If steve is found guilty of felony murder, hes looking at twentyfive years to life in prison. And like shakespeares hamlet, the answer means life or death. Whether or not steve is innocent is the big hook in this story. In the end, steve is found innocent but the reader is left to wonder if steve is guilty or not.
The author, walter dean myers, chose to give steve the verdict of not guilty. Argumentative essay on monster 1024 words bartleby. Even in the middle of the novel steve still thinks he is not guilty and not a bas person but know he has to take responsibility for his actions. I believe that steve harmon is innocent because he didnt know bobo evans, the store wasnt clear, and there was no signal. However i am very much interested in what others thought of the book and whether they think steve harmon should be guilty or innocent. It is a story of a young man who wants to act tough and ends up in trouble for this. In this quote, steve is in a frenzy and talking to his lawyer, mrs. Steve is holding a basketball and stands within earshot of the two. It is ambiguous whether he is innocent or guilty of being involved with the crime. Netflix drops 1st trailer for monster with jennifer hudson. Apr 03, 2019 written in a unique format with a compelling storyline, monster is guaranteed to engage teen readers. A flashback occurs at this point in steve s neighborhood.
Netflix drops 1st trailer for monster with jennifer. Examine the evidence with a worksheet based on monster by walter dean myers. Steve imagines himself writing about the crime, but he doesnt want to have it in his mind anymore than the jurors might want to have the pictures in theirs. As kids read the book, they note particular passages that they believe indicate whether or not steve committed the crime. Readers are invested in learning about the crime, the evidence, the testimony, and the other teens involved in order to find out if steve is innocent or guilty. Why do you think hed wear a suit and tie to his trial instead of his orange jumper.
He claims he is innocent and didnt participate in the robbery. The conversations were all short and pointless, just polite acknowledgments or talk about ball games. We think that steve harmon is innocent because there is not enough evidence to prove he is guilty, he is very certain and stuck with trying to prove that that he was not there when the crime was committed and finally because the other people on trial were using him to get a shorter sentence. At the end of the book steve is proven innocent, and free to go, but i believe that there was not enough information for steve to be proven guilty. The united states judicial system says that you are innocent until proven guilty. In the book monster by walter dean myers, was it clearly stated if.
She is the defense attorney and she is to prove to the jury the steve is innocent. According to osvaldo cruzs testimony on page 99, steve was just a look out for the crime and didnt participate in the robbery or the murder. Monster is a young adult drama novel by american author walter dean myers and was published by harpercollins in 1999. Examines how steve harmon from walter dean myers book, monster, is guilty of felony murder. Reflecting is a theme in this book because steve starts to reflect his actions in his notebook. Monster book report in monster, by walter dean myers, the reader learns from steve harmons experiences that sometimes guilt or innocence of a person might not be determined by solid evidence but by onlookers opinions and interpretation of the crime. He writes in his diary to pass the time, chronicling his observations and anxieties while imprisoned. Instead of rejoicing in his mothers belief in him steve feels guilty. Steve must grapple with the fact that his fate rests in the hands of strangers. So why are we accusing steve of being a part of the crime. Guilty or not guilty graphic organizer for 4th 8th.
Loaded with more of the outrageous stunts youve come to love him for, this is more than just a hilarious comedy special in guilty as charged, steve o holds. The lists can include personality traits, events, quotes by characters in the story, etc. There are flashbacks, graphic imagery of prison, and the realistic life that someone would most likely be going through while on trial for murder. At the beginning of the novel, the reader learns that steve is in prison awaiting trial for his alleged involvement in a murder. Steve is more credible than the criminals who testified against him.
In the book monster by walter dean myers, was it clearly. There is not a large amount of scientific evidence in the case against steve. This changed steves life forever, because he would not spend his life in jail. Nowhere in the novel does steve ask for justice yet he is constantly trying to convince himself and others that he is innocent. He thinks his attorney, kathy obrien, doesnt believe in his innocence, and his father has been aloof. Connect with friends, family and other people you know. Although obrien wants to defend steve and understand who he is as a person, steve senses that obrien does not truly believe he is innocent. A pretrial media blitz, a biased judge, and police that focused only on one suspect, sam sheppard, resulted in a wrongful conviction that would take years to overturn. Obrien tells steve that purely because he is a young black male, half the jury will already assume he is guilty from the moment they see him. Steve is certainly not guilty of murder or of any complicity in in the killing of mr. Monster then delves into the psychological realm as steve tries to decide if he is innocent or if he is, in fact, a monster.
Sixteenyearold steve harmon is sitting on the edge of a medal cot, head in hands. This changed steve s life forever, because he would not spend his life in. Aug 23, 2019 although steve harmon was acquitted and found not guilty of participating in the robbery and the murder of alguinaldo nesbitt, there is substantial evidence to suggest that he did agree to. The lists can include personality traits, events, quotes by. Obrien compares steve s character to the character of the other witnesses who committed crimes.
People could debate whether steve harmon was really innocent or guilty. Now i know you may be thinking steve is guilty but we all know who shot mr. Steve is guilty of accessory to murder of agluinado nesbitt. Steve harmon is a 16 year old boy who was charged with accomplise to murder. Steves outcome of the trial was not guilty with which many would most likely not agree with. Monster is about a 16 year old boy named steve harmon, and how he had to go on a trial for felony murder. All the needtoknow deets on steve harmon from monster by walter dean myers. Steve i thought you re supposed to be innocent until you re proven guilty. Walter dean myers monster guilty until proven innocent. He is a generally good kid who got caught up with the wrong crowd. Steves probable guilt is reinforced by the fact that the state prosecutor labels him a monster in her opening remarks, and this becomes the way that steve sees.
