything to deserve it.
Other more cruel punishment was carried out--not only in the North, but throughout the other colonies as well. The idea was that the criminal should be marked and humiliated. Whipping posts were used, flesh was branded with hot irons, and ears and hands were cut off.
The Middle Ages lasted approximately 1,000 years, from the 5th to 15th century. The early part of the Middle Ages is also known as the Dark Ages. The Middle Ages has many nicknames including the Golden Ages and Medieval Times. One of the most accurate nicknames for the Middle Ages is, the Age of Faith. When one thinks of the Golden Ages, famine, plague, economic depression, crusades, disease, bloody wars, Vikings, persecution, and torture all come to mind. Torture during the Medieval Times was viewed differently than it is viewed today. Today, torture is viewed as cruel, inhuman, and degrading. In the U.S. torture is illegal but is sometimes used by the CIA and correctional facilities without public acknowledgement. As Schild said, “ In general, there are many indication that the people living at the time did not perceive the brutality of execution in the same way we would perceive it today, because they were filled with a deep sense of sin and thus were open to torture” (Thedeus).
They drove a metal pin through the infants ankles and gave it to a shepherd,
Torture is the intentional infliction of extreme physical suffering on some non-consenting, defenseless person. Torture in any form is used to punish, coerce, or afford sadistic pleasure.
Is the intentional pain that an individual experiences justified if there is the potential to save the lives of many? Torture is the most used weapon in the “war against terrorism” but does it work? The purpose of this essay is to identify what the motives for torturing are, the effectiveness of torture, and important issues with the whole process of torture.
The constables brought in a wooden cross, which was a torture device and "made Hsu kneel down with his back to this cross and lashed his throat. His wrists were put through two holes at the ends of the crossbar, and his hands tied securely to the bar, so that they could not slip through. They passed a thick, round pole between the back of his thighs and his calves, and finally laid a long, heavy wooden beam across his lap." (194) After the device was set up "Judge Dee ordered them to
I thought it was cruel that they manipulated these prisoners and gave them long-term behavioral problems, such as nausea, paralysis, and helplessness. For example, one of the Holmesburg victims—Jesse Williams—experienced abuse by “physicians and technicians had rubbed acid into his scrotum until skin fell away—all for three dollars a session” (244). Holmesburg Prison experiments occurred during 1962-1968 and tested 153 experimental drugs on victims in the prison. These prisoners were inoculated with herpes, vaccinia, and viruses. Based on the research files, there was not an indication of them and the uprisings of drugs preformed were also
The basket was used to catch the falling heads. In the early revolution Richard Clark said that originally a wicker basket lined with an oil cloth had been used to catch the head. Later on a metal bucket was used to prevent the blood from flowing through the streets. Since they guillotined so any people the bucket became a necessity to have. Along with this it helped to prevent the smell of death in the streets.
Several other punishments of the medieval period were also rather gruesome. If you were charged with treason, but you were a noble person otherwise, you were to be simply hanged and buried. If you committed murder, and were found guilty of attempted murder, you’d be tied up, near the scene of the crime and left to starve to death. If you were convicted of a successful murder, you’d be hung for a little while, have your hands cut off, and then led to where you’d be executed. Rouges were to be sent to the stockades and whipped, anyone who disturbed the peace were to be continuously du...
Torture is the process of inflicting pain upon other people in order to force them to say something against their own will. The word “torture” comes from the Latin word “torquere,” which means to twist. Torture can not only be psychologically but mentally painful. Before the Enlightenment, it was perfectly legal to torture individuals but nowadays, it is illegal to torture anyone under any circumstances. In this essay, I will demonstrate why torture should never acceptable, not matter the condition.