The motion picture A Few Good Men challenges the question of why Marines obey their superiors’ orders without hesitation. The film illustrates a story about two Marines, Lance Corporal Harold W. Dawson and Private First Class Louden Downey charged for the murder of Private First Class William T. Santiago. Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee, who is known to be lackadaisical and originally considers offering a plea bargain in order to curtail Dawson’s and Downey’s sentence, finds himself fighting for the freedom of the Marines; their argument: they simply followed the orders given for a “Code Red”. The question of why people follow any order given has attracted much speculation from the world of psychology. Stanley Milgram, a Yale psychologist, …show more content…
This leads Kaffee to defend his clients on the basis on which they simply followed orders from a higher ranking officer, Colonel Jessup (Reiner). According to Milgram’s experiments, even normal, harmless people are able to inflict pain on another individual. The military is based on a chain of command, the Colonel at the top, Privates at the bottom, and everyone else in between. Milgram argues that, when in problematic circumstances, people are proud of doing a good job for their authority (Milgram 221). In other words, they want to obey the orders given in order to please the person holding authority. Could this explain why Dawson and Downey executed the “Code Red”? This is precisely similar to the argument Kelman and Hamilton present in their article “The My Lai Massacre: A Military Crime of Obedience”. According to these authors, “American military law assumes that the subordinate is inclined to follow orders…” (Kelman, Hamilton 270). The soldiers in My Lai, although possibly interpreting the orders differently than intended, ultimately did what their commanding officer ordered. The Marines in the film may have also been under the impression that they would not be responsible for any harm which Santiago may endure. Again, Milgram could attest to this argument. He states, “The essence of obedience is that a person comes to view himself as the instrument for carrying out another person’s wishes, and he therefore no longer regards
“A Good Man is Hard to Find” tells a twisted story of a typical family going about a road trip embedded with ethical pit stops along the way. The story revolves around a cynical grandmother and how her unconventional attitude and habits set the stage for an interesting turn of events. Through manipulative antics, a prejudice character and an ironic story line, author Flannery O’Conner creates a captivating tale that shines a lights on readers’ own moral codes. The author does this by making an example of a woman completely unaware of her own immoral acts.
In A Few Good Men, both Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson and Pfc. Louden Downey were obedient to Col. Nathan R. Jessup’s order to give Santiago the Code Red, even though it went against their preset morals. Dawson saw, through his own conscience, that hurting another person because of small mistakes was immoral. But because of his believe in the marines code, “Unit, Corp, God, Country,” he was unable to allow himself to disobey a direct order. Author Milgram explored this same issue in his experiment. He asked why people followed orders no matter the negative effects it has on other people. In the study, roughly 60% of the test subject followed all orders to harms others. After the studies, Milgram inferred that this was because people have an underlying fear of disobeying a superior and do not trust their own
“You don't need a patch on your arm to have honor.” Lt. Daniel Kaffee, portrayed by Tom Cruise, says at the end of the movie to Lance Cpl. Dawson after the final ruling is read, stating PFC. Downy and Lance Cpl. Dawson are innocent but are dishonorably discharged from the military. A Few Good Men portrays the negative impact on military personally from strict obedience. Lt. Daniel Kaffee, along with Lt. Cdr. JoAnne Galloway and Lt. Sam Weinberg; played by Demi Moore and Kevin Pollack, must defend PFC. Downy and Lance Cpl. Dawson from being charge of committing a Code Red. However, Lt. Kaffee believes that PFC. Downy and Lance Cpl. Dawson committed the ‘Code Red’, but because it was a direct order
Describe how both authors use similar elements in their short story. What else could you discuss about the similarities you seen between the two texts? In addition, what differences could you argue (keeping in context to the literary elements)?
Milgram's experiment showed that humans can do horrible things when following orders, with two thirds of the subjects sending "shocks" to the end. However, in Parker's review, titled "Obedience," there are objections he brings up to this controversial experiment, such as the fact that there was no clear choice of whether to comply or disobey. Used as a lens, this article can analyze the lunch scene in A Few Good Men. Mainly, when Markison says nothing as Jessup lies about his order for "Code Red" leading to the death of a soldier, is this really a test of obedience, or was the subject, Markison, not given a clear choice to make the decision himself?
