The Appeal Of Pathos In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood

Capote talks about the lives of both killers previous to the murders in fairly significant detail. In the case of Perry Smith, his parents divorced early in his childhood and neither his mother nor father really wanted him. This produced feelings of abandonment and uselessness early on in Perry and affected the rest of his life. Capote brings up a letter written to the Kansas State Penitentiary about Perry by Perry's father, who was trying to have Perry paroled for a previous crime he had committed. Perry says that "this biography always set racing a series of emotions--self pity in the lead, love and hate evenly at first, the latter ultimately pulling ahead" (130). Perry didn't feel as though his father ever knew him very well, or even wanted to know him. He says, "whole sections of my Dad was ignorant of. Didn't understand an iota of...I had this great natural musical ability. Which Dad didn't recognize. Or care about...I never got any encouragement from him or anybody else" (133). When Perry's father threw him out of the house one evening because his father could no longer afford to have Perry live with him, Perry lost his sense of direction in life. He even says

Truman Capote wrote In Cold Blood with the intention of creating a new non-fiction genre, a creative spin on a newspaper article with the author, and his opinions and judgments completely absent from the text, leaving only the truth for the reader to interpret. The pages of In Cold Blood are filled with facts and first-hand accounts of the events surrounding the brutal murder of a wealthy unsuspecting family in Holcomb, Kansas. Author Truman Capote interviewed countless individuals to get an accurate depiction of every one affected by and every side of the murder. Although he declares himself an unbiased and opinion-free author, based on the extensive descriptions of one of the murderers, Perry Smith, there is much debate about this

Capote excellently creates sympathy through his use of syntax by incorporating subordinate elements into his writing, evolving his pace from smooth to staccato, and using syntax styles that mimic the character’s individuality. He also made crucial choices in vocabulary and grammar that contributed to the sincerity and intent of the character at hand. Lastly, Capote stresses the loving home lives of the murderers, evoking a sense of warm-heartedness in the reader. His use of diction, syntax and appeals to pathos in order to create sympathy for the murderers is effective in that it provoked the audience to question the true motives of the murderers. Capote depicts the cold-blooded culprits, Perry more so than Dick, as honorable men; this evokes sympathy in the reader, for the loving, caring, respectful nature both Dick and Perry exude would not be found in a brutal murderer. This leaves the reader is disbelief, provoking him to then question the good and evil within himself, wondering if he too will suffer a similar fate to that of Dick Hickock and Perry

In his novel In Cold Blood, Truman Capote uses several literary and rhetorical devices in order to achieve a multitude of goals. He uses them to describe the different characters in the story, but he focuses mainly on developing the character and background behind the killers. He also does this to create an atmosphere of sympathy. Capote’s extensive elaboration of the damaged mental capacities of the killers exemplifies this. He uses literary and rhetorical devices in order to create sympathy for Perry, including metaphorical comparisons and syntax, while developing both Perry and Dick’s characters in order to display the injustices shown towards them by the justice system of Kansas in the 1960’s.

Does a man who brutally murdered four humans-for the sole reason that he had the power to-deserve any ounce of sympathy? “In Cold Blood”, Truman Capote uses “pathos” to appeal to the emotions of the readers about the two murderers, Perry Smith and Richard Hickock. Capote certainly sympathizes with one more than the other. He portrays one of the cold-blooded murderers in a positive light, but portrays the other murderer as a despicable and disgusting human being. For instance, Capote utilizes righteous and simple diction to advocate Perry’s emphatic nature with choices like, “compassion” and “uncharitable”. Furthermore, the author’s piteous tone emphasizes the tragic and hopelessness of Perry’s life with choices like, “You think I like myself?”(Capote 185) and “...the Black Widows were always at me. Hitting me”(Capote 132). In addition, Capote’s tone and diction paint Dick as a tasteless, vicious creature who deserved to take the full blame of the murder. Lastly, there are several rhetorical strategies that author employs to encourage the audience to empathize with Perry and to hate and despise Dick. Primarily, diction is one of the most persuasive literary device in the novel.

Capote's structure in In Cold Blood is a subject that deserves discussion. The book is told from two alternating perspectives, that of the Clutter family who are the victims, and that of the two murderers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. The different perspectives allow the reader to relive both sides of the story; Capote presents them without bias. Capote masterfully utilizes the third person omniscient point of view to express the two perspectives. The non-chronological sequencing of some events emphasizes key scenes.

