#aplangresearch2012

Piper was rushed to the hospital after coming back to life. He had many friends and family members and even strangers coming to visit him. Don did not like the idea of people coming to see him during his time of personal grief. Don survived the crash but he was not the same. His left leg was completely crushed and he had injuries in many other areas. Don struggled through life while trying to deal with his less than normal self. He eventually came around and got back to his daily activities. Don longs to be back in heaven because of his experience but he believes that God put him back on earth for a reason and that's what he lives by now.

Prior to Don coming back alive, Don experienced what life was like when you die. Don was in Heaven! There were no pearly gates with Mary or Peter standing there waiting to escort you in. Instead Don was greeted by familiar faces that had some spiritual meaning to him. Don saw his grandfather, his high school friend that died in a car accident and many more family members and friends that helped guide him throughout his spiritual life. They all rushed at him and gave him hugs, laughed, smiled and talked among one another. This seemed almost forever but there is not a sense of time in heaven according to Piper. After a while, Don's welcome committee escorted him into heaven. Once he stepped into heaven, the lights grew brighter and prettier by the minute. The sounds were the thing that impressed Piper the most though. Heavenly music played throughout the land. Different songs played but they all blended together to make a heavenly noise to your ears. Don did not see God but he also had a feeling down in his spirit that he is finally with his maker.

Once Dick Onerecker reached the scene of the accident, EMT's were already evaluating people involved in the accident. Dick went up to an EMT and explained that he is a pastor and if there is anyone that needs prayer. The EMT brushed him off and told him to see if the people want to pray. After a few minutes of praying with the few people involved in the accident, Dick noticed a car with a tarp over it. Dick instantly felt an urge to pray for the person in the car. Dick asked the EMT but again the EMT brushed him off and explained to him that the person in that car died on impact. Dick pleaded with the EMT and the EMT eventually gave in. Dick crawled his way into the wrecked car and put his hand on the drivers right shoulder. Dick was still unaware that the dead man he was praying for was his friend. After a few hours of praying, Dick began to sing the spiritual song "What a Friend we Have in Jesus." Instantly, the dead man started to sing along with Dick. Dick rushed out of the car and explained to the EMT what had just transpired. Obviously, the EMT didn't believe him but once again he gave in after Dicks repeated plea and to his suprise, Don had a pulse!

After adjusting his seatbelt, Don piper drove out of the parking lot. Going towards the bridge, he noticed one of his friends who is also a pastor driving ahead of him. Don's friend pulled off the road to go get some coffee with his wife. Meanwhile, Don started his way on the bridge which had very narrow roads. Almost halfway across the bridge a semi-truck that was being operated by a non-licensed inmate crashed head on into Don's Ford Escort nearly demolishing it. Meanwhile, Don's friend and fellow pastor that was originally in front of him got onto the bridge which was then backed up by traffic. After a while, Don's friend who's name is Dick Onerecker, got impatient and asked a fellow driver whats going on. The driver informed him about the situation. Dick decided to go to the scene of the accident to see what he can do to help.

My book is about Don Piper who is a well known and respected baptist pastor in Texas. One day while coming home from a church meeting, he decided to drive home over the Trinity Pines bridge. Prior to his decision on which way to go home, Don glanced at his passenger seat and noticed his ticket that he recieved earlier in the week for not driving with a seat belt. Don didn't want another ticket so he took the few seconds to buckle his seatbelt. Little did he know, that small decision would soon pay off.

One of the main issues behind the trial given to the killers (Dick and Perry) is that the psychologist brought in to evaluate them was only allowed to answer questions with a simple yes or no answer. The problem with this is that you're breaking down the complex thoughts of a human into simple black and white for a courtroom. This is simply not how an evaluation of a person's sanity is supposed to go. If the psychologist was given more time, he could have told the jury about how Perry was not motivated to kill Mr. Clutter due to disgust or hate. He was motivated due to an odd condition in which as he was about to kill Mr. Clutter he saw his own father (which he despised) in Clutter. Since Mr. Clutter was a father figure, it was easy for Perry to project his dad onto Clutter, which made the murder easier for Perry to commit. This type of testimony would have made it easier for the jurors to see the partial insanity of Smith and could have resulted in Smith not being sentenced to hang. Capote seems to be making the argument in this book that a greater focus needs to be put on the psychology of killers and not just their deeds.  

In Truman Capote's In Cold Blood, the reader is constantly faced with the question, "what is proper justice"? Throughout the book we learn of the past histories of the  murderers, Dick and Perry. Perry's life growing up was difficult. Between having a harsh father, an alcoholic mother, and being abused in an orphanage as a child, Perry was clearly a "victim of society". Dick himself grew up in borderline poverty. These conditions make the reader ask if focus should be placed on the deeds done or the  overall picture including the psychological conditions of the murderers. This conflict between the maximum punishment provided by law and partial forgiveness based on psychological factors becomes a central part of the book. Throughout the book, various figures remark on their position, some advocating swift punishment by execution and others sympathizing with the killers. Ultimately, Capote reveals that the American reaction to violence focuses on the deed, and therefore even though Perry Smith certainly had some mental health issues, both of the killers we hanged anyway in an attempt to quench the American lust for revenge. 

As a athlete myself, this book encouraged me to only make my team better. I shouldn't have my big ego and say I'm the best one on the team knowing I only want my team to be the best with me. It made me realize that making fun of the kids who sit the bench the whole game is no good. I should be the one to change and help them at practice to get better and get playing time during games.