The Sixth Commandment

The sixth commandment clearly states, “Thou shall not kill.” Catholics and Christians believe that life is sacred; it is a beautiful gift given by God. Although humans are bound to leave the world one way or another, it is never right to kill someone. According to the dictionary, the word kill is defined as “to deprive life.” This is exactly what two seamen, Thomas Dudley and Edward Stephens, has done to a teenage boy. Dudley, Stephens, the boy and another man, Brooks, were all cast away in a storm on the high seas. Their boat had no supply of water and food except for two tins of turnips, all of which were consumed in just three days. There were no supply of food for the next few days and they were also about 1000 miles away from land. The future did not look hopeful, so as a result, Dudley and Stephens decided to kill the teenage boy and consume his body and blood, all so that they could survive. Brooks opposed to the idea, however, for Dudley and Stephens, it was their only choice if they wanted to live another day. Both Dudley and Stephens should be sentenced to jail for six months, simply because they have committed a crime; the act of cannibalism, which the two seamen had also done, is inhumane; and violating the boy’s rights as a human being is just another reason why they deserve to be in prison. To kill someone is selfish and will never be right. Of course, there are exceptions such as self-defense. However, killing for self-defense should be a person’s last option. Killing someone is also against the law; it is a serious crime in which the suspect is punished for. In a life or death situation like what happened to Dudley, Stephens, Brooks, and the boy, the same laws and rules still apply. Dudley and Stephens believed that if they had not fed upon the boy, they would not survive. This does not justify the act. If they were all to die, then that was their destiny. They disobeyed the law; whether they were on land or on the sea. They were still on the same planet where killing is not acceptable. Dudley and Stephens also suggested that the boy would not have survived anyway since he was very weak. Who are they to say that the boy would not have survived anyway? Yes, he was weak, but if they thought that he was going to die, he should have died naturally, not by being killed. Since they were on the sea, it was very possible for them to catch fish to eat. There are many sea animals that are edible, including the turtle they ate a few days before the crime occurred. Instead of killing the boy, Dudley and Stephens could have thought of a plan to catch fish or any sea creature. Their mind set could have been to feed everyone in the boat, including the boy, and not just themselves. Dudley and Stephens should have been motivated to catch any animal that all of them could subsist on in order to survive. Unfortunately, Dudley and Stephens thought that the only way to survive was to kill the boy. It was a very selfish and ignorant decision that made it only right to sentence them to prison.
The inhumane act of cannibalism that Dudley and Stephens had done is just another reason that further proves they should be sentenced to prison. Cannibalism is defined as “the practice of eating the flesh of your own kind.” Dudley and Stephens killed the boy and ate his body and blood in order to survive. The human body, alive or dead, should be respected. The act of eating human flesh is morally wrong and it is disrespects the person as well as their family. Although it was a matter of a life or death situation, cannibalism, just like killing, will always be wrong. Humans are not to eat other humans. We are to eat vegetables, fruits, and animals. We are created to love and respect each other, not to feed upon each other. Lastly, Dudley and Stephens deserve to be sentenced to prison because they violated the human rights of the boy. Dudley proposed the idea of sacrificing someone to save the rest. Why did it have to be the defenseless boy? Dudley and Stephens reasoned that they had families therefore it would be better to kill the boy. If they proposed the idea, they should have sacrificed themselves instead. Also, they never consulted the boy about their idea. Just because the boy was younger, he still should have had an opportunity to share his opinion just like the rest of them. After all, they were all in the same situation. Dudley and Stephens killed the boy because of selfishness; they were only thinking about themselves. They disregarded the feelings and emotions of not just the boy, but also the people the boy dealt with in his everyday life. Dudley and Stephens caused the boy and his family pain. They deprived the boy of his life, and his future. They deserve to be punished for violating the boy’s human rights. Thus, it is only right that Dudley and Stephens should be sentenced to six months in jail. God created life therefore all life belongs to Him. It should never be up to human beings to decide who should live and who should not. Yes, Dudley and Stephens killed the boy out of necessity, but in the end, killing someone will always be a crime; the act of cannibalism will always be morally wrong and unaccepted; and to violate someone’s human rights is against the law, selfish and ignorant. Dudley and Stephens deserve to be punished for the crime they had committed. Being sentenced to six months in jail is an appropriate punishment for them legally. Although they survived the storm, they will continue to live knowing that they had deprived someone of living their life, and that is a punishment that both Dudley and Stephens will have to experience for the rest of their lives.

References
[Def. 1b]. (n.d). In The Free Dictionary, Retrieved September 28, 2013, from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/kill
[Def. 1]. (n.d). In Wordnet Search, Retrieved September 28, 2013, from http://www.wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=cannibalism

References: [Def. 1b]. (n.d). In The Free Dictionary, Retrieved September 28, 2013, from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/kill [Def. 1]. (n.d). In Wordnet Search, Retrieved September 28, 2013, from http://www.wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=cannibalism