Dead Man Walking Book Quote Reflection And Analysis Assignment | Get Paper Help

Dead Man Walking Book Quote Reflection And Analysis

The subject is Criminal Justice. This is for my Senior Seminar (capstone) class. We are learning about the Death Penalty/Capital Punishment. We are reading the book called “Dead Man Walking” by Sister Helen Prejean. You need to read the book and than for EACH chapter (chapters 1-11), pick a quote that stood out to you and explain it in a paragraph or two. I will be uploading a review paper so you could see how this is supposed to turn out.

Student Name [omitted]

Dr. Maloney

Soc 495 Seminar

 

Dead Man Walking Reflection

 

Chapter 1

“I cannot accept that the state now plans to kill Patrick Sonnier in cold blood. But the thought of the young victims haunt me. Why do I feel guilty when I think of them? Why do I feel as if I have murdered someone myself (p. 20)?”

 

I had chosen this quote because it shows early on in the novel how conflicted Sister Helen had been with her opinion on the death penalty. Before even opening this book, I thought that I would be experiencing a religiously biased view on capital punishment, but this quote had shown that Sister Helen was experiencing a conflict that anyone could have when put in her situation. Acknowledging Sister Helen’s realistic obstacles in this national debate had represented how she was open minded about capital punishment even though she was firm on her position against it.

This was Sister Helen’s first time being a spiritual adviser for a prison inmate, and she had no idea what she was getting herself into when she agreed to write Patrick. When she writes the letter, she’s unsure of how her action would affect the family of the victim. We find out later that she would regret not introducing herself to the families in order to help them as well. Referring to the discussions in class, it was determined that Sister Helen had been pleasantly surprised by how personable Patrick was, and this could be why she felt so strongly about him not receiving the death penalty as well. She had worked very hard to try and reduce his sentence to life.

 

 

Chapter 2

“He seems remorseful about the killings, but I can tell his most tangible regret is his own fate behind bars. Self-survival seems to dominate his moral horizon (p. 41).”

 

This quote had stood out to me because it shows how Patrick had somewhat fit the description of how Sister Helen had initially expected him to be. Seeing that there is some sort of flaw in his remorse for his actions had seemed to ease Sister Helen in the slightest bit because it was more fitting to his criminality. Although Patrick had proven to not fit the typical prisoner personality, he still had not fully come to terms with the reality of his sentence. This helps represent the work that Sister Helen is there to do. The main reason for her being there is to help him come to terms with the remaining timeline of his life.

Because of the realities of Patrick’s crimes, Sister Helen had never expected him to be so open and cooperative with their interactions. Patrick had no problem with carrying out conversations and informing Sister Helen on what his life was like prior to being in prison. It seemed as if it was a relief that there was some work that needed to be done, as it was her main purpose to be a support system and give guidance. This quote was what sparked me to consider how mentally damaging it can be to know what your fate as a death row inmate, but not know the determined time of your death. Sister Helen had seemed to accurately conclude that there was remorse present, just some of it may not be the type of remorse that the rest of the nation be unable to understand.

 

 

Chapter 3

“This is a Patrick Sonnier that I have not seen or even imagined. I have only met the man in the clean blue denim shirt, the man always so glad to see me, who writes me letters and can’t thank me enough for my love and care. In retrospect I wonder how I could be so naive. I wish now that I had gone to visit the Bourques and LeBlancs. Too late now. Their hurt and anger sting (p.65).”

 

This quote follows the conversation held between Lloyd LeBlanc and Sister Helen where Mr. LeBlanc questions why Sister Helen did not think to reach out to the families of the victims in order to help them through their troubled times. Mr. LeBlanc makes a point that there is an evil side to Patrick, and the reason this quote had stood out was because it made Sister Helen think about the side of Patrick that had killed the teenage couple. This uncertainty of her actions represents how difficult it is to try and help someone with this much baggage. On one hand, Patrick is the genuine person that Sister Helen visits, but on the other hand, Patrick is the person who allowed those two young kids to die.

