ICB, "The Corner": Is Justice Served?

Is the trial of Dick and Perry a fair one? One might conclude that Capote did not believe this to be the case. He provides numerous details in "The Corner" that indicate he believes justice was not served ... at least not fairly. Cite one -- JUST ONE -- of these details and discuss it. Try to find something a classmate has not already discussed here.

ICB, "The Corner": Pity for Perry?

Aside from providing details that possibly suggest Dick and Perry's trial was an unfair one, how does Capote build sympathy for Perry? Excerpt a particular part of the text from "The Corner" in your response.

ICB, "The Corner": More Killers?

Why do you suspect Capote includes the stories of some of the other killers on death row alongside Dick and Perry? Is he simply being thorough or is there another motive here? Try to include an excerpt from the text in your response. (Read what others have said; try to add to the conversation rather than simply repeating what has been written previously.)

ICB, "The Answer": Making Connections

So now you know. If you have read "Answer," the third section of Capote's In Cold Blood, you have heard an account of how the Clutter murders occured. Now I'd like you to connect some dots. Isolate a detail from the account -- how things happened, why things happened the way they did -- and tie it back to details Capote provided us earlier in the novel (in this section or an earlier one). Why did Capote include this detail? Was he simply being thorough -- or did he feel it revealed something about the characters? Weigh in on the motives and/or feelinsg of our killers and/or our victims. Try not to duplicate earlier efforts by your classmates.

ICB, "Persons Unknown": Who Is Affected?

The title of the second section of Capote's In Cold Blood obviously refers to our killers, who are on the run and whose identities are unknown to the authorities and the townspeople of Holcomb. But it also refers to those residents of Holcomb. How have they been changed by the Clutters' deaths? Cite and discuss a specific excerpt from this section.

ICB, "Persons Unknown": Rashomon Effect

Rashomon is an old Japanese film in which one tragic event is told from four different perspectives, each belonging to a person involved in the tragedy. Each retelling provides the viewer new insights. Capote does something similar with the sections that begin on pages 107 and 110. Each recounts Perry and Dick making their way down a desert road, but one account is told from Perry's perspective, the other from Dick's. What does the scene and Capote's handling of it tell us about Perry and Dick's partnership? Are they alike or quite the opposite? Cite a specific detail from these pages, and if you feel your classmates have left you nothing original to discuss from this scene, turn elsewhere in "Persons Unknown" for material.

ICB, "Persons Unknown": Mitigating Evidence

We learn much about Perry's past in this section. Is there anything about his upbringing that serves as mitigating evidence to make your pity him? Think about the "In the Face of Death" article we read. In that, the author explained how Jeremy Gross's attorney supplied the jury with information about his client in hopes of preventing a death sentence. That attorney tried to make Jeremy seem more human, more worthy of sympathy. Does anything in Perry's past have the same effect? Select one detail (preferably something a classmate has not already discussed) and provide your insights.

ICB, "The Last to See Them Alive": Journalism?

Another post questions whether Capote created "literature" when he penned In Cold Blood. Here, let's discuss whether he is practicing good journalism. Can the reader trust Capote to have been honest and accurate when depicting how the Clutters spent their last hours and how the killers made their way to Holcomb? Back up your answer with excerpts from the novel (with page numbers, of course) and well-thought-out opinions. As always, try not to repeat what has been written previously by your classmates.

This post is due by classtime on Friday, Oct. 7.

ICB, "The Last to See Them Alive": Literature?

When he traveled to Holcomb back in 1959, Capote was intent on creating a new form of writing: literary nonfiction. Discuss whether he was successful in creating a work of literature. Does this novel measure up when you compare it to works you have read in other English classes? What, if anything, elevates this beyond a typical news story? (Here's a link to an article published in the Garden City newspaper shortly after the murders.) Where applicable, reference excerpts from the novel (with page number) when responding to this question, and where possible, avoid merely repeating what your classmates have said previously.

This post is due by classtime on Friday, Oct. 7.

ICB, "The Last to See Them Alive": Capote and His Characters

How does Capote's word choice help form our impressions of the Clutters (Herb, Bonnie, Nancy and Kenyon) and the killers (Dick and Perry)? PLEASE limit your response to one or two characters, and include short excerpts from the book (with page number) to back up what you have to say. Prior to posting, read what your classmates have written. Do NOT simply repeat previously referenced passages.

This post is due by classtime on Friday, Oct. 7.