chapter 12 response Firebug

Chapter 12 Response

Why does Socrates get so upset when Shreve mentions the reward money? Why does Socrates treat the reward the way he does and why does he keep Ponzelle Richmond's diary?

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Socrates is a person that is trying to make up for all of his wrong doings. The reason Socrates was willing to report Ponzelle Richmond to the police was to ensure that he Ponzelle would receive a fair trial. Socrates is proud of what he has accomplished. Socrates is not the type of person that would turn in a person for arson, just so he could get some cash. Socrates knows that if the police found out about Ponzelle through there own methods there would be a good chance that he wouldn’t be treated in a fair way while being arrested and while in jail. Socrates had no intention of claiming any reward when he went to the police. Socrates only intention was to make sure that he was treated like a man and received a fair trial as stated in the following quote “I want him treated like a man, officer. I want you”...”to tell me that you gonna go down there and make sure that he’s treated like a man. I don’t want him beat, or cursed, or cheated. I want a fair deal for the man I give you or so help me God I’ll be out there in the streets burnin ‘ just like he done.” The reason Socrates keeps Ponzelle Richmond’s Diary is as a reminder to himself of how he would be responsible for whatever the outcome of the trial was because he was the one that turned Ponzelle in. Another reason Socrates kept the diary was as a way of ensuring that Ponzelle Richmond received a fair trial. The diary had many incriminating messages about how Ponzelle wanted to cause the destructon such as "if we could just get them to see that we got to burn down all this mess we done stacked up and hacked up and shacked up all around us”. Another reason I think Socrates kept the Diary was because it made mention of many ideas and beliefs that Socrates had but would never act on such as thoughts of causing destruction and getting back at the world.