American Presidents

In the body of the condemned, the argument arises as to what punishment solely entails. Torture was a fundamental part of punishment in the eighteenth century; offenders were brutalized and displayed as public spectacles to an excited audience. Torture as a form of punishment soon began to eradicate and was replaced by a swift and direct method which usually involved execution without inflicting prior pain. In my view, the method of punishment adopted by legal entities in the eighteenth century is a complete degradation of the human body and dignity. The tragedies that befell Damiens the regicide are simply vein and surely cannot be comprehended by individuals of the modern age. "Through a strong, sturdy fellow, this executioner found it so difficult to tear away the pieces of flesh that he set about the same spot two or three times, twisting the pincers as he did so, and what he took away formed at each part a wound about the size of a six-pound crown piece" (the body of the condemned pg 4). Damiens' crimes or offense surely wasn't severe enough to merit such brutal treatment of the body. However, a further look at this treatment from the perspective of an eighteenth century executioner might prove to steer a different emotion in the reader. To the executioner, this form of treatment is totally just; the criminal or offender committed a crime and was being punished for engaging in such an act. Also, this form of punishment could be used a method of general deterrence. If punishments are brutal and severe, it will eventually deter potential offenders and putting it on public display further discourages them.

The new method of punishment which suppressed the use of torture involved confining offenders to an isolated environment away from the public. This time, punishment was actually aimed at correction and not total condemnation. Prisoners had a scheduled life and were deprived of basic necessities. Punishment was no longer aimed at the

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