Charles Dickens
In Charles Dickens Visit to Newgate, he describes his visit to Newgate and goes into detail about the process that the condemned prisoners who face death go to. When he is describing this process it seems as if he does not approve of it. "Immediately below the reading desk, on the floor of the chapel, and forming the most conspicous object in its little area, is THE CONDEMNED PEW; a huge black pen in which wretched people, who are single out for death, are placed on the Sunday preceeding their execution, in sight of all their fellow-prisoners." It is bad enough that the prisoners are sentenced to death but in addition to that before they die they must be seperated and riducled in front of everyone and treated worse, they already have their punishment for death but even that is not enough. They added public humilation to their sentence in doing this.
Dickens did not agree with this treatment of the prisoners sentenced to death. "Let us hope that the increased spirit of civilistion and humanity which abolished this frightful and degrating custom, may extend itself to other usages equally barbarous." It was inhumane to treat the prisoners like this, they tortured them in addition to sentencing them to death and isolating them. They would place the coffins in front of them while they were sitting in the pew on Sunday mornings in the church. Did this practice make those who partook in it any better than the criminals?
In Charles Dickens Visit to Newgate, he describes his visit to Newgate and goes into detail about the process that the condemned prisoners who face death go to. When he is describing this process it seems as if he does not approve of it. "Immediately below the reading desk, on the floor of the chapel, and forming the most conspicous object in its little area, is THE CONDEMNED PEW; a huge black pen in which wretched people, who are single out for death, are placed on the Sunday preceeding their execution, in sight of all their fellow-prisoners." It is bad enough that the prisoners are sentenced to death but in addition to that before they die they must be seperated and riducled in front of everyone and treated worse, they already have their punishment for death but even that is not enough. They added public humilation to their sentence in doing this.
Dickens did not agree with this treatment of the prisoners sentenced to death. "Let us hope that the increased spirit of civilistion and humanity which abolished this frightful and degrating custom, may extend itself to other usages equally barbarous." It was inhumane to treat the prisoners like this, they tortured them in addition to sentencing them to death and isolating them. They would place the coffins in front of them while they were sitting in the pew on Sunday mornings in the church. Did this practice make those who partook in it any better than the criminals?
posted by frostygurl1 at 8:19 AM
2 Comments:
THe prisoners treatment in times of Dickens was awful. They were not treated as people. As you noticed, Dickens was in great disapproval of that. Morover, I think he might have actually given some reasons for the death sentence to be inhumanitarian and not agreable upon. I like your comment, it is short, but concise. You made th epoint, and gave the reasons, that's what counts.
Hi Amber,
Your summary is good. I was thinking about your question at the end. from our perspective now, we read the example of the condemned pew and recognize it as pyschological torture. Back in this time,though, there was little to no formal understanding of psychology. Now, obviously this doesn't mean that people didn't consciously realize what some of their actions caused in other people, but in Newgate, I don't think it was purposefull torment. I think it was just a casual insensitivity, which is bad enough. Even when Dicken's visited, he understood that this practice (of making condemned sit with their coffins) was being phased out, probably because they recognized the inhumanity in it.
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