Cruel And Unusual Punishment

Lundgren, Axel English 1310

The death penalty is not something that comes up in conversation or everyday life very often; however, being out of mind does not make it unimportant. Although not an everyday occurrence, the death penalty is still happening. The quote from the United States Bill of Rights is used to show an irony in our Bill of Rights for still having and supporting a death penalty. The purpose of the poster is to make the audience think that maybe killing someone may actually be cruel. Audience The targeted audience is anyone willing to speak up not just for their own rights but for the rights of the accused as protected by our Bill of Rights. The death penalty is not generally associated with our everyday lives, but my goal was to reach an audience that would sympathize with those that have to deal with it and realize that it is wrong. Since DNA evidence has been used there have been 280 post-conviction DNA exonerations in the United States (Facts onExonerations). Of the 280 convicted, 17 have served time on death row (Facts on Exonerations). No one, not even one person deserves to die for a crime they did not commit. As society evolves and moves into the future, we should not resort to revenge and an eye-for-eye as a means to achieve justice. Another aspect about this poster is the quote from the 8th amendment, cruel and unusual punishment. We as an American society are very concerned with our rights and freedoms. Freedom is something that we as Americans all have in common. Infringement of our rights is a

very serious issue and thus the death penalty should be abolished for killing, for any reason with a reasonable alternative is cruel. Kairos This poster makes an argument based on our American love for our rights and freedoms. I hope to move people to realize that the death penalty infringes upon our rights. A strategy I use is quoting the 8th amendment to the American Constitution because the Constitution represents American law and government but also by extension the belief of the American people in these laws and government to protect our rights. After all the most famous and powerful line of the Constitution is We the People of the United States. In addition to the quote there is also a picture of an electric chair. Although it has been outdated, it by far one of the most famous form of execution in American culture except maybe the noose. The electric chair is depicted in many movies as a very unpleasant way to be executed. However, since the majority of us have not and probably never will see a real execution; the poster tries to draw on the audiences movie experiences in correlation with the 8th amendment; especially with the upcoming presidential election. Common Places The electric chair is a commonplace that represents execution and death. The Constitution represents our rights and freedoms. As it represents these things which are vital to the American way of life, anything concerning the Constitution is almost always kairotic to Americans. The poster tries to place value on the audiences valuing civil rights and liberties. Rights and law are kairotic now because politicians are starting to campaign for the upcoming presidential election.

Ethos The artifact uses an ethical proof in an effective manner. I as an author establish myself as credible in this field by quoting the Bill of Rights, which has a great deal of importance to rights and freedoms. The title is also newspaper headline-esque; this helps to establish this poster as a credible and reliable source for information. Pathos This poster effectively appeals to the cultural importance of the Bill of Rights in American society. By just simply having Cruel and Unusual Punishment I try to draw the readers attention to just that, as it is a well-known part of the Bill of Rights. I tried to associate the electric chair and the 8th amendment and help people realize that the death penalty is actually cruel. Reflection Were this poster put up on a college campus I think it would draw many students good intentions and want to do good. Abolish of the death penalty is the main goal, and although just a simple poster may not be able to do this on its own it should certainly help to raise awareness on the subject. I tried to keep the poster simple and straight forward as to prevent any confusion or twisting of the intended message. A more experienced designer may have decided on a less simple design but I think this poster works because of its simplicity.

Work Cited
"The Innocence Project - Facts on Post-Conviction DNA Exonerations." The Innocence Project Home. Web. 01 Dec. 2011. <http://www.innocenceproject.org/Content/Facts_on_PostConviction_DNA_Exonerations.php> .