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FINAL PORTFOLO HAYLEY WOOD 2015 FTSY 1313.07
Hayley Wood
Wood 2 Teresa Hall 3001 South Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78704 December 7, 2015 Beth Eakman Re St. Edward’s University 3001 South Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78704 Dear Professor Eakman: A research paper or an assignment equivalent to it is nothing without a purpose. As a writer, I’ve learned to constantly think about the bigger picture. This semester of rhetoric and composition has given me a new writing ability I thought I would never attain. I no longer find myself making careless sentence structure mistakes or stumbling on the organization of my essays. The comical aura of the classroom and your ability to connect rhetorical techniques to popular topics made the learning material interesting. Those who possess almighty writing abilities do not spit out a successful essay in one sitting. It takes multiple reviews over a period time and should contain multiple drafts. Through assignments like annotated bibliographies and synthesis maps I can clearly organize my thoughts and information. Without the class discussions, I would have never recognized the necessary steps it takes to prepare a persuasive argument. Now when I am writing my paper the question “so what?” is constantly ringing in the back of my mind. What really stuck with me is the necessity of evidence. Without support for your statement your whole assignment is invalid. I still struggle with fully reinforcing my claims, but it will become habit soon enough. I did not feel a strong correlation between our freshman studies lecture and rhetoric and composition class unless we discussed topics similar to human rights. I felt our lectures over slavery, racism and capital punishment corresponded with our analysis of Bryan Stevenson’s work. Learning about racism and the death penalty in America was helpful earlier in the semester. As we stopped focusing on Bryan Stevenson I felt there was less of an intersection between the courses. Looking back to August, there are some claims from my rhetorical analysis that make me shudder. Most of my first two-page assignment was ridden with run-on sentences, comma splices, and sentence fragments. For example, behold this messy excerpt on Bryan Stevenson: “His main focus centers on injustice directed at incarcerated criminals, he addresses statistics with a certain intonation that emphasizes how much the United States incarceration rates have expanded today as opposed to previous decades.” Not only is this monster 35 words, but it is also
Wood 3 a comma splice. Taking a recent look at my research paper, I felt my ideas were clearly organized and contained fewer errors. I made an observation on the administration of capital punishment stating “When administered improperly, lethal injection can cause a painful execution and incite chemical burns, conscious respiratory, and heart failure.” After brushing up on the correct use of commas and independent clauses my sentences became more bearable. When writing, I notice I catch small grammatical errors faster than ever. I hope you continue to have luck with teacher’s assistants like Lauren. Most TAs in other classes are lifeless and nonexistent, but Lauren was like one of our classmates. We could text her if we ever needed anything- she is like that one smart kid in class everyone goes to for help and advice. On the day before the research paper was due, I had a writing center appointment that was cancelled on me last-second; Lauren made time to meet with me and revise my whole paper. I would have been lost without Lauren this semester, she was my go-to gal. What will transfer with me into future assignments is to look at the bigger picture. My paper should have a purpose and give my audience a reason to listen to me. Had it not been for the school library resources and Lauren being readily available to help, I believe my writing ability wouldn’t have the clarity it currently does. Thanks to the lectures, discussion, and assignments from this semester I am constantly looking for room to improve in grammar, syntax, and diction. Thank you so much for reviewing my self-assessment. More importantly, thank you for taking the time to invest your knowledge into our class and helping us grow as a unit. Sincerely, Hayley Wood
Hayley Wood FSTY 1313.07
Wood 4 27 August 2015 Rhetorical Analysis: Bryan Stevenson Through evidence as a practiced lawyer and his past occurrences in advocating wrongly accused victims on death row, Bryan Stevenson appeals to the common person by bringing awareness to the judicial world that currently exists around them. There is a reoccurring idea Stevenson pulls in to every example and overall thesis of his talk, and it has to do with protecting and exhibiting one’s identity. Through his past accounts with his family and his personal values, he insists that the idea of maintaining a reputable identity is directly correlated to our compassion and the way we influence others. With this statement early on in his presentation we can concur his morals are directly embedded into his practice as a lawyer. Because Stevenson comes from a rural background in a colored family, his experiences and values fall in line with the type of work he engages in. Stevenson has worked in the world of law for close to thirty years, by using examples of past cases and encounters with the court he can grab the trust of his audience. His audience could be comprised of mostly educators and intellectuals, it likewise includes college-level students or working-class adults. Stevenson carries himself very confidently on stage. With each explanation of a past occurrence or contemporary statistic, he articulates his argument with conviction that is comparable to a church pastor. What strikes a high note with his audience is his speaking style where he initially delivers a topic, and given the severity or impact of that issue, he will leave a pause for thought. His main focus centers on injustice directed at incarcerated criminals, subsequently he addresses statistics with a certain intonation that emphasizes how much the United States incarceration rates have expanded today as opposed to previous decades. By emphasizing these statistics he brings awareness to his audience. Similarly he appeals to his audience’s emotion throughout the lecture by unifying him and his listeners, he uses “us” instead of referring to his listeners as a general populous- this connection brings awareness to the audience that they, too, are a part of the same world Stevenson claims injustice and the innocently exonerated exists and is occurring daily and is rapidly deteriorating. In his lecture he presents various statistics. Although he does not subsequently cite these statistics, his experience as a lawyer for nearly thirty years can suggest he is proficient in
Wood 5 knowing his way around the judicial and imprisonment system. He uses encounters he has had with colleagues and other lectures to compare how drastic America handles its imprisonment system compares to other countries around the world. Stevenson refers a past lecture he gave in Germany and how afterwards he received various responses from his audience stating how taboo the thought of execution would be in their country given their past. “What would it feel like to be living in a world where the nation state of Germany was executing people, especially if they were disproportionately Jewish? I couldn't bear it. It would be unconscionable.â€? He uses logic with Germany, a country notable for their former history genocide, and compares it to America, a country notable for its part-taking of slavery and racial unrest for nearly centuries, and unveils the lack of compassion that composes the identity of our country. By bringing up the pattern of how our judicial system kills people who kill, he exposes the façade and fault that lie within the ethics of our laws and practices. Stevenson uses the advantage of his past experiences to speak to his audiences about the faults that lie within our imprisonment system in the United States. He captures his audience by emphasizing statistics, and appealing to their softer sides by using a welcoming tone when reflecting on his past. His comparison of the United States and the lack of compassion that exists in our judicial system compared to other countries argues the issue that something must be changed if justice will fairly be delivered to the accused.
Hayley Wood
Wood 6 Beth Eakman Re FTSY 1313.7 19 November 2015
Research Paper: A Botched System Botched executions have been a reoccurring obstacle throughout the history of capital punishment in America. The frequent occurrence of failure has caused a debate over the constitutionality behind our Justice System legally killing those who have killed. Compared to other methods of execution, lethal injection has the highest failure rate of 7.1% from 19802010. While it was initially developed to be a nonviolent alternative, manufacturing restrictions, lack of research, and faulty administration cause it to unsuccessfully serve its purpose as a more humane and peaceful punishment. The threat it poses to safe and constitutional executions is a leading cause behind capital punishment's systematic failure. State-to-state opinions and laws have prevented consistency in the regulation of the death penalty. While 35 states still carry out executions, at least 11 states are in a position of standstill. The 11 states have halted further executions because of past occurrences of botched executions or shortages of drugs. The scarcity of lethal drugs in America is a main cause to failed executions. Shortages occur when manufacturers of lethal drugs have a limited amount of raw supplies to produce regimens. Shortages are not uncommon and often leave many prison facilities scrambling until the last second of the next scheduled execution. These
Wood 7 shortages have coerced execution officials to recklessly obtain drug substitutions based on their accessibility. Ty Alper, Berkley University professor, discusses the link between botched executions and the lengths many states will go to conveniently obtain these drugs. States that have lethal regimen shortages seek overseas pharmaceutical companies as a last resort. Alper notes the power overseas protesters can obtain over the media; the influence of activists “ultimately pressures their governments to ban capital punishment.” (Alper 7). Not only are most foreign-traded drugs against FDA guidelines, they are often intended to induce a failed injection. Past executions that used foreign anesthetics sometimes led the inmate to become conscious mid-procedure, allowing them to feel unbearable pain. Attempting illegal trade earns most state legislators a slap on the wrist despite the effect of their actions. While the Supreme Court outlaws states from using foreign chemicals, they do nothing to diffuse damaged regulation with what is available in the United States. American manufacturers and suppliers are becoming less common every year. Secrecy laws can protect independent pharmaceutical suppliers from external harassment that may dissuade them from continuing to supply drugs for executions. Reliable manufactures are key to successful procedures because of their ability to supply effective regimens. Secrecy laws are the reason we have ready access to lethal drugs, but these protections are gradually being challenged. Only a handful of states employ protection laws according to Time journalist Josh Sanburn. Sunburn’s article “States Try Secrecy to Protect Lethal Injection Drugmakers” cites a recent lawsuit against the Missouri Department of Corrections, arguing “that under the First Amendment the public has a right to know what drugs the state is using and where the state is obtaining them.” Because capital punishment is still enforced, it is likely many opponents will push to have all secrecy laws banned.
