The essay "Death and Justice: How Capital Punishment Affirms Life," by Edward I. Koch, is a rather conservative outlook of the death penalty from a member of the Democratic Party. It first appeared in The New Republic, a magazine that is known for its controversial articles. In the essay, Koch effectively argues the fact that capital punishment is not only a deterrent for crime, but also affirms the sanctity of life.
             Since this essay was found in The New Republic, Koch most likely wrote this essay to high society, politically minded people that were deciding if they should support the death penalty or not. Koch also wrote this to people that supported the death penalty but weren't exactly sure how to convince others of it. That's why Koch gives the possible arguments against capital punishment and then a detailed counter argument for capital punishment.
             Koch organizes his essay well. He begins by telling the readers about the execution of Robert Lee Willie. Robert Lee Willie told his executioners that they were no better than he, if they continued the execution. Koch goes on to state that Robert Lee Willie only then understood the sanctity of life. Then the author placed his thesis on the third paragraph because he wanted to first show the reader that when faced with death, even the criminals see the sanctity of life. Then Koch states in his thesis that life is
             indeed precious, and that even after examining the arguments of his opponents, he still supports the death penalty.
             Koch continues by stating each common argument, then answering them in detail by using sub-arguments, summaries of research, and testimonies for factual evidences. In the sub-arguments he plays on the reader's logic. For example, when Koch was stating that capital punishment strengthens the value of human life, he insisted that if you lower the penalty for rape, that it would be a clear signal
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