Deadman Walking Essay, Research Paper

This is a movie about a man named Matthew Poncelet who is on death row for the murder of a teenage boy, Walter, and the rape and

murder of a teenage girl, Hope. He has been on death row for six years and has kept in touch with Sister Helen for most of those. Towards

the last couple of weeks before his death he has asked her to come and meet him. She did and together they tried to appeal before the court,

ask the mayor for his grace and give him life in prison, also on the day of his execution he asked for a lie detector test. Needless to say all

of that failed and he was put to death.

For the last hours of his life he had the chance to tell his three brothers and mama goodbye. They said their condolences and then Sister

Helen was with him for the remainder of his life. He had asked her to be his spiritual adviser, which she herself faced ridicule for her

decision of yes. She therefore had the chance to spend up to the last minute with him, she told him of the dignity he could die with if he

would face up to what really happened that night. That he needed to take responsibility for his actions and not blame it on Walter and Hope

for being there, or his buddy that he helped do this horrendous crime or politics. He needed to face that it was his fault and that he could

have walked away and he didn?t. At the last moment he faced the fact that he did kill Walter and raped Hope. Sister Helen said that he has

faced his responsibility and that he can die with dignity because he has told the truth and truth shall set you free.

I agree with Sister Helen about how he died with dignity but I do not agree that the death penalty is wrong. If one has killed someone just

for the sake of killing, they deserve to die themselves. Why would it be okay for someone to kill someone else, against their will, and the

person not have to suffer the consequences? Yes, I believe that we should forgive and forget the sins of others because that is what Christ

has asked us to do but I do not believe to live in a fantasy world and assume that everyone lives with that view. If everyone lived with morals

and chose right over wrong this would not have to be an issue, but people don?t and they chose to have a self-centered life style instead of a

selfless life. I do not think that a murderer should be spared his life for the reason that people chose their way of life and know the

consequences that they would have to face if they were caught. Matthew Poncelet knew that he had the chance of getting caught and he

would face the death penalty as the consequence for his actions.

Sister Helen was not for the death penalty. She thought that there should be grace and forgiveness of people, like the New Testament says.

Which argues against “eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth” from the Old Testament. Christ did come so that we may live a life that sets us

free from bondage but Christ did not come to set the example to live anyway one pleases. The forgiving and forgetting part is on the victims

family not the law.