Exxtra credit!!

Bela’s piece, “How Effective is Corporal Punishment Anyways?” is a very to the point essay. When I wrote my first of many drafts on Jacoby’s article, I was lost; I couldn’t figure out how to get my point across in very few words without “over-doing it.” I took this as more of an opinionated approach, which clearly was not the correct choice. After reading Bela’s piece, realized that we highlighted similar points brought up in Jacob’s “Bring Back Floggiong”essay. We applied the same quote of “imprisonment has become the penalty of choice…” yet “few of us believe that the criminal justice system is a success…Jacoby argues that our system ought to work better if we adopt some puritanical punishments, such as whipping or flogging.” We both came to the conclusion that Jacoby was being sarcastic, but wanted to bring up the idea of alternative punishments. He hoped arouse the reader and educate them on the need for reform, but it fails to convince the reader that corporal punishment is the best option.

What I liked about Bela’s piece that was not included in my own was the fact that she made her logos, pathos, and ethos know. I had trouble including these in my piece until my final draft. This is something that I can take and learn from. She makes references to Jacoby without summarizing too much. Bela draws conclusions through his emotion as a writer: “He seems like a man whose opinion is relatively normal and moral, pointing out flaws such as the “indifference” of guards to rapes and murders, that most murders and robberies go unpunished, and that criminals can become skilled in crime in jail.” A very well written piece!

I like that the two beginning paragraphs of Elr6’s. It focus on numbers and statistics, which draws the reader in to learn more about the essay. “Jacoby also gives statistics as evidence to support the argument.” This is a good opening sentence, leading into the connection the writer makes with the ethos, pathos, and logos as compared to Jacoby point of view.

“Jacoby’s argument begins to break down with his implications and assumptions. He claims that corporal punishment would not be seen as a “sign of manhood” in the way that there is a “cachet of doing time [in jail]” (para. 7). This cannot be assumed, because many forms of corporal punishment result in permanent scarring, which is visible to everyone. Scars from stab or gunshot wounds are considered a sign of manhood in many gangs. Given that gangs were one of Boston’s biggest problems at the time which Flogging was written, this seems to be a major oversight in Jacoby’s argument. To make matters worse, corporal punishment only reinforces the idea that violence is acceptable. Also, It’s very difficult to have revenge on the prison system, but it’s not a stretch to imagine violence targeted against a corporal punishment system.” This is a strongly worded paragraph that argues Jacoby’s belief in bringing back flogging. I like that this example was tied into his piece because it is worded well and makes a point.

In Amanda’s essay “To Flog or Not to Flog?” she critiques Jacoby’s style as a writer. Using statistics in support of Jacoby and his very public opinion of a change in the criminal justice system, she argues for the reader to consider her point of view. By stating how it would be better to have a public flogging like the Puritans did, “he never claims to know if these methods worked or not, possibly because of lack of records, but that is a mute point in his argument“. This is a very good point to bring up in the essay. There were no facts Jacoby mentioned that this method would truly work. The basic point that both writers make is that there is a desperate need for change in the way punishments work in today’s society.

In both Amanda’s essay and Bella Berly’s “Unflogg Your Mind,” the authors stress the word “cage.” Jacoby uses provocative words and phrases such as “prisoners are caged behind bars.” Like the other three writers, Bella uses examples and statistics to evoke the reader into changing their views of punishment.

The conclusions on all five essays, including my own were ultimately about educating the reader. The real issue that Jacoby claims is that there is a desperate need for a change in the criminal justice system. He used comedy and sarcasm to bring together his points to entertain yet inform the reader of this change. All three essays made references to these main concerns of Jacoby.

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