In Cold Blood
English 11
Name:__________________________________ Date:__________________________ Period:_________________
In Cold Blood
Mini Research Assignment
Part 4 of In Cold Blood focuses on the trial of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith and the outcome: the death penalty. Truman
Capote, while not explicitly, exposes holes in the legal system in his descriptions of the trial, the statements made by both
counsels, the judge and the witnesses, and after, while Dick and Perry wait on Death Row for an appeal. He makes his
stance on the death penalty apparent in that it should not be an option as a form of punishment for crimes. The task for this
assignment is to analyze Capote’s attitude toward the legal system and decide whether you agree or disagree with his
stance.
The assignment is a mini research “essay”: TWO PARAGRAPHS
Paragraph 1: Capote’s Stance
1. Topic Sentence: What is the topic of your paragraph? What example will you focus on to prove Capote’s
attitude toward the legal system?
Ideas (there are more where these came from):
 Capote’s focus on the fact that the men couldn’t plead insanity.
 Capote’s use of pathos for the reader to gain sympathy for Perry and Dick.
 Capote’s inclusion of the fact that the Kansas governor would not pardon the two men.
 Capote’s details of the obvious bias shown by Judge Tate during the trial.
Example (do not use mine!): Truman Capote expresses his views on the legal system in In Cold Blood with the
inclusion of the psychiatric evaluations of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith that were not stated during the trial of the
two murderers.
2. Quote
Find a quote from the text that supports your topic sentence.
Don’t forget:
Quote attribution
Capote writes, “….
Capote states, “…
Capote explains, “…
MLA Citation (Capote #).
**Remember, period goes AFTER the parenthetical citation**
3. Explanation (at least 2 sentences).
Explain how your quote supports the claim you make in your topic sentence. What does it express about
Capote’s attitude toward the legal system? How does the quote support Capote’s attitude?
Paragraph 2: Your Stance
1. Topic Sentence: This will state whether you agree or disagree with Capote’s attitude.
Examples:
 Agree: Truman Capote expresses the need for thorough psychiatric evaluations of criminals before
they are convicted of their crimes which poses an argument for the need of such measures in trials
today.
 Disagree: While Truman Capote expresses his opposition to the outcome of the trials, the death
penalty is an effective form of punishment for criminals convicted of heinous crimes.
2. Quote: You need to research online to find a quote that supports your stance.
 Find a scholarly article, newspaper, magazine, legal document, etc. to use as your support.
 Websites that end in .org, .net, .edu are most promising. DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA (I know it ends
in .org).
 MLA Citation **Remember, period goes AFTER the parenthetical citation**
3. Explanation (at least 2 sentences): Explain how the quote supports your views and opposes/supports
Capote’s views.
In Cold Blood
Works Cited Page:
Requirements:
Works Cited is centered at the top of the page.
Two citations for your sources listed alphabetically.
I’ve done In Cold Blood for you:
English 11
Capote, Truman. In Cold Blood. New York: Vintage International, 1965. Print.
Your other citation will be the source you find for paragraph two and format will depend on the type of source.
Overall Requirements:
 Times New Roman, Font Size 12
 1” Page Margins
 Double-Spaced
 Title: In Cold Blood Mini Research Assignment
 MLA Heading
 Header with your last name and page number
 Separate Works Cited page
Due Date: Friday, December 11
________/ 10 MLA Conventions (heading, in-text citations, header)
________/ 5 Format (Times New Roman 12, margins, double-spacing)
________/ 5 Topic Sentences
________/ 5 Two Quotes
________/ 10 Explanations
________/ 5 Works Cited Page
________/ 10 MUGS (mechanics, usage, grammar, spelling)
________/ 50 Total
Staple this paper to the front of your essay.
Ms. Barrett’s comments: