The Life of David Gale
Moi Gonzalez
Lynnette Beers-McCormick
English 103
July 3, 2013
“No Lifeguard on Duty”
Capital Punishment is when a person is put to death for a crime they committed. While most americans continue to support execution, there is always the few who are against it. One of the main arguments against capital punishment is that someone can wrongfully be charged for a crime they did not commit and then wrongfully have their life taken away. In the film, The Life of David Gale, the director, Alan Parker, tells of the story of a man who is sentenced to capital punishment for a crime, which he makes the audience believe, did not commit. With its over-reliance on pathos, its weak use of logos, and its tricky use of symbolism, the film manipulates the viewer into believing that the system of capital punishment is deeply flawed.
One method of persuasion effectively used in most cases is rational appeal, or logos. Logos is logical appeal that usually describes facts to support a claim. There are a few examples of logos in the in the film, The Life of David Gale. One scene where it was noticeably used was when the intern, Zack, tells Bitsy, the reporter, that 73% of all murders vote republican. This comment by Zack was persuasive to catch the attention of non-republicans. Another scene where logos was used was when David is at the debate with the governor of Texas. The debate was overfilled with facts and numbers regarding both sides of capital punishment, which is a great use of logos. All the facts during the debate made viewers think mostly about the facts and most likely deter a person to a certain side based on facts. The strongest part in the film that included the use of logos was the video of Constance’s death. The evidence in the video proves her death, which the court needed to convict David. The video of her death also shows the proof Bitsy needed to defend David’s case and to see Dusty’s involvement. With the use of rational appeal the facts in the
Lynnette Beers-McCormick
English 103
July 3, 2013
“No Lifeguard on Duty”
Capital Punishment is when a person is put to death for a crime they committed. While most americans continue to support execution, there is always the few who are against it. One of the main arguments against capital punishment is that someone can wrongfully be charged for a crime they did not commit and then wrongfully have their life taken away. In the film, The Life of David Gale, the director, Alan Parker, tells of the story of a man who is sentenced to capital punishment for a crime, which he makes the audience believe, did not commit. With its over-reliance on pathos, its weak use of logos, and its tricky use of symbolism, the film manipulates the viewer into believing that the system of capital punishment is deeply flawed.
One method of persuasion effectively used in most cases is rational appeal, or logos. Logos is logical appeal that usually describes facts to support a claim. There are a few examples of logos in the in the film, The Life of David Gale. One scene where it was noticeably used was when the intern, Zack, tells Bitsy, the reporter, that 73% of all murders vote republican. This comment by Zack was persuasive to catch the attention of non-republicans. Another scene where logos was used was when David is at the debate with the governor of Texas. The debate was overfilled with facts and numbers regarding both sides of capital punishment, which is a great use of logos. All the facts during the debate made viewers think mostly about the facts and most likely deter a person to a certain side based on facts. The strongest part in the film that included the use of logos was the video of Constance’s death. The evidence in the video proves her death, which the court needed to convict David. The video of her death also shows the proof Bitsy needed to defend David’s case and to see Dusty’s involvement. With the use of rational appeal the facts in the
Cited: Blackmun, Harry. “Dissenting Opinion in Callins v. Collins.” Current Issues and Enduring Questions. 9th ed. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston: Bedford, 2011. 621. Print. Kozinski, Alex and Sean Gallagher. “For an Honest Death Penalty.” Current Issues and Enduring Questions. 9th ed. Ed. Sylvan Barnet and Hugo Bedau. Boston: Bedford, 2011. 630. Print. The Life of David Gale. Dir. Alan Parker. Perf. Kate Winslet, Cleo King, Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney. Universal, 2003. DVD