Summary Of Chronicle Of An American Execution By Dan Barry

Chronicle Of An American Execution “ Chronicle Of An American Execution”, written by Dan Barry, is a very powerful and descriptive writing which illustrates an cruel execution by electrocution that took place in the state of Tennessee in 2007. Third person narrative, imagery and word choice are the three techniques Dan skillfully uses throughout his essay as a result to create strong and unforgettable impressions and pictures in the reader’s minds; These rhetorical devices not only lively portray physical characteristics, but also directly present the concrete ruthless details of the execution and effectively contribute dominant impression upon the readers. Dan uniquely starts off his essay with a brief description talking about
The numerous examples of imagery throughout the essay portray how inhumane, cruel and barbaric electrocutions are. The author then portrays the scene of Mr.Holton’s execution as an observer, he states “With the push of a button on a console labeled Electric Chair Control, 1750 volts bolt through Mr.Holton’s body, jerking it up and dropping it like a sack of earth.” ( 68) The three imagery phrases here “ jerking it up “, “ dropping it”, and “ a sack of earth” invoke the readers for the cruelty of Mr.Holton’s death. Moreover, in the up coming paragraph the author talks about the second bolt of electrocution which enhances the cruelty of the execution by describing“ Fifteen seconds later, another bolt, and Mr.Holton’s body rises even higher, slumps even lower. His reddened hands remain gripped to the arms of the chair, whose oaken pieces are said to have once belonged to the old electric chair, and before that, to the gallows “(68). The “reddened hands” and “ gripped” are the two powerful phrases that reflect Mr.Holton’s great desire to survive before his death; The author also uses contrary words such as “ rises” versus“ slumps”, “higher” versus “ lower” in order to deeply engrave Mr. Holton’s death scene in reader’s