aaust6yp – Discipline & Punish http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish Early American Crime Narratives Tue, 12 Jun 2007 01:34:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.3.2 frost http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/frost/ Mon, 11 Jun 2007 21:51:02 +0000 http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/2007/06/11/frost/ Continue reading ]]> 1. retribution– “he thought it no great crime to kill such as he supposed treated him very ill-and did not appear to have a just conception of the heinous crime of murder.” frost’s concept of murder is very unlike a “normal” person’s sense of the crime. he felt that it was okay to kill someone if he thought they had done something wrong against him. his mentality is even more profound considering the way he organizes degrees of crime in his head: that dishonesty was far worse than murdering someone. it is completely opposite of how we think. this suggests that maybe our justice system has, by their decisions of what crimes are worse than others based on the type of punishment decided for each crime, has created the sense we have of why murder is worse than stealing or lying.

2. honesty– honesty, to frost, was very important. he felt that being dishonest was, in fact, what made someone a bad person. his murdering men was not wrong to him- however, if he were to lie about it, that would be the unjust act. “he had high notions of honesty, and appeared much offended when his honesty was suspected.” “he was told that he might plead not guilty, was urged so to do, and was remanded to prison, in order that he might consider of the plea he had made…he persisted in pleading guilty.”

3. death– this narrative shows how frost thought death to be an experience much like a sane person would think about jumping into a cold pool or getting a shot if they had never had one; curious of the feeling it produces. his interest in people dying is comparable to the interest readers had in these narratives. he wanted to see the unknown. he wanted an explanation for something the human mind could not fathom. “being asked why he thought so, he said he had been beating his head against the walls of the prison, in order to know how they felt whilst he was killing them.”

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mount http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/mount/ Mon, 11 Jun 2007 17:32:52 +0000 http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/2007/06/11/mount/ Continue reading ]]> 1. sincerity– this word indicates that Mount confessed to all of his crimes willingly and the account that was published was not given based on any other basis than genuineness. this caught my eye because we have questioned the validity of some of the narratives we have read. here, however, both the narrator and mount himself state that his confession is voluntary. this factor makes the account, perhaps, a little more heartfelt rather than dramatic: “the voluntary confession of Thomas Mount” “in sincerity and truth make the following confession.”

2. desert– mount has an undying urge to abandon people to whom he has agreed to be loyal. it began with his parents, ” at the age of 10 or 11, i quitted my parents” continued through ship assignments, and even through his military enlistments. his desertions always result in more theft. the combination of the two cause a continuous cycle in which mount was caught. this cycle created a life of unrest for him. he was always running and trying to escape the punishment for his life of crime.

3. disguise– mount eventually reaches the point that he must disguise himself in order to even go through the motions of a normal life. “and told her i was a fortune-teller, and repeating several things that i had heard of her, she thought i was really a fortune teller; then i proposed to marry her, and she approved of my offer.” also, “but this i could not do unless i was disguised.” his life had become so corrupt that his original identity had been lost. a disguise was one of the only ways he could escape being caught for his many crimes.

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powers http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/powers/ Mon, 11 Jun 2007 03:25:20 +0000 http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/2007/06/10/powers/ Continue reading ]]> 1. naturally-Powers never tries to blame his “villainous” acts on others. he believes them to be part of his character-an innate aspect of himself. “but i was naturally too much inclined to vice, to profit by his precepts of example…” “but being naturally vicious i improved my talents…” “i supposed it was because i was naturally inclined to be light-fingered…” this is contrasting to many of the other narratives we have read. he doesn’t try to find an alibi for his actions such as his lack of education or an impoverished family. rather, he creates an image for himself that an onlooker would regard as perhaps the worst kind of villain-the natural kind, a truly evil person.

2. liberty– powers is always in search of liberty or freedom. “with the help of two of my companions we broke goal after three hours hard work.” this depiction of liberty in this narrative goes back to our earlier discussions of how prisons, although a more humane form of punishment, punishes a person by depriving them of their liberty. powers is obviously, whether consciously or subconsciously, keen to the idea of how valuable liberty is. “i sawed off my pinions across the grates of the prison; and with the help of a knife, got a piece of board, with which i pryed off the grate. i then went to work to cut up my blanket, into strips, tying them together from the grate, i descended from the upper loft.” the extent to which power goes to attain his freedom is indicative of how valuable a luxury freedom and liberty is to a person.

