Comments for Discipline & Punish

Comment on Elizabeth Wilson by B. Dickinson

B. Dickinson — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 23:29:05 +0000

I have been searching for this article for 13 years. I have some bits and pieces of vignettes published in Chester County, Pennsylvania and have not been able to find the entire story. If this is available in its entirety may I ask where I can find it.

Thank you.

B. Dickinson
bmwbunnie112@peoplepc.com

Comment on frost by Jim Groom

Jim Groom — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:51:10 +0000

Your reading of Frost’s seemly inexplicable action of repeatedly banging his head against the wall as an act of empathy is fascinating to me. Frost is so interesting because he fits so few of the models of the crime narrative we have up and until this point. He challenges many of the norms in terms of his reactions, his brutal crimes yet strict adherence to the principles of telling the truth and remaining faithful. He is an enigmatic character whose relationship to his victims seems even more complex. The point you raise about his idea of vengeance being skewed by the narrative is also interesting. Do we know what either of this figures did to him to force him to such a heinous act? We have some idea, but the story is much more concerned with the visualizing of the gruesome murders, rather than an examination of the context for each crime.

Comment on Buchanan, Ross, Brooks by Jim Groom

Jim Groom — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:45:49 +0000

Molly, Your discussion of Mrs. Spooner as a Seducer of Souls really reinforces much of what Alicia is arguing in her paper here. Convergence of ideas is all around us!

Comment on Elizabeth Wilson by Jim Groom

Jim Groom — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 22:43:44 +0000

The question of legitimacy and marriage remains extremely important in these narratives. And the correlation between cases of infanticide and illegitimacy almost seem one-to-one in these narratives.

The question of an alibi really is only introduced when you start to realize that the narratives are no longer about making peace with God and finding grace, but about the tracing of the act itself and the slowly emerging details such as evidence, courtrooms, and witnesses. The guilt of the criminal was far less of issue for the Puritans, for it was often an assumed part of the process. The element of doubt, public sympathy, and innocence of a particular crime seemed of far less issue in the earlier Puritan narratives. In many ways, this points precisely to the excellent frame for Foucault that you offer here.

Comment on foucault “the spectacle of the scaffold” by drummerboy

drummerboy — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:51:29 +0000

I think that you can view the role of the public as a devise which the government used to make them feel included. If the people feel that they have an active role in the workings of the government then they are satisfied and less likely to resist the status quo. Given the fact that the public’s actions and reactions were so predictable, I can’t help but see them as a part of the equation made up and carried out by the government. Although there were many cases where the reactions of the crowds went against what was predicted, for example memebers trying to free prisoners and protesting against the manner in which a prisoner was executed, they were mostly puppets.

Comment on mount by drummerboy

drummerboy — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:45:13 +0000

Mount’s willingness to rat out his accomplices burns me. In any profession there is some honor that comes along with the territory. If you’re going to enter into the profession and world that Mount entered into it is a must and on most cases assumed that you will be loyal to those who help you and work with you. Mount’s actions after being caught showed how selfish he was. Given this sounds kind of harsh or twisted coming from a student who obeys the law I believe in abiding by the principles set forth in whatever choice of work that a man chooses. A man should have some pride, even with the knowledge that he will go down and face his demise he should still face it upfront acknowledging his wrong but honor his associates and let everyone else reckon with destiny on their own terms. Pride would’ve kept him from ratting them out, but since he didn’t it is safe to assume that he lacked one of the essential components of a man.

Comment on foucault “the spectacle of the scaffold” by mtt3e

mtt3e — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 03:54:49 +0000

Foucault’s views on truth are interesting because they are pertinent to the rest of the reading. So many ideas about history and the difference between right and wrong are fluid but seem absolute because they have been so ingrained. I also think it’s interesting that you pointed out that we view a relative, graded definition of guilty as modern. This ties in with the notion of evolution Foucault talked about and our wish to view modern as better. This view in itself is a sort of rigid form of truth influenced by our culture that we often support without recognizing its rigidity.

Comment on bloody register by mtt3e

mtt3e — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 03:05:16 +0000

I hadn’t thought about that murder as an indirect show of love of money, only as a crime of passion. I think that is an interesting and insightful perspective because the love of money of the woman sort of highlights the love of money of society in general. A poor man is driven to desperation because he is not considered unworthy of a wealthy woman, not only by her but by society.

Comment on mountain by mtt3e

mtt3e — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 02:56:16 +0000

Stage is a great word to describe Mountain’s narrative, because while other narratives incorporate theatricality, Mountain is unique in performing (as if for an invisible audience) while he’s actually committing his crimes. The “cool your porridge” quote definitely illustrates his wish to play a grand character as well as his sense of humor.

Comment on My Very Late Post on Patience Boston by mtt3e

mtt3e — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 02:38:40 +0000

That’s really interesting. I had not thought about the possibility that a cultural difference in Puritan society could make lying almost as bad as stealing because it seems so natural to me that lying is a petty wrongdoing and murder is a great one. It’s so easy to forget when reading this stuff that we’re filtering it all through the lens of modern culture.