Killing is not always murder, this distinction is represented many times in the short story, “The Most Dangerous Game” written by Richard Connel. The main characters, Sanger Rainsford and General Zaroff’s, lives revolve around animals and humans being killed. Murder is based on an external conflict, the act of one man killing another man along with every event leading up to one’s final breath. One man killing another man brings on strong emotions involving the internal conflict of the characters. Making the decision of what is murder and what is not lies in the element of irony. Taking another beings life cannot always be considered murder, this will be identified through external conflicts, internal conflicts, and the irony within murder.
Taking another man’s life represents a man versus man, external conflict. Rainsford and Zaroff both killed men in the war; this is not typically viewed as murder. Zaroff relates the killing in war to his hunting of men to compare his actions to Rainsford’s, “Did not make me condone cold-blooded murder, finished Rainsford, stiffly” (Connell 49). While Rainsford saw the murder in Zaroff’s actions, Rainsford too became part of the conflict. Rainsford killed another man in a situation most would consider an act of self-defense, not murder, “But Ivan was not. The knife, driven by
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the recoil of the springing tree, had not wholly failed” (57). The external conflicts revolve around the idea of when murder is really considered murder. The act of killing something whether it is anything from a rat to a human will leave most people with a man versus self, internal conflict.
Internal conflict involves what we believe in. Rainsford see’s the fault in what Zaroff does as his sport and expresses his feeling towards it, “Hunting? Good God, General Zaroff, what you speak of is murder” (49). Rainsford is put in conflicting situations in the story where he must have to go beyond his morals and kill another man, “On guard, Rainsford… He had never slept in a better bed, Rainsford decided” (57). The internal conflicts reside in the thoughts of Rainsford and the actions he knows he must
do. The killings in the story all have their own murder based irony. The dictionary defines murder as an unlawful premeditated killing of one human by another human. Rainsford killed men with the knowledge that he would kill another man, yet Rainsford claims, “But they are men…” (49). Both Rainsford and Zaroff have hunted animals and they call themselves hunters. Zaroff now kills men and still names himself a hunter. Rainsford crosses the name hunter and only associates it with animals while hunter only means the one who kills the hunted, “Thank you, I’m a hunter, not a murderer” (49). Irony shows the relationship of the hunter and the hunted, and how as humans we can switch between those lines. Killing another man or animal does not always follow the definition of murder, yet there are no set guidelines for murder. The external conflicts show the relationship between the hunter and its prey. The thought of murder causes an internal conflict with yourself and your morals. The crossover between what is murder and what is not can create ironic situations. The murder and simply killing are only separated by the law.
Throughout the ages, death penalty has always been a controversial topic and triggered numerous insightful discussion. In Kroll’s Unquiet Death of Robert Harris, the writer employs pathos as an appeal throughout the whole article in order to convince the audiences that death penalty is “something indescribably ugly” and “nakedly barbaric”. While Mencken makes use of ethos and logos and builds his arguments in a more constructive and effective way to prove that death penalty is necessary and should exist in the social system.
Throughout history, war has been the catalyst that has compelled otherwise-ordinary people to discard, at least for its duration, their longstanding beliefs about the immorality of killing their fellow human beings. In sum, during periods of war, people’s views about killing others are fundamentally transformed from abhorrence to glorification due in large part to the decisions that are made by their political leaders. In this regard, McMahan points out that, “As soon as conditions arise to which the word ‘war’ can be applied, our scruples vanish and killing people no longer seems a horrifying crime but becomes instead a glorious achievement” (vii). Therefore, McMahan argues that the transformation of mainstream views about the morality of killing during times of war are misguided and flawed since they have been based on the traditional view that different moral principles somehow apply in these circumstances. This traditional view about a just war presupposes the morality of the decision to go to war on the part of political leaders in the first place and the need to suspend traditional views about the morality of killing based on this
Foreshadowing is a beneficial literary device that may be most salutary once the reader has completed the passage. In the short story,“The Most Dangerous Game”, author Richard Connell uses foreshadowing to expose General Zaroff as a bloodthirsty cannibal to his readers.
Another internal conflict is how Lilly feels responsible for her mother?s death. When she was four, she accidentally shot her mom, and wasn?t able to forgive herself. The reason she runs away in the first place is because her dad tells her that her mom left her, which is both an internal, and man versus man conflict. She?s mad at her dad for saying it, but can?t fully convince herself that it isn?t true. There?s a man versus society conflict when men beat up Rossaleen because of her color, and another internal conflict when May is so overcome with grief that she cant stop crying.
