Final Project, Research Proposal Example

The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any nation in the world; in 2009, 743 out of every 100,000 U.S. citizens were in state or federal prison. While few would argue that many of those who are imprisoned have rightfully earned their sentences, there are also many people in prison for drug charges and other non-violent offenses that could more likely benefit from treatment or rehabilitation. Prisons in the U.S. and around the globe are often the sites of human rights abuses; some critics of the U.S. prison system claim that far too many prisoners are held in isolation and solitary confinement, sometimes for years. Such critics often assert that condemning prisoners to lives of solitary confinement is inhumane, and is nothing less than a form of torture. In other parts of the world, there is no question that prisoners are tortured, with beatings and other forms of physical and emotional abuse being common. The grim reality of life in prisons has inspired countless works of art, from films and paintings to poems and books. Some works of art are created by those on the outside, such as films like “Brokedown Palace” and “Midnight Express,” which each tell stories about American travelers accused of attempting to smuggle drugs out of countries like Turkey and Thailand. Some art works are created by prisoners themselves, who offer a look into the world of prison life through the eyes of those who have lived through it. By watching or reading these stories and poems it is possible to get a glimpse of how life in prison is dehumanizing, while also seeing how the human spirit can sometimes overcome the worst treatment that humans can inflict on one another.

This project will examine several works of art related to prison and the lives of prisoners, for the purpose of demonstrating how artistic expression can allow us all to better understand a world that most of us will never see. Some of the selected artworks will tell their stories from the outside looking in, while others will allow viewers and readers to see and hear prisoners speaking for themselves, and telling their own stories. Many of the readings discussed in this class emphasize survival, and show how some of those who suffered the worst torture and abuse managed to find ways to overcome their experiences. The words of many of the writers describe how they suffered through imprisonment and other abuses and survived, reminding us of the strength of the human spirit. While the United States claims to be the leader of the free world, it too is guilty of human rights abuses in its prisons. This paper will explore several artistic representations of life in prison both in the U.S. and in other parts of the world , and will demonstrate how the human sprit can triumph even over the worst circumstances.

Works Cited

Brokedown Palace. Dir. Jonathan Kaplan. Perf. Claire Danes, Kate Beckinsale. 20th Century Fox, 1999. Film.

This film tells the fictional story of two young American women who are arrested for drug charges while traveling in Thailand. The girls are set up by a drug smuggler, and they do not realize that he is using them to move drugs across the border. Although it is not a true story, the film does provide a graphic portrayal of life in prison, and the girls are subjected to torture and abuse while being held captive.

“Death-row prisoners’ artworks: the story of a unique collaboration.” The Guardian Shortcuts Blog. The Guardian, 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.

The Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Tennessee houses many of the state’s death-rwo inmates. This article describes a collaborative art project between a group of inmates in the Riverbend facility and artists from the local area. Working together, these inmates and artists created a series of sketches and paintings that express the emotions and lives of the prisoners. The purpose of this project was to give a voice to these prisoners who are locked way from society, and the works of art created by the participants reminds viewers of the humanity in a dehumanized population of death row inmates.

King, Martin L. Letter from Birmingham City Jail. Philadelphia, PA: American Friends Service Committee, 1963. Print.

The Reverend Martin Luther King was one of the most famous individuals in the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. in the 1960s. King was active in many protests during this period, and was sometimes jailed for his involvement in marches, sit-ins and other protests. While he was imprisoned in Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 for taking part in a protest march, King wrote this open letter to explain his views on civil rights and his string belief in non-violenbt resistance.

Mandela, Nelson. Conversations with Myself. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010. Print.

Nelson Mandela had been a political prisoner in South Africa for his involvement in protesting the system of Apartheid that kept black people as second-class citizens and kept white people in power at all levels of government. The resistance movemwnt eventually brought an end to Apartheid, and Mandela would go on to serve as the President of South Africa for many years. This book contains stories and other information from throughout his life, and it includes a number of journal entries and other things he wrote while he was in prison.

Midnight Express. Dir. Alan Parker. Perf. Brad Davis. Casablanca Filmworks, 1978. Film.

The film Midnight Express is based on the true story of a young man named Billy Hayes who was arrested and sent to prison in Turkey for trying to smuggle hashish out of the country. The film shows the harsh treatment and abuse Hayes suffered while in prison, and demonstrates how the punishment for using or smuggling drugs is often far worse for individuals and society than the drugs themselves.

“Prison Creative Arts Project | University of Michigan.” College of Literature, Science, and the Arts | University of Michigan. N.p., 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2013.

This is an ongoing project sponsored by the University of Michigan. The program allows both faculty and students from the university to collaborate on art projects with inmates, parolees, and at-risk children and young adults. The program is intended to give a voice to segments of the population that are often unheard, and to promote the idea of artistic expression as a means of channeling positivity to help former prisoners stay out of jail and to help those who are at risk avoid a life in prison.

The Shawshank Redemption. Dir. Frank Darabont. Perf. Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman. Castle Rock Entertainment, 1994. Film.

The Shawshank Redemption is one of the most well-known films of the 20^th century. It tells the story of two men who strike up an unlikely friendship while in prison together. The film shows how the human spirit can overcome the most terrible conditions and how the power of friendship can help keep that spirit alive.

Wilde, Oscar, and Isobel Murray. The Soul of Man, and Prison Writings. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print.

Oscar Wilde was a famous author in the 19the century that had great success and popularity for years before he was persecuted for his homosexuality. Wilde’s most well-known book was The Picture of Dorian Gray, and he was a beloved public figure until the secret of his homosexuality became known. Wilde was sent to prison for several years for public indecency, and he wrote the letters and other works in this book during his time as an inmate.