Wood 8 Lethal Injection was introduced to the United States Criminal Justice system in the late 20th century with little to no research or testing. It was designed to be less grotesque to other forms of execution like hanging or electrocution. Proposed by an Oklahoma coroner, the procedure consists of three drugs – sodium thiopental: an anesthetic to induce unconsciousness, pancuronium bromide: a paralytic to avert movement and provoke respiratory arrest, and potassium chloride to stop the heart. The origin of the lethal injection protocol was instated with a lack of research which explains its growing failure over the past decades. This protocol was introduced in 1977, but has never been codified by the U.S Food and Drug Administration; this is a system set up for failure. Well into the 21 st century, the U.S Justice system has yet to initiate proper background examination of the practice it favorably condemns. The current three-drug regimen is thought to be ethical, painless, and clean. However, Surgeon Teresa Zimmers, suggests the mixture may be problematic due to variables such as dosage and administration. In a 2007 study, Zimmers and a staff of medical PhD’s sought out to locate the cause of failed executions occurring from late 20 th century to the early 21st. Published in PLoS Medicine, Zimmers expresses her concerns for this combination, suggesting “If thiopental and potassium chloride fail to cause anesthesia and cardiac arrest, potentially aware inmates could die through pancuronium-induced asphyxiation” (4). The identity of the chemicals used in the three-drug injection single-handedly promote a threat even if the injection is administered correctly. When administered improperly, lethal injection can cause a painful execution and incite chemical burns, conscious respiratory, and heart failure. If anesthesia is not properly administered in the first step of the three-drug regimen it can cause the patient to become conscious during the procedure and experience the intensity of respiratory and cardiac arrest.
Wood 9 In botched executions similar to these, patients are not killed in a timely manner or may not be killed at all. These drawn out episodes undermine the death penalty’s ethical purpose. Most failed executions may extend from 40 minutes to over an hour. Under the Eighth Amendment, failed practices would be considered to fall somewhere under the ambiguous layer of cruel and unusual punishment. Successful lethal injections generally cause minimal struggle for victims and are fairly quick compared to other methods. While lethal injection is effective when variables of administration are ideal, it has accounted for 3% of the failure in all executions and continues to grow due to extenuating circumstances. Protocol within lethal injection is another contributor to failed executions. The American Medical Association and other professional groups essentially forbid doctors and medical personnel to assist with executions. Similar to the lack of drugs, there is a lack of trained staff in the execution rooms around the country. Untrained executioners with the addition of faulty drugs is an equation set for failure. Physicians are usually the root cause of botched executions, taking too much time trying to locate veins, improperly inserting IV’s, and incorrectly administering the right dosage to the inmate. Standard procedure of lethal injection calls for a fixed amount of regimen. Executioners are not required to record medical data about the patient such as height, weight, or allergies. If IVs are inserted improperly, it can cause raptured veins or “infiltration” where the drug does not reach the bloodstream and is injected into soft tissue causing chemical burns in the upper dermis. The U.S currently has no regulation or law stating that a trained anesthesiologist must attend executions. Incorrect intravenous administration of the drugs may fail to induce unconsciousness. In a Mother Jones article published in 2014, Stephanie Mencimer explores the main effects executioner staffs have on botched executions in her article “State Executioners: Untrained, Incompetent,