Although pride can lead to beneficial outcomes, pride with the absence of empathy can lead to a devastating result. The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell shows that having too much pride and no empathy can get someone in some terrible trouble. The theme is proven by Rainsfords pride and unempathetic-ness, how the general had too much pride, and how the general only saw himself as the hunter, not the hunted.
While both Harrison and Rainsford courageously fight for freedom, Harrison’s impulsive nature causes his death, whereas Rainsford’s discretion enables him to surmount his enemy. Throughout the novel they both portray the importance for living a free life guarded by just laws. Reflecting on Rainsford’s story, teaches us to confront problems with rationality and reason. By doing so, we not only make ourselves better human beings but also help build a society that reinforces positive values.
In the story, Zaroff and Rainsford are both enjoy hunting, and are both excellent and skillful hunters
Richard Connells “The Most Dangerous Game” is a short story which illustrates that calm analytical thinking can increase your odds of survival and controlling panic.
After reading The “Most Dangerous Game” we, as a class, were asked whether or not it is considered correct to kill someone but, like a ballot, there were mixed results. This can branch out into a wide variety of topics ranging from abortion to downright murder. “Most Dangerous game” is a short story about a man named Rainsford who gets saved after a boat crash. The man who saved him, General Zaroff, is a hunter. A trait both share in common. However, Zaroff kills humans rather than animals in that the hunt is more thrilling. Of course, there is a disagreement on the subject matter to further the plot. Rainsford is completely opposed to the idea of killing his own kind. We also analyzed the film, “The Hunger Games”. Katniss Everdeen was forced into an arena where the only way to stay alive was to kill others. Both pieces of literature are a survival of the fittest test. Both had justifiable reasons for killing and it made reputable, however morbid, sense.
“Violence never really deals with the basic evil of the situation. Violence may murder the murderer, but it doesn’t murder murder. Violence may murder the liar, but it doesn’t murder lie; it doesn’t establish truth. Violence may even murder the dishonest man, but it doesn’t murder dishonesty. Violence may go to the point of murdering the hater, but it doesn’t murder hate.
Being able to overcome anything in life is a great feeling. There is a special feeling in the body and the mind when the body achieves a goal, and the mind gets a feeling of satisfaction. Since, the mind chooses to go against the body's will to quit, you have to be mentally strong. In Richard Connell's short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” large game hunter Sanger Rainsford is tested in the following ways: strong versus the weak, the value of life, and becoming what he fears. To begin with, Rainsford has to pose as the weak against the strong, General Zaroff.
The author realizes the wrongfulness in killing someone who’s living a healthy life, we see this when the author states, “I saw the mystery, the unspeakable wrongness, of cutting a life short when it is in full tide.” Even though he does not object to these actions he does not agree with them.
Is murder ever truly justified? Many people might proclaim the adage, "Two wrongs don't make a right,” while others would argue that the Old Testament Bible states, "An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth" (Deuteronomy 19:21). Andre Dubus explores this moral dilemma in his short story, Killings. The protagonist, Matt Fowler, a good father and husband, decides to take revenge for his son's murder. Richard Strout is a bad man who murders his soon-to-be ex-wife's lover. These facts are complicated by the complexity of interpersonal relationships when seen through the lens of Matt’s conviction, Strout’s humanity, and ultimately Matt’s personal sacrifice on behalf of his loved ones. Though on the surface this tale might lead someone to think that Dubus is advocating for revenge, a closer look reveals that this a cautionary tale about the true cost of killing another human as readers are shown how completely Matt is altered by taking a life.
The only time killing is morally acceptable is when it was a part of war or for self-defense. In this case, it is up to the reader to categorize whether or not this act is moral or not. In John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men the theme of friendship is portrayed between two characters, George and Lennie, and ended abruptly by an act of killing.In this case the act of killing is justified or moral because of the circumstances in which this act was done.
Murder is considered a serious crime in our country. The loosely defined term of murder implies that a person who kills another human being with intent is known as being the worst kind of violent crime we see in our society. Any unlawful killing requires that a living person be killed and it does not mean that the guilty person feels any hatred or spite in order to plan and execute the act of murder. Moreover, the destructive acts that end peoples lives are classified as homicides which include manslaughter and first and second degree murder. More important, the justice system has put different labels on such crimes, but it also allows room for criminals to get away with murder.