When I Think Killing Someone is Justifiable

1507 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Revenge as a theme in Literature

“We all know the civilized way to wreak revenge: You don’t. You rise above it. Francis Bacon saw this nearly 400 years ago,” said Susie Boyt (Boyt 2014). This isn’t always the case though and there are individuals in the world such as myself that believe differently. There are three types of revenge crimes that happen. There are silly childish forms of revenge such as tattling on a friend to a teacher. Another is a passion crime, a murder when the emotional stress becomes too much and a person snaps. Lastly, a justifiable crime, such as when the actions of a person are reasonable and a person is free of charges within the justice system. I believe that there are circumstances that happen in the world when it is justifiable to murder a person based on their actions.

In the short story “Killings,” by Andre Dubus, revenge, loss, and consequences are explored. Richard Strout, a man of little to no morality, committed a crime of passion, which I do not think is a justifiable crime, since he murdered a man who was in a relationship with his wife that he is separated from. Strout is an impatient and violent man with no boundaries. This is evident since he did kill Frank in front of his children and his estranged wife.

Many individuals try to forget about instances that shape them into the people they are. With out a doubt, the killing of Frank and the killing of Strout, form the character traits of Richard Strout and Matt. There are multiple things that occur time after time with acts such as these that were committed in Killings. There are no guilty feelings of remorse from Richard after the murder occurred. He seemed to feel completely justified in the killing of Frank and even makes the statement, "He was making it wi...

... middle of paper ...

... where somebody is intentionally hurting someone you care about deeply is a reason I believe that murder is justifiable.

Works Cited

Bennett, Chuck. "Tragic Kids of '01 Hamptons Slay: We Grew up In agony." New York Post Tragic Kids of 01 Hamptons Slay We Grew up Inagony Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

Boyt, Susie. "Tragic Desire for Revenge - FT.com." Financial Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

Dubus, Andre. “Killings.” Making Arguments about Literature: A Compact Guide and Anthology. Ed. John Schilb and John Clifford. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2005. 290-303.

The Holy Bible Containing the Old Testament and the New. Cambridge: Printed by John Field ..., 1668. Print.

"JUSTICE SERVED … Texas Dad Will Not Charged Who Beat To Death the Man Who Was Raping His 5 Year Old Daughter." ScaredMonkeys.Com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • The Killings by Andre Dubus

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Killings is a story about a man named Matt Fowler, whose son Frank is violently killed by his girlfriends ex-husband. The story goes on to explain the tale of how Matt copes with his feelings of revenge, which result in the killing of Richard Strout, Frank's killer. The story, written by Andre Dubus uses several key factors of plot in order to make the characters of Matt Fowler and Richard Strout appear to be more human. By focusing heavily on the plot the reader can easily grasp the humanity within both of the killers as well as sympathy for the victims. Truly understanding the story relies on... ...

    Read More

  • The Murder of JonBenet Ramsey

    1811 Words  | 4 Pages

    Christopher, Liam. “Mother ‘vindicated’ after girl’s murder suspect held.” Daily Post. 18 Aug. 2006: 19. Proquest Newsstand. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Twelve Angry Men and The Casey Anthony Trial

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    Billy Joel once sang, “Only the good die young”. In life, it is true, the young and innocent seem to touch more lives around us than anyone else. In the Casey Anthony trial, Anthony was a suspect in the murder of her daughter Caylee. Caylee’s life shouldn’t be counted in years, it should be counted by how many lives she affected, the love she has gained, and the support the country has given her to find out what really happened. In the play, Twelve Angry Men, a boy killed his father; however, both cases were challenged by the obvious and the abstruse evidence. Large cities towards the east coast, in 1982, Twelve Angry Men, and 2008, Casey Anthony Trial, affiliated with two major trials able to modify the lives of the living and the dead. For that reason, during the Casey Anthony case, jurors were conflicted throughout the trial.

    Read More

  • Igor Primoratz's Categotiation Argument

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    On the premise that punishment is justified so long as it meted out as retribution for the offense committed; asserting that punishment of death for murderers is morally justified simply because of the degree of the crime and requires a vengeful punishment. Could this premise be applied to other crimes such as rape, arson, or burglary?

    Read More

  • Revenge and Murder, Justified with the Characters in the Short Story, Killings

    1035 Words  | 3 Pages

    This examination will look at the short story “Killings” by Andre Dubus and the main characters in the story. The story begins on a warm August day with the burial of Matt and Ruth Fowler’s youngest son Frank. Frank’s age: “twenty-one years, eight months, and four days” (Dubus 107). Attending the funeral were Matt, his wife Ruth, their adult children and spouses. Matt’s family is extremely distraught over the murder of their youngest son/brother, in their own way. There are implications of wanting to kill Richard Strout, the guy accused of being the murderer: “I should kill him” (107), as stated after the service. This comment is considered a fore-shadowing of what is to come in the thought progression of Matt and Ruth.

    Read More

  • Karyn Hall's Revenge: Will You Feel Better?

