"Irony is, in fact, one of Capote's major techniques, and he achieves it by juxtaposing the circumstances of the killers to those of the Clutter family."

"Capote introduces the idea of fate and predestination and the ways in which society produces killers and unleashes them on the innocent."

This article discusses the main themes of In Cold Blood and general information about the novel. Background information is evident in the article including the relationship Capote had with Dick and Perry. The theme of irony is evident throughout the whole novel such as a robbery with no money. This article supports an essay including the major themes of In Cold Blood.

"In addition, parents who psychologically abuse their children are often narcissistic (self-absorbed) and feel that raising children gets in the way of their own lives and the things they would rather be doing."

"Families in which psychological maltreatment occurs are usually dysfunctional in some way and lack good communication skills. "

This article further examines the effect of parental neglect on children and the potential causes of parental neglect. One leading cause of parental neglect is the resentment a parent feels due to the restrictions having a child places on their life. Another cause is the self-absorbedness of the parent. These two causes are seen with Perry's mother and father. Perry's father neglects Perry's needs as a child when he drags Perry from town to town on his own whim.

"In considering the race and ethnicity of neglected children, the highest percentage of children who experienced neglect only (and not other forms of child maltreatment) in 2003 were American Indian or Alaska Native (67.8%), followed by children of multiple races (55.9%)."

"There are other common types of neglect, such as medical neglect, safety neglect, abandonment and educational neglect."

This article examines the neglect of children. Neglect can be perceived in several ways and is seen in several acts such as the neglect of education or safety. Neglect is an important theme in all the novels of this segment. During In Cold Blood, the reader witnesses how Perry was neglected as a child by his father which resulted in severe inhibitions in his development. Parental neglect was a leading contributor to the end result of Perry murdering the Clutters.

"Breivik's rigidity also fits into a typical pattern, Hoffmann says. "Such perpetrators have very assiduous tendencies and think in stereotypes. Everything is in black and white." "

"Last year, United States researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee discovered an especially pronounced mechanism in the brain of psychopaths, namely that they have a need for reward at any cost."

This article examines Anders Beivik and his mass killing of 69 people at a Norwegian camp for teenagers. Anders Beivik systematically hunted down people for 90 minutes without remorse or compassion. This article examines the rationale behind this cold-bloodedness. Anders Beivik and the aspects of his personality that allow him to commit this act resemble Perry. Perry sees things as black and white, and he will do anything to make someone proud of him.

"... people who score high on measures of antisocial personality, low in conscientiousness, high in neuroticism, and low in intelligence have been shown to be more likely to engage in criminal activities, including murder "

"Children who witness poor, unstable relationships between their parents and live in relatively resource-scarce environments are argued to be more likely to adopt short-term, opportunistic mating strategies as adults and riskier strategies for obtaining resources, including theft, violence, and murder"

This article examines murder and provides theories on the causes and rationale for murder. The article provides theory that site neglectful and traumatic upbringings as a potential cause. Also, uneducated and antisocial people are more likely to perpetrate violent acts against their fellow human. Perry exhibits all these traits and has the additional evil influence of Dick encouraging him.

"This is, in terms of severity, a middle group between psychosis and neurosis"

"In sum, development is complicated, always involves the interaction of nature and nurture, and although in extreme cases one or the other may predominate as the determinant of pathology, there is much more likely to be a complex interaction when the outcome is less extreme-that is, borderline."

This article discusses borderline personality disorder in depth, including causes and treatment. The causes can be due to parental neglect and traumatic experiences. The causes resemble Perry's childhood when his mother neglects him and his father always puts his needs second. This article would support an essay focusing on the effects of parental neglect on children. p.s. etiology means causes

"People with borderline personality disorder are unstable in several areas, including interpersonal relationships, behavior, mood, and self-image."

"A person with borderline personality may form an intense personal attachment with someone only to quickly dissolve it over a perceived slight. Fears of abandonment may lead to an excessive dependency on others."

