CE 2 Samuel Green
Lucy Linkowski
J.B. Field
March 31, 2010
English 190
Samuel Green
In Jill McDonough’s Habeas Corpus, McDonough brings attention to the unfamiliar history of various criminals, convicts, and the accused. Guilty or innocent, all of the subjects in this compilation of sonnets were sentenced to death and executed, including Samuel Green, who met his end on April 25th, 1822 in Boston, Massachusetts. Written in the form of a letter, this sonnet stands out from the others included in Habeas Corpus, making the appeal to invest time in Samuel Green more intriguing. Not only is the sonnet structurally different, but the content seems to be unique to Samuel Green’s letter as well. There is a lack of consistent rhyming, making the sonnet seem more like a letter than a work of poetry. The emphasis of this sonnet is placed less on his execution and diverts the attention of the reader to the relationship between he and his mother. It is interesting that McDonough would choose to focus on this aspect of Green’s life instead of what he is notorious for, but this decision is exactly what makes this sonnet so stimulating.
The initial impression from reading the sonnet and the final opinion after doing research on Thomas Green differs drastically. Reading the sonnet for the first time, there is an overwhelming sense of remorse from, and pity for, Green. The sonnet begins “My Dear Mother,” which sets the tone for the entire poem (1) . The idea of writing a letter to one’s mother is heartwarming and loving, deriving an immediate sense of compassion from the reader. Green again addresses his mother stating, “Dear mother, I might have lived, might have been happy if I had staid at home and taken your advice,” adding to the overall tone of regret and remorse that the reader may easily believe (7-9). Green ends this letter with a dark farewell asking his mother to “try to forget [she] ever had a son,” reinforcing the sense of pity and sorrow for Thomas Green (13-14).
After reading through the poem the first time, the sense the reader gets of Thomas Green is that he is a man who has made mistakes and is sorry for them, but this sonnet provides no information about Thomas Green’s life, his mistakes, or his “misfortunes.” We are told that he was tried for murder, but there is not mention of guilt from Green. Green himself does not admit guilt of any crime, stating that he was to be executed because “Prisoners, to gain their liberty, swore against me; and now I am condemned to die” (4-5). To some extent, Green blames his execution on others who were only acting in their own self interest. This further enhances the identity of Green as someone who has been through hardships and adversity brought on by others, placing the responsibility on others and none on himself. On the surface, the language used in Green’s letter to his mother seems to portray a man who is wishes to repent, but his usage of language is deceiving.
The passage McDonough includes in the back of the text informs the reader of a very small history involving Green, leaving the initial impression of the sonnet virtually unchanged. We learn that Green confessed to stealing various items, “a bottle of brandy, some crackers and cheese, a mare” and so forth, all of which seem like trivial objects in light of Green’s conviction for murder (56). We also learn that Green was convicted for the murder of Billy Williams, a man who informed on plans Green and other inmates formed for escape from prison. Green really did write a letter to his mother whom he not spoken to since he was young, but the full extent of Green’s history is missing from Habeas Corpus all together.
Green was troubled growing up, killing a family dog and pig to spite his parents. He disobeyed his parents often and was disciplined just as often for his behavior. His parents beat him frequently and eventually sent him away from home to live with a man named Dunne. Dunne also partook in the abuse, beating Green regularly when he broke rules. Green set up traps to try and murder Dunne, but his attempts were unsuccessful. He was beaten for these attempts at murder, which only drove him to continue trying to murder Dunne. Once, Green and a friend Ash (who is mentioned in McDonough’s notes) tried to crash a sleigh of schoolchildren by throwing a log underneath its wheels. Almost killing the children, the schoolmaster beat Green and Ash for their crime. Later, the two would retaliate by beating the schoolmaster and leaving him to freeze in the cold. Green later joined the army and promptly deserted, choosing to counterfeit money and steal from others instead. He began working as a servant for the rich, but stealing from the rich suited him better. He and Ash later became highway robbers, leaving a trail of murder and thievery all across America. Raping and murdering countless innocent people, Green became America’s first “Public Enemy Number One.” He was jailed many times but never convicted, and huge bounties were put out for his capture.
Green was a terrible man who did terrible things during his lifetime. He took advantage of others, killed for fun, and chose to live life by his own set of rules. The image of Green as a remorseful thief is much different from the image of Green as a horrible murderer. The sonnet and history portray two different men: one who is easy to pity, and one who is easy to hate. The letter to his mother brings a human quality to Green that one does not find in a biography; leaving the reader torn between compassion and hatred for the notorious Samuel Green.