Thought to be one of Flannery O'Connor's best short stories "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" regales us with the narrative of an inconsiderate maladroit family and their subsequent chilling massacre as committed by fugitives led by a notorious butcher christened the Misfit. This tale is renowned for its spiritual qualities, specifically the author’s portrayal of redemption through the appalling and vicious deaths of her surreal characters. O'Connor can be applauded for her vivid use of colorful details from everyday life in addition to utilizing the comical elements of her southern upbringing. O’Connor also shows a proclivity with the talent to make the reader visualize the eccentricities of characters like the grandmother
Good and bad, right and wrong, hero and monster, are just a few of the many views that encompass society. Everyone has their own opinions, and they depend on their morals and values to help guide them through life. In the short story, “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” Flannery O’Connor portrays a family vacation to Florida that unfortunately ends up being a catastrophe when they run into a monster called the Misfit. The short story depicts a contemporary society, where the characters’ actions and beliefs are parallel to those in the real world. Egotism, bellicosities, and crimes cohabit with compassion, morals and ethics. The characterization and irony in the story illustrate that all people have qualities of a hero and a monster. O’Connor uses
When first reading Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find” the ending is unpredictable. However, when reading the story for a second time one can see how the themes play a major role in the ending. The grandmother seems to be prepared for her death. While reading the story one may notice that the grandmother is not truly ready for her death until the moment before the story ends. The tone and the themes in the story help to tie it together. The grandmother brings up the Misfit multiple times throughout the story, almost as if she was prescient and knew she was going to encounter him at one point.
The short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find” written by Flannery O’Connor in 1953 is a short story about a family’s misfortune after a car wreck. O’Connor describes mankind’s age old struggle with the concept of good versus evil. In O’Connor’s interpretation of the theme of good versus evil she uses one family’s unassuming adventure to paint a picture of how good will not always overcome evil. This analysis will attempt to prove that the theme of good versus evil is present throughout all aspects of the story, as seen in its characters, motifs, and symbolism, thus producing a compelling and exploratory piece of literature.
Movie Analysis of A Few Good Men Movie Synopsis “We follow orders or people die” (Reiner,1992) 2:04:40) is indicative of the theme of conservatism and conforming in Rob Reiner’s 1992 film A Few Good Men starring Tom Cruise as young, Navy attorney Daniel Kaffee. Kaffee’s first nine months in the Navy has earned him the reputation of being the best plea bargainer in the office by tying up his opponents in legal red tape so tightly that they eagerly settle with his offers of reduced sentences. After forty-four successful plea bargains, he is assigned to defend two teenage Marines accused of murdering a fellow solider. Kaffee’s success comes from his lack of humanity and his inability to view his clients and opponents as people with truths and
Many short stories have a single and very clear antagonist. However, as the story progresses, the author may begin revealing that the antagonist might not be who you once thought. In Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man is Hard to Find,” the real antagonist, or misfit, is not the escaped convict, but the grandmother.
A few good men starring Jack Nicholson Tom Cruise and Demi Moore is about ethic in the marines. Many characters in the movie are faced with moral dillemas Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholsons characters are faced with moral dillemas. The movie is about two marines who are accused of murdering there fellow officer, during the incestigation it is discovered that there is a practice called “code red” this is a unethical and unofficial disciplinary measure by the marine squad when a member goes against the unit. The offender is gagged, beaten, and then they are killed by their fellow officers. The accused put the blame on someone they said was higher up from them. They carried out the “code red” order because the officer was not living up to the
“You can’t handle the truth!” In the movie A Few Good Men, directed by Rob Reiner and based off a true story, that is an iconic quote. Although this movie was made in the early 1990s, this can be quoted by many people today. However, many do not know the significance of this phrase. It seems pretty straightforward, but it contains a deeper meaning than what the surface level may reveal. Throughout the movie, it investigates a case where they are trying to uncover who is to blame for the death of a fellow Marine. At the end, the final verdict states that it was both the Colonel who gave the orders and the Marines that carried out the orders being at fault for the Marine’s death. Once finally
In the film A Few Good Men, director Rob Reiner presents a story about Pvt. Louden Downey and Lance Cpl. Harrold Dawson were ordered by Lt. Jonathan James Kendrick to carry out a Code Red on Private William Santiago and as a result he died at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Lt. j.g. Daniel A. Kaffee and Lt. Cmdr. Joanne Galloway are defending Lance Cpl. Dawson and Pvt. Downey who are charged with the murder of Pvt. Santiago. Pvt. Downey and Lance Cpl. Dawson are found not guilty for the murder; however they are dishonorably discharged from the military. In the article “The Perils of Obedience,” author Stanley Milgram claims that obedience is a fundamental tendency that is a powerful instinct nullifying principles of sensitivity and morals of many people. Milgram designs an experiment to see how far a person will advance in a substantial and significant circumstance in which he is regulated to administer accumulating pain on a complaining victim. In the article “The My Lai Massacre: A Military Crime of Obedience,” authors Herbert C. Kelman and V. Lee Hamilton contend that orders conduct crimes of obedience. In My Lai, Charlie Company were ordered to obliterate the village because the Viet Cong was supposed to be there; however the village was filled with unarmed civilians. Lt. William L. Calley, Jr. was the only person charged with the murders of the My Lai crimes because he violated Military Code; however the soldiers were not charged with murders because they were
A Good Man is Hard to Find is one among O'Connor's regularly anthologized short stories, and it makes a brilliant outline of her capacity to blend odd funniness with genuine topical material. In this exposition I will break down this short story with distinctive angles including plot, theme, structure, attainment imperative and so forth.