Devising from a Theme
What is your theme and why did you choose it?
The group consists of myself, Molly, Kayleigh, Ella and Demi. We based our decision on what we thought as a collective, would have been the most interesting topic for us to explore and research. This lead us to choosing ethical as our performance approach; our other options being social, cultural and historical. We also took into consideration that an ethical approach is thoroughly based off your own personal beliefs and perspectives, which could lead to controversy and discussion within the audience alongside reflection if we successfully educate our audience. This also means the performance can be created in a variety of art forms.
What is your topic and why was this chosen? What was rejected and why?
After we decided on our ethical theme, we agreed that our topic we wanted to explore is the ongoing and extremely controversial topic being the death penalty. The topic is still relevant all around the world and multiple society’s to this day. Because our theme is ethical, that includes serval topics similar to the idea of abortion or euthanasia. However we wanted something we weren’t as familiar with and that was going to leave the audience questioning their own opinions. We also felt as a group that euthanasia would be a tricky performance to produce and a few of our group members weren’t aware of the topic, showing it’s not as common and would be challenging to incorporate.
Once selecting our topic of capitalist punishment, we created a brainstorming mind map by taking ideas from each individual in the group spontaneously speaking words we felt connected to the death penalty. We jotted these words down and all specifically chose one that we wanted to look further into. Personally, I decided on the word moral however Demi’s word of choice was injection, Ella’s being stoning, Molly’s being guilty and Kayleigh’s being electric chair.
Upload research- yours and your groups research
Demi- Injection
Firstly, I found out that the death penalty is still being used in China, India, USA, Singapore, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Japan and Taiwan.
I then found out that the lethal injection is made up of three drugs which effectively kills the inmate. The first drug is Sodium Thiopental, this drug causes the inmate to go unconscious meaning they are knocked out. The next drug in the lethal injection is called Pancuronium Bromide which is used to paralyze the inmate. Finally, the last drug in the lethal injection is called Potassium Chloride, this is used to rapidly induce cardiac arrest which causes death.
The death can last as little as 5 minutes to a max of 2 hours.
I then found out that the lethal injection is made up of three drugs which effectively kills the inmate. The first drug is Sodium Thiopental, this drug causes the inmate to go unconscious meaning they are knocked out. The next drug in the lethal injection is called Pancuronium Bromide which is used to paralyze the inmate. Finally, the last drug in the lethal injection is called Potassium Chloride, this is used to rapidly induce cardiac arrest which causes death.
The death can last as little as 5 minutes to a max of 2 hours.
Myself (Jess)- Morals
Capitalist punishment- society has a moral obligation to protect the safety and welfare of its citizens.
Punishing murderers to death was allowed.
The principle of Justice and Injustice.
Adjective- Concerned with the principles of right and wrong behaviour
Noun- A lesson that can be deceived from a story
Morality- A personal or social set or standards for good or bad behaviour and character or the quality of being right and honest.
Ella- Stoning
The History of Being Stoned to Death
Stoning is a form of capital punishment whereby rocks are thrown at a person until they die. It is an execution method rooted in “ancient Greece and in Judeo-Christian religious texts” but has “no explicit mention in the Quran.” according to NBC News. They get buried as a whole.
It is relatively rare but still used in some Muslim parts of the world today, where it is considered a form of community justice for punishing those accused of crimes like adultery, prostitution, murder and blasphemy.
A 20-year-old women in Sudan has been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, making the first known case in the northeast African country for a decade. (14th July 2022)
Iran has the world's highest rate of execution by stoning and the middle eastern country regularly makes headlines for its employment of the practice, which came into force after the 1979 revolution.
https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/crime/957354/the-countries-where-men-women-can-be-stoned-to-death
It is relatively rare but still used in some Muslim parts of the world today, where it is considered a form of community justice for punishing those accused of crimes like adultery, prostitution, murder and blasphemy.
A 20-year-old women in Sudan has been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, making the first known case in the northeast African country for a decade. (14th July 2022)
Iran has the world's highest rate of execution by stoning and the middle eastern country regularly makes headlines for its employment of the practice, which came into force after the 1979 revolution.
https://www.theweek.co.uk/news/crime/957354/the-countries-where-men-women-can-be-stoned-to-death
Molly- Guilty
Meaning - culpable of or responsible for a specified wrongdoing / justly chargeable with a particular fault or error / conscious of, affected by, or revealing a feeling of guilt
Guilt is a natural emotion
Having committed an offence, crime, violation, or wrong, especially against moral or penal law
Characteristics of somebody who is guilty – avoids eye contact, body language (fidgeting), emotional imbalance, anger, insomnia, loss of appetite, feeling anxious
Common factors considered by judges when deciding sentences - Whether the offender is a "first-time" or repeat offender, whether the offender was an accessory (helping the main offender) or the main offender, whether the offender committed the crime under great personal stress or duress, whether anyone was hurt, and whether the crime was committed in a manner that was unlikely to result in anyone being hurt
Crucial factors that underlie how the death penalty is applied are often not understood. These include the risk of executing an innocent person, the unfairness of trials, and the discriminatory nature of the death penalty
Song - ‘Murder in the Red Barn’
Kayleigh- Electric Chair
-Alfred Porter Southwick (1826–1898) was a steam-boat engineer, dentist and inventor from Buffalo, New York. He is credited with inventing the electric chair as a method of legal execution.