    110 Words  | 1 Pages

    While revenge may feel sweet at times, in most cases it is destructive to yourself and those around you. The article “Revenge:Will You Feel Better?” makes one contemplate this, and draws the question “is revenge really worth it?” Well, in the article, Karyn Hall suggests that “Revenge can be a strong urge, but you may not feel better if you act on it.” In fact, in a study performed by Kevin Carlsmith showed that “...the students that got revenge reported feeling worse than those who didn't…” With this, one may see that revenge is pointless, and in most cases leaves you feeling worse than the people you performed it

    Read More

  • Theme Analysis of Killings by Andre Dubus

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Killings", written by Andre Dubus in 1979, involves several aspects such as revenge, morality, and murder. Elements, such as the story’s title, the order of events, and the development of the characters, are very unique. It successfully evokes emotion and suspense as the plot unfolds in sequence. Though it seems easily overlooked, the title “Killings” is very important due to the fact that the thrill of suspense is left in the mind of the reader. The title encourages readers to question who and what. It is also an intricate setting for the plot’s mood. It implies that a murder has taken place, but that is all the reader knows. The chronology of the story uses a style called "in media res”, a term used to describe the common strategy of beginning a story in the middle of the action or entering on the verge of some important moment (Meyer 2198). In this story, the readers are shown that murder not only takes a life, but it can also take away a living persons sense of self worth, their spirit.

    Read More

  • Revenge, Insanity, Murder & Poe

    1330 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...us on deadly revenge. In each case, a retribution that is carried out in a cruel and callous fashion. The men fulfilling these actions are cold, calculating, and contemplative. They have painstakingly endeavored to seek retribution against what has plagued them: Fortunato and his insults to the Montresor and the old man’s piercing, chilling eye for the man from “The Tell-Tale Heart”. Driven to the point of madness by their own obsessions, they plot to murder their offenders. The tales are told each by the man who has indeed committed the crime. Each man’s insanity becomes more and more clear as they narrate confession; the Montresor with the unfailing ease with which he dictates his account and the man from “The Tell-Tale Heart” with his jagged and rough delivery. Their distinct mental instability calls into question to reliability of the report they give.

    Read More

  • Analysis of Killings by Andre Dubus

    877 Words  | 2 Pages

    The major theme of Andre Dubus’ Killing,s is how far someone would go for the person they love. It is important to note the title of the story is killings and not killers, for the reasoning that the story does not just focus on two deaths or two murderers but rather the death of marriage, friendship, youth, and overall, trust.

    Read More

  • Justice vs Revenge

    1309 Words  | 3 Pages

    The person at whom the revenge is directed may have harmed the person carrying out an act of revenge indirectly or not at all, but on some level there is a perceived personal grievance. An unaffected third party, on the other hand, can carry out Justice. In most developed countries it is considered vital that the judiciary be independent from the government, partly for this reason, which is justice also doesn't necessarily involve any act of retribution. For example, the “acquittal” of an innocent person can be considered an act of justice, but it certainly isn't reveng... ... middle of paper ... ...

    Read More

  • In The Bedroom Compare And Contrast

    587 Words  | 2 Pages

    The film “In the Bedroom” is an adaptation of the short story “killings” by Andre Dubus. It narrates the story of a young man, Frank, being killed by the soon to be ex-husband, Richard Strout, of, Natalie, his summer love. It also depicts the reactions of the young man’s parents, Matt and Ruth Fowler, to the apparent impunity of the murderer. Both movie and short story raise the question of morality, is it ok take revenge into our own hands? And if so can we live with the consequences and even worse the knowledge that we are not better than those who harmed us. The movie does a commendable job in translating the short story in a traditional narrative, it preserves the overall idea of the story with minimal alterations, which emphasized the love of a father for his son in a realistic style.

    Read More

  • The Ethics of Capital Punishment

    1503 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the final analysis we see that it is hard to prove either side. For both arguments can become faulty by debate. Murder no matter how it is done is wrong, how we go about prosecuting those who act against our fellow kind is in the hands of our legal system. However, I do not want them on the streets where the people I love are, nor do I believe that a murderer can change. A person who is capable of killing another human being without cause will never fit into society and thus should not be a part of it.

    Read More

  • Taking Revenge on Others

    763 Words  | 2 Pages

    People can be motivated to take revenge on others for various reasons. While these reasons may be considered as very serious or rather trivial, they are all motives for revenge. Revenge occurs when a person has been offended or angered by an individual and in result they have the desire to pay them back. People’s opinions on revenge differ from each other, some may believe it is justified and some don’t. Mahatma Ghandi believed that revenge is not the answer and he stated that “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. This quote portrays the opinion that if everyone gets even then there will be no one else; if we all take an eye for an eye everyone would be blind. Revenge can be learnt through real life experiences as well as fiction and can be shown as justice or unacceptable. It becomes difficult to determine when revenge can be justified but is revenge always worth it?

    Read More

  • Ethics Of Killing

    931 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Murder is the unlawful killing of a human being with malice after thought… whoever is guilty of murder in the first degree shall be punished by death or imprisonment for life.( 18 U.S. Code 1111 - Murder)” There is a debate as to whether killing is or is not right. The first word that may come to one’s mind when the word killing is mentioned might be murder, which is illegal, but they are not the same. Murder is a type of killing but there are also many other types. One of the debates about killing is if killing in war should be legal. Another debate is on self defense and if killing is okay when the victim kills the criminal under the means of self defense. There are many types of killing some deembed ‘okay’ and some that are not. Killing

    Read More

  • Definition Essay: Murder

    1307 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about When I Think Killing Someone is Justifiable

Open Document