d It emphasizes the point that Leopold and Loeb were thoughtless and juvenile.
Read the passage.
In 1924, Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were convicted of killing a fourteen-year-old neighbor boy. Leopold and Loeb were in their late teens, came from wealthy families, and attended college. They wanted to commit the “perfect crime.” Attorney Clarence Darrow, a lifetime opponent of the death penalty, was their defense attorney.
excerpt from Clarence Darrow’s closing argument in Illinois v. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, August 22–25, 1924
There is neither cruelty to the deceased, beyond taking his life–which is such–nor was there any depth of guilt and depravity on the part of the defendants, for it was a truly motiveless act, without the slightest feeling of hatred or revenge, done by a couple of children for no reason whatever.
But, your honor, we have gone further than that, and we have sought to show you, as I think we have, the condition of these boys’ minds. Of course, it is not an easy job to ascertain the condition of another person’s mind. These experts in the main have told you that it is impossible to ascertain what the mind is, to start with; to tell how it acts.
In his closing argument, Darrow refers to Leopold and Loeb as children.
How does this detail refine the central idea that Leopold and Loeb were immature and callous, rather than criminal masterminds?
Responses
a It explains why Leopold and Loeb committed the crimes.
a It explains why Leopold and Loeb committed the crimes.
b It shows that the criminals were too young to understand what they were doing.
b It shows that the criminals were too young to understand what they were doing.
c It furthers the idea that the minds of young criminals are unknown.
c It furthers the idea that the minds of young criminals are unknown.
d It emphasizes the point that Leopold and Loeb were thoughtless and juvenile.
1 answer