Notes

Victor Fragoso
Dear Journalist,
In investigating the credibility of Truman Capote, you will use this guide to house information, notes, and reflections that will inform your article. The only way to inform and to analyze, after all, is to start by asking questions. As we read, you will be asked to respond to the following prompts within this document (all writing/notes should be taken here). Please cite evidence from the text. Dates of entries are subject to change based on book progress.
February 13th, 2018:
Who are the Clutters? Summarize what you know about the family at this point. (See pages 5-13). What elements are noticeable to you? What adjectives stick out? How do you feel about them?

The Clutter family have a successful farm. Bonnie spends a lot of time inside and in bed due to “mental disorder”s. The clutters mainly keep to themselves. Nancy is the “darling” of the town They are a very nice, and christian family

February 20th, 2018
Take time to analyze what you have read and respond to the following prompts to base a discussion on part one of the book:
On pages 14-17--what inconsistencies are evidence in this passage? Why would Capote include them.
He makes the killers seem as friends, and even tries making it seem like they are good people. Capote makes it seem that what they have done is not such a big deal.

What early impressions to we have of the relationship between Dick and Perry? (See pages 22-24)
They have a good relationship Dick does not really like Perry the way Perry likes Dick, but he needs him so he needs to be on good terms with him.
Examine of Mrs. Clutter’s suffering occurs in the passage on pages 24-30. What do you gather about this effect he is trying to produce in the reader?
Mrs. Clutters kids are at the age that they do not need her to attend to them anymore. This helps you sympathize with her and activate pathos within the text.

On pages 30-32--what might give us the impression that Capote is working with actual facts?
He brought up the IQ tests, that were true
On pages 48-49: what aspect of this might surprise the reader in this further revelation of Perry’s character?
Perrys’ personality and tone slowly starts changing as the book progresses.
On pages 50-52: What in this passage creates a sense of immediacy?
The passage is viewed from Nancy’s boyfriend It compares and contrasts everything.

February 21st, 2018
Please respond to the following:

Take a look at the description of the murders (pages 60-74)--what sort of adjectives does Capote use to describe the situation? How do those words affect your understanding of the text?
When anyone mentions a murder you think of blood everywhere, violent scene. Capote described it as an art masterpiece and said it was beautiful.

On pages 73-74: Which of these paragraphs is more horrifying? Why?
They were described as if they have accomplished something great. Instead of being described as monsters and ugly people they were pictured as greats.

February 22nd, 2018
It has now been 54 years since the crime against the Clutters was committed and 48 years since Capote’s book was published. Why do you think it is still a widely read book today? Do you think it is because of the subject matter, Capote’s talented writing, or something else? Explain. How could it relate to the issues in modern media today?
I think till this day it is still widely read because of the way capote wrote. He made up a “new” way of writing. It is questionable whether he told the truth or not and if he had biased opinions.

February 23rd, 2018
Capote switches back and forth between descriptions of the family and their friends, the killers, and the investigation. Describe how the tone changes with each switch. What do you think the author’s purpose was in doing this?
He used different tones and different perspectives of the same topic various times to keep the readers attentive

February 26th, 2018
Do you think adding narrative characteristics enhances or detracts from the goal of journalistic reporting? (The goal of journalism should be to objectively inform people of news events.) Is it possible to recount personal stories without persuading the audience? Explain your position.
Yes because therefore you are being biased and you can’t be a reliable source because you will lean to a side more

February 27th, 2018
Based on the CNN news clip, it seems that there is a strong possibility that Dick and Perry could be connected to the murders in Florida based on DNA evidence. If that is the case, how will that impact their credibility for you as a reader considering their denial of involvement? Will there be other details from this story that should be called into question? Respond to this prompt in a full paragraph.
Capote depended on what the murders told him. They denied it and when capote asked they probably denied it as well. When telling capote what “happened” they might have left key factors and could have lied to make them seem as better people.