Morality in The Hunt for Red October
While hundreds, even thousands of excellent movies have been made over the years since motion pictures were invented, there are some movies that stand out among the best. There are various reasons for these standouts, sometimes incredible acting, sometimes impeccable story lines, but in many cases, it is the issues addressed by the movie. Most of the greatest movies contain commentaries or analyses of certain issues, be they moral, social, or otherwise. John McTiernan directed one of these films, The Hunt for Red October, based on the similarly titled best-selling novel by Tom Clancy. The Hunt for Red October, a product of the anti-communist attitudes of the 1980’s, is
…show more content…
The officers of Ramius’ crew have also had to make their own moral decisions as they assist Ramius’ defection. They, too, have had to follow the beliefs of right and wrong instead of the morality that has been given to them by their naval superiors.
There is also a moral decision to be made by the KGB agent loyal to the Soviet Union on Ramius’ submarine, the cook’s assistant Loginov. When he discovers that Ramius is intending to defect, he makes the decision to attempt to stop Ramius, even at cost of his own life. The fact that he is against the hero of the movie, Ramius, does not mean that he is evil, although he is seen as such for purposes of the movie. His decision comes from his belief that what Ramius is doing is morally wrong. He believes that defection is treason, and is unacceptable under any circumstances, and he believes that it is his job to prevent this treason. His decision comes from his own moral beliefs, and therefore cannot be labeled as wrong. His beliefs are simply different from Ramius’.
The Russians are not the only characters that must make moral decisions. The other main character of the movie, Jack Ryan, must face his own moral decisions. To begin, he must decide whether to follow the advice of the military council, or to follow his belief that Ramius is trying to defect. His decision will impact Ramius’ decision, since if no one believes
How far would you go for your country? Would you lie, cheat, still, or even murder another human? How would your moral compass guide you? As members of the Armed Forces, we’re asked to do a number of things to keep America safe. There are times when those military tasks fail to align with our own ethical values. These ethical dilemmas require an array of skills to effectively address and decide our course of action. Additionally, having the knowledge and understanding of the different ethical frameworks is essential, and will help pave the way for future decision on ethical dilemmas.
Here we arrive at his first major ethical decision. Lying to terrorists may seem like an easy decision, however in this case it puts the life of another individual at risk. If caught he and the man who saved his life will be killed.
Potter Stewart once quoted, “Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and what is right to do.” In every decision we make, we are faced with what is ethically correct as dictated by different factors such as laws and religion versus what your desired outcome is. This ethical battle transpires throughout the novel, “A Few Good Men”. Throughout this play, the characters partake in scenes, which the reader may view as either ethical or unethical. Depending on each character’s morals and intentions, one will be able to determine whether or not a particular action is ethical or unethical. Although one may view it from a variety of perspectives, it should be, for the most part, favoring one side. In my opinion, Colonel Nathan Jessop’s decision to train Santiago to respect the Code of the Marines and the chain in command was ethical while Lieutenant Kendrick’s decision to assault Santiago was unethical. Although his
Will you choose to stick with your values and principals when facing death? It has been a month since Socrates was put in prison waiting for his execution. Socrates’s execution took long because a state galley had set out on a religious mission that took place annually, and the law was to never allow any executions until the state galley returns. Socrates was sentenced to death after he was found guilty in not believing in the Gods and also corrupting the young children. When the ship was about to arrive, Crito, Socrates’s old faithful friend, arrives early to where they held Socrates. The guard allows Crito to see Socrates because he offered them a bribe. Crito becomes surprised on how Socrates remains calm even when facing a death sentence.
Throughout life, one might observe the different ways that people act. Even though every individual might have his or her own interpretation of the word ethics, it is commonly referred to as a set of morals for people to live by. Every individual has the choice to make ethical or unethical decisions when reacting to a situation. In William Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, a noble Scottish general acts unethically when he makes the decision to kill his own king (Macbeth 54). The Count of Monte Cristo, written by Alexandre Dumas, contains many characters who decide to act unethically for a plethora of reasons. What most people forget when acting unethically are the consequences that are soon to follow.
