Mr Beeche's Magical Realism Class at SHCP – Spring 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
The Green Mile
Do you believe that Paul Edgecombe should have freed John Coffey before his execution, or do you think that Paul was right in letting nature takes its course?
To answer my own question, I find this whole situation very complicated. I believe John Coffey is a miracle from God. He helps individuals who are hurting. I understand where John Coffey is coming from when he says that people are cruel and immoral. He would rather be anywhere, than in the world he lives in. He is blamed for raping and killing two young girls. The thing is John Coffey is innocent. How can anyone accuse this man of such a crime? If I were Paul, I would not let nature takes its course. There is no way I would allow John Coffey to be executed. I could not perform such a task. It is not in me, to kill not just an innocent man, but a man of incredible healing powers. He is one of a kind. Although I do believe that God has a plan for each of us, I could not live with myself if I did not free him. No matter what the consequences, I would do what I think is right.
I believe that Paul Edgecombe should have freed John Coffey before his execution because of John’s innocence and his extraordinary powers. However, I think that if Paul freed John, it would have created many problems. For one, like Rosaleen stated, John saw the world as cruel and did not want to live in it anymore. Therefore, if John did not want to live in the world anymore, he should not be forced to by anyone, not even Paul. Second, how would Paul be able to free John without proof of his innocence, especially since the real murderer of the two girls was dead? Although Paul believed John’s innocence through the flashbacks, I do not think that the people would call him innocent through this method. If John was freed by Paul without proof of innocence, I believe John would have an even more difficult life with his abilities than before, since he would constantly be on the run and alert in order to avoid being captured. Paul might also get in trouble for freeing John.
Though, I believe that it would have been better if John was kept alive because of his extraordinary abilities. I think his abilities can be used to help serve the world because he is able to heal others’ pain. However, he would in turn have to deal with all the pain and suffering and I think eventually people will start to abuse his powers. I was quite surprised to see Paul continue with the execution of John, an innocent man, because I think it was wrong and to me, Paul should have done something about it. I do not really understand how he was still capable of continuing through with the execution of John while knowing that he was truly innocent.
In response to Rosaleen's question, I think that Paul Edgecombe should have freed John Coffey because he was innocent and HE EVEN KNEW HIMSELF, that John Coffey was innocent. Once John Coffey showed that he had magical powers and they are used for good, that should have been enough evidence for him to be proven innocent. But yet again, you can't go back on your word, if someone is on death row, they HAVE to die. There's no saving him. So i guess Paul Edgecombe was sticking to his word and doing his job even if it wasn't the right thing to do. Paul couldn't just free John anyways because of the lack of evidence shown to everyone else. It would raise eyebrows and put questions on people's faces on to why he was freed. So basically it would have been the fairy tale ending to free John but reality kicks in and you have to do what is asked of you.
I think that Paul should have left John go because he was innocent. An innocent man should not have been put to death. Once Paul saw that John was innocent he should have told everyone and tried to get him out of jail. Paul should have spoken up but he didn't because he was scared to lose his reputation. He didn't want to be known as the prison guard who let a prisoner go. He also couldn't let John go because there was no hard evidence that proved he was innocent. Only Paul saw that he was innocent and nobody else. John should have been freed because he cured Paul of his urinary infection. John also cured the owner of the prison's wife by taking away her brain tumor. His magical powers should have led to his freedom because he could have cured all the people in the world that were sick. John was convicted of killing those two girls because he was found by the bodies and was covered in blood. I believe that he was trying to save them but he was too late. He was wrongful accused and he lost his life trying to save others.
Although freeing an innocent man from his accusation might sound like the right thing to do, it was right for Paul to have John executed. John lived a long life watching and witnessing the cruel and immoral people. For John to be executed, Paul actually provided him with a favor. John was tired of living a life providing to people’s needs, disturbed with all the abounding sin, and sad to see all his loved ones die. When he talks to Paul to discuss his death wish, he doesn’t even mention anything about running free. He was reluctant to die because he knows he cannot rid the world from all the flourishing evil. It takes a great deal of power to fulfill this heroic duty. As a result, Paul took John’s gift so he now could be the new miracle worker in John’s place. He shares the pain that will continue to live on forever by being passed on through many generations.
Do you believe that Paul Edgecombe should have freed John Coffey before his execution, or do you think that Paul was right in letting nature takes its course?
