Reviewing the Necessity of Punishment Essay -- Essays Papers

Reviewing the Necessity of Punishment "From 'On Crimes and Punishment'" by Cesare Beccaria is an excerpt from On Crimes and Punishment. In his address to the public, particularly those in political positions, Beccaria discusses the way we as a society choose to carry out the law. What he calls "useless severity" of punishment encompasses his thoughts on extremes such as capital punishment and the cruelties that we allow our government to inflict upon its own people in a failing attempt to bring order to our society. The death penalty has plagued our society for centuries, perhaps beginning with the idea of human sacrifice that has been turned around as a cycle of never-ending death and cruelty. The writing techniques employed by Beccaria effectively convince his audience that our forms of criminal punishment are nothing more than an unnecessary bad habit. In a debate, one can easily bring their opposition to silence by asking them a question that they cannot answer. Beccaria uses this method to his advantage in his work. He asks a series of questions that can't be easily answered. The lazy reader would much rather have faith in Beccaria's beliefs than sort through the questions and find answers themselves. He asks, "What is the best way of preventing crimes? Are the same penalties always equally useful? What influence have they on social custom?" (64). These questions only lead to more questions. The reader may be able to ponder situations that both promote and discredit any solutions they may have for these questions, leaving them more confused about their own stance. The reader is so wrapped up in trying to answer these questions, that they don't realize that Beccaria himself never answers them. This sly technique encoura... ...lthough the work was written at a time when numerous crimes were punishable by death, Beccaria's work has exceeded his time because his convincing work can still provoke thought on current forms of punishment. His manipulation through questions, lists, and especially word choice effectively convince the reader to give more thought about his position, if not change their own opinion altogether. Beccaria not only gives reasons to oppose extreme punishment, but his gives a solution: "the surest but most difficult way of preventing crime is to improve education(70). So in the end, the reader not only has his propositions to think about, but they are left the idea of education being the end to crime. Works Cited Beccaria, Cesare. "From 'On Crimes and Punishment."' In R. Cosgrove (Ed.), Readings in Western Civilizations (pp. 63-71). Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing.