“Four score and seven years ago, our founding fathers invited danger into our lives…”
Yes, I know that these are not the real words of Abraham Lincoln but they do have some truth to them. Danger is constantly finding us in the worst or best situations. Even those people of our past have encountered danger. Although dangers range from simple day-to-day encounters to horrid perils that only a few of us ever have to face, one threat comes to us all: too early, too late, or in good time. Death, whether peaceful or untimely, comes to claim us sooner or later. The threat to our health I speak of is untimely- killing, whether in defense or just for enjoyment- Is it right? To the question I pose, this leaves the answer to be pondered. Some people think it is, talking about how we will all die sooner or later. Most people agree that killing someone or someone being killed is one of the worst crimes someone can do. What if there was such a thing as hunting people? Hunters find pleasure seeking animals, playing in the shadows watching prey run freely, before mercilessly killing them. Yet for different reasons, besides hunting, killing can be justified as a need to defend one's self or as a sick delight for some of those mentally-crazy people in this world in other words, hunting if someone could give a name besides murder. Two stories come to mind, as I think on this subject, and both introduce that danger of death and killing, “The Sniper” and “The Most Dangerous Game”. Both stories has a likeness to the other that resembles each other in some ways yet contrasts each other with the biggest differences that can be easily spotted within the moral learned and depth of both stories.
“The Sniper” is written with the first couple of weeks of the Irish Civil War in mind. The author, Liam O'Flaherty, was actually involved in the Irish Civil War, so “The Sniper” is written from personal experience. Our protagonist, the Sniper, lies waiting, watching, “Besides him lay his rifle and over his shoulders was slung a pair of field glasses. His face was the face of a student, thin and ascetic, but his eyes had the cold gleam of the fanatic. They were deep and thoughtful, the eyes of a man who is used to looking at death” (O'Flaherty 1). In this passage, the Sniper is waiting for a chance to escape. His job is complete so he is ready to leave, inconspicuous to the other enemy snipers. Then the Sniper is spotted. Though the informer is an old woman, he shoots her and the one she informs. In his world, it is either a person kills or is killed.He thinks that killing these people is nothing more than securing his life for a few more brief seconds. When he is shot and unable to shoot his rifle, he strategizes and comes up with a new plan. Using trickery, he leads the enemy sniper out of hiding. Without a moment's hesitation, he takes another person's life. In fact, he has an adrenaline rush as he plans his attacker's death. The Sniper was excited, “His hand trembled with eagerness…He peered across and uttered a cry of joy. His enemy had been hit” (O'Flaherty 3). The Sniper's cheeriness quickly fades, remorse sets in. Setting the mood, his happiness moves to the emotions of non-caring and fear; once he takes some sips of spirits, though, all emotions are wiped away except curiosity. This is when a certain motto comes into play: Curiosity killed the cat.…
Though people believe that killing is wrong, if they were dealing with killing for self-defense, they would have to think a little harder over the case before stating a person is guilty of murder. However some people believe otherwise. They believe the sick, insane notion that killing or hunting other people is quite pleasurable. The short story “The Most Dangerous Game” demonstrates this belief. This classic, short story's setting is on an island, which terrifies anyone that has heard the stories about it. As our hero and protagonist, Rainsford, and Whitney rides past the island, Whitney explains the intense mood that has settled on the captain and crew, "The old charts call it `Ship-Trap Island'… A suggestive name, isn't it? Sailors have a curious dread of the place. I don't know why…” (Connell 21). This first creates the suspense of the story, a solitary island that has a record. Rainsford could not care less; all he is thinking about is the great game he will be hunting once they reach their destination. Whitney brings up a comment about how a jaguar feels. Rainsford thinks him silly for such a notion to be in his head. While Rainsford laughs at him, Whitney states, “"Even so, I rather think they understand one thing--fear. The fear of pain and the fear of death" (Connell 21). Rainsford thinks Whitney is going soft on him. Whitney soon retreats to bed, leaving Rainsford awake, smoking. When he drops his pipe overboard, he goes in after it, falling into the dark waters that pull him under. Rainsford washes up on land and hears a high-pitched screams.