I believe that Paul Edgecombe made the right decision in giving John Coffey a little bit of freedom before his execution. John who is so kind hearted and willing to share his magical gift to those who are good got to do something good before his death. I believe that gave him a sense of closure. Also by all those guards that believe in him, makes him feel worthy and innocent. John was so tired of all the chaos and evilness in the world that probably giving him his rest was the right thing to do. Never did John complain about his execution.
I agree with Mariezen. John Coffey deserved more in his life than the corrupt world. The world around him was so corrupt that he couldn't even help the people that he wanted to help. The fact that it was the point of time where blacks were treated unfairly by whites brought about a lack of ethics/morality to the community that Paul and John lived in. Even if Paul did free John, John wouldn't be happy. He still would live in the depths of an unjust/discriminative world. Paul did make a good decision because he freed John from the despair he was feeling. And as Mariezen said, it gave John a sense of closure, a closure that lets him know that he did all he good to help society.
Although Paul Edgecombe knew that John Coffey was an innocent man with extraordinary abilities, setting him free may cost him his job. Paul is supposed to contain and maintain the Green Mile imprisoned men. He cannot just set someone free out of personal opinion and influence.
On top of this, even if John was set free, he would be a wanted man that escaped from jail. There would be no peace in his life. He would be alive, but be in constant danger, hiding from the authorities and have a very unsettling lifestyle.
In my opinion, I think that Paul Edgecombe should have freed John Coffey before his execution. But that mission would go against Paul’s job and risk his own life with the possibility of going to jail. Paul knew John Coffey was innocent but there was no way that he was able to prove it since the real crime was only seen through Paul’s and John’s eyes. Even if Paul was able to free John, John would be wanted since he would be an escaped prisoner. This will lead to John hiding and running away for the rest of his life and plus, it would be pretty hard for John to hide since he doesn’t really blend in with the crowd with his height and muscles. In the end, I believe Paul made the right choice of letting nature take its course. I think it was better to relieve some stress off of John by executing him since hatred words were thrown at him constantly since he was an African American and a “murderer”. It was the right thing to do because how would Paul be able to convince the people that John didn’t kill those girls? The people would probably think Paul’s crazy if he was going to explain that John has magical powers. Try explaining that to a couple of people and see what type of reaction you get.
It was a very difficult situation for Paul Edgecomb on the green mile ever since John Coffey showed up. He was a huge muscular man but one of the sweetest and most gentle man after getting to know him but he had a huge secret. His ability to cure people was extraordinary. Even though many of the men also working on the mile witnessed these miracles performed by John Coffey, Paul would never have been able to get Coffey off his mile. John was put on that mile for a reason, possibly to cure Mr. Jingles or even Paul but his brightness touched everyone.
I believe that this was a difficult place for both Paul and John. It was difficult for John becuase he had to think of his own life; with his job and his family if he had gotten cuaght letting John go. It was difficult for Paul becuase if he stayed in prison we was going to be sent to the electirc chair but if he ran away and if Paul let him go he would be running for therest of his life in fear of being caught again and being sent to the electric chair. So, either way whether Paul helped John escape or not John would eventually be sent to the electric chair. Plus in the end Paul said that him having to live for so long and seing all of his friends and family die was his punishment for letting John die.
I believe that Paul Edgecombe should have let John go because since he let John get executed, Paul was burdened with life and has lived throughout his life witnessing the deaths of all his loved ones. Through the loss of John, Paul was able to tell a story and, along with his burden, has experienced many things in 60 years.
On one hand, John CHOSE to become executed because not only was he able to heal people, but he had the burden of sensing everyone's pain in the world and day-after-day, hour-after-hour he would feel the pain of people all over the world and there was no worse feeling than of his.
On the other hand, Paul recognized John was hurting and let John shake his hand for the last time and through that handshake, John transferred some of his power to John and gave him the power of life. Through its ups, it has tragic downs.
In my opinion, Paul should have let John die and leave him with peace, even though the sacrifice was great, John was put in a better place and he well-deserved it.
This was my first time watching the Green Mile, which I thought was a very interesting movie. The only parts of the movie that I thought was disturbing were the prison executions. At first I didn’t expect the movie to actually show the people being electrocuted. But to answer the question, I think Paul Edgecombe was faced with a very difficult decision whether to let John Coffey go. Before Paul meets John, Paul was having a problem with his body that he avoided to seek help. Then after Paul met John, John some how healed Paul. I think Paul faced a difficult decision to not let him go because then he would be responsible for letting a prisoner go and will have to face consequences for his actions. He probably didn’t want John to die because Paul saw him as a disciple from god who can heal things. If I was in Paul’s situation I would let John go and risk my life. If someone could heal the world and take away pain I wouldn’t let the person die especially John because he was innocent.