This article introduces the concept of personality disorders and lists the most common of these disorders. During In Cold Blood, Perry exhibits definitive behavior of a borderline personality. Such actions include his unnatural attachment to Dick throughout their exploits and his inability to make his own decisions. This essay would support an essay discussing the detrimental effects of poor parenting.

"The fact is, many mental disorders have their beginnings in childhood or adolescence, yet may go undiagnosed and untreated for years."

"Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan"

This article discusses mental illness, its causes, its effects, and its treatment. Mental illness often results in a person's inability to cope with normal situations like Darl who is not able to cope with Addie's death in an acceptable way. Darl inability is most likely caused by a poor upbringing from parents like Addie, who hates children, and Anse, who views children as a labor force. Also, Darl's situation is treatable, however no one in the Bundren family bothers to try and help him opting instead to send him to a mental institution, against Darl's will.

"Psychological factors that may contribute to mental illness include: Severe psychological trauma suffered as a child, such as emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, An important early loss, such as the loss of a parent, Neglect, Poor ability to relate to others"

"Certain stressors can trigger an illness in a person who is susceptible to mental illness"

This article discusses mental illness and its causes. Mental illness can result from physical, biological, and psychological factors. Extreme emotion circumstances can also trigger mental illness. This relates to Darl's mental illness in As I Lay Dying. Addie's death triggers Darl's mental illness.

"It gradually becomes clear that each member of the family has an ulterior, selfish motive for wanting to get to Jefferson."

"Irving Howe has pointed out that the novel's central theme is the tension between individual self-definition and the contingency of selfhood upon others, particularly parents and family."

This article is a general overview of As I Lay Dying and the main theme of identity and identity within the family structure. Throughout As I Lay Dying, the selfish motives of each family monopolize the characters' attentions. The characters struggle to find their place within the family and how to communicate their feelings with each other. The most disturbing effect of this inability to form an identity results in the incarceration of Darl in a mental institution.

"Adding to a child's shock and confusion at the death of a brother, sister, or parent is the unavailability of other family members, who may be so shaken by grief that they are not able to cope with the normal responsibility of childcare."

"Parents should be aware of normal childhood responses to a death in the family, as well as signs when a child is having difficulty coping with grief. It is normal during the weeks following the death for some children to feel immediate grief or persist in the belief that the family member is still alive. However, long-term denial of the death or avoidance of grief can be emotionally unhealthy and can later lead to more severe problems."

This article explains how children react and deal with grief over the loss of a loved one. This article relates to the confusion and angst Vardaman experiences after the death of Addie. Vardaman experiences shock and confusion over the substantial matter of death and how it applies to his newly deceased mother. No one in the family bothers to explain to him the finality and irreversibility of death. Without guidance, the Bundren family leaves Vardaman to stumble around and form false conclusion such as the belief Peabody killed Addie.

"A mental illness is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought and/or behavior, resulting in an inability to cope with life's ordinary demands and routines."

"Your family member's behavior may be as dismaying to them as it is to you. Ask questions, listen with an open mind and be there to support them."

This article discusses mental disorders within the family unit and how to respond to mental disorders of family members. The first tactic the article stresses is the communication one must maintain with the effected family member. Contrary to this approach, in As I Lay Dying, the Bundrens refuse to discuss the corrupted mental function of Darl. They try to find the root of the issue or even support their struggling family member.

"When coping with a death, you may go through all kinds of emotions. You may be sad, worried, or scared. You might be shocked, unprepared, or confused. You might be feeling angry, cheated, relieved, guilty, exhausted, or just plain empty."

Grief is an emotional, physical, or spiritual ramifications experienced after the loss of something precious. This website focuses of humans' reactions to grief and how to cope with sudden loss. This website is catered to the teenage audience and perspective. The website gives a general overview of the ways grief can manifest in daily life and ways to cope with it. The website emphasizes the importance of confronting and dealing with grief. This relates to the different ways grief appears in each character of As I Lay Dying and the inability of them to deal with the death of Addie.