While reading this part of the chapter, it had made me wish that Sister Helen had taken the initiative to talk to the victim’s families in the first place because then she would not have been put in this position on the spot. This issue she had been presented with related back to the Bohm chapters we read, more specifically, the victim’s chapter. It can be very difficult to go through the death of a loved one by murder and both families could have greatly benefit from the help of Sister Helen.

 

 

Chapter 4

“She puts Kathleen on, who wants to talk about funeral arrangements, but just before she does this, she reminds me of something: ‘I know you’re doing everything you can with the attorneys and the others to save this man from dying, but as his spiritual adviser you’re the one who has to help him die. Don’t be so absorbed in fighting for him to live that you don’t help him die (p. 75).’”

 

At this point in the book, Sister Helen had to be reminded of what her main purpose was for being the spiritual adviser for Patrick. This quote had stood out to me because I thought it could have been easy to get caught up in the exoneration of Patrick’s death penalty. Even when reading the book, I, myself had been caught up in Patrick’s death penalty exoneration which threw me off guard. This quote made by Kathleen made me realize how draining this process could be which is what I believed this quote was meant to represent.

With that in mind, Sister Helen’s health had actually began to deteriorate around this time as well. The amount of stress Sister Helen had been going through must have been extraordinary. This made me think of the people who deal with this amount of workload and stress all the time. For example, the amount of pressure we put on lawyers. It must be difficult to complete all of the scheduling, paperwork, and investigating needed in order to successfully do their jobs. It is very important to rely on your support system around you, just as Kathleen had done for Sister Helen.

 

 

Chapter 5

“It takes only a moment to answer. I cannot protect myself by refusing to go back to the horror of death row when here before me is this man going back again and again, and he is not thinking of protecting himself. ‘I’ll do it,’ I say to Millard (p. 117).”

 

I had chosen this quote because it made me really understand how difficult it was for Sister Helen to go through the death of Patrick. It was most likely a loss she never thought she would ever go through, but it did have an impact on her life. It had made her better as a person. Although she may not have been ready to take on another inmate, I admire her strength. This quote allows readers to understand how giving and selfless Sister Helen is, and it represents her determination to ensure inmates are able to come to terms with their negative actions along with their consequences.

Sister Helen deciding that she will not allow another death row inmate to go through what Pat had gone through was very powerful. How awful were the conditions death row inmates were living in physically and emotionally? Prison reform has been a topic in the news for quite some time now, so how much can we really say that our nation cares about the living conditions our inmates are living in? Or do their opinions even matter at all? This made me question the constitutionality of our prison settings. Sister Helen believed that the way Patrick had lived his final days were horrific enough to not allow another death row inmate go through the same experiences Patrick had been through. This paints a picture for the rest of our prison society that is not pretty, which does, in fact, show the truth.

 

 

Chapter 6

“We must have executions, he tells me, because it’s the only way we can be sure those ‘mad dogs’ don’t kill again (p. 132).”

 

This quote was made by Mr. Harvey who is a family member of Robert’s victim. This quote expresses how hell-bent Mr. Harvey is on the use of the death penalty in the United States. The quote represents the other side of the argument on capital punishment, and argument that Sister Helen does not agree with, but keeps an open mind about. The reason I chose this quote is because it shows the anger and frustration by the families of victims, and Sister Helen is able to take these opinions and usefully apply it to the situation she is faced with. Her ability to extend her opinions into the views of others is remarkable and something that should be done more often when debating such important topics.

This quote made me think about what would have happened had Mr. Harvey killed the defendants himself like he said he almost did. He claimed that the only reason he didn’t was because he didn’t want to harm any innocent people. It also reminded me about some of the discussions that have happened in class. Some of the discussions we have can get heated and it is difficult to debate on a topic such as capital punishment when there is a lack in open-mindedness. I imagine that I’m in a similar position to Sister Helen when this happens, and it can become uncomfortable. Although this is often time the approach political prospects take when promoting their views on political topics such as this one.

