Michael Bruce's 'Gentlemen, Your Verdict'

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“Gentlemen, Your Verdict”, by Michael Bruce tells the story of a submarine that gets hit with a mine and gets stuck at the sands of Steins Point. Because of lack of oxygen that is needed for all of his men to survive, Lt. Commander Oram must decide if he will let his crew die, or sacrifice the majority to save a few. Oram decides to kill 15 of his men and save the lives of the remaining 5 men that had families. Is Oram guilty of murder, or is he innocent? Some might argue that he is guilty because he killed his crew members, and by law—whatever the case may be—that is considered murder. However, he is innocent because he did what he had to do under those circumstances and because of that, he was able to save at least a few lives. The story depicts a submarine that gets hit by an underwater mine. The ship gets badly damaged, and the crew is led to a predicament. Lt. Commander Oram informed his crew that help will reach them in 7 days, but they only had enough oxygen for 2 days, and because of that the whole crew was left to their doom. Oram is …show more content…

This was not a quick decision that was made by a selfish man; he knew that the situation was urgent because every minute he delayed meant one less life saved. Playing god was a very crucial part in Oram’s problem. He deliberately chose the ones that were married because he knew the value of life and how their deaths will affect their families greatly. If he had not chosen those 5 men to survive, then all 20 of them would’ve died having done nothing and just accepting their fates. And if they all died, Lt. Commander Oram would be responsible for his incompetence in handling the situation; therefore he made the right decision by sacrificing 15 of his men including

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