Prompt: Do you agree or disagree with the following: “Evil means justify honorable ends.” Using your knowledge of the text, write a well thought out analysis relating to the quote.
In Catch-22, the definition of terms such as ‘evil’ and ‘honorable’ are as warped and contorted as possible. As a result, there is an unethical solace found in the ruling of the bureaucracy, who, as stated in the journal prior, are the clear antagonists. Lead by Colonel Cathcart, the sinister ruling states that there is a certain quota of flights that must be carried out before one is cleared to leave the forces. However, upon meeting that criteria and applying for leave, Cathcart would irrationally raise the required amount, placating the belief amongst the soldiers that escape is possible. To directly answer the question, I completely disagree with the …show more content…
To say that evil means justify honorable ends would be the equivalent of accepting that success is borne more often than failure out of cruelty. In the example of Yossarian, the abusive regime leads him to eventually begin sabotaging his own missions, putting not only the sanctity of the bombing flights but also the lives of his comrades in harm’s way. The idea behind the malicious intent of the bureaucracy is that their prestige as superiors can be wielded as an oppressor’s tool– to blatantly create unorthodox, harsh rules that the soldiers are forced to follow. Yet the question stands: where are the honorable means? Even in the original proverb, it is written as “the end justifies the means”, yet all they accomplish through keeping them in this limbo is having their mental strength battered until they have no sense of rhyme or reason. Two characters who symbolize this are Piltchard and Wren, the captain duo who are
In Catch-22, the definition of terms such as ‘evil’ and ‘honorable’ are as warped and contorted as possible. As a result, there is an unethical solace found in the ruling of the bureaucracy, who, as stated in the journal prior, are the clear antagonists. Lead by Colonel Cathcart, the sinister ruling states that there is a certain quota of flights that must be carried out before one is cleared to leave the forces. However, upon meeting that criteria and applying for leave, Cathcart would irrationally raise the required amount, placating the belief amongst the soldiers that escape is possible. To directly answer the question, I completely disagree with the …show more content…
To say that evil means justify honorable ends would be the equivalent of accepting that success is borne more often than failure out of cruelty. In the example of Yossarian, the abusive regime leads him to eventually begin sabotaging his own missions, putting not only the sanctity of the bombing flights but also the lives of his comrades in harm’s way. The idea behind the malicious intent of the bureaucracy is that their prestige as superiors can be wielded as an oppressor’s tool– to blatantly create unorthodox, harsh rules that the soldiers are forced to follow. Yet the question stands: where are the honorable means? Even in the original proverb, it is written as “the end justifies the means”, yet all they accomplish through keeping them in this limbo is having their mental strength battered until they have no sense of rhyme or reason. Two characters who symbolize this are Piltchard and Wren, the captain duo who are