The war against the Taliban in Iraq during that time caused unprecedented misery, not to mention the impact on the United States, especially military families who lost loved ones. The movie is not only a controversial
There comes a time when someone has to make a big decision in their life or sometimes they have to make decisions for others for the greater good, for example in the story of Brutus and Caesar, Caesar was killed by Antony and Brutus because they knew that Caesars Ambitious ways would do no good for the citizens of rome and in his speech explaining why he had killed caesar he uses ethos, lothos, and pathos to help convince the people that he would be a better king.
From Heroes Every Child Should Know: Perseus(Mabie) its moral shows in the first sentence that you have to listen or he will without a doubt die. This shows he had to think should he die for the sake of a few minutes of listening. Perseus is getting some advice from Athene, the goddess of wisdom and war. She asks him to slay her enemy “the mother of all monstrous beasts, Medusa.” Perseus had to think first instead of accepting the offer immediately, he accepted what the Athene asked him to do because he could die killing
Based on the question presented in the book’s title, the reader is alerted on the fact that simply doing the right thing is not usually the most appropriate decision when a leader experiences a complex ethical dilemma or situation (“Professor Odom’s Book Examines Ethics in Leadership”, n.d.). The author wrote the book in order to provide insight on ethical decision-making from a practical perspective. He noticed a void in students’ and corporate executives’ understanding of the essential tenets of ethical leadership and initiatives on how to respond to basic ethical
The Painting selected for the collection is Mural 1943-1947 by Sante Graziani. Sante Graziani was an American artist and artist and art educator. He was known for his morals which adorned many public buildings. The painting allows for an effective opportunity to inspire and evoke interest for arts in students.
Ayn Rand once said, “There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.” In the society of today and of Ayn Rand’s novel, Atlas Shrugged, morality is the right and immorality is the wrong, but what is the evil then? The evil in both societies is the importance of money to the people and the people who step on others to climb the financial ladder. In Atlas Shrugged, one is introduced to many characters that are evil and support a corrupt government system; ; but perhaps the most obvious villain in the novel is James Taggart, president of Taggart Transcontinental Railroad.Taggart’s rival and foil character in Atlas Shrugged is Francisco d’Anconia, owner of d’Anconia Copper. Although both men have money, one is trying to monopolize his industry James Taggart, James Taggart, while the other is trying
At the time this story was written the culture of the America was very different. First of all, instead of volunteering for war you were drafted. This means that people who do not want to go
Throughout history, people have made decisions based upon their past experiences and their moral insight. These decisions change the lives of others and result in the least possible damage because of the moral “gut feeling”. Many people have opinions that change over time and the choices that people would make but deep down inside they know it’s not the right decision. In Arthur Miller’s historical fiction novel The Crucible, many characters have opinions and decisions they would make but influential characters and events change throughout the book. This results in them choosing the right moral decision that minimizes the damage to others and is the best moral choice.
Ethics is the way an individual person carries out an activity based on their morals and personal beliefs. Each person has their own set of beliefs as to what differentiates an ethical decision to an unethical decision and why they think that way. Over many years’ society has adopted acts as being ethical or “normal” and other acts as unethical or “bad.” In the novel, The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas, many characters make unethical decisions over the years. Just like The Count of Monte Cristo, in the novel, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, the main character makes numerous unethical decisions himself. Every decision that a person makes will always have an outcome that follows, whether it is good or bad. Sometimes the outcomes of those unethical decisions will not only affect that person, but also others around them as well who become innocent victims.
During my time in the military there were many accounts of ethical and unethical decision making. When in uniform we are often forced to make quick decisions to get the job done. Like many organizations we also have our own code of ethics, morals and principles that we follow. The problem with this is that in times of need we often can make decisions that were unethical but got the task completed. We also must factor in the many differing opinions on what is ethical and what is not.