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Natalie Gaither Honors Comp II Mrs. Davis April 21, 2014 The Inhumanity of Humanity Different methods of torture have been around for ages. Even Jesus Christ himself was a victim of torture. Ever since man has been in the business of seeking vengeance, torture has been a reality for war criminals, prisoners, and other less than fortunate individuals. In fact, the most unsettling thing about torture isnt its existence, but the way people have injected a perverted sense of creativity into the creation of devices designed to create pain(Pegg, David). The fact that there are so many twisted minds in the world baffles me. It is inconceivable to me that so many different people have invented such horrendous methods of torture. The numerous apparatuses that have been created in order to inflict such terrible cruelty, is unfathomable. A few examples of such outrageous inventions of torture devices are the iron maiden, the brazen bull, Judas cradle, the rack and the choke pear. These are some examples of the more gruesome forms of torture. The iron maiden was invented in the late 18th century, using an upright coffin with spikes welded into the chamber. The victim was then forced into the coffin where the spikes would penetrate them, inflicting constant pain that a victim would soon make a confession. If that didnt work, the interrogator would insert sharp objects such as nails or knives to inflict more

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pain. Generally, between the spikes and knives the victim would eventually bleed to death (Israel, David K.). The brazen bull was designed in ancient Greece. It was a hollowed out brass bull with a door on one side. Victims would be locked inside; a fire would be set under the bull, heating the metal until the victim inside roasted to death. It is said that the bulls head was designed so that the victims screams would sound like that of a bellowing bull. After the bull is reopened the bones from the victim would then be turned into jewelry and sold at markets (Israel). Judas cradle was known as one of the most painful torture devices invented by the Spanish Inquisition. Victims usually died from infection since the seat was never cleaned between uses. It was a pyramid-shaped seat and the victims legs were tied together. The chairs point was inserted into the vagina or the anus, stretching the orifice. The victim was then, slowly lowered via ropes. This torture could last anywhere from a few hours to a few days ultimately resulting in death (Israel). The rack was used first on Christian martyrs around the year 300. It consisted of a long wooden board and a few rollers. The victim was chained to the rollers and then pulled in opposite directions eventually pulling their limbs out of their sockets. If they survived, they were generally unable to use their muscles for the rest of their lives (Israel). The choke pear was a device that was popular in the middle ages. This was used on victims who committed blasphemy, lying, having a miscarriage or homosexual intercourse. Depending on the crime the torturer would insert the pear shaped device into different orifices. Women usually got it in the vagina, homosexuals in the anus and liars or blasphemers in the mouth. The device consisted of four, sharpened leaf-like segments that would slowly open as the

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torturer turned the screw at the top. As the leaves opened, it would tear the skin at the very least or expand to mutilate the victims orifice (Israel). I cannot help but ask myself, are these morbid forms of torture truly necessary in order to gain pertinent information or to simple punish a person? Is it necessary to degrade another human being in such a fascist way? Im sure there are more humane ways to punish a person. I dont think there is a crime horrible enough to warrant such grisly torture. On the other hand, I do feel that torture is a necessity during warfare in order to gain vital information. I think that some psychological forms of torture are effective during an interrogation. Procedures such as, sleep deprivation, solitary confinement, temperature extremes and waterboarding have been able to induce feelings of helplessness that lower prisoners defenses. These techniques are designed to break down prisoners to get information without leaving a physical mark on them. Sleep deprivation is used by torturers because it makes a person more [susceptible], reduces psychological resistance and it reduces the bodys capacity to resist pain. Sleep deprivation is a very effective torture technique.[It] can cause impaired memory and cognitive functioning, decreased short term memory, speech impairment, hallucinations, psychosis, lowered immunity, headaches, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, stress, anxiety and depression (The Justice Campaign). Solitary confinement is strictly prohibited under international law. It is a cruel practice which causes permanent psychological damage. The impacts can range from hallucinations, emotional damage, delusions and impaired cognitive functioning to anxiety and depression (The Justice Campaign).

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Using temperature extremes as a form of torture has been used for many years by many different countries. It was the Brazilians who switched from heat to cold cells in 1966 (The Justice Campaign). Leaving people in Sweatboxes has been used for centuries. In Vietnam, shipping containers left over by American forces were used to torture people in the intense heat of the tropical climate (The Justice Campaign). One of the most prevalent forms of torture used today is waterboarding. Waterboarding is primarily used to make a prisoner feel as though they are being suffocated and drowned. A cloth is wrapped around their face then water is poured onto the cloth. The severity of the infliction was measured by the number of jars [of water] consumed, sometimes reaching to six or eight (Weiner, Eric). Here are only a small number of techniques used to either physically or mentally torture a person. It seems to me that some of the devices and the techniques used are quite extreme. It is hard to imagine what could possibly be going on in a person mind when they are well aware of their impending doom. I can only pray that God has mercy on the souls of these people, victims and torturers alike. The fact that people must endure these monstrosities saddens me. But more than that is the fact that a person can actually create such atrocities that truly upsets me.

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Works Cited Israel, David K. 9 Insane Torture Techniques. 19 October 2009. mental_floss.com. http://mentalfloss.com/article/23038/9-insanetorture-techniques Pegg, David. 25 Most Brutal Torture Techniques Ever Devised. 22 May 2013. List25.com. http://list25.com/25-most-brutal-torture-techniques-everdevised/ Weiner, Eric. Waterboarding: A Tortured History 03 November 2007. Npr. http://www.npr.org/2007/11/03/15886834/waterboarding-atortured-history Torture Techniques used in Guantanamo. The Justice Campaign. http://thejusticecampaign.org/?page_id=273#TT