Since I watching The Green Mile for the first time, I was really into it. From watching what was going on, and Paul Edgecombe’s situation and position on the mile, I am kind of split with what Paul should have done. My initial feelings were to free John Coffey instantly. I did not see why he shouldn’t have. Coffey did not actually commit the murders that was said to have done. He was a good, sweet man. People were intimidated by his size and never gave him a chance. When Paul discovered the truth of John Coffey, he felt for him and wanted to help him. I was very for that, but in the same way, Paul was supposed to be professional and not get involved with individual cases. If he were to have released John Coffey before his execution, others would question his reasoning and he already had limited evidence of Coffey’s innocence. Not only that, but Paul would have been called unjust with all the other people he has executed and would have to help all the other people on the mile for fairness. He would have just contradicted his line of work. Without thinking, and just acting in this circumstance, I would have freed John Coffey because I knew he was innocent. I would not have been able to know that I put an end to innocent life.
Paul Edgecombe was the first to realize John Coffey was innocent from what he was convicted of. In his heart, Paul always believed Coffey was innocent and even despite all outside factors. After Coffey 'showed' Paul what truely happened to the girls, Paul was confused to what actions he was required to take. During Coffey's last moments alive, Paul directly asked what Coffey wanted him to do; how to help. Coffey refused knowing his fate was inevitable. In response to Rosaleen's comment, i believe Paul had no other options than to let nature travel its course. If he tried helping Coffey escape, others could have took other actions in recapturing Coffey. This would have negative affects of Paul himself because he could have faced criminal convictions himself.
In reality, it was right for Paul Edgecombe to allow nature to take its course with the execution of John Coffey. Paul would not be the one to blame for the John's death because he was simply doing his job. If he were to set him free, Paul would be taking a very dangerous risk that causes him to lose his job as well as endanger the lives of others. This burden on his part would be much heavier than going through the execution.
It wasn't fair that he had to be executed for someone else's murder. Either way, the murderer paid the price. But in a world where magical realism exists, I believe setting John free would be the right thing to do. Now that John's power is exposed, what risk is he putting himself in? Do you think Paul is abusing John's powers?
To answer my own question, I find this whole situation very complicated. I believe John Coffey is a miracle from God. He helps individuals who are hurting. I understand where John Coffey is coming from when he says that people are cruel and immoral. He would rather be anywhere, than in the world he lives in. He is blamed for raping and killing two young girls. The thing is John Coffey is innocent. How can anyone accuse this man of such a crime? If I were Paul, I would not let nature takes its course. There is no way I would allow John Coffey to be executed. I could not perform such a task. It is not in me, to kill not just an innocent man, but a man of incredible healing powers. He is one of a kind. Although I do believe that God has a plan for each of us, I could not live with myself if I did not free him. No matter what the consequences, I would do what I think is right.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Paul Edgecombe should have freed John Coffey before his execution because of John’s innocence and his extraordinary powers. However, I think that if Paul freed John, it would have created many problems. For one, like Rosaleen stated, John saw the world as cruel and did not want to live in it anymore. Therefore, if John did not want to live in the world anymore, he should not be forced to by anyone, not even Paul. Second, how would Paul be able to free John without proof of his innocence, especially since the real murderer of the two girls was dead? Although Paul believed John’s innocence through the flashbacks, I do not think that the people would call him innocent through this method. If John was freed by Paul without proof of innocence, I believe John would have an even more difficult life with his abilities than before, since he would constantly be on the run and alert in order to avoid being captured. Paul might also get in trouble for freeing John.
ReplyDeleteThough, I believe that it would have been better if John was kept alive because of his extraordinary abilities. I think his abilities can be used to help serve the world because he is able to heal others’ pain. However, he would in turn have to deal with all the pain and suffering and I think eventually people will start to abuse his powers. I was quite surprised to see Paul continue with the execution of John, an innocent man, because I think it was wrong and to me, Paul should have done something about it. I do not really understand how he was still capable of continuing through with the execution of John while knowing that he was truly innocent.
