Charles Manson Argumentative Essay Example
Charles Manson Argumentative Essay Example

Charles Manson Argumentative Essay Example

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Helter Skelter The True Story of the Manson Murders Authors: Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry Have you ever heard of a person named Charles Manson? If you have not, you have probably been living in a hole for most of your life. Manson and “The Family” (his followers) committed some of the most horrible murders of the 20th century. I am going to tell the story of the murders and tell why Manson is still so well-known years after the murders were committed. Charles Manson was born November 12, 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His mother was 16-year-old Kathleen Maddox.

Kathleen had run away from home at the age of 15 and spent the next few decades drinking too much, with periods of time spent in jail. Since his mother couldn't take care of him, Charles spent his childhood

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at the homes of many relatives and often at special reform schools and boys homes. By the time he was nine years old, Charles Manson had already started stealing and then began burglarizing and stealing cars. People remember Manson and his crimes because of his versions on certain things. Manson had a very unusual interpretation of some Beatles songs. Several of these songs came off of the Beatles White Album.

In one Beatles song, "Helter Skelter," Manson believed that the Beatles were telling him that a race war was going to occur. In the war, blacks and whites would fight and the blacks would come out winning. He says he was also told that he would have to take over control after the war ended. He had one other interpretation which was in the Book of Revelation in th

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Bible. In this chapter, he saw the same type of message about a racial war and the end of the world. He believed that he must kill a high-ranking person in order to start the final phase of the war. Charles Manson was a brainwasher.

He was able to bring people into his wacked out world and made them do the dirty work for him. Manson thought that he was God, and thought that he was everywhere. He referred to himself as God in lots of interviews. Most people he came in contact with did whatever he said because he was so overpowering to them. And he had to recruit people in order for to carry out his missions. After he was released from jail for some minor crimes, he moved to San Francisco and started preaching to people what he thought was going to happen. He had about fifty followers and most of them were female.

Many of the followers later said that it was amazing the kind of mind control he had over them. He and a few of his followers moved into an old movie stage called the Spahn Ranch. They stayed there for free after Manson made some deals with the owner, George Spahn, so that he and his "family" could stay there. At the Spahn Ranch, "the family" grew very close and they began to trust Manson with everything he said. Some of the most popular members of the “family” who lived with Manson were; Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel, Squeaky Fromme, and Tex Watson.

All of the people there were hippies and they experimented with things like drugs and communal

sex. On August 8, 1969, Manson decided that it was the day to move into action. He and a few members of his "family" raided the residence of Roman Polanski, a movie director. At his home, they killed five people. One was an actress named Sharon Tate, who was pregnant at the time, and Abigal Folger, the heiress to the Folgers’s Coffee Company. The next night they killed Leo and Rosemary LaBianca. Because of the way that these murders were committed, many people still remember the terrible details.

Susan Atkins, one of the Manson family members, killed Sharon Tate, drank her blood, and thought about cutting Sharon's baby out of her womb and bringing it to Manson. She said that he would have been very proud of her for doing that. This shows that he had total control over all of his "family” and they worshiped him like a god. Manson never believed he was going to be caught for the crimes that his “family” had committed. Later in that year, some of his followers were arrested for crimes but none related to the murders. Susan Atkins confessed to the murders while she was in jail.

She also told the police all of the other people who were involved in the killings, Manson too. Manson and three other members were convicted of the murders and sentenced to death but that was over-ruled in 1972. They are now serving life sentences for their roles in the murders. Manson is eligible for parole but he has been denied eleven times and is eligible again in 2012. He has been denied so many times because many people still think that

he is crazy. He still has a major influence on many people around him, including the remaining “family” members.

The author, Vincent Bugliosi, was the prosecuting attorney in the Manson cases. I believe he wrote the book to share his first-hand account of the murders, to make us aware that evil exists and in unsuspecting people and he also probably needed to write the book as an emotional or mental coping mechanism. Why is Charles Manson still so well-known many years after the crimes were committed? Some of the reasons include the time that he lived in and the ways that he controlled others to do what he want them to do. Manson is behind bars in Corcoran State Prison where he doesn’t have much contact with other inmates.

Even though we may not be able to see him, he is still an icon that is very popular and well-known icon in our society today. Many celebrities have brought back Manson's image like Trent Reznor, a member of Nine-Inch Nails, who has his recording studio in the house where Sharon Tate and others were killed. The name of the studio is "Pig Studios," because of the reference it has to the word "Pig" which was written on one of the doors while the murders were being committed. Lots of books have been written that have to do with the killings and hundreds of web sites are devoted to him.

Lots of these people believe he is innocent and that he is God, while others tell the "real story" of what really happened. Movies and music have been made too. He was a true hippie; he was into drugs,

sex, and rock 'n' roll like many others in the 1960’s. Because of this, many people are curious as to what kind of person it takes to commit such horrible crimes and have no remorse for it. Every few years Manson's name comes up in the news. Articles range from his appeal for parole to his admitting to sending his followers to do the killings. During this whole time though, he has never admitted that he took part in the killings.

Many of the other members have said that they are regretful for taking part in the murders. People's interest in his crimes will continue for a long time because of the name Charles Manson has made for himself. Because the murders his followers committed are some of the most well-known killings of the 20th century, I think others should read this book to get a better understanding of how complex this violent criminal is. A man like this should not get the attention that he gets, but who can help but wonder why someone would commit such gruesome crimes.

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