Is it really necessary for ruthless criminals to be sentenced to execution? There are many viewpoints on this topic, but in the execution of tropman, by Ivan Turgenev, it is seen as an unnecessary and even barbaric act. In mr. Turgenevs essay about a convicted mans execution, it is easy to see how he feels about the situation. The way he describes the whole night easily makes the reader want to take up his side of the argument. He is reluctant to even go to the execution at first, and I thought it was interesting how he kept feeling the burden of guilt come up throughout the execution process.
He presents the situation in a somewhat subjective tone, but for the most part his examinations were correct. The crowd was getting hyped for no reason. Turgenev is able to show how simple the humanPsyche becomes when there is a chance to see something that is a rare opportunity. Many people came to this execution, but only the front few could even see... I thought this was an interesting point because so often humans will do un natural things to say they were part of something big. Turgenevs inclusion of this analysis greatly helps his critique against capital punishment.
However his subjective tone does take away from his argument in the long run. He keeps talking about the cons of the execution and how barbaric everyone acts just to be there, but not once mentions the pros of the execution. This may be because tropman was young and perhaps innocent, but every essay needs to look at the counter argument and try to acknowledge it.This essay is talking about an execution a long time ago, making me feel that it's analyzations are not necessarily true about people in modern times. Nowadays the criminals on death row are put to execution for much worse crimes, but they are not a public event. I believe the only fuel Turgenev had for his argument was the fact that the crowd acted so differently than normal humans would. If the people had gathered respectfully and watched the execution quietly take place, this would be a totally different story.
I remember last year we had a debate on whether capital punishment was justified or not, and my view on the topic was picked for me. Now that I can choose for myself, I realize how hard of a decision it is. There are people that deserve to be executed, but we as humans do not have the right to simply take another life. Like ghandi said "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." I think that simply because of the way he describes the event, I am going to side with Turgenev on this argument. Capital punishment is one injustice that should not exist.