 

 

Chapter 7

“He just needs to let it go, man. The girl’s dead now, and there’s nothin’ he can do to bring her back. Even watchin’ me fry ain’t gonna bring her back, but he won’t let it go and he’s just makin’ himself miserable, in my opinion (p. 147).”

 

I was surprised that Robert had made this statement when having a conversation with Sister Helen. I had chosen this quote because it showed a naive side of Robert, a side that had not even considered the feelings and emotions that the Harveys might be going through after the tragic loss of their daughter. I believe Sister Helen had wanted to highlight this statement because it goes to show that people who commit these crimes need to understand themselves the amount of pain that has rippled through the lives of everyone else involved. This quote represents the problems with how society deals with its criminals. There is a lack of support that these inmates have in order to grasp the consequences of their actions.

My surprise of the statement made by Robert had worn off as I kept reading. I had realized that this is how I anticipate all criminals to feel after they commit such a serious offense. I never really expect much from criminals, maybe a little bit of remorse, but I never believed that they will one day fully understand the consequences that have surfaced from their actions. Though they do show remorse, just maybe not Robert, and that is something that this book has taught me. In addition, this quote made me think about the amount of pain that the Harveys have gone through since the death of their daughter. What if this is something that Robert had said to them? It would most likely push them to an even more unbearable emotional state that would be very difficult to get out of. I had been relieved at the response Sister Helen had given him, which tried to make him realize how much this had impacted their lives.

 

 

Chapter 8

“From day one I was doing political things that were morally wrong. The whole administration was corrupt from the top down, but I chose loyalty above integrity (p. 173).”

 

I had chosen this quote because it shows what can happen behind closed doors, and the power of secrets. This quote is from a phone call with Howard Marcellus during 1991, where he had exposed to her all of the corruption that happens within the politics of capital punishment. The quote represents all of the people who have done wrong in the eyes of the law in order to personally gain from those decisions made. It was extremely disappointing to see how much corruption had gone on for years and years.

From the start of this part of the chapter, I was thinking about how much corruption goes on today in order to gain political success. Regarding fictional television shows, it is easy to shrug off how corrupt our criminal justice system is, but when you read about someone confessing to their wrongdoings and opening up the doors to other sources of corruption, it discourages your optimism in the improvement of our system. This quote lead to me consider that things would have turned out differently for Patrick and Robert had everything been conducted with integrity. It is frustrating to see how the complexity of some decisions that could otherwise be simple when made in good conscious.

 

 

Chapter 9

“Maybe his experience in life has taught him early on that life is waves, not particles, that nothing is really solid, that everything is flow (p. 205).”

 

Sister Helen had been pondering if Robert had come to a realization in life that life was not supposed to be lived single-handedly by the specific events that take place, but by simply moving forward. I had chosen this quote because it can be applied to anyone’s life, not just Robert’s. I believe that this quote had been made to represent the fluidity of life, and that everything should be taken with a grain of salt. It should be noted that it would probably be harder for a person on death row to apply this concept to their life due to the certainty of what is to come, but Sister Helen seems to believe that Robert has made progress towards it.

Reading this quote had mainly made me consider my outlook on my own life. It made me take in to question whether I am living my life in particles or in waves. It also made me wonder how the majority of the population lives their lives, and if this has an effect on their position on the death penalty, which is similar to what I am writing my research paper on. It also made me think about the Harveys. They had been upset with Sister Helen for “using” them to benefit her case in Robert’s Pardon Board Hearing. Where they not living their life in a way that could help them ease their pain from the loss of their daughter? It can make readers take into consideration the processes in which people deal with grief.

