Running Head: DEATH PENALTY

Death Penalty Genre Analysis

Jazmin Rodriguez
The University of Texas at El Paso
English 1312

Death Penalty

Death Penalty
The death penalty has been around for centuries and began as a form of justice long
ago. Today the death penalty is one of the most controversial topics in our country. Some
oppose it and some are for it, a lot of it has to do with the way that you were brought up and
the period of time that you were brought up. The purpose of this paper is to analyze two genres
that analyze issues that come along with the death penalty. The first genre I will analyze is an
article from the Cornell University Law School. This article holds no emotion towards the death
penalty and has very good information about the background and history of capital
punishment. The second genre I will analyze is a YouTube video titled The History of Capital
Punishment in the United States. Unlike the article, the video will evoke a set of emotions that
will vary from audience to audience. These two genres will help me analyze the death penalty
throughout this project.
Audience and Purpose
In the article from Cornell University the intended audiences are students from a
criminal justice department. These discourse communities benefit from the article because it
gives a well-rounded explanation about capital punishment. At this point in their lives, the
targeted audience should have a good understanding of the basics of the death penalty. They
probably have an understanding of it and are seeking more knowledge about it. The audience
will learn about various cases that have shaped and defined what the death penalty is today.
This genre can be read and understood within ten minutes. With the background of the

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audience it will be an easy read. The main purpose of this article is to inform in detail about the
death penalty. This genre has formal writing, which is to be expected from a prestigious law
school. There is specialized vocabulary throughout the entire article. The special vocabulary are
terms such as jurisdiction, sentencing, and execution. In addition to that, the article casually
mentions past cases that the audience should be aware of but not the common person would
know. All of these cases were hyperlinked for further research and were a bright sky blue which
is intended to catch the readers attention.
The article has a tighter range of audiences compared to the YouTube video which is on
a website that is accessed by millions of people every day. American Citizens are the targeted
audience for my second genre. At the time that someone is watching the second genre and can
fully understand it, it could be anyone from thirteen years of age and older as the video does
warn that the content is intended for mature audiences only. At this point the viewer might
have been in or concluded high school which at that point in their lives they have spent years
learning enough about the death penalty to make up their mind about which side they stand
on, for or against. The viewer wont lose more than five minutes of their time watching this
video. The video has served two purposes, first and foremost to inform the audience about the
history of capital punishment and second to sneak in an underlying form of persuasion. The
video showed graphic images with suspenseful music to have people be against the death
penalty. Since this genre was made public and was made for the public, it holds little to no
formal language. The only specialized vocabularies found in the clip are terms like abolishment
and harshest penalty to obscure your judgments. Visuals were used in this video to highlight the
wrongfulness in the death penalty.

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Rhetorical Issues
The rhetorical issues that both of my genres hold can be described in ethos, pathos, and
logos.
Ethos
The article from Cornell University establishes its credibility for the audience through
the articles historical timeline format. From the start of the article the author delivers a strong
grip on the subject matter. There are past amendments and cases mentioned through the
entire reading. The amendment and important dates are hyperlinked for further research. The
author has shown the research and effort that was put into the article by giving the audience
the ability to further understand the reading by giving links to other cites that could help. The
audience receives information that is cited correctly to build on its credibility. The second genre
doesnt give as much ethos as the first, the videos only strong form of credibility are the real
images of various forms of executions. Next to that, the script of the video states facts about
the history of capital punishment.
Pathos
The route that was taken by the author of the article on the Cornell University doesnt
evoke much emotion from the reader. The article is very professional and remains on neutral
grounds through the end. There arent any opinions given therefore there is no reaction from
the audience. The emotional appeal is very absent from this piece, which can make it difficult to
keep the readers attention. This article is written in a very monotone voice and only talks
about cold hard facts. The second genre is narrated by a younger female who speaks in a

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monotone way as well, but as she is speaking, there are gruesome images in the background.
With the video, there are a lot of different emotions that can be felt by the reader. There is one
picture where they actually show a picture of a man as the woman speaks lightly about it, she
says ...the United States last public execution was in 1936. (2012) as if it is no big deal.
Though there isnt a change of tone in her voice, the image that comes up makes the viewer
feel somewhat guilty since there is a face to the execution.
Logos
The special vocabulary that was used in the first genre is what provided the logos. The
author maintained the professional take on it. The author used evidence and court cases. Most
of the information that has to do with cases or laws are hyperlinked. The links are extremely
reliable because if it is something that the audience does not have much knowledge about, it
will redirect you to a different webpage where the subtopic is defined. Though there arent any
citations or links to support the clip, live images are used to support the video. There are news
casts and clips of movies that support the narrators claims.
Structure and Delivery
Although both genres differ in many ways, they each hold their weight in the way that
they are structured and delivered. The professional article from Cornell uses the information
provided in an organized way so that after most statements a law, amendment, or case is
mentioned for structural support. The limitations to this genre include unfamiliarity for the
common person who is not as educated about law as the intended audience. Therefore this
genre would not be a good example to use against someone who is unaware of the topic. This

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genre is facilitated by the points proven within the article. The YouTube video is organized in a
way where they show real people who have been executed by the death penalty to cause guilt
or remorse. There are limitations to this video because it is not expected to reach most of the
older crowd in the community. This video will mostly reach young adults who are not yet old
enough to vote, or do not hold the maturity to vote to change or keep the death penalty,
considering their views. This video has more freedom because it has more room to show
graphic content since it is on a non-professional network. The structure of this clip facilitates
itself by throwing facts while playing a video that will lead to remorse towards the death
penalty.
Conclusion
Both genres showed a different side to the topic of death penalty. The genres I analyzed
help depict a part of what the death penalty is. The professional article had strict un-opinioned
content while the video raised concern for capital punishment. The death penalty has been a
big topic for the United States for several decades and it will continue to be controversial until a
common ground is found.

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References
Brayton, R. (Host). (2012, January 27). The History of Capital Punishment in the United States.
Retrieved from:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9DtjJFQnmY

Death Penalty. LII / Legal Information Institute. Legal Information Institute, n.d. Web 25 Apr.
2014
Retrieved from:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/death_penalty