Is Killing Reasonable

465 Words2 Pages
“Thou shalt not kill” is one of the Ten Commandments, however, as with all rules there are exceptions. In the case of self-defense such as “The Most Dangerous game” or doctor assisted suicide killing is acceptable. In the two short stories “The Most Dangerous Game” and “Lather and Nothing Else” the authors explore the potential ramifications of murder. In a “kill or be killed” situation, instinct for survival comes first. In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell, Zaroff and his accomplice, Ivan, hunt an innocent man named Rainsford. Zaroff, a psychopath, intends to have fun hunting Rainsford because he “wanted the ideal animal to hunt”(p. ). After Zaroff states that he wants to hunt an animal that has “courage, cunning, and, above all” (p. ) ability to reason, Rainsford understands that he has no other choice but to kill Zaroff to survive. His motive is similar to a lion killing a zebra as food for survival. Rainsford’s murder is more of a cycle of nature than corruption. He has no feelings of revenge or hate against them; he only wants to escape from the island. Conversely, in the short story “Lather and Nothing Else” by Hernando Tellez, if the barber had killed the general, the murder would be wrong. The murder would have been motivated by hate, making the barber a murderer, not a hero. When murder happens because of self-defense, not malice, killing is acceptable. In contrast to killing for survival, euthanasia is the practice of intentionally ending a life to relieve pain and suffering. Some people with Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and other incurable painful conditions choose to have their doctors assist them in dying. In a news article, a mother of two children and her husband developed Alzheimer’s disease, a form of non-curable dementia that erases memory, thinking, and behavior overtime. After the mother
Open Document