Dead Man Walking Film
1) I picked this movie because I was interested in learning more about the issue of the death penalty. The plot also sounded interesting.
2) The situation in the film took place in Louisiana in 1995, and Matthew Poncelet was held in the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
3) The most prominent theme in this movie is the Life and Dignity of the Human Person. It is violated both because Matthew’s life literally gets taken away because he was sentenced to the death penalty and because he is treated as if he wasn’t a human by those that wanted him dead. For instance, people have said terrible things to him and about him, and have called him things like “scum”. The father of the girl that died even said “This is not a person. . . Matthew Poncelet is God’s mistake,” thus neither recognizing that he is a human nor his dignity that comes from being created by God. However, it is supported by the words and actions of Sr. Helen Prejean, …show more content…
Helen doesn’t speak with the parents of the victims until about thirty minutes into the movie, when she has a conversation with Mr. Delacroix at the pardon board hearing. As such, I had only gotten Matthew and his family’s side of the story, as Sr. Helen had met up with both him and his mother up to this point. Thus, I had more sympathy for Matthew, especially because the parents of the victims really wanted him dead, and I was wondering why they wanted him to be put to death when they knew first-hand how horrible it is to lose a loved one. Then, during the first conversation they shared, Mr. Delacroix said, “That scum robbed me of my only son. My family name dies with me. There will be no more Delacroixs, Sister” (0:33:06-0:33-15). Up until this quote, I hadn’t truly realized the immense pain that these parents have had to endure as a result of Matthew’s actions. It allowed me to understand where they were coming from in wanting Poncelet to be punished, though what they were wishing for was still not the right
1) I picked this movie because I was interested in learning more about the issue of the death penalty. The plot also sounded interesting.
2) The situation in the film took place in Louisiana in 1995, and Matthew Poncelet was held in the Louisiana State Penitentiary.
3) The most prominent theme in this movie is the Life and Dignity of the Human Person. It is violated both because Matthew’s life literally gets taken away because he was sentenced to the death penalty and because he is treated as if he wasn’t a human by those that wanted him dead. For instance, people have said terrible things to him and about him, and have called him things like “scum”. The father of the girl that died even said “This is not a person. . . Matthew Poncelet is God’s mistake,” thus neither recognizing that he is a human nor his dignity that comes from being created by God. However, it is supported by the words and actions of Sr. Helen Prejean, …show more content…
Helen doesn’t speak with the parents of the victims until about thirty minutes into the movie, when she has a conversation with Mr. Delacroix at the pardon board hearing. As such, I had only gotten Matthew and his family’s side of the story, as Sr. Helen had met up with both him and his mother up to this point. Thus, I had more sympathy for Matthew, especially because the parents of the victims really wanted him dead, and I was wondering why they wanted him to be put to death when they knew first-hand how horrible it is to lose a loved one. Then, during the first conversation they shared, Mr. Delacroix said, “That scum robbed me of my only son. My family name dies with me. There will be no more Delacroixs, Sister” (0:33:06-0:33-15). Up until this quote, I hadn’t truly realized the immense pain that these parents have had to endure as a result of Matthew’s actions. It allowed me to understand where they were coming from in wanting Poncelet to be punished, though what they were wishing for was still not the right