 

 

Chapter 10

“The shortness of time is a good excuse to say no, and I want to stay in this protected, private space and finish washing the car. Besides, this is national television and live, and I need my wits about me, and I know that I am tired and wrung-out. ‘I’ll be there,’ I tell them. (p. 213-214).”

 

I had chosen this quote because it shows how much Sister Helen believes in her stance on capital punishment. Her determination to get her word out to the world in order to make a difference is very admirable. Her experiences give her credibility that not a lot of people have, which is why her perspective on capital punishment is of great value. This quote represents how much Sister Helen believes in her views and how much she cares about informing the rest of the world about this highly debated topic.

In all honesty, I had anxiety for Sister Helen when reading about doing such an important interview on such short notice. Although it made me think about all of the other people who are given similar opportunities today. It is a big deal to be on national television for such a controversial topic. It made me consider the effects that people like Sister Helen and others alike have on the people who are listening to them. For Sister Helen specifically, it must have been difficult to express her thoughts in such short time after the death of Robert.

 

 

Chapter 11

“Lloyd LeBlanc had told me that he would have been content with imprisonment for Patrick Sonnier. He went to the execution, he says, not for revenge, but hoping for an apology. Patrick Sonnier had not disappointed him (p. 244).”

 

I had selected this quote because it shows how much of an impact words have on a person. It also represents all of the work that Sister Helen has done for the death row inmates. She was able to guide Patrick towards the understanding of his crimes to the extent where he felt remorse for what he had done, and that is all Mr. LeBlanc had wanted from him. The apology from Patrick was able to set Mr. LeBlanc free from the anger and pain he had felt from the death of his son. This shows the importance of the work Sister Helen has done as well. There could be more peace if these inmates could get the help and guidance that they need in order to comprehend the actions they’ve taken part in.

This quote was a powerful statement to include in Sister Helen’s book. She was able to express how even the family of the victim is able to accept and forgive those who have done wrong to them. Organizations such as Survive, the one that Sister Helen had helped establish, are now in place to help the families of the victims deal with the realities of their new lives. Sister Helen has the ability to greatly impact many more lives now and is a person other people should allow themselves to trust. I believe that there should be more clinics similar to hers that focuses specifically on the needs of these families.

 

 

Overall Reflection

 

Sister Helen Prejean has done an excellent job writing about her experiences as a spiritual adviser for death row inmates. Her experience as a nun has made her a very resourceful person for the people she has helped. The more inmates she spent time with, the more she knew how she could better the lives of those inmates and even the other people who were affected by them. She has become an expert in the field who is a commendable advocate no matter which side of the argument you are on. It was interesting to see her perspective as a member of the church. Although many of her opinions stem from the Bible, she is able to articulate her views in a respectable way that enables the readers/listeners to consider why she feels the way she does. Sister Helen does not force her opinions onto the readers in this book which sort of came as a surprise to me. The flow of her material works very well and is truly able to put the reader in her own shoes. I found this to be a necessity considering how controversial the topic of this book is.

The emotion that was included in this book surpassed how I originally imagined it would be. Sister Helen was able to write in a way that even made you start to feel bad for the bad guy. As we discussed in class, people were starting to become a part of “team Pat,” but both Sister Helen and the readers needed to be reminded of the reality she was a part of. The goal of the novel was not to get the reader to feel bad for Patrick, the goal of the book was to show that there is another side of capital punishment that not many people are exposed to before forming their opinions on it. Sister Helen was appealing to the emotional side of Pat’s execution to try and show that the person on the other side is still a human being, and that they go through more than we can imagine leading up to and during an execution. This book has made me question the reasons I have that support my beliefs, which is all that Sister Helen seems to be asking us to do. Taking into consideration your opposing views can help you become more educated on the topic and make a more informed decision, and Sister Helen is on a mission to challenge people to do so.

 

 

Bibliography

 

Prejean, Sister H. (2013). Dead Man Walking: The Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty That Sparked a National Debate. New York: HarperCollins Publisher, Inc.