Good question by the way. I like your prompts. =]
In response to Rosaleen's question, I think that Paul Edgecombe should have freed John Coffey because he was innocent and HE EVEN KNEW HIMSELF, that John Coffey was innocent. Once John Coffey showed that he had magical powers and they are used for good, that should have been enough evidence for him to be proven innocent. But yet again, you can't go back on your word, if someone is on death row, they HAVE to die. There's no saving him. So i guess Paul Edgecombe was sticking to his word and doing his job even if it wasn't the right thing to do. Paul couldn't just free John anyways because of the lack of evidence shown to everyone else. It would raise eyebrows and put questions on people's faces on to why he was freed. So basically it would have been the fairy tale ending to free John but reality kicks in and you have to do what is asked of you.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think that Paul should have left John go because he was innocent. An innocent man should not have been put to death. Once Paul saw that John was innocent he should have told everyone and tried to get him out of jail. Paul should have spoken up but he didn't because he was scared to lose his reputation. He didn't want to be known as the prison guard who let a prisoner go. He also couldn't let John go because there was no hard evidence that proved he was innocent. Only Paul saw that he was innocent and nobody else. John should have been freed because he cured Paul of his urinary infection. John also cured the owner of the prison's wife by taking away her brain tumor. His magical powers should have led to his freedom because he could have cured all the people in the world that were sick. John was convicted of killing those two girls because he was found by the bodies and was covered in blood. I believe that he was trying to save them but he was too late. He was wrongful accused and he lost his life trying to save others.
ReplyDeleteAlthough freeing an innocent man from his accusation might sound like the right thing to do, it was right for Paul to have John executed. John lived a long life watching and witnessing the cruel and immoral people. For John to be executed, Paul actually provided him with a favor. John was tired of living a life providing to people’s needs, disturbed with all the abounding sin, and sad to see all his loved ones die. When he talks to Paul to discuss his death wish, he doesn’t even mention anything about running free. He was reluctant to die because he knows he cannot rid the world from all the flourishing evil. It takes a great deal of power to fulfill this heroic duty. As a result, Paul took John’s gift so he now could be the new miracle worker in John’s place. He shares the pain that will continue to live on forever by being passed on through many generations.
ReplyDeleteDo you believe that Paul Edgecombe should have freed John Coffey before his execution, or do you think that Paul was right in letting nature takes its course?
ReplyDeleteI believe that Paul Edgecombe made the right decision in giving John Coffey a little bit of freedom before his execution. John who is so kind hearted and willing to share his magical gift to those who are good got to do something good before his death. I believe that gave him a sense of closure. Also by all those guards that believe in him, makes him feel worthy and innocent. John was so tired of all the chaos and evilness in the world that probably giving him his rest was the right thing to do. Never did John complain about his execution.
I agree with Mariezen. John Coffey deserved more in his life than the corrupt world. The world around him was so corrupt that he couldn't even help the people that he wanted to help. The fact that it was the point of time where blacks were treated unfairly by whites brought about a lack of ethics/morality to the community that Paul and John lived in. Even if Paul did free John, John wouldn't be happy. He still would live in the depths of an unjust/discriminative world. Paul did make a good decision because he freed John from the despair he was feeling. And as Mariezen said, it gave John a sense of closure, a closure that lets him know that he did all he good to help society.
ReplyDeleteAlthough Paul Edgecombe knew that John Coffey was an innocent man with extraordinary abilities, setting him free may cost him his job. Paul is supposed to contain and maintain the Green Mile imprisoned men. He cannot just set someone free out of personal opinion and influence.
ReplyDeleteOn top of this, even if John was set free, he would be a wanted man that escaped from jail. There would be no peace in his life. He would be alive, but be in constant danger, hiding from the authorities and have a very unsettling lifestyle.
In my opinion, I think that Paul Edgecombe should have freed John Coffey before his execution. But that mission would go against Paul’s job and risk his own life with the possibility of going to jail. Paul knew John Coffey was innocent but there was no way that he was able to prove it since the real crime was only seen through Paul’s and John’s eyes. Even if Paul was able to free John, John would be wanted since he would be an escaped prisoner. This will lead to John hiding and running away for the rest of his life and plus, it would be pretty hard for John to hide since he doesn’t really blend in with the crowd with his height and muscles.
ReplyDeleteIn the end, I believe Paul made the right choice of letting nature take its course. I think it was better to relieve some stress off of John by executing him since hatred words were thrown at him constantly since he was an African American and a “murderer”. It was the right thing to do because how would Paul be able to convince the people that John didn’t kill those girls? The people would probably think Paul’s crazy if he was going to explain that John has magical powers. Try explaining that to a couple of people and see what type of reaction you get.
