In Cold Blood
by Truman Capote
Summer Reading Assignment: IB SL Language & Literature, Year Two
Directions: Annontate (text-render) the novel as you read, following the attached guidelines, then write your
two required and three optional essays. Required essays should be approximately eight well-crafted sentences;
optional essays should be five. Be prepared to submit your work to Turnitin.com. Your text-rendering will be
assessed with a novel check.
Required Essay 1:
* Capote’s purpose in writing this book changes as the story progresses. Write an essay in which you analyze
those choices and how he influences the reader to support his purpose. Finally, argue what his real purpose
was in publishing In Cold Blood.
Required Essay 2:
* Based on details Capote emphasizes, examine his attitude toward the death penalty and the criminal justice
system.
Optional Essays: Choose Any Three
* A critic said, “In Cold Blood is a work that transcends its
moment, yielding poignant insights into the nature of
American violence.” Consider Capote’s research and detailed
description of the criminals in this book and reflect on
whether this statement is true. Write an essay in which you
support and agree with this book review.
* What does the crime reveal about the town of Holcomb?
How does the gossip surrounding the murders reflect
underlying truths about the town?
* Does In Cold Blood have a protagonist? Is it Herb Clutter?
Dewey? Perry? Explain.
* Why did Capote leave out descriptions of the two older
Clutter sisters? Did the narrative benefit from this exclusion?
* What role does "dreaming" play in the novel, both figuratively and literally? Think of Perry's dream of the
parrot and of finding gold in Mexico, and of Dewey's nightmares. How reliable is what Capote tells us about
these dreams?
* How is montage used in In Cold Blood? In other words, how does the back- and-forth description of events in
Holcomb and events surrounding Dick and Perry make the novel more vivid?
* In what ways does Capote reveal the nature of his research through the construction of the book? Is it
important that Capote himself is never named? Does his absence endanger the credibility of the narrative?
* Is In Cold Blood a creative work? Is it more than journalism? Why or why not?
Essay topics adapted from MSNoel.com and Sparknotes.