Thursday, December 11, 2008
Outside reading post 12/11
The author starts of quick and straight to the point. Even though John Dillenger was a master thief and killer, he was also cast aside by society. It starts out about Dillenger's first few robberies that were quite small. Stealing potatoes, things like that. His first major job was to attempt to steal from a local store owner on his way home from work, he is caught. Dillenger is given a lengthy sentence for that sort of crime. "It was little consolidation. John Jr. couldn't believe the harsh sentence. Enraged, he felt that he was sold out by both the system, and his father (25)." It shows it right here, had John Jr. gotten a lighter sentence, there could've been a chance that he wouldn't have ended up the person he was. If he had gotten a lighter sentence, Dillenger could've had a better opinion of the justice system, and not been sold out. Dillenger may have been a good person. Matera also provides counter-reasoning on the great criminal. Basically saying he was destined to do bad. "Even if the senior Dillenger had been more aware, it's doubtful he would have been able to prevent his son's next brush with the law. Junior was simly too determined to go bad (21)." This shows that Dillenger, no matter what society did to him, was destined to go bad. Be a terror to society. To be the John Dillenger we know today. When one is destined to go bad, it cannot be stopped.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I don't agree with he statement that people can be "destined to be bad". In my opinion everyone is good there are just circumstances in life that turn people the wrong way. I think maybe he just was unable to overcome his circumstances and that is what turned him into such a criminal.
While I don't believe people are destined to be bad, I do agree that people are inclined to be bad. Being bad allows people to do things they wouldn't ordinarily be able to do. Altough sometimes what they do is negative, it can also very positive for the person doing it. Because of these things, being bad is looked to as a reliable and easy means of obtaining certain things.
I don't agree that if Dillenger had gotten a shorter sentence he wouldn't have ended up as a crimiinal. Quite honestly, he shouldn't have been stealing at all if he didn't want to be punished. It doesn't make sense that you should get really upset if you are punished for doing something you know is wrong.
It seems to me that John Dillenger appears to be a pretty good person to me. Just the way his society towards and around him changed him. An outcast to society, the only way he can get back at him is to go against his own society. Society will always have people they outcast and this leads to hatred in the society. All of this can be prevented if society just learns to accept everything and take people in. When you say that he is destined to be bad, I would agree, with some exceptions. Even some slight importance in the community would help John Dillenger change him from a killer to a unique person.
I agree with you when you say that when someone takes the path to certain law-breaking, that they rarely ever come out of it. I thought that the idea that you bring out in the beginning of your post was quite interesting in that it was possible that had he been Dillenger given a lighter sentence, could have escaped the downward spiral of thievery. I disagree with that statement, because when one is punished, they always think that the punishment is too harsh, that nothing is fair.
Post a Comment