"The Use of Force"


The "use of force" is a short story that shows the conflicts between the basic impulses of humans, the professional role of doctors and the concerns for the social welfare of patients. The doctor is represented as the central authority, who is control and has the source of knowledge. His authority was challenged by his patient and his basic impulses kicked in and could not be suppressed. So the doctor was having conflicts with his basic impulses and his professional role. The doctor persisted because he was thinking of the social welfare of his patient, so he had to get the culture  in order to make her well.





































Comments

  1. Marvin TaylorApril 18, 2018 at 10:10 PM

    This story has so many layers to it, on one side you have a doctor who can justify inflicting violence on the young girl in efforts to save her life or protect the public. Though he does nothing visibly unethical, he still acknowledge that he could have if he wanted to, and shows some kind of intent although he did not. I wanted to paint Mathilda as a victim but going over the story , it seemed the only thing she was victim to was her own irrational thoughts.

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  2. UnknownApril 20, 2018 at 5:57 AM

    Could it also be that because of her "irrational thought" she brought this "violence" on herself. The doctor was thinking of the social welfare of Mathilda, her family, her school and her community as a whole, which became the driving force behind him using "violent" means to try and get the culture from her throat. The doctor recognized the importance of his action in saving her life and stopping the spread of this disease. Hence, her "irrational thoughts" led to his actions which turned out to be for the greater good.

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