Bring Back Flogging Essay - 1060 Words

In â€Å"Bring Back Flogging† Jeff Jacoby, a columnist for the Boston Globe, presents the use of corporal punishment as an alternative to the current system of imprisonment. Published in February of 1997, the article states that flogging would be a more effective means of punishment than jail. He insists it would be less expensive and serve as a deterrent to first time offenders. Jacoby’s thoughts on prison reform are legitimate, but his reasoning behind the use of corporal punishment is flawed. He fails to provide reasonable support for his argument which leaves the reader guessing as to the seriousness of his claim. Jacoby starts his essay by providing a background history on flogging by relating the punishment to crimes that would be†¦show more content†¦This statement could be begging the question whether or not criminals really become more violent after prison, but more often than not the statement is true. Addressing the cost, he states that a common est imate is $30,000 per inmate per year (Jacoby 193). This is an implied generalization that the prison system is a waste of money. The Globe reported in 1994 that more than two hundred thousand prison inmates are raped each year, usually to the indifference of the guards (Jacoby 194). Jacoby uses this statement to show that prison life has unimaginable horrors. His logos is strong using statistics to address the deficiencies of the system and deductive reasoning throughout the essay to persuade the reader to his hypothesis. He also appeals to his credibility as a writer by showing his own argument would not be effective in every situation, stating â€Å"there would be no cachet in chaining a criminal to a whipping post† (Jacoby 194). He shows that he has logically thought about his position and weighed the pros and cons associated with it. Because of this Jacoby is seen as a credible writer, if not a very sarcastic one. Jeff Jacoby comes across as sarcastic. His argument seems absurd and it appears that he is writing a satire. At first glance his essay appears to call for prison reform in light of a costly and ineffective incarceration system and provides facts to support the thought. It is notShow MoreRelatedBring Back Flogging1340 Words   |  6 PagesBring Back Flogging This essay by Jeff Jacoby illustrates an authors use of ironic sarcasm otherwise known as satire to defend and illustrate his platform on his position. Jacoby uses in this essay verbal irony (persuasion in the form of ridicule). In the irony of this sort there is a contrast between what is said and what is meant. Jacoby s claim in simple is he believes that flogging should be brought back to replace the more standard conventional method of the imprisonment of violentRead MoreBring Back Flogging1289 Words   |  6 PagesBring Back Flogging Every civilized society makes laws that protect its values, and society expects from every single person to obey to these laws. Whenever a person from this society breaks one of those laws, the rulers of the society punish him or her either by putting the person behind bars, whipping him or her, or exiling the person. A great debate has been raging since human society started. Some say that depriving a wrongdoer from his or her freedom is the best way to deter him or her fromRead MoreBring Back Flogging Essays475 Words   |  2 PagesBring Back Flogging During seventeenth century flogging was a popular punishment for convicted people among Bostons Puritans. Fortunately, those times have passed and brutal and inhuman flogging was replaced by imprisonment. Columnist for the Boston Globe, Jeff Jacoby in his essay Bring back flogging asserts that flogging is superior to imprisonment and advocates flogging as an excellent means of punishment. He is convinced that flogging of offenders after their first conviction can preventRead MoreJeff Jacoby’s Bring Flogging Back1018 Words   |  5 PagesIn Jeff Jacoby’s essay Bring Flogging Back, he discusses whether flogging is the more humane punishment compared to prison. Jacoby uses clear and compelling evidence to describe why prisons are a terrible punishment, but he lacks detail and information on why flogging is better. In the essay he explains how crime has gotten out of hand over the past few decades, which has lead to the government building more prisons to lock up more c riminals. His effort to prove that current criminal punishment isRead MoreBring Back Flogging by Jeff Facoby715 Words   |  3 PagesA columnist for the Boston Globe, Jeff Jacoby, in his article, â€Å"Bring Back Flogging† published on the op-ed page on February 20, addresses the issue of the deficiency of today’s criminal justice system and attempts to persuade us to bring back flogging as a punishment for certain crime. However, though his syllogism might arouse the reader and educate them on the need for reform, but it fails to convince the reader that corporal punishment is the best option. He supports his argument by providingRead More Do Not Bring Back Flogging Essay1032 Words   |  5 PagesFlogging†¦What is it? What purpose does it serve? For those of us who have never heard of flogging, flogging refers to â€Å"beating with a whip or strap or rope as a form of punishment† (â€Å"Flogging† 1). Throughout the 1600s, flogging was utilized by â€Å"Boston’s Puritan Forefathers† (Jacoby 1) as a method of corporal punishment for various crimes. Progressing forward, Jeff Jacoby, columnist for The Boston Globe, provides readers with his view of â€Å"Boston’s Forefathers’† system of punishment in his essay, â€Å"BringRead MoreJeff Jacobys Essay Bring Back Flogging1214 Words   |  5 Pages â€Å"Bring Back Foolishness† nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Jeff Jacobys’ essay, entitled â€Å"Bring Back Flogging† was, in my sincere opinion, poorly constructed. There are numerous instances where I felt that he had either not supported his premises with valid information or had negated his support in later sentences. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The essay begins by drawing forth images of Puritan punishment. He cites two instances of punishment, which were particularly torturous and radical in natureRead MoreSummary Of Bring Back Flogging By Jeff Jacoby795 Words   |  4 PagesIn â€Å"Bring Back Flogging†, the author, Jeff Jacoby suggests that people should adopt some of the Puritans tactics to punish criminals instead of putting them in prison. In order to present his claim, Jacoby is based in the use of irony, logos, and ethos. According to Jeff Jacoby a moment of humiliation is better than a couple of years behind the bars. I do not agree with Jeff Jacoby’s argument because the examples he gives and the way he refers to the topic incite to violence, also during the developmentRead More Jeff Jacobys Bring Back Flogging Essay1315 Words   |  6 PagesJeff Jacobys Bring Back Flogging   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This essay by Jeff Jacoby illustrates an authors use of ironic sarcasm otherwise known as satire to defend and illustrate his platform on his position. Jacoby uses in this essay verbal irony (persuasion in the form of ridicule). In the irony of this sort there is a contrast between what is said and what is meant.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jacoby’s claim in simple is he believes that flogging should be brought back to replace the more standard conventional method of the imprisonmentRead MoreRhetorical Analysis1358 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ In â€Å"Bring Back Flogging†, Jeff Jacoby addresses the problems within America s criminal justice system. He gives many reasons why imprisonment simply does not work, and suggests that corporal punishment should be used as an alternative. Published in the Boston Globe, a newspaper well known for being liberal, Jacoby provides a conservative view and directs his argument towards those who strongly support imprisonment and view corporal punishment to be highly barbaric and inhumane. However,