Capital Punishment by Sherman Alexie

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Capital Punishment
Sherman Alexie’s Capital Punishment addresses the issue of death penalty in the criminal justice system through the perspective of a prison cook. The cook of the prison who is the speaker in the poem contemplates the killing of an Indian prisoner while preparing his last meal. Through the speaker, Alexie addresses the defective nature of the criminal justice system in how it sometimes decide a verdict or punishment based on constructs such as race, gender, or social status. The speaker does not speculate on the Indian killer’s innocence or guilt but questions the legitimacy of the law and the criminal justice system. Alexie expresses his personal feelings of prejudice about the death penalty and the problems in the judicial system in society. Through his internal conflict and opinions, the speaker expresses his stance against capital punishment on convicts. The reader speculates on whether the Indian killer is innocent or guilty as the speaker addresses that the judicial system is corrupt and chauvinistic towards people of color. Through the speaker’s stance and opinions the poem draws conclusions on the criminal justice system, the controversial debate of death penalty and the society’s neglect of the injustices. Sherman Alexie presents the injustice in our criminal justice system in his poem, Capital Punishment, to which our world is a silent witness.
The speaker in Capital Punishment prepares the inmate’s last meal without speculating on his innocence or guilt.

Throughout the speaker goes through internal conflicts about the injustices in the system and death penalties but does not make a stance on the prisoner’s culpability. The speaker’s tone remains neutral but details the proceedings of judgment which are mostly bigoted on individuals based on the construct of race. He states “It’s mostly the dark ones who are forced to sit in the chair” CITATION She14 p 1162 l 1033 (Alexie 1162). The speaker is aware of the unfairness in the system and realizes the flaws in the community and this prompts him not to speculate on the validity of the verdict. The cook convinces himself of not being a part of the system by constantly stating he is not a witness CITATION Car13 l 1033 (Dacus), this reflects directly to the world as being a silent witness to the bigotry in the criminal justice system. The instances of injustices the speaker highlights about the judicial system prompt him to have internal conflicts about societal values.
The speaker in the poem seems to be in conflict between laws and the criminal justice system and his own beliefs of right and wrong. The speaker’s states in the third stanza about prejudice upon people of color especially if the victim is white and further claims “It’s true, you can look it up” CITATION She14 p 1162 l 1033 (Alexie 1162). According to the NAACP and Legal Defense over half of the inmates that are on death row are minorities and likely recommended if the victim is white CITATION Ber10 p 145 l 1033 (Berglund and Roush 145). The speakers’ internal conflict begins with his evaluation of the criminal system and the practice of injustices based on prejudice notions that blur the line between right and wrong. The speaker’s comment on the ‘dark ones’ are ‘forced’ to execution hints his conflict with the bigotry nature of the law system. He describes the process of execution as a brutal ordeal by illustrating how the electrocution can sometimes fail. He further explains the terror of execution by comparing the trembling of the lights to a first firm kick in the groin. Alexie’s poem expresses a stern and adamant side in criticizing the crooked system that can send the innocent to the brutal punishment of death penalty CITATION Gra05 p 139 l 1033 (Grassian 139). The cook contemplates on the veracity of the legal structure and contrasts the laws and his concept of right and wrong and how it crosses the line.
The cook constantly clarifies he does not want to be associated with the inmate’s death despite being on the brink of unraveling. The speaker states “I am not a witness” CITATION She14 l 1033 (Alexie) obsessively all through the poem elucidating that he is not a part of the injustices he hints at the system. As the poem reveals itself the statement paves the way for an instance of recognition, the cook admits and states I am a witness CITATION Ber10 p 145 l 1033 (Berglund and Roush 145). The point of unraveling begins when he explains the attention and care he put in preparing the last meal for the inmate. The peak comes in the last few stanzas where the speaker addresses the frailty of all endeavors to judge culpability or innocence CITATION Ber10 p 147 l 1033 (Berglund and Roush 147). The ethical and political concerns in the poem gradually take hold of the speaker’s observance and also the readers’. The speaker unravels as the injustices and ethical issues spur a sense of responsibility and collectivity to work towards justice.
In Capital Punishment, Alexie reflects upon the injustices and prejudices involved in the criminal justice system and society’s adamant silence on the issue. The speaker description of the justice system is a reflection of how the system is inclined to deciding a verdict or punishment based on the suspect’s race, social status or gender. The speaker primarily exhibits a neutral tone in the poem in highlighting the injustices to suggest the cook’s reluctance to view himself as part of this community. The poem aesthetic and ethical issues are meant to mirror the society’s bigotry judicial system and its reluctance to react to the issues. The speaker displays internal conflict between the legal system and its laws and his stance on right and wrong. The Indian killer’s innocence or culpability is not addressed but the cook reflects on how the system has the tendency to give punishment to minorities. In the poem’s conclusion, the speaker unravels and sees the reality of the matter as he is part of it as any other. Alexie intends to show the realities of the system, laws, and the society to evoke a sense of collectivity and responsibility in the readers.
Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Alexie, Sherman. “Capital Punishment.” Schlib, John and John Clifford. Arguing About Literature: A Guide and Reader. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2014. 1162-65. Print.
Berglund, Jeff and Jan Roush. Sherman Alexie: A Collection of Critical Essays. University of Utah, 2010. Print. 16 February 2018.
Dacus, Cara. “Capital Punishment Blog Post #2 Cara Dacus Eng. 201 1073.” 13 February 2013. Lit[CRIT]erature. Web. 15 February 2018.
Grassian, Daniel. Understanding Sherman Alexie. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina, 2005. Print. 15 February 2018.