Gentlemen Your Verdict Essay; Justified

Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “the moral arc of the universe bends at the elbow of justice.” In the short story, “Gentlemen Your Verdict”, twenty men and their captain become trapped in their submarine after an explosion. Their captain, Captain Oram, then unjustly sacrifices fifteen of his men to save five others. He takes it upon himself to make a life or death decision for fifteen innocent men. Justice is important to regulating actions and preserving virtue in society. In some cases murder can be justified (such as self defense), but in the case of Captain Oram, fifteen accounts of first-degree murder cannot. Captain Oram’s cowardice hasty judgment, and no one’s right to play God caused the death of these men. Captain Oram is not justified for the deaths of fifteen of his men.

Captain Oram was a cowardice leader who led to the deaths if fifteen innocent men. He was weak and cowardice because he wasn’t a communicative leader. He kept his crew in the dark about his plan to sacrifice them for the “greater good”, “Have a drink served all round, please, Mr. Paull.” He said “And send four bottles forward to me. When everyone has had their drink, sen the five married men to me.” Captain Oram did not give his crew the information and the right to discuss and possibly come up with a solution. This was not only egotistical but also illogical. Killing himself out of sheer fear of what would happen to him if he survived, also makes him a cowardly leader. “I am going to join the others. Good-bye sir.” Captain Oram’s cowardice blindly led fifteen innocent crewmembers to their deaths. But it wasn’t only cowardice that led to their deaths, it was also Oram’s hasty decision making skills. Hastily decided actions are another reason Captain Oram is unjustified in the deaths of fifteen men. The captain was a hasty decision maker. In the story he spent only a few minutes deciding the fate of these fifteen unknowing men. Captain Oram came up with his plan in the matter