Is a Murder Worth a Murder

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Recommended: capital punishment and ethics

In the short story “A Hanging” by George Orwell, an execution is about to occur in Burma. A man who is has committed an unnamed crime is about to receive the ultimate punishment of death. The story describes in great detail his short walk to the gallows where he will face his death. Everyone in the prison camp knows what is to come and all have a somber feeling in their hearts. The jail superintendent wants the death to proceed quickly so that the day can go on as normal. As a young magistrate watches the painful walk, he notices the prisoner walks around a puddle. At that point he realizes the prisoner is still human. “This man is not dying, he is just as alive as we are alive,” he says. After the execution, the men all share a drink in laughter with the body hanging only a few yards away.

In this story the men were brought together by the death of a prisoner. They are used to the fact someone dies everyday by there hand and they go on with their lives. There is a moment where they do share some sympathy with the prisoner but that doesn’t keep them from doing their job. The murders...

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