After watching, "Shakespeare Behind Bars", as I heard each prisoner's story, I couldn't help but wonder should they really be forgiven? Personally, I am a very forgiving person, but to a certain circumstance. From the beginning of the documentary, I adored Sammie and really enjoyed watching him act and become successful even though he was behind bars, but when he explained his story of why he was in prison, I started to wonder and even thought about changing my mind.
As you all recall, Sammie was in prison for strangling his abusive girlfriend to death. This made me wonder, how can someone who seems so kind and normal do such a horrible thing? Now, I am not a doctor or a psychologist, but I think that his childhood and past had something to do with his madness. Remember, Sammie explained that he was sexually abused, he grew up with alcoholic parents, and an older boy that he knew raped him. Obviously, Sammie had a tough life and did not grow up in, "Pleasantville", but rather a dark, unstable, and scary environment that I cannot even imagine living through. I give Sammie a lot of credit and think he is such a strong person for living through all this. Unfortunately, I think that sooner or later it all came back to him, and this was part of the reason he went mad.
As children, one way we learn is through example, and our primary role models are initially our parents. Believe it or not, most of us are our parents. We have the same beliefs, morals, and sometimes actions, because these influential people are our first teachers. In Sammie's case, these "role models" were the complete opposite. It seems as though Sammie just went through one bad incident after another and never overcame these troubles. Because he never learned to overcome these difficult times, he had more difficult times as he got older, and this lead him to insanity.
The whole purpose of the play was to have the prisoners think about forgiveness and what it means. Sammie, seemed to have understand what he does was not right at all, and seemed like a changed man, a better man. What if he did receive parole? Would he really be a different man? I would like to think so, but then again I never knew the Sammie who killed his girlfriend, the old Sammie. I think to kill another person, and to do it in a way so brutally is not something that should ever be forgotten (and it will never be forgotten), but also I believe that person should not be forgiven. I do not think that he would be a threat to society, but this is a serious case. Sammie, cannot take back what he did, he cannot bring her back, so I think the right option is for him to live with the consequences. I really wish he could have had help early on in life; this would have prevented this madness, and he could have always been a free, successful man. What do you all think?
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