It was a very difficult situation for Paul Edgecomb on the green mile ever since John Coffey showed up. He was a huge muscular man but one of the sweetest and most gentle man after getting to know him but he had a huge secret. His ability to cure people was extraordinary. Even though many of the men also working on the mile witnessed these miracles performed by John Coffey, Paul would never have been able to get Coffey off his mile. John was put on that mile for a reason, possibly to cure Mr. Jingles or even Paul but his brightness touched everyone.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this was a difficult place for both Paul and John. It was difficult for John becuase he had to think of his own life; with his job and his family if he had gotten cuaght letting John go. It was difficult for Paul becuase if he stayed in prison we was going to be sent to the electirc chair but if he ran away and if Paul let him go he would be running for therest of his life in fear of being caught again and being sent to the electric chair. So, either way whether Paul helped John escape or not John would eventually be sent to the electric chair. Plus in the end Paul said that him having to live for so long and seing all of his friends and family die was his punishment for letting John die.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Paul Edgecombe should have let John go because since he let John get executed, Paul was burdened with life and has lived throughout his life witnessing the deaths of all his loved ones. Through the loss of John, Paul was able to tell a story and, along with his burden, has experienced many things in 60 years.
ReplyDeleteOn one hand, John CHOSE to become executed because not only was he able to heal people, but he had the burden of sensing everyone's pain in the world and day-after-day, hour-after-hour he would feel the pain of people all over the world and there was no worse feeling than of his.
On the other hand, Paul recognized John was hurting and let John shake his hand for the last time and through that handshake, John transferred some of his power to John and gave him the power of life. Through its ups, it has tragic downs.
In my opinion, Paul should have let John die and leave him with peace, even though the sacrifice was great, John was put in a better place and he well-deserved it.
This was my first time watching the Green Mile, which I thought was a very interesting movie. The only parts of the movie that I thought was disturbing were the prison executions. At first I didn’t expect the movie to actually show the people being electrocuted. But to answer the question, I think Paul Edgecombe was faced with a very difficult decision whether to let John Coffey go. Before Paul meets John, Paul was having a problem with his body that he avoided to seek help. Then after Paul met John, John some how healed Paul. I think Paul faced a difficult decision to not let him go because then he would be responsible for letting a prisoner go and will have to face consequences for his actions. He probably didn’t want John to die because Paul saw him as a disciple from god who can heal things. If I was in Paul’s situation I would let John go and risk my life. If someone could heal the world and take away pain I wouldn’t let the person die especially John because he was innocent.
ReplyDeleteSince I watching The Green Mile for the first time, I was really into it. From watching what was going on, and Paul Edgecombe’s situation and position on the mile, I am kind of split with what Paul should have done. My initial feelings were to free John Coffey instantly. I did not see why he shouldn’t have. Coffey did not actually commit the murders that was said to have done. He was a good, sweet man. People were intimidated by his size and never gave him a chance. When Paul discovered the truth of John Coffey, he felt for him and wanted to help him. I was very for that, but in the same way, Paul was supposed to be professional and not get involved with individual cases. If he were to have released John Coffey before his execution, others would question his reasoning and he already had limited evidence of Coffey’s innocence. Not only that, but Paul would have been called unjust with all the other people he has executed and would have to help all the other people on the mile for fairness. He would have just contradicted his line of work. Without thinking, and just acting in this circumstance, I would have freed John Coffey because I knew he was innocent. I would not have been able to know that I put an end to innocent life.
ReplyDeletePaul Edgecombe was the first to realize John Coffey was innocent from what he was convicted of. In his heart, Paul always believed Coffey was innocent and even despite all outside factors. After Coffey 'showed' Paul what truely happened to the girls, Paul was confused to what actions he was required to take. During Coffey's last moments alive, Paul directly asked what Coffey wanted him to do; how to help. Coffey refused knowing his fate was inevitable.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Rosaleen's comment, i believe Paul had no other options than to let nature travel its course. If he tried helping Coffey escape, others could have took other actions in recapturing Coffey. This would have negative affects of Paul himself because he could have faced criminal convictions himself.
In reality, it was right for Paul Edgecombe to allow nature to take its course with the execution of John Coffey. Paul would not be the one to blame for the John's death because he was simply doing his job. If he were to set him free, Paul would be taking a very dangerous risk that causes him to lose his job as well as endanger the lives of others. This burden on his part would be much heavier than going through the execution.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't fair that he had to be executed for someone else's murder. Either way, the murderer paid the price. But in a world where magical realism exists, I believe setting John free would be the right thing to do. Now that John's power is exposed, what risk is he putting himself in? Do you think Paul is abusing John's powers?