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The Killer Of Little Shepard Analysis

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A thirst for knowledge can lead to many great achievements in life and provide a tremendous understanding of a subject that was unfamiliar or ambiguous to most people, which benefits society. The more that people understand and study a subject, the subject becomes more simple and straightforward. When people strive for information, people are now able to stop and keep atrocious behaviors at bay. In the non-fiction book, “The Killer of Little Shepard,” written by Douglas Star is an engaging book about the development of forensic science that lead to the birth of modern forensics. The author gives great details on how the formation towards modern forensics while telling the story of a serial killer- Joseph Vacher- in late 19th century France; …show more content…

Lacassange found using forensic and psychological tools to convict him of his crimes. The reason why the author was at their best in this chapter, because the author is uses strong sensory detail and figurative language to evoke emotions from the reader within the chapters. An example of this, is when the author describes how animated the crowd inside and outside of the court during the trial of Joseph Vacher. The author describes the throng of bodies as “huge and boisterous, shoving, gossiping, waiting for a show” (Starr 192). Also, the author describes how the audience behaved inappropriately during the prosecution, “the audience started laughing and making gestures to the press gallery” (Starr 192). Through these examples, one can tell that the author is attached to this subject and wanted to go to great lengths to provide an image of how overwhelming and impactful this event was. The author does include facts and information, but it does not consume the chapter or make the reading dense or dull to …show more content…

Also, how police and people would accuse victims of little to non-behavior, even after they were proven innocent. It provided an insight into human’s mind and behavior and how people can make them believe something that is untruthful. An example that shows this turmoil is how after the execution of Joseph Vacher, reporters or neighbors tried to explain to families that their loved ones was murdered by him and not the falsely accused. The families would not believe their words, despite Vacher confessing and recounting a crime. A neighbor of a woman whose child was murdered by Vacher tried explain to the woman, but the woman kept on shouting “Charlot was the assailant; leave me in peace” (Starr 227). It was impressive how the author had managed to intertwine the story of Joseph Vacher and the accomplishments made by forensic science. The chapters would switch off between the account of Joseph Vacher and Dr. Lacassange. The subject matter of the book does have relevance because some of these methods are still being conducted within the fields of psychology and criminal science. Also, there are murders that are similar to Joseph Vacher that have never been captured and new information is still being discovered in order to help achieve that these criminal may be convicted and

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