Imagine you 're a captain on a British Ship, mutiny can happen at the drop of a hat. You just witnessed a man commit manslaughter. What do you do? Billy Budd killed Claggart. We can all agree that he is responsible for Claggart’s death. What we can’t agree on is whether or not Billy Budd should be hanged for killing Claggart. I think that Billy Budd should be hanged for three reasons. The Royal Navy must keep order in their ranks. Claggart 's life and dreams are gone. Captain Vere’s lifestyle and reputation are at risk.
The first reason Billy Budd should be hanged is that the Royal Navy must keep order in their ranks. The time era is towards the end of the 18th century. Mutiny is very common and the British rely on their navy disrupt the order on the ship. With outh order Britian can’t protect themselves. The government has also stated that murder is punishable by death. Since this book takes place not to long after two huge mutiny attacks, Britain would have instituted that law and everyone would of heard it. Billy Budd broke the law, he must now face the music. Captain Vere has also been trusted by the British Navy to keep order of the ship. If Captain Vere allows Billy Budd to get away with breaking the law he will have shirked off his duty and there will be a rippling affect that will haunt him. All of these show that Billy Budd should
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They might say, it was a bad situation because Billy Budd was defending himself. Yes he was defending himself, but at the end of the day a man is dead and Billy Budd caused it. It is time for him to face the music. The second thing people might say is the ship needs Billy Budd. They need hi because, Billy Budd is strong, young and all his peers like him. While this is true, there will always be young, strong, likable men that the Royal Navy can impress into service. Billy Budd had an amazing character but no matter what our excuses are, he committed a serious offense and must be