Reviewing the Necessity of Punishment Essay - 1739 Words

Reviewing the Necessity of Punishment From On Crimes and Punishment by Cesare Beccaria is an excerpt from On Crimes and Punishment. In his address to the public, particularly those in political positions, Beccaria discusses the way we as a society choose to carry out the law. What he calls useless severity of punishment encompasses his thoughts on extremes such as capital punishment and the cruelties that we allow our government to inflict upon its own people in a failing attempt to bring order to our society. The death penalty has plagued our society for centuries, perhaps beginning with the idea of human sacrifice that has been turned around as a cycle of never-ending death and cruelty. The writing techniques employed by†¦show more content†¦Cesare Beccaria is quick to point out the opposing view to his statement, then use it as reinforcement for his own argument. Discussing capital punishment, he clearly states that many countries, if not most, practice this and have done so for centuries. He doesnt give his audience much time to think about that as he quickly calls the history of mankind a vast sea of errors, among which there float a few confused truths, each one far from the next (68). Instead of just referring to the mistakes made in our history, Beccaria calls them a vast sea of errors implying that these mistakes are so tremendous in number and carry such weight with them that they have not been given enough credit for the tragedies they have caused. It is also unclear if Beccaria is insulting his opponent, adding their opinion to this vast sea of errors. In turn, the reader doesnt want their thoughts bunched with these erroneous opinions. The author claims these mistakes are the effect of confused truths. To the reader, confused truths equates fallacy. The diction is presented in an oxy-moron fashion that reinforces his statement with delicate language, leaving the audience to question his opponents view. Adding these complicated, descriptive words, Beccaria reinstates an argumen t more likely used by his opponent, then slams the statement with vague evidence to make his audience give more thought to his argument thanShow MoreRelatedCivil Bureau Of Prisons Regulations Essay968 Words   |  4 Pagesinstitutes have the necessity to keep said institute safe, without the micromanagement of the judicial process. 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