(This picture shows National Catholic journals unite and want to stop the capital punishment. )

Capital punishment also known as the death penalty, it is a punishment that can get people life legally. Offenders pay their life for what they did that was a crime. These crimes that can make capital punishment be implemented include offences such as murder, treason, espionage, war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The first recognized death penalty laws date back to the eighteenth-century B.C. and can be found in the Code of King Hammurabi of Babylon. There are many scary methods at that time, such as hanging, stoning, strangling. In 1976, capital punishment was removed from the Canadian Criminal Code. Then in 1998, capital punishment was also removed from the Canadian National Defence Act, bringing Canadian military law in line with the civil law in Canada. The last executions took place in Canada in 1962.

In the short story that wrote by Morley Callaghan, Thomas Delaney murdered the man Matthew Rhinehart that molested his wife, he was then convicted of the death penalty. It might happen in Canada between 1900 and 1962. Because in 1749 was the earliest time that had a recorded capital punishment. In addition, cars were popular in this story and the time that cars were popular in Canada started about 1900. We also know that in 1962, Canada has the last executions. So if this story happened in Canada, it happened in 1900 to 1962.

In my opinion, Thomas Delaney should not have been killed for his actions. First, he has just caused that why he murdered Matthew Rhinehart. He just wanted to protect his wife and give her a safe place to live. Second, give him the capital punishment is not a good choice, this aroused people’s dissatisfaction. People would be angry with the government and give anger to the hangman although they did nothing wrong. Last but not least, use death to make up for the lives of others would never work in the world, it won’t change anything but only lose one more life from the world. That’s not what we want.

Resources:

https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/part-i-history-death-penalty

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment#History

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capital_punishment_in_Canada

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-capital-punishment-in-canada-508141

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/automobile/