Sheriff Matt Dillon: Human or Lawman?
Gunsmoke, starring William Conrad as Sheriff Matt Dillon, was the longest running western radio program ever to air. It is the story of a country that moved west, and the man who moved with it. Matt Dillon's fairness, caring, and stern attitude epitomize the stereotypical old-west lawman.
Matt Dillon's fairness comes through clearly when he deals with a would-be gunman and a man posing as a gunman in "The Lamb" (12-05-53). When the latter was shot by the would-be gunman, Dillon threw the gunman in jail and sent the other man to the doctor. When he found out that the injured man had only been mistaken for a well-known gunman, he sounds very disappointed for both men. He doesn't let the gunman have the reward money that he would have received if the other man had been the outlaw he had mistaken him for and when that man dies, he faces being hanged.
Matt Dillon's caring attitude enables a young woman named Nina Peters to stay in Dodge while her husband has to leave for a while ("Nina" 12-5-53). When her husband returns, he finds out that a couple of ruffians have caused her to have a miscarriage. Dillon allows Mr. Peters to fight one of the men who hurt Nina. Dillon seems almost pleased that Peters was able to beat up the bully and offers to buy him a drink afterward.
Dillon uses a stern manner deal with a couple of ruffians in "Kick Me" (11-26-53). The men had written a false letter of recommendation, telling an old Indian that it would get him a job with the trail herd. In return for getting him kicked out of the camp, the old Kiowa made Indian medicine against him. When one of the men ended up dead, Dillon jumped to the conclusion that the Indian had killed him. He was adamant about his innocence, and the dead man's partner ended up confessing to the killing. Dillon dealt with him accordingly.
Ellsworth was mean, and it was ugly. The stench of the its streets fell second to the odor of the unbathed saddle tramps who had just delivered 150,000 cattle from San Antonio to its freight yards. Adding to these smells were the blends of whisky, tanning leather, kerosene and carved carcasses, a revolting combination. Gunfights were spontaneous, either over a woman or a card game. When Wyatt crossed the Smoky Hill River into Ellsworth in 1873, he may have remembered the "rules of the gunman," but had no intention of employing them. The two main “rules of a gunman” were to take his time and always be armed. Although many people had warned him that it would be naive to go westward without being properly armed, Wyatt didn’t own a gun. All he hoped for was to find a peaceable job. But, only hours after hitching his horse in town he began to wonder if perhaps everyone was right. The most boisterous spot in town was Brennan’s Saloon, off Ellsworth Square; its faro and poker tables buzzed 24 hours, bartenders tapped beer and ...
A hit was put out on Taylor and Zavala by leaders of the Mexican drug cartel because they were becoming a nuisance. This hit was carried out by the same Latino gang members who had previously done a drive-by shooting of a rival gang. The officers were enticed towards their imminent deaths with a car chase which was set up by the Latino gang members. This chase led them towards an apartment complex which was rigged with many gang members and artillery to ensure that neither Taylor nor Zavala would survive. The two were ambushed but decided that gunning their way out was their best option. When the officers made it to an alley they were met by another Latino gang member who fired at Taylor and Zavala, hitting Taylor once in the chest before being shot and killed by Zavala. Zavala went to aid Taylor who appeared to be quickly dying and called out for help. Before police back up arrived the original Latino gang members found Zavala in the...
While the western frontier was still new and untamed, the western hero often took on the role of a vigilante. The vigilante’s role in the frontier was that of extralegal verve which was used to restrain criminal threats to the civil peace and opulence of a local community. Vigilantism was typical to the settler-state societies of the western frontier where the structures and powers of government were at first very feeble and weak. The typical cowboy hero had a willingness to use this extralegal verve. The Virginian demonstrated this throughout with his interactions with Trampas, most notably in the interactions leading up to the shoot out and during the shoot-out itself. “Others struggled with Trampas, and his bullet smashed the ceiling before they could drag the pistol from him… Yet the Virginian stood quiet by the...
Somewhere out in the Old West wind kicks up dust off a lone road through a lawless town, a road once dominated by men with gun belts attached at the hip, boots upon their feet and spurs that clanged as they traversed the dusty road. The gunslinger hero, a man with a violent past and present, a man who eventually would succumb to the progress of the frontier, he is the embodiment of the values of freedom and the land the he defends with his gun. Inseparable is the iconography of the West in the imagination of Americans, the figure of the gunslinger is part of this iconography, his law was through the gun and his boots with spurs signaled his arrival, commanding order by way of violent intentions. The Western also had other iconic figures that populated the Old West, the lawman, in contrast to the gunslinger, had a different weapon to yield, the law. In the frontier, his belief in law and order as well as knowledge and education, brought civility to the untamed frontier. The Western was and still is the “essential American film genre, the cornerstone of American identity.” (Holtz p. 111) There is a strong link between America’s past and the Western film genre, documenting and reflecting the nations changes through conflict in the construction of an expanding nation. Taking the genres classical conventions, such as the gunslinger, and interpret them into the ideology of America. Thus The Western’s classical gunslinger, the personification of America’s violent past to protect the freedoms of a nation, the Modernist takes the familiar convention and buries him to signify that societies attitude has change towards the use of diplomacy, by way of outmoding the gunslinger in favor of the lawman, taming the frontier with civility.
