Murder And Capital Punishment Are One In The Same Thing.

Recently, I sat for an entrance exam in which we were asked to write a difference between murder and capital. As an afterthought, I felt that it was an interesting topic to write about, though in the exam I ended up writing some gibberish which didn't make any sense.

So here I am giving you my opinion about this. Hopefully, it will make sense this time around. Murder is an act of killing another human being whereas capital punishment is the death penalty. Both are similar yet different.

What is Murder?

Murder is committed for reasons valid to that person. The reason might be logical or illogical. Like for instance killing a person as an act of self-defence or for personal reasons. It is also a type of homicide.

People who confuse the murderer with a serial killer. A serial kill randomly kills people on a whim. He/ she derives pleasure out of it.

A person who commits murder is charged with punishment i.e either life imprisonment or capital punishment.

Capital punishment

Capital punishment, which is also known as a death sentence, is sanctioned practice done by the government or a judiciary. The sentence is given to a person who has committed heinous crimes like murder, terrorism, genocide and even rape. The practice is followed to provide justice and maintain law and order.

In my opinion, taking the lives of others won't bring peace and harmony in society. This will only make the matter worse. However, many people might disagree with me.

The other day, my friend shared a snap of a newspaper clipping of an 8-year-old girl who had been raped. I was shocked and angered by this news. I decided to conduct an opinion poll on the type of punishment that should be meted out to the rapist. Approximately 84% of people opted for the death penalty.

Countries practising death sentence

While half of the world has abolished the practice of issuing a death sentence, countries like India, China, United States, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria etc still practice it. China executes criminals more frequently than other countries and therefore considered to be a cruel nation.

Is it justified?

But in my opinion, this is not so. If a person can be heartless enough to kill an unarmed person or to rape an innocent child without any provocation then that person doesn't qualify to be a human being. And hence should be wiped from the face of the earth. Though there would be many who disagree with me and are strong believers of granting a second chance even to the most cold-blooded criminals. I would like to propagate the quote by George Bernard Shaw,

"Murder and capital punishment are not opposites that cancel one another, but similars that breed their kind. It is the deed that teaches not the name we give it."