The use of force From: Manar I. Qrenawi (220112010) and Albatool G. Elshaer (220113426) To: Dr. Sami Breem
Contents: Writer Characters Summary Conflict Point of view Theme Setting
The writer: In 1883, William Carlos Williams was born in Rutherford, New Jersey. He began writing poetry while a student at Horace Mann High School, at which time he made the decision to become both a writer and a doctor.
Williams clearly shows that the protagonist in this short story is the doctor. The doctor's job is to diagnose the little girl and the girl, did not want to open her mouth, shows that she is the antagonist. Williams also uses the parents of the girl to show that the doctor has authority and power over the situation.
The father The mother The Girl The characters The doctor
Summary "The Use of Force" is a short story by the American author William Carlos Williams first published 1938. The story is narrated in first person by a doctor who is answering a house visit to see a sick girl. Fearing that she may have diphtheria, the doctor decides to check her throat. However, she refuses to open her mouth and the doctor uses force to restrain her and examine her throat with a spoon, which makes the girl very mad. The doctor finds that, against her own self-interest, the girl has hidden the symptoms of diphtheria from her parents and the doctor.
Conflict Parents vs. The doctor The parents want to go along with the doctor because they know he must check, but they do not want force or hurt their daughter. Doctor Vs. The girl The doctor needs to check Mathilda's throat to see if she has Diphtheria, but the girl will not open her mouth.
Point of view The point of view in the story is in first person narrative. This conveys inner the inner thoughts of the narrator as the doctor. The doctor is a reliable narrator and an observer. I feel that his personality is brought out in the doctor. So the doctor thoughts and behaviors are a reflection of the authors.
Theme For us there are 2 themes of "The Use of Force". The first one is that you should always be truthful, because the sick girl did not tell her parents that she had sore throat. So, they had to call a doctor and had to pay him 3 dollars. If she had just told her parents, she would have avoided the doctor and they wouldn't have had to pay.
Theme The second theme is that never judge a book by its cover. The doctor admires the beauty of the girl and the parents kept on telling their daughter that the doctor is a good man. But in the doctor’s head he thinks that they don't even know me and yet they say that. At some point the doctor wanted to hurt the girl in order to see her throat, he is like a sadist since he likes to see the girl in pain. Even though the parents said that the doctor was a good person but the doctor still loved to see the girl in pain. It means that people should get to know the person first before jumping to conclusions. It doesn't mean that he's a doctor it automatically makes him a good guy.
Setting The place where the story happened was clearly stated. It was on the Olson's house, specifically in their kitchen. But the time when it happened wasn't so clear.
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