1. What are the names of the two main characters?
The names of the two main characters are Sister Helen Prejean and Matthew Poncelet.
What crime did the man in prison commit?
The man in prison, Matthew Poncelet, was charged with raping and murdering a teenage girl named Hope Percy and murdering a teenage boy named Walter Delacroix.
2. Was he guilty according to the film?
Yes, Matthew Poncelet was guilty according to the film. He was found guilty in court and he admitted his guilt to Sister Helen Prejean.
3. What punishment do you think he deserved?
I think that a creatively torturous punishment would have been excellent for Matthew Poncelet. I think that the police should have kept him in a single jail cell surrounded by pictures Walter Delacroix and Hope Percy for the rest of his life (only letting him leave to visit the restroom, and not letting him have visitors.) The memories of the dead children would haunt him forever and he would surely regret what he did.
4. What is your opinion of the death penalty?
My opinion of the death penalty is that it is the 鈥渆asy way out鈥?because if a person is dead, then he/she does not have to deal with the consequences of his/her crime. I think it should be abolished for that reason, and so that no one鈥檚 blood is on the hands of the executioners (figuratively speaking, because there is nothing bloody or gory about the lethal injection). I think anyone who is willing to sentence someone to execution or perform the actual execution is as ruthless a killer as the person on death row is.
5. What role did Sister Helen play in relation to Matthew?
Matthew Poncelet wrote to Sister Helen and asked for her help. She provided counsel and became his spiritual advisor while he was on death row.
6. In what ways did she help Matthew?
Sister Helen Prejean helped Matthew Poncelet in a variety of ways. She convinced a reputable lawyer and Matthew鈥檚 mother, Lucille Poncelet, to speak on his behalf in court. She arranged for him to take a lie detector test, as he asked. She provided spiritual guidance and agreed to be a face of love for him when he died. She encouraged him to read his Bible and gave him the courage to admit to his crimes.
7. Is killing wrong?
Yes, I believe that killing is wrong when it comes to human beings killing other human beings and is the absolute worst crime that anyone could possibly commit. It is a violation of the Sixth Commandment (鈥淭hou shall not kill鈥? to kill another person; it is okay for people to kill animals for food only, and animals kill each other and sometimes
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people because they do not have a sense of morals. Regardless of religion, I still believe that killing is wrong because nothing makes one human life more valuable than
another, so a person should not be allowed to kill another person.
8. The death penalty is killing. Is the death penalty wrong?
Yes, I believe killing is wrong because prosecutors and judges have no right to decide that someone deserves to die when they were not the ones who gave that person life and I think that these prosecutors will reap what they sow.
9. Describe the most dramatic moment of the film.
In my opinion, the most dramatic moment of the film is when Clyde Percy is berating Sister Helen Prejean. He did not want her to comfort Matthew Poncelet and bitterly asked her who was there to comfort Hope on the night she died.
10. How did the murdered girl鈥檚 parents react to Sister Helen?
When Earl Delacroix introduced Clyde and Mary Beth Percy to Sister Helen Prejean in court, they did not even want to speak to her because she was assisting Matthew Poncelet. When Sister Helen said she was sorry about Hope鈥檚 death, the parents caustically responded that they were sorry, too. Later on in the movie, Sister Helen went to the Percy鈥檚 home and Mr. and Mrs. Percy shared memories about Hope and told how they felt when Hope was murdered. They only opened up to Sister Helen about it because they were under the impression that Sister Helen had changed her mind. However, when they found out that Sister Helen would be helping Matthew Poncelet until he died, they abruptly asked her to leave.
11. Was this an expected reaction? Explain.
Yes, this was an expected reaction because Hope Percy was raped and brutally murdered. It is only natural that they should want Matthew Poncelet to pay for it and share in their anguish, so they did not want Sister Helen Prejean helping him.
