garland writes “ viewed alongside lynching L a w

On page 34 in Peculiar Institution, Garland writes “Viewed alongside lynching, today’s death penalty suggests a radical inversion of form, a mirror image, a reformed present that vehemently rejects its past. This negative symmetry is so striking that we must suppose the contemporary American death penalty has, in important respects, been designed to be an antilynching – and that is precisely the hypothesis that will be pursued here.” [Emphasis in original].

Prompt: Discuss/ critique how well or poorly, in the first six chapters of his book, i.e., assigned class readings, Garland delivers on his hypothesis. Support your critique with one to two relevant quotes, citing the page, from each of the first six chapters, i.e., your critique should appropriately integrate via quotation (with supporting page citations) at least one sentence from each of the first six chapters of Peculiar Institution.

Instructions: Avoid reference to or reliance on outside sources, including but not limited to published or unpublished reviews of or other commentary regarding Garland’s book. Also, recall, the assignment involves only chapters 1 through 6. Your essay should be 3-4 pages (i.e., two and one-half pages does not equal three); double spaced, 12-point font and one-inch margins. Avoid use of the first person, i.e., “I think,” “I believe,” “in my opinion,” etc. No bibliography is necessary. As noted in the syllabus, four pages is not a hard cap, though conciseness is encouraged. Finally, if you believe it is imperative to, for instance, quote three or four sentences from a particular chapter in order to develop a particular point, that is fine. However, good judgment is encouraged and that element of the assignment involving page sourced quotations is intended to assess how well you support your critique with relevant references to Garland’s work. Heavy reliance on extended quotations, especially for those opting for a minimalist (three page approach) is strongly discouraged.