"In As I Lay Dying, Anse Bundren is a grotesque character partly because of his moral deformity: his lack of self-understanding, his parasitic and manipulative relations with others, his pious posturing."

"Insofar as the journey seemed to be a collective effort courageously undertaken by the whole family for the whole, involving heroic suffering and heroic action, that perception is undermined by the sudden dismissal of Addie, the expulsion of Darl, and the scurrying aftermath of selfish pursuits."

This article discusses the use of grotesque art in As I Lay Dying. Grotesque art is art with bad manners that challenges ideals and notions of proper order with dissonant elements. The article emphasizes the backwardness of the events of Addie's burial like the burying of a week old stinking corpse. The article also highlights the unusually motives each narrative maintains through their journey to bury Addie even though their sole concern should be about the burial of the matriarch of the family. This article would support an essay dwelling on the detachedness the Bundren family experiences.

"As textile factories and iron mills increased production with advanced machinery and technology, the working classes grew restive and increasingly alarmed by jobs that seemed insecure because a worker could be replaced by machines"

This article gives background information on the influence the Industrial Revolution on Mary Shelly's writing. The Industrial Revolution was a revolution in the 1800's that was characterized by great advances in technology and the standard of living. However, the great advancements also replaced many traditional man powered jobs with machines. The fear of progression is a main notion in Frankenstein.

"Personality development is the development of the organized pattern of behaviors and attitudes that makes a person distinctive"

"When parents understand how their child responds to certain situations, they can anticipate issues that might be problematic for their child. They can prepare the child for the situation or in some cases they may avoid a potentially difficult situation altogether"

The article examines the formation of a person's character. The parent's influence on a child's personality is incalculable. A parent can shape a child by either protecting or exposing that child to certain events. The monster never has a parent to shield him. If Victor was a responsible parent, he would have help shaped the monster into a compassionate creature. This article supports an essay discussing the familial ties in Frankenstein.

"Defense mechanisms include denial, repression, suppression, projection, displacement, reaction formation, regression, fixation, identification, introjection, rationalization, isolation, sublimation, compensation, and humor"

This article discusses the several ways a person can cope with traumatic or undesired feelings or events. Victor and the creature, throughout Frankenstein, use multiple defense mechanisms in order to cope with either the horridness of creation or isolation. Frankenstein several times attempts to forget about the monster by retreating into nature or ignoring the situation completely. The monster tries to attract Victor's through regressive negative stimuli. This article connects with how the monster tries to cope with isolation and Victor uses isolation as a defense mechanism.

"A 17-year-old with the mentality of a child of three, Hauser was reeducated over the next five years, regaining many of the faculties that had been stunted by extreme social and sensory deprivation, to the point where he could communicate verbally although his speech was substandard."

Feral children are, "Lost or abandoned human children raised in extreme social isolation, either surviving in the wild through their own efforts or "adopted" by animals"

This article demonstrates the ability for a parentless individual to be rehabilitated. Feral children are children who have raised themselves or animals raise. They have no or little connection to humans. Likewise, Victor abandons the monster and leaves the monster to raise itself. This shows that if Victor tried to teach the monster compassion that the monster would never have resorted to extremes. The article would support an essay including the irresponsibility of Victor towards the monster

"Social scientists agree that loneliness stems from the subjective experience of deficiencies in social relationships and that these deficiencies are unpleasant, aversive, and exceptionally common."

"Attempts to change one's social relationships are active coping strategies wherein feelings of loneliness motivate people to form new relationship ties... Attempts to reduce the importance of social relationships or engage in diversionary activities are passive coping strategies that often do little to alleviate loneliness"

This article discusses isolation, the causes of isolation, the effects of isolation, and how one copes with social isolation. In Frankenstein, the monster feels inferior to humans when they scream and beat him. This isolation influences the monsters mental state and his outlook on the world around him. As a result, he fixates on Victor in order to cope. This essay would support an essay on isolation or the connection between Victor and his creature.