Unnatural Killers

1034 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: what does personal responsibility mean

In John Grisham’s essay “Unnatural Killers” he weaves a story of two love-struck teens (Sarah Edmondson and Benjamin Darras) on a killing spree that claimed the lives of one of Grisham’s close personal friends (Bill Savage) and the mobility of another woman (Patsy Byers). Grisham claims that these teens were influenced by Oliver Stone’s film Natural Born Killers and that “there exists a direct causal link between the movie Natural Born Killers and the death of Bill Savage”(577). Even though I must concede some of Grisham’s points, I still think that, whether the movie (Natural Born Killers) had an influence on the two teens or not it’s still their personal choices to shoot those people. The blame should be laid on Darras and Edmondson because of their decisions, not Oliver Stone because of his movie’s possible influence.

In his essay, Grisham makes many heated claims towards Oliver Stone and his film, but I must concede to the fact that one of the victims (Bill Savage) was one of Grisham’s close personal friends. That was most likely the reason for the heated tone of Grisham’s remarks. Along with Grisham’s personal attachment to the shootings, he is also a lawyer and writer whose stories could have possible influences on people, therefore, giving him a different perspective on the situation as a whole. My last concession to Grisham’s essay is, as he acknowledges on page 573 of his essay, that he only has Sarah’s testimony to use for reference. Even with those concessions there is still plenty of questions concerning the two teens’ story.

The first of my questions would have to be in regards to the teens questionable backgrounds. In his essay, Grisham makes a statement about the two kids saying, “troubled as they were, Ben ...

... middle of paper ...

...he death of his friend, but that does not mean he can undoubtedly lay blame to Oliver Stone’s movie. Because, like Marilyn Manson says in his essay, “Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?,” “If a kid is old enough to drive a car or buy a gun, isn’t he old enough to be held personally responsible for what he does with his car or gun?” (730). It is simply put, but it sends a clear message. People should be held accountable for their actions, because no matter how much they claim to be influenced, it is still their decision.

Works Cited

Grisham, John. “Unnatural Killers.” Patterns for College Writing. 7th ed. Ed. Laurie G.

Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. New York: St. Martens Press, 1998. 570-70. Print.

Manson, Marilyn. “Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?” The Conscious Reader. 11th ed. Ed.

Caroline Shrodes, et. al. New York: Pearson, 2009.

Show More
Related

  • The Parents' Role in School Shootings

    1204 Words  | 3 Pages

    When 2 young men, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, went on a shooting spree in Littleton, Colorado, killing 15 people, including themselves, there was a public outcry for censorship of every type of entertainment and changes in gun laws despite Eric Harris’s journal entry titled, “Last Wishes” asking that no one be blamed, other than himself and Klebold, for the massacre (“As You Were”, par. 2). After the 1999 school shooting now simply known as Columbine, a “Newsweek” pole showed that, “about half of all Americans want to see the movie industry, the TV industry, computer game makers, Internet services and gun manufacturers and the NRA make major policy changes to help reduce teen violence” (Alter, par. 1). According to Dave Cullen in his article “Let the Litigation Begin” several lawsuits were filed against the parents of the two boys responsible for the shooting spree claiming that Harris’s and Klebold’s families, “breached their duty of care” by allowing their sons to amass a cache of illegal weapons (Cullen, par. 5). Although the boys’ parents denied such allegations, they settled out of court for $1.6 million (Cullen, par. 5)...

    Read More

  • Summary Of Unnatural Killers By John Grisham

    379 Words  | 1 Pages

    The media has long been tagged as a catalyst that influences the way people act in their daily lives. In the article “Unnatural Killers”, author John Grisham criticizes the movie “Natural Born Killers” as the only influence upon which two youths commit murder. The various types of environments shown on media most certainly influence the thoughts people make towards certain situations. However, the ultimate decision of the actions taken is up to the individual; everyone is responsible for their own actions. Therefore, the defendants in the article should be declared guilty of the crimes done.