The first reason why steve harmon is innocent because steve did not know bobo evans. It doesnt matter what anyone calls himwe know hes no monster. While steve was found not guilty he talks about why he wanted to be tough just like them. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one. The book is set as if steve is making a screenplay.
Monster argumentative essay the united states judicial system says that you are innocent until proven guilty. Steve was caught in the drugstore and all 3 king, osvaldo and bobo reconized steve as. Steves probable guilt is reinforced by the fact that the state prosecutor labels him a monster in her opening remarks, and this becomes the way that steve sees himself throughout the novel, dehumanizing himself. Evans testifies that steve was part of the robbery team, acting as a lookout man. Steve must grapple with the fact that his fate rests in. The monster quotes below are all either spoken by kathy obrien or refer to kathy obrien. The book is about steve s trial and whether he will be found guilty of felony murder. Monster study guide packet livingston public schools. Buy a cheap copy of monster book by walter dean myers. Sometimes i feel like i have walked into the middle of a movie. Steve harmon character analysis in monster litcharts.
Myers book monster provides several examples of effective characters to write about. Netflix debuts firstlook trailer of monster watch netflix released the trailer for the powerful film adaptation monster a complex and layered look at justice and. Guilty or not guilty graphic organizer is suitable for 4th 8th grade. Sawicki who teaches him, if you make your film predictable, theyll make up their minds about it long before its over 19. Who is steve dickson guilty in the monster essay 1039 words. Had he been in the drugstore on the day of the murder. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The monster by walter dean myers 1554 words bartleby. Printz award in 2000, and was named a coretta scott king award honor the same year the book uses a mixture of a thirdperson screenplay and a firstperson diary format to tell. Steve harmon, a bright, sensitive 17yearold, stands trial for acting as a. Share photos and videos, send messages and get updates. In monster, by walter dean myers, steve harmon is on trial for felony murder. In what was supposed to be just a robbery turned into the murdering of nesbitt, the murder with which steve was allegedly the look out for the whole thing. Steve harmon, the novels protagonistand, at times, its narratoris a sixteenyearold africanamerican student from harlem.
Steve, himself, is not sure, and without a moral compass to point the way, his. Why is steve innocent in the book monster by walter dean. Here, obrien addresses the harsh reality of the american court system. Well lets look at the book page 147 to 148 steve s mother says and i quote no matter what anybody says, i know youre innocent and i love you very much. Steve harmon is the main character of the book monster. Guilty or innocent, steve becomes a pawn in the hands of the system, cluttered with cynical authority figures and unscrupulous inmates, who will turn in anyone. Apr 07, 2018 the book monster by walter dean myers is a story on the perspective of a sixteen year old steve harmon if he were to make a movie of his experiences. From his humble beginnings as a circus clown to his career as a star of the monster hit jackass, comedian, author, and allaround lunatic, steve o has done it all and then some. Although steve harmon was acquitted and found not guilty of participating in the robbery and the murder of alguinaldo nesbitt, there is substantial evidence to suggest that he did agree to.
Steve learned to make things unpredictable from his film teacher mr. We see the entire trial through his lens almost literally, we learn about his past, and we know whats important to him. In the book monster, steve harmon is charged with these crimes as a student in. Although steve harmon was acquitted and found not guilty of participating in the robbery and t. Steve was caught in the drugstore and all 3 king, osvaldo and bobo reconized steve as the lookout. In the opening of monster by walter dean myers, sixteenyearold steve harmon is on trial for his alleged participation in a murder committed during the commission of a robbery. He does not feel he is guilty because he did not commit the crime. Printz award in 2000, and was named a coretta scott king award honor the same year. He refers to the other robbery participants as acquaintances whom he hardly talked with at all. In the innocent column, write things you have learned about steve harmon that suggest he is innocent. The prosecution accuses steve of acting as the look out to the crime which left a local business owner dead. However, he is innocent because the states witnesses cant be trusted, there.
Texts such as these encourage readers to interact with the text and with one another by employing a variety of devices, among them ambiguity campbell 1 because it is told through the eyes of steve himself, the plot can be difficult to decipher. Kathy obrien character analysis in monster litcharts. If steve is found guilty of felony murder, hes looking at twentyfive years to. Should steve harmon, who is 16, and on trial for felony murder be released from prison.
Essay about walter dean myers monster guilty until. Guilty or innocent, steve becomes a pawn in the hands of the system, cluttered with cynical authority figures and unscrupulous inmates, who will turn in. In language arts class we read a book called monster, by walter dean myers. Steve is on the brink of losing his ability to selfidentify. In the same way, bobo evans has no problem destroying the life of an innocent person like steve harmon. In the novel monster, steve harmon was put on trial for murder. May 24, 2014 steve was not thinking at the time about his actions. Jul 28, 2019 a harlem drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that steve served as the lookout.
There are two women discussing the murder at the drugstore. Dec 11, 2016 in the novel monster, steve harmon was put on trial for murder. Get an answer for in the book monster by walter dean myers, was it clearly stated if steven is guilty or innocent, or do they not say. Although steve wants to believe that the court will see him as innocent until proven guilty, obrien explains that this statement is nothing more than an idealistic adage. It was nominated for the 1999 national book award for young peoples literature, won the michael l. Who is steve dickson guilty in the monster essay 1039. In the book monster written by walter dean meyer, steve harmon, a 16 year old black boy, is by going a trial determining if he will spend his life in jail or not.
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