Alyssa Newton

ENG 111-970

Mrs. Carroll

January 9, 2020

In A Cage

Individuals often deal with problems that mentally or physically haunt them.

Overwhelmed with feelings of being alone and having no voice, people often feel similar to

being locked in a cage. Clint Smith, a writer and Harvard PhD, wrote an article in February of

2016 called “The Meaning of Life Without Parole”. The purpose of the article was to persuade

readers to see the need for parole in jail systems. The way Clint Smith presents this article

through the use of emotional appeal, descriptive word choice, and multiple point of view

perspectives causes readers to ponder the meaning of life without parole.

Smith tells a story of an inmate who is life sentenced but is in an unfair circumstance. By

telling a story, he is using an emotional appeal to make the audience want to listen to his

argument for parole. “Still in the midst of his teens, and in the heat of a confrontation, Neal took

someone’s life. He is now serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.” (Smith) Smith

explains the difficulties Neal experienced as a child such as an abusive father, selling drugs,

and getting wrapped up in situations that have now placed him in jail. Because there is not a

possibility of parole, Neal is trapped for the rest of his life. Neal’s Story was an effective way for

Smith to attract the audience and cause readers to have an emotional connection to the topic.

Readers understand the idea of why parole should be an option because they feel sympathy for

Neal.

Smith uses descriptive and figurative language to describe the environment of prison to

readers. He tries to make the readers imagine being in this state. “An​ enormous concrete wall,

topped with barbed wire, demarcates the perimeter of the facility. You are reminded that you

are, in fact, inside of a cage.”(Smith) ​As Smith describes his surroundings, it is evident that the
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atmosphere is very dull and harsh. From the short time Smith is teaching the class in prison, he

feels as if he is trapped just like the inmates. Later on he begins to mention the violence and the

connection between those who are involved. As Smith uses descriptive language, it allows

imagery to be presented to readers that allows them to create their own image of jail’s

atmosphere.

Throughout the article, Smith shifts between a first and third person point of view. He

does this intentionally to develop his argument and grab readers’ attention. Early in the article

when Smith talks about entering the prison and the setting of the prison he is using first person.

Later on, as he tells the story of Neal, he uses third person. Using this method allows readers to

relate to Smith while also believe that he is credible. When Smith uses first person point of view

we can associate with his description of jail as he walks in to teach his class. Later on as Smith

begins to talk in the third person point of view, readers see that he is a credible author and he

creates a sophisticated tone for himself. The switching of point of view relates somewhat to the

idea of a cage that prisoners are trapped in. First person voice comes from in the cage, third

person comes from outside the cage, and the two voices are heard differently. It is difficult for

individuals to thoroughly understand the situation until they have experience both sides of the

story.

Smith uses anecdotes, emotional appeals, word choice, and interchanging perspective

to develop a rational argument for why he believes parole should be a possibility. Some people

believe there should be no parole while others believe there should be parole for certain cases.

Individuals are entitled to their own belief; however, whether you are willing to listen to others

and question it, is what Smith attempts in this article.Smith’s voice was clear and scholarly. He

made multiple points through different appeals that could make a reader question if parole

should be a possibility. Overall, Smith was a very successful writer and presented readers with a
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logically correct and interesting article. Ultimately, all individuals are trapped in their own cage,

whether it be a cage of emotion, abuse, drugs, or prison. Some cages are smaller than others

and some cages are bigger than others. Some can come out of their cage and some can not.

Everyone is entitled to their own cage and the reason they are there.
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Work Cited

Smith, Clint. “The Meaning of Life Without Parole.” ​The New Yorker​, The New Yorker, 19 June

2017, www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-meaning-of-life-without-parole.