Custom essay on The Life of David Gale movie
It is believed that the main issue of the death penalty is an argument of its opponents and supporters about the very existence of the death penalty. In this connection there were crystallized two public “camps” – the abolitionists (people who are fight against the death penalty) and retensionists (people who are struggle “for” the death penalty), which has formed the current state of public consciousness. Nowadays, the death penalty still remains a widespread form of punishment in the modern world, despite the fact that one of the main and universal values of the XXI century is the sanctity of human life and the death penalty goes beyond the scope of the rights of any humane person and the position of international organizations. Thus, we are going to discuss the death penalty, citing the movie The Life of David Gale as an example, and combining reflections about it with thoughts towards death penalty.
Thinking about the film The Life of David Gale it is possible to say that it is rather provocative film, because it consists of a variety of moments and dialogues, when the spectator should find own answers on important political and social questions about the death and life, humanity and justice, truth and lie and many others. It is possible to say that The Life of David Gale is a dramatic thriller that was filmed by Alan Parker and this film due to its disputable nature finds its special place in modern American cinematography.
The film tells a story of life of a university professor David Gale (Kevin Spacey), who was an abolitionist and actively fought against the death penalty, using different arguments with an aim to explain own position; and the way how he was accused as a murder. Thus, watching the film, we can find in it not only the struggle of the professor against the death penalty, but we also can find the professor’s despair, when he is sitting on death row and awaiting for own execution by lethal injection. Destiny is rather strange ‘woman’ and David Gale, should to do something and save own life. The professor has only 3 days to change a situation, but understanding that it was impossible to do during his own life using words and explanation, he decided to change it with own death as a victim of the death penalty in injustice system of punishment.
Examining the death penalty we can mention that it is the cruelest way to punish a person, taking away from him everything – and the most valuable thing is person’s life. The film about the death penalty depicts us the way how innocent person can be punished for nothing and the main hero is persuasive in his arguments. David’s turns of fate touched feelings of every person, because his life, suddenly, turns out to be garbage, then the imprisonment, and waiting for death is full of sorrow and dark details… It is possible to find several meanings in the film: the first one shows us that the person can be a fanatic of own idea, and the second explains that all people can be an ordinary toy in powerful hands of life or destiny.
Nowadays the most difficult question is about the proportionality of punishment and crime. We can introduce the death penalty for all crimes, though, it does not decrease their number. It is scientifically proved fact that the death penalty cannot lessen criminal activity. It seems that the main problem is not in criminals, but in reality or circumstances that push people to act as a criminal. Of course, we need to catch criminals, but much more effective measure is to think about crime prevention. It will be more right not to fight with consequences, but to correct and control the causes of crime.
Thus, taking everything into consideration it is possible to conclude that every person should have a right to live despite any law, because nobody has the right to decide that one or another person should be killed or punished in a way of the death penalty. Undoubtedly, the implementation of capital punishment will change our society and will make it crueler. It seems that there is no place for the death penalty in our world, if we are going to create healthy society without pain and violence, and full of peace and love.
