Death Penalty Essay

Writing a Death Penalty Essay – Avoiding Emotion

People have strong feelings about the death penalty, and there really is not much middle ground on this issue. Therefore, any death penalty essay you write will involve taking a stand and defending it. It is easy to approach this issue with strong emotion, and most people do. However, when you are writing a death penalty argumentative essay, you must set emotion aside and look carefully at the reasoned positions – those based upon ethical, moral, religious and legal principles – that are posited by reasonable people.

Here are some ideas for topics and the research efforts that might be required to write sound essays.

• Write and against death penalty essay based upon the number of death row inmates who have been found to be innocent. A great place for information is The Innocence Project, a non-profit organization that takes cases in which it believes the convicted person is innocent. The work of this organization has been instrumental in a number of states establishing a moratorium on the death penalty. Other great sources to support your opinion are Amnesty International and The American Civil Liberties Union. If you are going to have a reasoned argument against the death penalty, you should certainly be able to cite evidence of wrongful convictions and the reasons why 120 countries in the world have abolished it.
• A death penalty pros and cons essay should take an objective look at the arguments for and against this punishment. A couple of great resources are http://www.balancedpolitics.org and http://www.listverse.com. Here you will find the most commonly used arguments for and against.
• A death penalty essay could be written based upon religions of the world that accept or reject this punishment, and their reasons for doing so. This can become quite complex. For example, one of the Ten Commandments is, “Thou shalt not kill.” How do many Christians and Jews reconcile this commandment with their belief in the death penalty? Interviewing some theologians would be an interesting activity in preparation for such an essay.
• Write a pro death penalty essay summarizing the arguments in favor of the punishment. Two websites for these arguments include http://www.prodeathpenalty.com and http://www.heritage.org. These site will point to specific studies that purport to show that the death penalty is a deterrent to violent crime.

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Structuring Your essay on death penalty facts, statistics, and opinions

The purpose of your essay will largely determine the structure.

1. If you are writing an objective analysis of the pro and con arguments, and you do not want to state a personal opinion, then your essay is expository – you are providing an explanation of the two points of view. Your thesis, then, will not be to posit an opinion on the death penalty, but, rather, to state that this is a highly controversial issue worthy of discussion, so that people can form reasoned opinions.
2. If you are writing an essay taking one side on the issue, you are writing a persuasive essay. You will only use facts and studies that support your view, and that view is the thesis of your piece.
3. If you are taking a side and, as well, attempting to debunk the other side, then you have a more complex piece of writing – an argumentative essay on death penalty positions.

Writing a scholarly death penalty essay is not an easy task. You will need to conduct research; you may need to conduct interviews. You will need to have a stunning introductory statement that will engage your reader immediately. Further, you essay must reflect solid composition skills. If you are feeling overwhelmed at the moment, perhaps with too much course work, you can turn over your topic and thesis to one of the great writers at Premier Essay, and address your other priorities.