12. How did the murdered boy鈥檚 parents react?
When Earl Delacroix first saw Sister Helen, he accosted her and said that he was Catholic and that he was upset that a nun would do something like help a convict. Earl Delacroix told her that he was angry because she had not come to the parents of the murdered children to assist them. When Sister Helen tried to give him her telephone number so that they could talk later, he said that she was arrogant. However, later on in the film, Earl Delacroix did calm down and allowed Sister Helen to come to his home and they talked about Walter. Mrs. Delacroix is not shown throughout the movie and the viewer has no knowledge of her meeting with Sister Helen Prejean.
13. Was this an expected reaction?
Yes, this was an expected reaction because Walter Delacroix was brutally murdered, and as his father said, now there was no one to carry on the Delacroix name. I would expect the parents to want Matthew Poncelet to be punished severely for what he did, and they did not want Sister Helen Prejean helping him.
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14. For a Christian perspective of forgiveness read Luke 23: 32 鈥?34. What was Jesus鈥?prayer to the Father?
Jesus said, 鈥淔ather, forgive them; for they know not what they do.鈥? He said this right before he was about to die.
15. In the movie Dead Man Walking, how did the following characters deal with forgiveness? Be specific.
Sister Helen Prejean was an advocate for not giving inmates the death penalty. She said to Clyde Percy that she was 鈥渏ust trying to follow the example of Jesus, who said that a person is not as bad as his worst deed.鈥? She was a model of forgiveness because she wanted others to treat Matthew Poncelet humanely and I believe that she inspired Mr. Percy to forgive Matthew.
Throughout most of the movie, Matthew Poncelet was upset that the Percy鈥檚 and the Delacroix鈥檚 wanted to see him dead because they could not forgive him for what he did. However, by the end of the movie, he makes it clear that he regrets what he has done and he hoped that his death would abate the suffering and anger of the parents of the dead children. Right before he dies, he states that he believes killing is wrong no matter who does it.
Hope Percy鈥檚 parents seem unable to forgive Matthew Poncelet at all, and they dislike Sister Helen for being sympathetic to him. They are resentful all throughout the movie and want him to apologize and make amends for what he did. After Matthew dies, a smile is seen on Clyde Percy鈥檚 face.
Walter Delacroix鈥檚 parents seem to have mixed feelings about Matthew Poncelet. Mrs. Delacroix does not appear in the movie and she divorces her husband because they 鈥渉ave different ways of dealing with鈥?Hope鈥檚 death. Earl Delacroix is on the road to forgiveness at the end of the movie because he shows up at Matthew鈥檚 funeral.
16. Capital punishment means the death penalty. Jesus teaches to forgive your enemies on the Sermon on the Mount... and those that persecute you. Could you offer an alternative punishment than the death penalty?
Alternative punishment to the death penalty for murderers would be what I suggested for Matthew Poncelet (surrounding the murderer with pictures of the victim), and having the state take control of the murderer鈥檚 assets so the victim鈥檚 family can receive financial compensation.
Other crimes that people may receive the death penalty are multiple convictions sexual assault on a child under 14, treason, aggravated kidnapping, drug trafficking, aircraft hijacking, placing a bomb near a bus terminal, espionage, aggravated assault by incarcerated persons; and attempting, authorizing or advising the killing of any officer, juror, or witness in cases involving a Continuing Criminal Enterprise, regardless of whether such killing actually occurs. Punishments for these would have to be life- prison terms (without parole) and they should have to educate children so that the future generations will not make the same mistakes. These criminals could also be used as unpaid test cases for new medicines and observed for research on mental illnesses.
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17. As of August 1999, 82 people were removed from death row because their innocence was proven. Why do you think there were so many people on death row along with the guilty?
I think that there were so many people on death row along with the guilty because modern society has become so vicious and follows the 鈥渆ye for an eye, tooth for a tooth鈥?mentality. When dreadful crimes are committed, the public WANT to see someone punished for it, so judges sentence the most likely suspect to death just to get it over with. Another reason may be that people cannot afford adequate legal counsel, and they are not proven innocent.
18. Does the death penalty teach love or hate?
The death penalty teaches hate because loving someone means that you are able to forgive that person. It is because people hate criminals that they want them to die. yup good answers
maybe you should read through them again
some part doesn't look right |
