Anthony Clinton's Letter Of Confession

Thesis: Both texts convey a similar tone of remorse, however in ‘Confession’ this tone is a result of a survival response, whereas ‘Clinton’s letter of apology’ was a sincere apology for the actions of the government.

Paragraph #1: “Confession”

The narrator confesses and apologizes to the things he was accused of, not because he did it, but because he was afraid he would be killed if he didn’t. The narrator was tortured for information and his only choice was to confess so that he would not be killed. He explains, “I was tired. I was thirsty. I was scared. So i did what I had to do. I talked. “ (140). The narrator was being deprived of basic human needs purposefully, to retrieve information from him. Even though he was not the spy they thought he was, the government wanted to blame someone for the many crimes that were supposedly committed against them by a presumed japanese spy. The narrator being starved and scared then had no choice but to confess to these accusations against him, especially if he were to ever return home to his family.

but only because he wanted to be let go. The narrator claims, “I’m sorry. That’s it. I’ve said it. Now can I go?” (144). By saying “Now can I go?”, the narrator’s tone shows that he is apologizing for crimes that he did not commit. He claims that he is sorry but certainly doesn’t feel regret or guilt for things that he did not do. He apologizes to give the people who are torturing him what they want, he confessed and apologized because he knew that he would not be let go nor would his suffering end until he did. The narrator’s apology in ‘Confession’ is a forced apology in order to survive in the place he was taken to, where as in ‘Clinton's letter of apology’ the president seems to be wholeheartedly apologizing for the actions inflicted by the U.S.