“Not in My Name: Why I Oppose Capital Punishment.” Historymaniacmegan. Megan, 28 Sept. 2015. Web. 5 Apr. 2017.

We a see man in the electric chair, about to face his death. And a hand on a lever with the control to kill this man or save him. The colors and the shapes tell us the whole story. The man in the electric chair with the bright yellow light shone on him is the light you see right before your death. Then you see the hand on the right side of the image; on a red background along with the jagged objects on the side making it apparent that it is a grave situation.

Canada has used the death penalty in the past, and the use of the death penalty has been on a steady decline ever since. And capital punishment is now non-existent in Canada. Canada in the 19th century used capital punishment for crimes of treason, rape, and murder. But, it wasn’t until a century later where the murder into capital and non-capital offenses was classified. Meaning, if you committed premeditated murder, or murdered a police officer, guard or ward on duty, then it was mandatory for you to be hanged. As the years progressed, the use of capital punishment became less and less, where it became almost nonexistent. But, in 1987 a motion has proposed the house of commons about reintroducing the capital penalty. The motion was declined. As you see the death penalty nowadays, it has become a mandatory life sentence of 25 years with no chance of parole. Since the abolition of the death penalty, murder rates have dropped significantly.

What year would it be in the story Two Fisherman if taken place in Canada? Thomas Delaney kills Mathew Rhinehart. He is receiving the death penalty for his actions. Thus the story must be before the abolition of the death penalty. Second, was this premeditated murder? Indeed, it was not. There is no evidence to show that Thomas Delaney knew that Mathew Rhinehart was going to rape his wife. Therefore, this murder was entirely incentivized. Mathew Rhinehart’ profession is still unknown but during his murder wouldn’t a police officer have a pistol on him? Ultimately, this murder must have taken place before 1961. Furthermore, in the story Two Fisherman there are cars in the story. Thus, the story must have taken place between 1908 (the first car was released) – 1960.

Thomas Delaney should not be killed for his actions. It is evident Thomas is not a threat to society. Notably, Thomas did not kill for blood lust; he killed because he saw that his wife’ life was in danger. Besides, Thomas kills Mathew because it was too much of a risk for Thomas to have left Mathew to his intentions. We already knew Mr. Mathew’ intentions. Therefore, Thomas had to make a quick decision, and he chose to kill one life to save another. Notably, not the actions of a killer, moreover, a hero. Thus, giving this hero the death penalty would be an act of complete injustice. The human aspect must always be intertwined with the law.