Murdered+By+a+Mad+Man

Period 3 Naira Demirchian English 2/23/12 __Murdered By a Mad Man __  In the short story “The Filipino and the Drunkard” by William Saroyan, a controversial issue has been whether the Filipino is guilty or innocent of murdering the drunkard. On one hand, some argue that he is innocent because he acted in self-defense. On the other hand, others argue that he is guilty because he used excessive violence. In my own point of view, the Filipino is guilty of Second Degree murder.  The verdict of Second Degree murder states, “… intends to kill but decides to so on the spur of the moment or in intense anger.” This is the correct verdict because the Filipino had been getting angrier and more furious every time the drunkard said something racial. The narrator even states, “… the boy’s bitterness grew to rage…” This statement shows that the Filipino was losing control over his emotions, to then act out by stabbing and killing the drunkard.  Although I admit that the drunkard had been provoking the Filipino, and had started choking the Filipino, I still say that the Filipino stabbed the drunkard too many times. He kept stabbing, even when the drunkard weakened and was injured. An instance in the story when the Filipino shows his guilt is when the narrator states, “… and the boy began to thrust the knife into the side of the man many times…” I argue that this shows his guilt because even when the drunkard was too injured to harm the Filipino, the Filipino still continued stabbing him.  Another example of the Filipino’s guilt is when the drunkard says, “You got to come out some time… I’ll wait here till you do.” This shows the Filipino is guilty because the drunkard was not going to break the door down, which means the Filipino never had to come out of the stall. He could’ve stayed in there until the drunkard left, became tired of waiting, or simply passed out from the intoxication of the alcohol.  Clearly, the Filipino is guilty of Second Degree murder because he used his anger as a reason to murder the drunkard. If he had not left the bathroom stall, he would not have given in to his dark feelings. A lot of the time, I see fights broken out on the Lower Field in John Muir Middle School at lunch. Sometimes it just takes a little push for someone to break. I agree that it is not good to keep your feelings bottled up, but if you let your feelings erupt out of you, there are certain consequences. Fortunately, no one has been stabbed to death at John Muir. However, because of //his// loss of control, the Filipino brutally murdered the drunkard, and he should be punished for it.