3. donor-this is by far the first time the idea of donating has been addressed in any narrative. this is interesting because the criminal’s worth is so belittled in a community due to their acts and accusation of crime. they are seen, until conversion, and then only by the ministers who have invested so much time in the conversion, as worthless, less valuable than an innocent person within the community. this is even true of today.. however, in powers’ case, his physical body became of actual monetary value. the criminal became of value to society.

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mountain http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/mountain-2/ Mon, 11 Jun 2007 02:24:41 +0000 http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/2007/06/10/mountain-2/ Continue reading ]]> 1.theatrics– “we were on the spot at the hour agreed upon, and disguised ourselves for the adventure. hyde and wilson were dressed in white frocks and boots, with their faces painted yellow to resemble Molattoes. Mountain was dressed in the same manner, with the addition of a large tail wig, white gloves and a black mask over his face. This creates a setting. we have discussed several times how this era of narratives produced a sort of theatrical setting-a form of entertainment for its readers. this narrative captures this idea at tis heart. mountain’s acquaintance with a traveling guild set the stage for his crime which eventually became, through this text, a readable form of entertainment for many.

2. villain– Mountain appears to be a villain of a modern day crime film; the ultimate robber as dramatized by an actor. in the darkness of the night, one unlucky bypasser hears, ” you know my profession, deliver or death.” this becomes these thieves’ catchphrase. not only this, but the fact that they have a broker portrays a shift in power as well as adding one more character to the drama. at the time of the robbery, the villian, or mountain, has the most power, controlling whomever is unfortunate to be robbed. however, this power is then shifted to the broker who ultimately determines the value of the villains’ work. “he then threw me his purse, which containex about 10 guineas, and a sliver watch, which was valued by our broker at 6.1.” this whole scene seems to common to a modern American, very entertaining, movie, although it took place in 1790.

3. gentlemen-Mountain’s narrative captures the essence of the high-class glamorous criminal- something very different from the narratives we began reading but more similar to crimes we hear about very often today. through his robbing other “virtuous” gentlemen, Mountain produced a life of luxury for himself. “we now concluded to remain in london for a while, as gentlemen of pleasure. the repeated robberies had furnished us with cash in abundance…we went from york to newmarket to attend the famous races which took place about the first of June…”

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herman rosencrantz http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/herman-rosencrantz/ Wed, 06 Jun 2007 20:41:21 +0000 http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/2007/06/06/herman-rosencrantz/ Continue reading ]]> 1. community-here i had a fair opportunity of being of service to the community; by discovering these pests of civil government, andbringing them to justice…” the community is seen in almost a reverse role here. in most past cases, it was the community coming to the aid of the convicted by means of ministers and townspeople praying for the lost soul of the prisoner. however, in this case, although rosencrantz neglected it, he acknowledges that he had an opportunity to civically serve the community.

2. venturesome-but instead of these difficulties i had gone through, being a warning to me, they rather, as will appear in the end, made me more venturesome.” rosencrantz, like the other thieves we have discussed, had an addiction to the criminal acts in which they were partaking. here, rosencrantz blatantly acknowledges the reason behond his continuous behavior; it was the thrill. it was not that he was addicted to the act of forging money, it was that he was addicted to the excitement that he felt everytime he was successful.

3. industrious– “i industriously set myself to work and might have lived comfortably, if it had not been for what follows.” Rosencrantz once again reverts back to money as the primary cause of this criminal acts. by working, he would earn a wage and perhaps be deterred from continuously counterfieting money. however, it seems that his reputation preceded him.

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the american bloody register http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/the-american-bloody-register/ Tue, 05 Jun 2007 21:52:42 +0000 http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/2007/06/05/the-american-bloody-register/ Continue reading ]]> 1. number-after commmitting a crime, it almost seems as though the worth of the person became so devalued that they lost their human identity and essentially became a numnber. the only interest left in these people were the public entertainment for the townspeople.

2. pirate– a plunderer. pirates would take belongings of others. they were also so different from

other factions in society that their label stood out. this is comparable to the executioner who,

rather than taking belongings took people’s lives but whose title was still well known through-

out society.

