When Life Has Ceased

One thing that's been on my mind a lot this week is death. It's not related to what's going on in my life, but it is a big part of my English work. Socrates had a pretty famous death. He died by drinking hemlock, and had no problem with it. He had lived a long life, and had always supported what the government did. He had the chance to escape, but did not want to contradict the principles he held so dearly. He is remembered by the masses for this admirable stance. There is a big contrast between this and the book I've been reading: Catch-22.In this book, Yossarian, the protagonist, is frightened by death, and does everything he can to get away from the place where he faces it. He is an American bomber pilot fighting in Italy as part of World War II. He is required to fly an high amount of missions that keeps on rising. His colleagues are happy-go-lucky, careless, and keep dying off. Whereas Socrates was killed, Yossarian is kept alive by following his principle. He is pessimistic, manic depressive, and labeled crazy, but succeeds in his goal of staying alive. It's a big statement about war. Those who stand by them die by them.