Wood 10 and "Complete Idiots". As Mencimer begins discussing state requirements, she mentions past cases in Florida where the only criteria was that a potential executioner be at least 18 years old. It is rare for states to seek out a trained execution staff. If state facilities have access to the drugs necessary, botched executions can potentially be avoided. In the case of a failed lethal injection, most individuals who administer this form of capital punishment are not held accountable for their actions in the procedure. Another example provided by Mencimer is dyslexic surgeon Dr. Alan Doerhoff. Doerhoff oversaw 54 Missouri executions before being sued for over 20 malpractice lawsuits 20 years later. Additionally, he was appointed by the federal government to create protocols for federal executions. His disability enabled him to mix up drug dosages during his earlier practices. Our federal government knowingly risks the possibility of flawed operations by not thoroughly examining training professionals. There could be a dozen other federal administrators like Doerhoff and the American public would not know. It is perhaps our most flawed aspect of the procedure and is only half of the political complications surrounding botched executions. Since 1982 there have been over 30 renowned cases of botched lethal injection in American facilities. Most errors originate from executioner malpractice, but some can stem from drug regimen failure. Lethal injection is slowly deteriorating, but one other form of execution still exists with a 0% error. Firing squad was a frequent practice of capital punishment in the military that was introduced in the early 20 th century. This method has only been used three times since the 1976, the year where capital punishment was reinstated. Lethal injection has comprised over 1000 deaths in American capital punishment. While this popular method has been proven to be ineffective, it is still viewed as the ‘cleaner’ and
Wood 11 ‘humane’ method. The death penalty is the cruelest act the U.S judicial system can impose on its citizens. Should Americans stop trying to view capital punishment with an antiseptic veneer and start embracing its brutality? Any opposition to the firing squad are cultural objections, not logical. When performed at maximum efficiency, a firing squad will kill the inmate in seconds whereas lethal injection can sustain 40-90 minutes of pain when performed improperly. Firing squad is currently the most reliable method of execution, but is unpopular due to the brutal nature of its process. Writer and journalist David Von Drehle has studied various methods of the Death Penalty for the last 30 years. His opinions based on observations of recent executions has lead him to suggest lethal injection has become a system characterized by ”rooms full of witnesses shifting miserably in their seats as unconscious men writhe and snort and gasp while strapped to gurneys” (Drehle, “The Death of the Death Penalty”). It would be wise for the U.S. Justice system to look at the firing squad as a substitute until regulation of lethal injection can be improved. In regards to methods, there are few left that can reliably execute the condemned. Gruesome in nature, firing squad may be our only option to lower failure rates in execution. Continuing lethal injection is unjust, unethical, and defective. This method of execution is considerably problematic because of its history of error and the restrictions that stand in its way. The reoccurrence of botched executions in past years reveals flaws in regulation and the threat it poses against the Eighth Amendment. Current procedure demonstrates a failure of design that lethal injection does not effectively accomplish its intended task of a painless death. The branch of government whose sole purpose is to ethically interpret laws is contradicting its defining duty. A change in our tolerance of the death penalty must also be
Wood 12 followed by an evolving standard of ethics. If the U.S justice system cannot guarantee that our most common method of execution is humane and reliable, they should not be able to impose capital punishment as a constitutionally just practice.
Work Cited Alper, Ty. ”The United States Execution Drug Shortage: A Consequence of Our Values.” Brown Journal of World Affairs. 21.1 (2014): p27-39. Web. 9 October 2015. Mencimer, Stephanie. “State Executioners: Untrained, Incompetent, and "Complete Idiots". Mother Jones. n.p. n.d. 2014. Web. 3 October 2015 Sanburn, Josh. "States Try Secrecy to Protect Lethal Injection Drugmakers." Time. n.p., 1 Oct. 2014. Web. 2 Nov. 2015. Von Drehle, David. “Bungled executions. Backlogged courts. And Three More Reasons the Modern Death Penalty is a Failed Experiment.” Time. n.p., 8 June. 2015. Web. 4 October 2015
Wood 13 Zimmers TA, Sheldon J, Lubarsky DA, López-Muñoz F, Waterman L, Weisman R. “Lethal Injection for Execution: Chemical Asphyxiation?.” PLoS Medicine 4 (2007): n. pag. Web. October 2015.