Critical Analysis: Death and Justice by Edward Kotch Essay

In his see with wish to capital punishment authorise Death and Justice, which first appeargond in The bare-assed Republic on April 15, 1985, Edward I. Koch self-assertingly refutes the claims of souls who are irrelevant to the subject matter with seven firm and self-coloured points. A native of impudently York, born 1924, Koch was an American lawyer, politician, political commentator and a reality video arbitrator. He earned his law degree in 1948 from New York University and practiced law in New York City for any(prenominal)(prenominal) two decades thereafter. He was a member of the U.S Ho part of Representatives, serving from 1969 to 1977 and in the later year, he was therefore elected as New York mayor, holding the post until 1990. With such a strong and wide variety in damage of line of work, it is my belief that his earns communicated in this testify by commission of his, rational, ethical and rational appeal are well-thought out and immaterial. Un aslope or imp artial, if you will, due to the point that with the rebuttal personal manner in which the strain was written, the argue claims would first have to be identified and evaluated originally generating an objecting response.The piece of work in my depression achieves its affair and is well organized by subroutine of logos, pity and ethos, thus influencing a successful but thence controversial stress. As menti nonpareild in my introductory carve up, the essay is carefully structured into seven sturdy points in which each, Koch identifies the claims of his thwarters viewed by his rebuttal arguments. This makes the piece oft easier to follow and interpret, hence do his arguments extremely dupe and concise. This as well influences the readers to grasp a better knowledge of his opinion hence increasing the probability of reader agreement.In this logical system of ideas, each argument is encourage justified by the use of analogies, if, then secernatements, statistics, sto ries and the use of credible sources (experts, scholars). Some throughout the text buck place as follows in his first vindication in which he rejects the statement that the death penalization is barbaric and draws and analogy between cancer and murder. It is my view that this was an extremely effective strategy used by Koch as analogies encourage participation and increases learning of an unknown topic by comparing it to something that is quite well-known(prenominal) in his third denial where Koch refutes the opinion of the opponent that an innocent person might be penalize by mis channelise. By way of statistics he proven that this was never the cause. He cited a study of 7,000 executions in the USA from 1893 to 1971, and concludes that the records fail to show that such cases occur. Statistics finally speak for themselves, needing no further clarification hence why their use is extremely influential and in this case, utterly persuasive.This was a great execution in the ar ea of logos which totally disregarded the debate claim without a doubt. Remarkably Koch does non oddment that particular argument there but or else continues by establishing honor and developing such truth by examples. He says Human purport deserves finicky protection and one of the best ship canal to contract that protection is to assure that convicted murderers do not bolt down again. He then proceeds by providing an example, and in this case, of an unexecuted recidivist murderer named Lemuel Smith who was sentenced to close to six years life sentence.This was immaculate why you may ask? This same murderer then killed a woman corrections officer. Additional life sentences for Smith, according to Koch are meaningless. It is my view that examples reduplicate and re-enforce a concept or thought, in this case the earlier provided statistic. This example provided also provoked ones rational thinking and slender argumentation hence increasing the probability that readers ar e fain to agree with Koch and his position in his fourth defense lawyers where he refuted that capital punishment cheapens the nurse of military personnel life.In his immaculate use of if, then statements, Koch says if we displace the penalty for rape, we lower our view or regard for the victims suffering, abasement and personal integrity. In the same instance, by exacting the highest penalty for murder, we then affirm the highest value of human life, which influences logical reasoning and critical thinking, both forms and arts of rhetoric used to stockpile intellectually (logos). To conclude my first point, it is my view that the essay did in event follow a logical system of ideas by way of seven clear points.Each point was further justified by use of rhetorical strategies to make the argument much more get windable as well as believable. It is safe to say that Kochs essay was curiously powerful where logos is concerned. passim the text, despite not in abundance, there is in fact some superstar of emotional appeal (pathos). Although Kochs primary(a) tone throughout the piece is aggressive, he distinctively manages to appeal to our emotions in some contexts. For example, once more, adjourn his fourth refutation where he refuted that capital punishment cheapens the value of human life.He uses rape, a genuinely emotional and touchy topic for any individual within our companionship, and basically goes on further to state that if we lower the penalty for rape, we lower our view or regard for the victims suffering, humiliation and personal integrity. His use of connotation with words such as victims suffering, horrible experience, humiliation and increased danger invoked a feeling kind- breastedness for the victim and the situation by the way it appealed to the heart and to ones emotion. Rape is in fact a terrible occurrence for which sympathy is usually given to the victim.It is my belief that Koch deliberately seized the opportunity to expect t he readers emotional attention by evoking a sense of pity or sympathy in his efforts for us to conceptualize and agree with his point. Very good drift Given the background information provided in my sign paragraph, it is implied that Koch is a credible source. This was an underlying organisation of ethos. Throughout the text, his tone suggests authority as well as credibleness. He was a lawyer, a TV judge, a politician and a mayor. He was a all-round(prenominal) scholar with a diverse work history.It is of my opinion that he has dealt with a variety of different cases on a wide spectrum of practice. The area of ethos is therefore implied. Although for the around part, the ethos is in fact underlying by way of his background information, throughout the text you can solace witness hints of his authority. Take for example, in his fourth refutation he ridicules his critics, one in particular, Jimmy Breslin by calling his statement regarding capital punishment sophistical nonsense . Not only is this satire but establishment of authority by way of discrediting an opposite(prenominal)s opinion.This in fact was effective as it shows that Koch has in fact done his research regarding what his critics have give tongue to thus establishing him as a trusted and unbiased source. Another example can be nominate in his sixth refutation, where he makes reference to the bible, he establishes credibility by introducing us to the greatest thinkers of the nineteenth century Kant, Locke, Hobbes, Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Mill who all agreed that inborn law properly authorized the sovereign to take life in order to vindicate justice. fit to philpapers. org, an online research philosophy engine it can be said they were all well-known philosophers who are considered to be central figures of modern philosophy. Name-dropping is one of the easiest ways to persuade an audience as the majority of us human beings tend to follow the way in which famous people ranging from celebri ties to scholars, think. This then influences the way society thinks hence my belief that the use of credible sources in this instance was impeccable.Within the same argument (the sixth refutation), I also noticed that it was not biased or unfair as he includes that Jeremy Bentham, another great philosopher, was ambivalent to the claims of the others. He does not take out out any information hence making the argument fair and believable, which in turn establishes his credibility and believability. He then goes on to establish additional credibility by revealing names of other scholars (Washington, Jefferson and Franklin) who endorsed the claim.This was effective in persuading us as the readers to understand and accept his point of view. Death and Justice is an effectively-written essay which judiciously rebuts the claims of individuals opposed to the capital punishment. Each paragraph within the essay is well-thought out and organized effectively. With the use of logos, pathos and subliminal forms of ethos, Koch immaculately achieves his purpose of persuading the readers to conceptualize, understand and agree with his claims and opinions regarding the death penalty.Although Koch ridicules the opponent throughout some exerts of the text, the readers are still able to grasp his aggressive and almost certainly serious tone. It is my opinion that the argument presented was unbiased and impartial, taking into the consideration the rebuttal style in which it was written. This piece of writing has not, and will by all odds not be limited to the time in which it was written as the argument presented is very controversial, and in continued debate.