    Read More

  • In Cold Blood: Nature vs Nurture

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Truman Capote’s famous non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood, there is evidence that supports the injustices of the trial: death penalty. The final outcome of the trail was never to be any different than death. “Of all the people in all the world, the Clutters were the least likely to be murdered” (Capote 85). We know the two men who killed the Clutter family, Perry Smith and Bill Hickock, preplanned the crime with malice and forethought. Although the actions were crul and grusome, does Death Row fit what they did if their pasts, childhood environments and situation, are bad. Capote shows the effect of childhood on the killers and if the death penalty is fair. Capote gives the killers a voice to show their humanity by giving childhood accounts of their lives. He questions the justice of is the death penalty fair, and if inherent evil is a product of childhood or society. Is it nature or nurture? Capote gives a look into the minds of the killers and the nature vs. nurture theory. The detailed account the killers’ childhoods makes the reader sympathize with the Clutter family’s killers Smith and Hickock. Should they reserve the death penalty? Did Truman Capote take a stand on the death penalty? By giving the readers a detailed accounting of Perry Smith’s and Dick Hickock’s childhood, Capote sets up the reader for nurture vs. nature debate on the death penalty. The question then becomes, do the effects (if any) caused by environment in childhood make for a trained killer or a natural born one?

    Read More

  • Understanding Kip Kinkel: The Killer at Thurston High

    2697 Words  | 6 Pages

    Michael Kirk and Peter J. Boyer. (2000, January 18). The killer at Thurston High. May 5, 2010, by FrontLine: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kinkel/etc/script.html

    Read More

  • Kids Are Kids-Until They Commit Crimes By Marjie Lundstrom

    1024 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although children are constantly being exposed to violence through movies, television, and video games which could influence the harm done, kids today are more sophisticated at a younger age; they understand the implications of violence and how to use violent weapons. In the article “Kids are Kids- Until They Commit Crimes”, Marjie Lundstrom explores the stories of two young boys, Lionel Tate and Thomas A. Preciado, who both commit violent crimes and try to play it off. Tate unsuccessfully tried to put pro wrestling on trial for “savagely beating a six-year-old girl..” and Preciado claimed he was mimicking a TV show of robbing a bank and was tried as an adult for stabbing the mini mart clerk to death. The real question is how do we know if these indications are true, if these children really were imitating or if those are all just excuses. It is absurd to argue that a modern child, who sees the effect of violence around him in the news every day, does not understand what it means to kill. The fact that child killers know how to load and shoot a gun is an indicator that they understand exactly what they are doing and should not be able to make excuses as such. With this it is proven that a child's surroundings do not fully influence their wrongful doings and the Supreme Court Justices shall retain their

    Read More

  • Columbine Shooting Case Study

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the article, after he addressed that blaming his music was no excuse, Manson begins asking questions like “what did Timothy McVeigh like to watch?” or “what inspires Bill Clinton to blow up people in Kosovo?” (Manson 420). These were all cases of murder that were reported by the media, but Manson questions why the media did not look for inspiration for these murders in contrast to the Columbine shooting. He recognizes that the media is using him as a scapegoat for their own benefit instead of reporting the real information at the time. What’s worse, the media heavily emphasizes the information that it gives out. For Manson, blaming something as trivial as music is unjustifiable and an insult to those who died that

    Read More

  • Essay On Differences Between Native Son And Natural Born Killers

    2160 Words  | 5 Pages

    Richard Wright’s novel Native Son and Oliver Stone’s film Natural Born Killers are works that focus on the act of murder. Native Son deals with the large impact that race has on the way society sees both white and black communities. Natural Born Killers shows how one’s past and the media one is exposed to can affect ones view of violence. Throughout both the novel and film killing becomes natural to the characters due to the way society has conditioned them.

    Read More

  • Charles Manson’s Influence

    1514 Words  | 4 Pages

    Wilson, David. “What Makes A Born Killer?” The Mirror. 3 Star Edition. The Mirror (2011). Print.

    Read More

  • Violence in the Media

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    Gina Marchetti, in her essay "Action-Adventure as Ideology," argues that action- adventure films implicitly convey complex cultural messages regarding American values and the "white American status quo." She continues to say that all action-adventure movies have the same basic structure, including plot, theme, characterization, and iconography. As ideology, this film genre tacitly expresses social norms, values, and morals of its time. Marchetti's essay, written in 1989, applies to films such as Raiders of the Lost Ark and Rambo: First Blood II. However, action-adventure films today seem to be straying farther away from her generalizations about structure, reflecting new and different cultural norms in America. This changing ideology is depicted best in Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994), which defies nearly every concept Marchetti proposes about action-adventure films; and it sets the stage for a whole new viewpoint of action in the '90's.

