Whipped or Caged?

In the essay “Bring Back Flogging,” the author Jeff Jacoby discusses the flaws of imprisonment, today’s punishment for criminals. Published in the Boston Globe [DCS1] in 1997, the essay’s purpose [DCS2] was not only to address the problems of locking up criminals, but also to suggest a hypothetical solution or alternative to a prison sentence. In order to completely understand Jeff Jacoby’s essay, “Bring Back Flogging,” it is essential to analyze his thesis, purpose, methods or strategies, and persona beforehand. [DCS3]

Jacoby’s thesis is implied rather than explicit. [DCS4] He uses examples throughout his essay to imply that adopting the punishment Puritans used 150 years ago, flogging; meaning, being whipped or beaten, would be cheaper and more effective than putting criminals behind bars. “A humiliating and painful paddling can be applied to the rear…for a lot less than $30,000 [the price it costs per inmate each year] – and prove a lot more …than ten years’ worth of prison meals and lockdowns,” is one of the examples Jacoby’s uses to support this implied thesis (150[DCS5] ). He also states in his very last paragraph, “Maybe we should Adopt a few,” referring to the humiliating sanctions the Puritans had back in 1600’s (151).

Jacoby introduces a theoretical solution for an alternative punishment for criminals as the purpose of his essay[DCS6] . He hopes to provoke question amongst his readers as to whether being whipped in public is more degrading then being caged. Jacoby is forcing his audience, the general public, to consider his idea of bringing back flogging as a reformed punishment for some of the thousands of criminals. He does recognize that there is a difference in the crimes that are being committed, violent and non-violent, meaning there is a need for more than one type of punishment. “Instead of a prison term, why not sentence …some criminals…thieves and drunk drivers…to a public whipping?” asks Jacoby (151). Again raising the question of whether flogging is too harsh of a punishment, or if should it be legal and used to penalize some of those who choose not to obey the law.

Jacoby uses several methods in his writing to help support his thesis[DCS7] . First, he uses historical facts. In his introduction he descriptively describes the different punishment cases in Boston during the 1600’s to give the reader an idea of what was going on 150 years ago. In one case he tells of how a man accused of adultery was “…sentenced to 25 lashes” and later had the word “adultery” burned in all capitals into his chest in plain view of the public for means not only to hurt this man, but to humiliate him (Jacoby 149). Statements like this are made to catch the reader’s attention as Jacoby certainly did in the very first paragraph of his essay. He uses such vivid cases for a reference to the reader of what the punishments were like in the 1600’s, a time period relevant to his solution. Another method Jacoby uses in his essay is statistics. These statistics reveal fallacies in the U.S. criminal justice systems. “Fifty-eight percent of all murders do not result in a prison term,” (Jacoby 150). He also includes the estimated cost of each inmate per year, which is thirty thousand dollars (Jacoby 150). These statistic are appropriate in that they help support Jacoby’s idea that imprisonment should not be an all purpose punishments, including violent and non-violent crimes. These statistics are also used to inform the reader and provide facts for further conclusions and assumptions regarding Jacoby’s take on legalize flogging. Lastly, Jacoby uses quotations from authority figures. He quotes from a noted Princeton criminologist by the name of John Dilulio and former Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun. Both are reliable are competent sources and were chosen by Jacoby to put in “Bring Back Flogging,” for a credible, valued view on this issue he is arguing. Towards the end of the essay, Harry Blackmun says, “The horrors experienced by many young inmates, particularly who…are convicted of nonviolent offenses…border on the unimaginable,” commenting on problems occurring in the U.S jails to law offenders, such as rape and murder (Jacoby 151). Jacoby uses this quote raising the question of whether rape and murder is preferable to “short, sharp shame of corporal punishment?”

In [DCS8] “Bring Back Flogging,” Jacoby takes a serious stance towards his audience. He first presents historical facts, then follows with statistics in an easily understood manner. As the essay progresses he begins to ridicule on the U.S. court systems. Jacoby points out the many fallacies in the way criminals are punished here in the United States. He uses examples and statistics to validate his argument. Overall, Jacoby takes an effective approach to grab the reader’s attention by making them think, question and feel.

As the reader reaches the end of Jacoby’s essay, he or she is left with question and doubt, should there be some criminals sentenced to a cheap, short whipping in plain view of the public? Should a criminal be humiliated or locked to prevent further offenses? Which punishment is more degrading than the other?

Works Cited[DCS9]

Barnet, Sylvan and Bedau, Hugo. Critical Thinking and Writing, A Brief Guide To Argument.

Fourth Edition, New York 2002.

Jacoby, Jeff. “Bring Back Flogging,”

[DCS1]Can you guess what’s wrong here? If you said this is the title of a major work and therefore needs to be italicized, you are correct!

[DCS2]Since this material really needs to be covered in the second main body paragraph, discussing Jacoby’s purpose here in the introduction causes Jill’s essay to falter in the beginning. Additionally, she has just these two sentences that develop the introduction—a rather weak beginning. She should instead take 2-3 sentences and capture the essence of what Jacoby’s essay is about. Remember the reading summaries you all have been writing? Those were actually practice for writing the introductory paragraphs. Go back through your notes and reshape and repurpose these summaries!

[DCS3]The thesis statement is almost excellent. Placed at the end of the introductory paragraph, exactly where it needs to go, the thesis also observes the 25-word requirement. The only weakness in it is that the writer should not have included Jacoby’s first name because we NEVER use the full name on second and subsequent references.

[DCS4]Great job on this first topic sentence. Notice that it is clean, clear, and crisp. We know exactly what the writer means. Furthermore, she elaborates on this claim with specific evidence from Jacoby’s essay to illustrate why she thinks Jacoby’s thesis is implied rather than explicit.

[DCS5]The student correctly handles the parenthetical citations, but remember that I want yours to be paragraph numbers not page numbers for this essay assignment

[DCS6]The writer needs to be more direct in writing this topic sentence. She implies that this “theoretical solution” is the purpose of Jacoby’s essay, but when I grade the essay, I have to make a leap of faith to conclude that the writer is in control of her writing. As in figure skating, this writer will lose points for not making her ideas clear. It is less than a perfect score.

[DCS7]Here a clear topic sentence is used to focus what this paragraph will be about. Several examples are used as evidence to back up the claim made in the topic sentence.

[DCS8]Notice that the writer does not really identify that Jacoby’s persona is being analyzed here—a weakness in the essay.

[DCS9]Ignore this Works Cited page. The student writer was experimenting with a different but acceptable MLA documenting method. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME.