-P1: Write a brief history about what capital punishment is and its history in Canada. Referencing the short story “Two Fishermen” discuss how if the story was based in Canada when it might have taken place based on your knowledge of capital punishment.
Capital punishment is the act of ending one’s life due to his or her specific actions. The individual is either killed by, lethal injection, hanging, electric chair, gas chamber and or firing squad. In Canada capital punishment started in 1865, for crimes of murder, treason, and rape. It was removed from the Canadian Criminal Code in 1976 and was replaced with a mandatory life sentence without possibility of parole for 25 years for all first-degree murders. In the short story “Two Fishermen”, capital punishment was a topic the story was based around. It showed how it doesn’t just affect the person who is being killed but the lives of others. The story could have taken place in Canada due to it not following the rules of the USA capital punishment requirements. Capital punishment has been in the past for quite some time now but sadly is apart of our history.
-P2: Also, discuss your opinion on whether Thomas Delaney should have been killed for his actions in defending his wife. Come up with an argument and three reasons why or why not he should have been killed.
In my opinion, Thomas Delaney should not have been killed for his actions in defending his wife because, his action came out of anger, and no, there should never be a right reason for killing someone and that also states that he shouldn’t have been killed as well. Thomas, who we don’t know much of, killed a bad man, who was affecting someone he loves and cares for in a very bad way. I don’t think to give someone capital punishment for doing one crime is justice when the crime came from defense. Thomas saved his wife and possibly many other women. I think that jail time would have been the more suitable decision in this situation. People shouldn’t have the power to chose the death of others, and Thomas Delany shouldn’t have been the one to face that problem.