    Read More

  • Serial Killers: Monsters or Mentally Ill

    1577 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...mid, D. (2005) Natural born celebrities: Serial killers in American Culture. Chicago, IL: U of Chicago P. Retrived from- http://press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chicago/738671.html

    Read More

  • Media Violence: Censorship Not Needed

    1589 Words  | 4 Pages

    Pollitt, Katha. "Natural Born Killers." The Nation 26 July. 1999. Rpt. in Violence in the Media as "Violence in the Media Reflects the Violence in Society." Ed. James D. Torr. San Diego: Greenhaven. 2001. 47-49.

    Read More

  • Leopold and Loeb

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the time, society struggled to comprehend how two young teenagers were put on trial as murderers – children were given sympathy for being targeted as victims. However, today journalists and reporters blame the way children are raised for committing crimes. The environment they grow up in and the values that are instilled within them are what influence their every action. While Nathan and Richard were raised in upper-class families, both endured difficult childhoods. Reporters claim that Leopold’s childhood was “scarred by feelings of physical inferiority, the sexual abuse of a governess, and the loss of his mother when he was fourteen” and may be a reasonable explanation for his detrimental actions (Fass 934). This perspective shifted the blame from the teenagers to the parents, who were considered at fault for raising their children irresponsibly.

    Read More

  • Causes Of Charles Starkweather And Caril Fugate

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    When one thinks of serial killers, the first thoughts that come to that person are usually of cold blooded adults. Two young, carefree teenagers almost never come to mind, and most would never even consider the idea. Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate may just change the way people think of serial killers. The young couple rampaged across the state of Nebraska in early 1958, murdering ten people along the way. Most wonder what could cause such young people to turn into murderers with what seemed to be no conscience at all. Did Starkweather have a bad childhood? Bullying could have played a part in causing Charles to turn out the way he was. Caril Fugate became involved with Starkweather at the age of 13 and many questioned if it was possible for someone so young to have played a part in something as awful as murder. As the duo traveled, fear was struck into the public. No one knew why the victims were chosen. Did Starkweather or Fugate have a grudge against them? Were they trying to stop the two, or was it just sheer bad luck? Like most criminals, the pair was caught. They each had very different verdicts. Charles Starkweather and Caril Fugate changed the history of Nebraska drastically in just a short amount of time.

    Read More

  • A Common Psychological Views Of Nature And Nurture: Dick Vs. Perry

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    These two men, both coming from different backgrounds, joined together and carried out a terrible choice that rendered consequences far worse than they imagined. Living under abuse, Perry Smith never obtained the necessary integrity to be able to pause and consider how his actions might affect other people. He matured into a man who acts before he thinks, all due to the suffering he endured as a child. Exposed to a violent father who did not instill basic teachings of life, Smith knew nothing but anger and misconduct as a means of responding to the world. He knew no other life. Without exposure to proper behavior or responsible conduct, he turned into a monster capable of killing an entire family without a blink of remorse. In the heat of the moment, Perry Smith slaughtered the Clutter family and barely stopped to take a breath. What could drive a man to do this in such cold blood? The answer lies within his upbringing, and how his childhood experiences shaped him to become the murderer of a small family in Holcomb, Kansas. ¨The hypothesis of unconscious motivation explains why the murderers perceived innocuous and relatively unknown victims as provocative and thereby suitable targets for aggression.¨ (Capote 191). ¨But it is Dr. Statten´s contention that only the first murder matters psychologically, and that when

    Read More

  • Neighborhood Violence in The Murder of Thirty of My Neighbors by Jim Myers

    835 Words  | 2 Pages

    When attempting to explain the conditions Myers' lives in, straightforward, realistic statements are usually the most effective way to do so. "Near my house in the 1990s we had drive-by killings, run-by killings, sneak-up killings, gunfights and battles, car chases. We had drug killings, vengeance killings, the killing of witnesses to other crimes, accidental killings, and killings that enforce values we can only vaguely fathom" (73). Myers' illustrates the violence he sees on a daily basis, which allows someone like myself, who comes from a small suburban town and is not familiar with killings of any sort, to better understand the nature of the violence he is describing. It is a very bold statement that sets the tone of the essay, for this type of violence is common to Myers and is something he has become accustomed to. For those of us who are lucky enough to live in areas sheltered from violence and death, there is a need for outside sources to make us aware of the condition of the world around us.

    Read More

More about Unnatural Killers

Open Document