The Defense of Henry Sweet
For this assignment, I found a speech that was given by a famous defense attorney named Clarence Darrow. This speech is his closing remarks to the all-white jury in defense of a black man named Henry Sweet. The trial took place in Detroit, Michigan in May of 1926. Henry Sweet was accused of first-degree murder.
I chose this text for my paper because it had more persuasive techniques in it than anything else I came across. Which is to be expected, because after all, the whole purpose of the speech was to persuade the jury. One of the techniques that this speech has an abundance of is the use of purr words. Darrow referred to the jury numerous times as being the “kindly”, “decent”, and “most humane” people of the society. He referred to the jury selection process by saying, “it took us a week to find you, a week of culling out the prejudice and hatred. Probably we did not cull it all out at that, but we took the best and the fairest that we could find.” The question that immediately came to my mind when I read that was, “best” and “fairest” of what/who? There were many instances like these throughout the speech.
Darrow also made use of labels in the same way. By saying to the jury that he believed they were fair, just, and unprejudiced, he was trying to program them to overlook the fact that the defendant was black, (which, of course, was a very big deal back then…especially to the all-white jury). Darrow said at one point,
“… you know that if white men had been fighting their way against colored men, nobody would have dreamed of prosecution. And that from the beginning of this case to the end… the prosecution is based on race prejudice and nothing else.”
He based his whole speech on prejudice (and an argument against it) and the labels that he gave the jury were just one of many ways he did this. Darrow also referred to Henry Sweet as a “boy” on numerous occasions. Sweet was a grown man, but by labeling him as a boy, it made him seem more innocent and faultless to his audience.
The hypocrisy and double standard that allowed whites to bring harm to blacks without fear of any repercussions had existed for years before the murder Tyson wrote about occurred in May of 1970 (Tyson 2004, 1). Lynching of black men was common place in the south as Billie Holiday sang her song “Strange Fruit” and the eyes of justice looked the other way. On the other side of the coin, justice was brought swiftly to those blacks who stepped out of line and brought harm to the white race. Take for instance Nate Turner, the slave who led a rebellion against whites. Even the Teel’s brought their own form of justice to Henry Marrow because he “said something” to one of their white wives (1).
This internal conflict is a result of the mistakes a physician makes, and the ability to move on from it is regarded as almost unreachable. For example, in the essay, “When Doctors Make Mistakes”, Gawande is standing over his patient Louise Williams, viewing her “lips blue, her throat swollen, bloody, and suddenly closed passage” (73). The imagery of the patient’s lifeless body gives a larger meaning to the doctor’s daily preoccupations. Gawande’s use of morbid language helps the reader identify that death is, unfortunately, a facet of a physician’s career. However, Gawande does not leave the reader to ponder of what emotions went through him after witnessing the loss of his patient. He writes, “Perhaps a backup suction device should always be at hand, and better light more easily available. Perhaps the institutions could have trained me better for such crises” (“When Doctors Make Mistakes” 73). The repetition of “perhaps” only epitomizes the inability to move on from making a mistake. However, this repetitive language also demonstrates the ends a doctor will meet to save a patient’s life (73). Therefore, it is not the doctor, but medicine itself that can be seen as the gateway from life to death or vice versa. Although the limitations of medicine can allow for the death of a patient to occur, a doctor will still experience emotional turmoil after losing someone he was trying to
The practice of medicine is both beautiful and dangerous. It is known for its power of healing and innovation. However, it can also cause damage by medicalizing and simplifying very sensitive, complex topics. In Being Mortal, Atul Gawande explores the nature and process of death, including the precious, limited time leading to it. Gawande gives light to the fact that because of pharmaceuticals and modern technologies, people in their last stages of life often focus on hope, rather than recognizing the bitter reality. Also, Gawande describes the importance of different care facilities, such as hospice, and their role in helping the critically ill. Unfortunately, it often seems that the focus is not on the ill and their wishes, but rather the
Tom Robinson and Bob Ewell’s case brought out the historical realities of Jim Crow and the Great Depression. Oh how it was a depressing sight, Jim Crow laws pushing the blame and hatred onto our dark skinned brothers and sisters. Even though the town was floating with Jim Crow ideals and hatred for Tom, Atticus willingly bore some of that hatred by taking the case. Tom should have won this case hands down if it were based on integrity and character, but instead he had to be judged on the account of eleven white racist jurors. The historical realities of the Great Depression and Jim Crow ideals were illustrated promptly in how the top lived and how they handled state and city
Beth by all accounts was raised in a normal home and is a typical teenager. She became to experience an obsession with gaining weight and becoming fat. Although, Beth weight is normal for her height and age she is dieting and losing weight. She has a poor self-image and as a result has become dangerously thin. Beth refuses to admit she has a problem and as a result is suffering side effects including the loss of her menstrual cycle. Beth’s parents are concerned for their daughter’s health but have no idea how to help her. It is clear that Beth suffers from anorexia. Beth has an abnormal fear of gaining weight. This fear has led her to an unhealthy view of what she should weigh. The media and culture surrounding Beth are used as her justification for her fear of weight. Beth’s ability to ignore both the set point and setting point theory could be linked to the positive-incentive she had developed. Beth sees losing weight as a positive or desired outcome. These views as lead her from seeing any positive-incentive from eating. The fact that Beth has been obsessed with her weight for a while and that she is dangerously slim, would suggest that she has been limiting her food intake for a while. The fact that Beth has limited her intake of food for so long means that eating would only make her feel nauseated. This feeling only justifies her view of not e...
The original trials of the Scottsboro Boys, presided by Judge Hawkins, were unfair. Haywood Patterson wrote that as he and the Boys were herded into the Scottsboro courthouse by the National Guard, a horde of white men, women, and children had gathered outside, ready to lynch them. He “heard a thousand times… ‘We are going to kill you niggers!’” (Patterson 21). The atmosphere around the courthouse on the day of the trials was like Barnum and Bailey’s and the Ringling Brother’s...
Turner, Billy. 1986. “Race and Peremptory Challenges During Voir Dire: Do Prosecution and Defense Agree?” Journal of Criminal Justice 14: 61-69.
This document will examine racial discrimination during jury selections. Beginning with the background history, will demonstrate how racial discriminating came into play. George Stinny, and Emmett Till and other African americans are victims who both had been racially discriminated against. Supreme Court rulings will be a guide to help understand each of the cases and how they each helped change the justice system.
...still learning, and tanning is a stupid mistake that could easily be avoided. We need to tell young teens they have a deadly disease that may kill them from tanning and how it’s not worth it. Most importantly, it's high time we treated indoor tanning as what it is, cigarettes for the skin.
The renaissance is one of the most culturally, religiously, and artistically inventive periods in the history of mankind. From giant sculptures carved to perfection to literary works of art that induced deep thinking, the renaissance demonstrated that man’s view of itself was expeditiously becoming refined. Many of the most influential people in history, Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Raphael, and Dante lived during the time of the great reinvention of Italian society. The renaissance altered the way education, art, and innovation were perceived and forever changed the thinking of the common man.
During the Italian renaissance there were many inventions, creations, and art, but some of the things still affect our lifestyle today. Some of these things are well known by people, where some are just artwork that has lots of exposure in the modern world. There are people who devote their lives to study these works of art. There must be some information on how this outburst of art and other works began, as before the Renaissance Italy was in a depression. This is a complete turnaround from a depression. In this report I am going to review and go over how the Renaissance started and who kept it alive, by studying the life of rich patrons. There is also going to be sections on specific inventions and artwork that shows renaissance lifestyle, using a book of Art History and information about popular inventions.
The renaissance or “rebirth” was a cultural awakening which spanned from the fourteenth to sixteenth century. A growing interest in humanist traits and classical ideas heavily influenced the art during the renaissance. A growing community of artists provided much needed competition for their profession. The renaissance introduced many different and modern ideas but also remained obedient to classical belief. The unique art of the renaissance spread throughout Europe. Northern European art differed tremendously from Italian art.
Artists in the Renaissance aided the continuation of Renaissance ideals. Renaissance art, including paintings, sculptures, and architecture,...
You are falsely accused for an awful crime, and a trial is occurring about your sentence. A guilty man would be anxious, but, you’re innocent. Also, your lawyer just verified the unfair accusation to everyone in the town, courtroom, defendants, and to the judge with undeniable evidence! The only thing against you is that you’re a black man, but there’s so much affirmation to support your statement of not guilty. However, when things seem to be almost all blue skies, clear water, and sunshine, the people in your town can’t lower their ‘biased standards’ on their racial intolerance, so now the real culprit is running around while the other one is innocent. Harper Lee, the author of the book To Kill a Mockingbird, displays Maycomb County
In order to understand the importance of self-reflection of physicians, we have to address the problem of modern American medicine first. In the book, Dr. Chen first focuses on the transformation of medical students after encountering death: the cadaver dissection, resuscitation on a dying patient, and the process of pronouncing the death of a patient (Chen, 2007). These is...