Charlie Gordon's Ethical Dilemmas In The Crucible '

Morality is an important topic. People must live with their own choices and morality, meaning that each person needs to make sure that they are living their lives and making choices that they can accept. This is why morality is typically a theme in literature. Authors incorporate the idea of morality to make the reader think about their own choices and to illustrate the character arc. This proves true in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible. The play follows characters on their difficult lives during the Salem Witch Trials; a point in history where everyone was questioned and accused or being morally corrupt and practicing witchcraft. Miller utilizes characters from all moral backgrounds, from those that are morally ambiguous, to those that are more righteous because they are secure in their beliefs. These characters show how the issue of morality can affect their lives. One character that is important to analyze is John Proctor. Proctor is a man secure in his faith and morality, living a great life with his wife and three sons. That is, until Abigail Williams starts working for the family and makes him question everything he has ever known. In The Crucible, Miller suggests that morality and the search for truth must be pursued on a personal level by allowing Proctor to become morally flawed, realizing his mistakes, and then fighting to defend what is right, even though it ruins his good reputation.

Ethics is defined as moral principles that administer a person’s behaviour. It is the basic perception and essential principle of decent human conduct. Issues concerning unethical approach are known as ethical issues.

What is a moral dilemma? A moral dilemma is a man versus self conflict. It is when a character has to perform two different actions, but they can not perform both actions because it is not possible. Authors use moral dilemmas in their writings to retain the reader’s interest in the book or play and to have the reader ask questions. People often face many life altering choices such as right versus wrong or good versus bad. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor chooses to die because he does not want to blacken his name throughout Salem and to ruin his sons’ names when they grow up.

Ethics are defined as “a set of moral principles and perceptions about right versus wrong and the resulting philosophy of conduct that is practiced by an individual, group, profession, or culture” (Barker, 2001, p. 159). In the field

In some cartoons, an individual has a devil on the left shoulder and an angel on their right. The devil and the angel represent the individual’s inner conflict. The individual can be tempted to commit a bad deed or have good intentions to do the right thing. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, a reverend named Hale, is confronted with the responsibility of cleansing Salem of a possible Witch. Hale chooses between his religious obligations and his strong ethical morals when confronting the witchcraft plaguing Salem.

Algernon, a mouse that was one of the first successful animals to undergo the operation, had been studied by Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss, though they never concluded their studies - which makes their decision to experiment on Charlie unethical. Before experimenting on a human, it is common sense to finish testing to make sure that everything is safe and definite. In the essay, ‘Take Care: There’s More to Medical Ethics Than Absence of Harm’ Eric Kodish explains that “...as complex and complicated as issues are, doctors can help by asking themselves…: What do I need to do in order to take care of this person before me?”

The traits of people are only defined through the pressures that life will give to them. Think as if life was a gold ore, it doesn’t look very pretty, but it’s valuable and as people try to get through they will tear it apart and once broken it will show its true value. Continuing on with this a life of a man was once defined by his actions. He was Joseph McCarthy who served as a U.S. Senator and was given a large chance to grab the nation by it’s neck. During the Cold War, a fear grew inside the hearts of American people.

One reason why the operation on Charlie was unethical was that he could not fully grasp the concept of the procedure. For example, in Progress Report 1, Charlie wrote that Miss Kinnian, Charlie's teacher, told him about the procedure and he jotted down, "I hope [Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur] use me ... I want to be smart[sic]" (Keyes 514). To receive the operation was Charlie's dream because he wanted to enhance his intelligence, however, that was all he knew about the procedure. Since Charlie had a low intelligence, he could not see the pros and cons of the surgery, only what he wanted, which was to become smart, making the operation unethical. Also, in Progress Report 3, Charlie recorded his past on how people would ask him why he wanted to become smart. "I told them becaus all my life I wantid to be smart and not dumb ... I dont care if it herts[sic]" (Keyes 515). Being born with low intelligence made Charlie yearn to get smarter. However, because getting smarter

Ethics is defined as a system of moral principles or the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group. Ethics and values are sometimes used interchangeably, but the main goal is to make sure that one is using a moral compass to help guide in the decision making process. One individual who figures prominently when it comes to ethics is the veritable Martha Stewart. Ms. Stewart had to step down from her own company because of

Ethics help a person decide if the person should or should not be doing something. If someone only does something that would benefit themselves, and it is hurting someone else, then that is not ethical. If someone is doing something that could benefit themselves and the other person, then it is ethical. Flowers For Algernon is about a mentally disabled man named Charlie Gordon. Charlie Gordon is mentally disabled with an IQ of 68. Two doctors tell that there is an operation that would make him smart. At first, Charlie was hesitant, but Ms. Kinnian Charlie to undergo the operation. The doctors proceed with the operation without telling Charlie of the Side effects or any of the dangers of the surgery. Charlie Gordon's doctors did not act ethically when they performed the surgery to make him smarter.

ethics? How does this apply to Knowledge, perception, and/or awareness? Explain in depth and detail.

Ethics are the “standards of conduct that indicate how one should behave based on moral duties and virtues.”

What does the word ethics mean? Ethics according to google is the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc. So now my question to you is ethics only some people’s responsibility or is it everyone’s responsibility to maintain? Ethics can be an extremely grey area, however, some would argue that it is not a grey area in fact it is simple. However, I disagree. Ethics depending on one’s point of view of a situation can determine how they will treat and justify the actions taken. Looking back on history or in the stories of the Norton Reader there are several issues one could question about ethics. Although, there are questions as to what some consider ethical I can tell you my personal perspective of what I consider ethical. That is why this topic is so grey. Standpoint has an incredible influence on how an individual views ethics.

Ethical and unethical situations occur on a daily basis and are seen all around us. Being ethical requires one to take responsibility for their actions and doing what is right in any given circumstance. Every person has the power to dictate their actions on how they are going to handle any situation they are put in. I have experienced numerous amounts of situations that have tested my ethical behavior and actions. Throughout my experiences, I have realized that ethics has a great impact on many different aspects of life such as society, career, and personal life. Understanding the meaning of ethics allows me to grow as a person and to truly do what is right with any issue I am faced with.

A standard definition of ethics might be: ”the science of morals,” with morals being defined as: “conforming to, or regulated by what is right” (The Cassell Concise Dictionary, 2012).