Who do you think is the target audience is for this piece? Who is the author addressing? How did you come to this conclusion? What information does the author include to appeal to this audience?

Capote's target audience seems to be those who work within the criminal justice system, as well as those who analyze violent criminals for what he sees as uncontrollable behaviors. Capote seems to be searching for a semblance of sympathy and understanding in cases where the criminal is mentally crippled, as well as promoting intense study into the causes of their behavior in an attempt to better prevent future crimes of this sort.

In this novel, Capote relates to his audience using specific verbiage and field related jargon. He cites historical references (cases of violent murders) to validate his credibility, and seeks to unveil what is some cases directs an individual to participate in horrific crimes such as the Clutter murders.

I would think the audience is more or less the general publice since Capote uses new journalism, which was developed in response to television drawing away the attentions of people from newspapers. Also, In Cold Blood was original a four-part publication in The New Yorker. I believe that the audience of the book in general might be the public, and was written to humanize his subjects and sway public opinion to believe that capital punishment is cruel. Furthermore, he uses extensive dialogue and the story unfolds in scenes to let the reader have a more personal point of view within the story. This would make an average reader, perhaps reading out of curiosity to entertain themselves, become more emotionally attached to the story and its characters and ultimately feel sympathy towards all the main characters, including Alvin Dewey, the Clutters, and most importantly, the killers.