This project answers learning objectives two, three, and four.

This myspace answers the big question, how was the writing of this work, "Nebraska" by Bruce Springsteen, impacted by the contemporary social/cultural situation?

"The Accused" and "Nebraska" both deal with the topic of the American criminal justice system. In the first work, the criminal justice system is not successful, and they let a murderer walk free. In the latter, the criminal justice system is very successful, and they exterminate a killer before he is able to harm anyone else.

This poem can be related to the play, "The Accused," by Jeffrey Asher. They are similar because in both the play and the poem, the authors are try to give reasons for why someone would kill someone close to them or kill in general. Although both pieces are about a similar topic, they have big differences too. In one the endings of the "The Accused," Dr. Sherwood is found not guilty, even though he helped his mistress have kill his wife. Asher also tries to get the audience to sympathize with the guilty party as well. In "Nebraska," Springsteen does not want the audience to feel any kind of positive emotion towards Starkweather. The end of this piece also ends with the guilty party getting the electric chair.

Since the poem is from Starkweather's point of view, Springsteen tries to get inside his head and give the audience an idea of what he might have been thinking. The emotions felt by Starkweather are all ones of no regrets, and of not having any understanding of right vs wrong.

The poem is set up in chronological order. This makes the most sense, given that Springsteen is trying to tell the audience a story. It would not make any sense if it went from the execution, to Starkweather picking up Fugate, to the trial. Chronological order was the best choice for Springsteen to make.

The fifth stanza is an example of that could care less attitude. The poem reads "Sheriff when the man pulls that switch...make sure my pretty baby is sittin' right there on my lap" (Mays 463).

The tone that Springsteen uses gives off the vibe of a hardcore, does not care attitude that can be accompanied with a character like Starkweather

The importance of this poem to contemporary literature comes from its historical significance. Not only is the poem about a historical event, it also acts like a teaching moment and tells the story of what happened in a creative way.

Starkweather was tried and executed
in Lincoln, Nebraska. The execution was in June of 1959, but clearly was still a prevalent topic in the mind of Springsteen if he would go onto write this poem (song) about it.

The
poem is written from Starkweather’s point of view, and it is written in the
form of a monologue of him recapping the events leading up to and after his
arrest.

In the poem "Nebraska" by Bruce Springsteen, Springsteen writes from the perspective of Starkweather, who along with his girlfriend Fugate, killed ten innocent people from Nebraska to Wyoming