Harkness Debate

The harkness discussion covered all main issues that was connected to the play. The topic I was most passionate about was the decision made on the death penalty. The question asked if the penalty would be a justifiable consequences for this kind of crime. Which in my opinion it could be.
During the harkness discussion, I observed opinions from others stating that “everyone needs/deserves a second chance”. But that got me thinking, what if this kind of crime happened to your friend, family member or just someone that you happen to know a little bit about? Things will be much more difficult than just looking at this case with no knowledge of the victim and the murderer in person. If you were Officer Fluty, watching Matthew’s life slowly taken away from him, seeing his tears running down his face washing out the blood stains, imagining how he might have begged for a second chance. Would you still think that McKinney and Henderson deserves a second chance to live their lives? …show more content…
During the interview with Officer Fluty’s mother, she mentioned how she “wanted to squeeze McKinney’s head off” and “how much pain they have brought not just for Matthew but the whole town”. In ways, it proved that she believed they should be punished for what they have done. Although I do believe that it is not a justifiable act for a human being, but I think letting them out from jail and having a second chance for life would not be fair. Not just for Matthew, it’s not fair for everyone that had a personal connection with Matthew, they all had some kind of invisible connection to this incident, and somehow influenced by this hate crime. It is very brave and impressive that Matthew’s father decided to give McKinney another chance for his life, and it is hard for him to say that because he had such a deep connection with his