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The Use of Force by Carlos Williams Essay examples

Decent Essays

The Use of Force

In Carlos Williams’s short story, “The Use of Force,” the doctor’s use of force is portrayed in a way that is controversial. Controversial in that it could easily be argued either that the doctor has complete reason to use force upon the girl, or that the doctor has no right to use any amount of force upon the girl without her consent. It could also be argued either that the results of the doctor’s use of force is a success or a failure. I feel that the doctor has reason to use force upon the girl in order to check her tonsils for a number of reasons. I believe this because the doctor has reason to use force because he believes that the girl has diphtheria based on his knowledge of numbers of other children at her …show more content…

The doctor as well as the parents of the girl knew that there was a good chance that the girl might have a case of diphtheria. The doctor describes this basis of knowledge by saying, “As it happens we had been having a number of cases of diphtheria in the school to which this child went during that month and we were all, quite apparently, thinking of that, though no one had as yet spoken of the thing. (1)”

It is made apparent that the girl has the symptoms of a person with the disease, thus adding to the doctors reason to believe that she has diphtheria. However the doctor is unable to make a final determination without inspecting her tonsils. And once he finally does see her tonsils he is able to determine that he does indeed have diphtheria, thus justifying his necessity to use force in order to inspect her tonsils. The doctor describes his victory by saying, “I forced the heavy silver spoon back of her teeth and down her throat till she gagged. And there it was – Both tonsils covered with membrane. (3)”

The most important reason for the justification of the doctor’s use of force is that he has the permission and cooperation of the girl’s parents. It is possible that the girl simply didn’t understand that the doctor was trying to help her. And at that young of an age a child’s parents have authority over matters like this. The mother has her doubts

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