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rachel wall http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/rachel-wall/ Tue, 05 Jun 2007 21:44:56 +0000 http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/2007/06/05/rachel-wall/ Continue reading ]]> 1. public-once again, attention is placed on the public. their participation has become even more personal, however, in the way Wall describes their interests than just the ravenous spectators they have been in the past. “the public will be anxious to know every particular circumstance of the life and character of a person in my unhappy situation…”

2. youth-here another category is presented by which criminals can be grouped. since in many cases the deviant acts we’ve read about began in childhood, like Wall, she hopes the younger generation will heed her warning.

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levi ames http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/levi-ames/ Tue, 05 Jun 2007 21:37:21 +0000 http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/2007/06/05/levi-ames/ Continue reading ]]> 1. envy– the desire to have something belonging to another seems to be a feeling which serves as a catalyst for the injust acts in which Ames, as well as frasier, partook.

2. charity– a heartfelt, voluntary giving. “i die in charity with all mankind.” it is interesting that he would say this in the snese that he voluntarily forgave Atwood for lying and that, through his confessions, all those whome he victimized would or had also voluntarily forgiven him. in a way, it is almost humerous that a theif would use the word charity in some of his last words.

3. holy-being of God. Ames states that he wants to be made holy. this desire to be made holy and achieve salvation is the most important aspect of the criminal after being condemned. “since which I have found peace of mind, anger against myself for sin, and a desire to be made holy.”

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buchanan, ross, and brooks http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/buchanan-ross-and-brooks/ Tue, 05 Jun 2007 21:30:06 +0000 http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/2007/06/05/buchanan-ross-and-brooks/ Continue reading ]]> 1. escape– to get away. “who have for this time escaped punishment.” Buchanan, ross, and brooks like the other narratives we have read, want to escape. this desire to escape punishment is indicative of the fear that the penal system and its practices had conspired within people of this time.

2. dollars– currency is the driving and inticing force behind Brooks killing Mr. Spooner. However, this is directly related to the deep rooted feeling of envy that many of the criminals harboured within themselves. “…Brooks to take his life from him; for which he was to receive one thousand dollars, Mr. Spencer’s watch, buckles, and as much cloth as would make a suit of clothes.”

3. account– a documented series of events. people were so interested in hearing about a person’s crime, and even more so, what their last days were like. like we have discussed in class, these publshed accounts were one of early america’s most popular selling literary genres.

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elizabeth wilson http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/elizabeth-wilson/ Tue, 05 Jun 2007 21:22:06 +0000 http://blogs.elsweb.org/disciplinepunish/2007/06/05/elizabeth-wilson/ Continue reading ]]>
  • ignorant– not knowing of the fervently preached saving power of God’s mercy seems an almost shocking realization for someone in this time period. “during her confinement she was visited by serious people of different religious demonstrations, and appeared amazingly ignorant…” This is also a very important factor to consider when thinking about the pursuit of these ministers to try and reach out to these people while imprisoned before being executed. However, it is also an interesting concept to consider when thinking in terms of God’s grace as opposed to mercy. Regardless of whether this person, for instance, Wilson, is aware of any spiritual or religious teachings, nothing is really to say that she will not go to heaven after her execution despite her unawareness and lack of sufficient knowledge in respect to what was being taught in the different denominations.
  • dungeon– this was an interesting word choice for prison I believe. When considering what we know about dungeons as seen in history and entertainment, we can really catch a glimpse of what prison was like for the people being confined there. Also, we thinking about what all a dungeon entails, darkness, dampness, hollowness, hardness, perhaps we can also see into the minds and hearts of the prisoners that would offer some insight into why Wilson chose such a word to describe where she was being held. Furthermore, the fact that Wilson chose such a word in the context in which she used it, “the dungeon was the happiest place she ever was in her life,” suggests the reader with even more understanding of, perhaps, how bleak her life must have been before even being imprisoned.
  • woman– although a general term, it is very relevant not only to this text but others, like Patience Boston and Esther Rodgers. Gender is something always poking the back of the mind when reading these narratives and comparing crimes with crimes. There seem to be specific crimes in which the men we are reading about seem to partake and a separate type of crime in which the woman criminal participates. In all of the narratives, including this one about Wilson, the woman is guilty of fornication, a very specific, personal, intimate crime unlike theft, counterfeiting, and thievery that can be seen as crimes committed in different degrees. In a way, this causes the woman to appear less strong, even weak. The fact that her crime would be of an intimate manner may also suggest what many may view as a submissive behavior.
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