Is there anything that could justify Deputy Sheriff Fields, the SRO at Spring Valley High School, treating this teenage girl like this?
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Mike Fridley knew he wanted to become a negotiator after the day he was dispatched to the scene of an armed homicide suspect.
While observing Matt as a character, he demonstrates that he is a lone wolf, only few people care about him, and he is always treated differently. The text states, “Matt never saw anyone except Celia and, once a month, the doctor.” According to the text, “Matt
In chapter two and three of the book, Matt vehemently demonstrates his longing to make friends and his curiosity in namely one major event. When Steven and Emilia plan on leaving Maria behind because she refuses to leave, Matt shatters the window so he can save María. Steven and Emilia rush back. Matt hastily introduces himself: “My name is Matt. I live here. Do you want to play?” (Farmer 18), but does not get the reaction he wanted. Matt then decides, impulsively, to jump out of the window so he can get to know them better. However, he steps on the broken glass and is seriously injured. This leads to the revelation of Matt as a clone later at the Alacrán estate.
Uncannily intelligent and devilish at times, Pearl also has a peculiar connection with the scarlet letter. She often asks adults such as Hester questions that catch them off guard. She often acts like a little imp, causing trouble and acting in such ways that are looked down upon. Strangest of all, she has an obsessive connection with the scarlet letter “A”. Although Pearl as major of a character as Hester, it seems as though the whole novel revolves around her. After all, she is as close as one can get to a psychic seven year old.
However, Matt Fowler had different reasoning for his actions. After burying his twenty-one year-old son who was just on the cusp of graduating college, he finds that Strout, his son’s murderer, has been released on bail pending trial and until then he has resumed his normal life. Watching his wife not only mourning the loss of their son, but also having to see the killer in daily activities, has caused a mental and emotional strain on their life. The affect on Fowler’s family that Strout is walking around free and seemingly unconcerned is one of the main reasoning that is posed when Fowler and his friend Willis T...
Few Hollywood film makers have captured America’s Wild West history as depicted in the movies, Rio Bravo and El Dorado. Most Western movies had fairly simple but very similar plots, including personal conflicts, land rights, crimes and of course, failed romances that typically led to drinking more alcoholic beverages than could respectfully be consumed by any one person, as they attempted to drown their sorrows away. The 1958 Rio Bravo and 1967 El Dorado Western movies directed by Howard Hawks, and starring John Wayne have a similar theme and plot. They tell the story of a sheriff and three of his deputies, as they stand alone against adversity in the name of the law. Western movies like these two have forever left a memorable and lasting impressions in the memory of every viewer, with its gunfighters, action filled saloons and sardonic showdowns all in the name of masculinity, revenge and unlawful aggressive behavior. Featuring some of the most famous backdrops in the world ranging from the rustic Red Rock Mountains of Monument Valley in Utah, to the jagged snow capped Mountain tops of the Teton Range in Wyoming, gun-slinging cowboys out in search of mischief and most often at their own misfortune traveled far and wide, seeking one dangerous encounter after another, and unfortunately, ending in their own demise.
The position that is being argued is that music should stay in schools. This author is making the claim that music makes children excel in their education. This author uses many different sources. The author relies mainly on studies to back up his argument. The article is recent.
Matt soon realizes he was living away from El Patron's mansion in secrecy. He is later taken to the mansion and being taken care of a woman named Rosa, a horrible woman who physically abused Matt. El Patron soon found out about his clone's abuse and severely punishes Rosa. Matt soon finds a life of luxury in the mansion and takes advantage of it for many years. After a couple of years, Matt will then have to face donating his organs to El Patron by force, but he escapes. He is then captured by farm patrol, mistaken for an illegal immigrant he is later put to work by force into a water purification plant. He later escapes again back to Opium, only to find out that he is the only person worthy of ruling Opium.
knife duel. He is an example of how disrespect can ruin someone. He was disrespected, his father was
There is no way that she could get an abortion and not tell Matt. “I was there too, remember, when we made the baby?”(pg 317) Matt already knew that Kimberly was pregnant, so he would’ve known that she had gotten an abortion, even if she never said anything to him. If Kim got an abortion, and did tell Matt, he would be mad about the fact that she did it without talking to him about it first, but would eventually get over it, because of his love for her. He would persuade Kim to stay with him, and his old fashioned morals about men always taking care of the women would keep Kim from reaching her full potential. If she kept the baby and did tell Matt, then he would convince her to stay with him and that they would be able to raise a family. Kim would once again be limited, and she would not be able to provide her child with the nice life she dreamed of. When she has Jason and doesn’t tell Matt, it allows her to go to Yale, become a doctor, and achieve most, if not all, of her