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Beginning of Paper
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Mercy
The Oxford dictionary defines mercy as “Forbearance and compassion shown by one person to another who is in his power and who has no claim to receive kindness; kind and compassionate treatment in a case where severity is measured or expected.” (The Oxford English Dictionary). However, mercy can mean m ....
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Middle of Paper
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.... handed down by the spectators:
According to the most common tradition, when a gladiator had overpowered his opponent, he turned to the spectators. If they wished to spare the defeated man, they waved their handkerchiefs; to indicate that he should be killed, they turned down their thumbs. (Gladiator Combat).
Mercy, in this situation, was something that had to be earned. Only the strong survived, there was no sympathy for the weak; those who could not compete did not deserve mercy.
On the baseball field, mercy is thought of as more of a punishment. A “mercy” would signify the end of the ....
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SUBJECTS