When we hear about a killing on the news, our natural instincts are to immediately antagonize the killers. More likely than not, we hate the killers, and hope they get a vengeful prison sentence. In Truman Capote’s true crime non-fiction book, In Cold Blood, we learn about the murders that took place in Holcomb. The story is about much more than the slaying of a respectful family, its focus is on the killers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. One of Capote’s main purposes in the book is to convey the multiple perspectives of a crime in order for the readers to view the killers as more than just the bad guys, and he achieves his purpose primarily through the use of pathos, anecdotes, and his chosen narrative.

The dynamic partnership between Dick and Perry stems from their egos, or lack thereof. Perry is especially self-conscious, and his behavior as presented in the book is due to his sense of lacking and

The life of crime is not for everyone but some people are just thrown into it and cannot really control it. On just a regular day back in 1959, the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas were murdered in cold blood by 2 men: Dick Hickcok and Perry Smith. Truman Capote heard about this and decided to learn more about it and once hearing about it more he decided to combine this real life event and a little bit of his own creativity to create this masterpiece. The established author Truman Capote wrote the fictionalized crime novel “In Cold Blood” and by using pathos, imagery, and ethos, he is able to convey his purpose of letting the people know that he can basically change the game of “non fiction” writing and create the first real life fictional crime novel.

The literary nonfiction pieces Columbine, written by Dave Cullen, and In Cold Blood, written by Truman Capote, uniquely develop the stories of their killers through the use of rhetorical devices and careful presentation of information. Cullen frequently employs informal diction and teenage slang to connect the reader to the mindsets of Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold. Additionally, Columbine features manipulation of syntax to emphasize significant information while presenting it in a simple and understated manner. On the other hand, Capote creates pathos while depicting Perry Smith’s passive and sentimental nature to make the reader feel sympathetic. Also, In Cold Blood utilizes imagery to make the reader view Dick Hickock as dangerous and

Aren’t we all a bit crazy at times? In Truman Capote’s rhetorical masterpiece, In Cold Blood, is about a murder that actually occurred in a small town in Kansas. Richard Hickock and Perry Smith, also known as Dick and Perry, are the criminal minds behind the murder. Capote’s work is regarded to as a masterpiece because he uses many rhetorical devices to convey his message. He uses rhetorical devices such as diction, imagery and pathos. Capote’s purpose for writing the book is to show the insights of what goes on in these two’s criminal minds and to humanize Perry.

Truman Capote was a literary genius and had quite the way with words. His book In Cold Blood was a true work of literary art that he created with various rhetorical strategies and the truthful stories told by Garden City’s people and the two murderers of The Clutter Family ,Dick Hickock and Perry Smith. Capote’s use of imagery, tone, and syntax when describing Perry the murderer of the Clutters is undeniably ingenious and brings out a more fiction feel to the story. In this essay I will provide you with a means to see Perry smith as I do and as I believe Truman Capote did.

Truman Capote's non-fiction novel, In Cold Blood, relates the murders of the small Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas in 1959, the sand and harsh lives of the fugitive killers, Perry Smith and Dick Hickock, and their persecutors. Capote awakens multiple emotions throughout the novel on the reader, leaving a thirst for justice and a heavy stomach due to the accuracy of the story, but mainly achieves this by using concrete, evocative techniques, such as the juxtaposing of chapters that foreshadows events and contrast the characters' personalities and motivations, creating an even more emotional impact on the reader.

Capote structures the book in a unique way that engages the reader, he presents and organises the events and characters in a way which the reader is familiar with the names. As Dick and Perry approach Holcomb and the Clutters go about their everyday life, Capote juxtaposes them back and forth like a pattern, the victims, the murderers, the victims, the murderers. The way Capote has structured

“In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote is a nonfiction book based on a real crime happened in the peaceful town of Holcomb, Kansas. Capote wrote from both victim and criminal side to show both thoughts and point of view of the story to avoid the one-sided account. In the book, Truman Capote, a former journalist and the author of “In Cold Blood” is making readers feel sympathy for Perry since Capote befriended with Perry while interviewing him. Capote uses of pathos and strong diction effectively in order to evoke sympathy for Perry’s childhood environment and deleterious effect it had on Perry’s mind. To begin with, Capote uses emotional appeal in order to illustrate Perry’s devastating past.