-On 6 August 1890, a convicted murderer named William Kemmler became the first person in history to be executed by electric chair.
-The first, more powerful jolt (between 2000 and 2,500 volts) of electric current is intended to cause immediate unconsciousness, ventricular fibrillation, and eventual cardiac arrest. The second, less powerful jolt (500–1,500 volts) is intended to cause fatal damage to the vital organs.
-In fact, the electric chair was specifically designed not to be cruel. Death by electrocution was believed to be quick and painless. Today, after 4,300 electrocutions, death by electric chair can no longer be called an unusual punishment
-England and in the United Kingdom: on 13 August 1964, Peter Anthony Allen, at Walton Prison in Liverpool, and Gwynne Owen Evans, at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, were executed for the murder of John Alan West on 7 April that year.
-George Stinney Jr. He was convicted, sentenced to death, and executed by electric chair in June 1944, thus becoming the youngest American with an exact birth date confirmed to be sentenced to death and executed in the 20th century. George Stinney Jr.(14 years old)
-In fact, the electric chair was specifically designed not to be cruel. Death by electrocution was believed to be quick and painless. Today, after 4,300 electrocutions, death by electric chair can no longer be called an unusual punishment
-The same reason that they would usually cover the faces of criminals being hanged or shot: to keep people from seeing the expressions of fear or agony on the faces of the ones being executed as they die. It can take minutes and can be very distressing to watch.
-Place (September 18, 1849 – March 20, 1899) was an American murderer and the first woman to die in the electric chair. She was executed on March 20, 1899, at Sing Sing Correctional Facility for the murder of her stepdaughter Ida Place.
-The electric chair has failed 4 times
-Smell of flesh aromas the air
-Some people have set alight
-Doesn’t always work the first time so have to do it twice
- Those Who Sit in the Electric Chair Lose Control of Their Bodily Functions
-People can volunteer to watch the executions
Sound- https://youtu.be/WNLndm-l8tg
Upload reasoning for the style of performance?
Before the end of the lesson, we were given the choice of three styles to choose from for our performance. They were Naturalism, Verbatim and Melodrama.
After some discussion, we decided on Verbatim as we wanted to keep our performance as realistic as possible way by keeping it sensitive. We immediately knew we were not including any theme of comedy within our performance as we need to reflect multiple different aspects of the death penalty as it’s still something that’s so relevant and debated all over the world in the present day, we might want to reflected on real life stories.
-On 6 August 1890, a convicted murderer named William Kemmler became the first person in history to be executed by electric chair.
-The first, more powerful jolt (between 2000 and 2,500 volts) of electric current is intended to cause immediate unconsciousness, ventricular fibrillation, and eventual cardiac arrest. The second, less powerful jolt (500–1,500 volts) is intended to cause fatal damage to the vital organs.
-In fact, the electric chair was specifically designed not to be cruel. Death by electrocution was believed to be quick and painless. Today, after 4,300 electrocutions, death by electric chair can no longer be called an unusual punishment
-England and in the United Kingdom: on 13 August 1964, Peter Anthony Allen, at Walton Prison in Liverpool, and Gwynne Owen Evans, at Strangeways Prison in Manchester, were executed for the murder of John Alan West on 7 April that year.
-George Stinney Jr. He was convicted, sentenced to death, and executed by electric chair in June 1944, thus becoming the youngest American with an exact birth date confirmed to be sentenced to death and executed in the 20th century. George Stinney Jr.(14 years old)
-In fact, the electric chair was specifically designed not to be cruel. Death by electrocution was believed to be quick and painless. Today, after 4,300 electrocutions, death by electric chair can no longer be called an unusual punishment
-The same reason that they would usually cover the faces of criminals being hanged or shot: to keep people from seeing the expressions of fear or agony on the faces of the ones being executed as they die. It can take minutes and can be very distressing to watch.
-Place (September 18, 1849 – March 20, 1899) was an American murderer and the first woman to die in the electric chair. She was executed on March 20, 1899, at Sing Sing Correctional Facility for the murder of her stepdaughter Ida Place.
-The electric chair has failed 4 times
-Smell of flesh aromas the air
-Some people have set alight
-Doesn’t always work the first time so have to do it twice
- Those Who Sit in the Electric Chair Lose Control of Their Bodily Functions
-People can volunteer to watch the executions
Sound- https://youtu.be/WNLndm-l8tg
Upload reasoning for the style of performance?
Before the end of the lesson, we were given the choice of three styles to choose from for our performance. They were Naturalism, Verbatim and Melodrama.
After some discussion, we decided on Verbatim as we wanted to keep our performance as realistic as possible way by keeping it sensitive. We immediately knew we were not including any theme of comedy within our performance as we need to reflect multiple different aspects of the death penalty as it’s still something that’s so relevant and debated all over the world in the present day, we might want to reflected on real life stories.
Comments
Post a Comment