Jose Flores

Non-Fiction Response Analysis

“How the Death Penalty Saves Lives”
1. The main idea of this article is that the death penalty saves the lives of many people who
are victimized and also the people who do horrible stuff get this to save the lives of the
people.
2. The connections i can make between this article and other articles i have read is that they
both talk about how the death penalty protects the society.
3. The author's purpose is to inform the reader on the death penalty and what kind of people
go through this.
4. The audience is that society because its protecting them and keeping them safe from
violent criminals. I know that it's the society because the author address that the violent
criminals would die so that the society can be safe.
5. The most relevant details is that the author uses a story about past people who are going
into the death penalty.
6. The most prevalent is logos. First the author uses, “But a 2008 comprehensive review of
capital punishment research since 1975 by Drexel University economist Bijou Yang and
psychologist David Lester of Richard Stockton College of New Jersey concluded that the
majority of studies that track effects over many years and across states or counties find a
deterrent effect” (Mahulhasen). Secondly, “...a 2003 study by Emory University
researchers of data from more than 3,000 counties from 1977 through 1996 found that
each execution, on average, resulted in 18 fewer murders per county” (Mahulhasen).
Finally, “In another examination, based on data from all 50 states from 1978 to 1997,
Federal Communications Commission economist Paul Zimmerman demonstrated that
each state execution deters an average of 14 murders annually”(Mahulhasen).
7. The quotes used for number 6 helped me find out that the theme is “Death penalty is a
way of getting rid of the bad people”.
8. This text helped me understand that the death penalty is a very serious thing and that the
world needs this to execute the horrible, disgusting, and bad people from commiting
more crimes.
9. An element that i might change is none because it was a good article.
10. The death penalty is a good thing and should be considered more throughout more trials.
The death penalty gets rid of many people that cause harm to the world and its people.
Some evidence that helped me conclude to this opinion is, “ n short, capital punishment
does, in fact, save lives. That's certainly not to say that it should be exercised with wild
abandon. Federal, state and local officials must continually ensure that its implementation
rigorously upholds constitutional protections, such as due process and equal protection of
the law” (Mahulhasen). This explains that the death penalty is a good thing.