I know you understand it by now: there is no such thing as one interpretation to a great story. Now you have to prove it. "The Use of Force" on the literal level is about a doctor on a house call who encounters an uncooperative young girl. He must use violence to conduct a throat examination to confirm that she has diphtheria. But, we know that there is more to the story because there are figurative levels to this story.
What are they? In this blog, explain what the characters represent? Provide details from the story to defend your view. Explain how these groups are in conflict? Provide details from the story that reveal the presence of that conflict within the story.
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and Ryans say- "The Use of Force" has many interpertaions, but the one we chose to support was the idea that it was based on Dictaor and goverment vs. the common people. The Doctor represent a dictator and the family represents the common people. One example where this can be seen is when thechild will not open her mouth so the doctor can see her throat. This could be representative of the daughter, being the common people, revolting against the Doctor, who represents a dicator, similar to the way that many people revolt against governments based on dictatorships. The simple act of not oening her mouth for the Doctor can be symbolized as a revolution.
The use of force short story represents the idea of young vs. old. In the short story for the old side would be the doctor the father and the mother. And the little girl represents the young. The doctor starts out nice and calm and talks sweet to the girl, but once he becomes aggravated with because she’s unwilling to cooperate he begins to ask the parents to use force against her. They hold her down and force the spoon in her mouth and she is ultimately defeated. She is over powered by the mother father and doctor because they are older; they have more authority and are stronger.
Nations vs. colonies
"eyeing me up and down distrustfully" - colonies don't always trust the nation and the little girl didn't trust the doctor
"Such a nice man, put in the mother. Look how kind he is toy ou. Come on, do what he tells you to. He won't hurt you." - family listens to the doctor and colonies listen to their nation
"Both the mother and father almost turned themselves inside out in embarassment and apology. You bad girl, said the mother, taking her and shaking her by one arm. Look what you've done. The nice man..." - family listens to the doctor and colonies listen to their nation
"Not a move. even her expression hadn't changed. Her breaths however were coming faster and faster." - the girl is scared of the doctor and the colonies are scared of the nations because they have an advantage on them
"Put her in front of you on your lap, I ordered, and hold both her wrists." - the doctor has a grip and say on what the girl does and that's what the nation has opn their colonies
"I could have torn the child apart in my own fury and enjoyed it. It was a pleasure to attack her. My face was burning with it." - nations like having control over colonies because it benefits them and the doctor likes having control over the girl because it benefits him
In the short story "The Use of Force" the characters represent the battle between the young and old. The parents and doctor represent the old and the daughter represents the young. When he doctor says "come on Mathilda, open your mouth and let’s take a look at your throat." he is, at first, trying to be gentle in getting what he wants from the girl. But as the story progresses the doctor becomes angrier and angrier, and pretty soon the parent become very angry. The mother even threatens the little girl;"If you don't do what the doctor says you'll have to go to the hospital, the mother admonished her severely." The father also is using force to get the girl to open her mouth by trying to force her mouth open with his hands. Because it can be said that older people are somewhat jealous and scared of what younger people can do. The story represents the struggle that he adults have against the child. By the doctor making the girl submit to him he, in a twisted way, is winning the battle between old and young.
Pertaining to the man vs. women interpretation the doctor and the dad represent the men and their higher status above women. The mom and the child represent a women’s lack of impact and authority relating to men. The doctor and the dad take control of the situation at hand and forcefully restrain the little girl representing their manly impact. While the mom is just in the background having no say or influence on what’s happening representing her role as a women. Whenever the mom tries to pressure the girl into doing what the doctor says she trying to please everyone and nothing is really working for her because she has no voice aka she should just go make some sandwiches. These groups are in conflict because girls are just related to the image of a women being a sexual figure therefore men act superior to women and think they are better then them. For example when the mother is trying to suggest things the father tells her to leave. He feels like it’s a manly situation and not a women’s place.
and Anna
"The Use of Force" can be interpreted in many diffrent ways. The one interpritation that we agree on is Upper vs. Lower class. The doctor in the story represents the upper class and the family represents the lower class. An example for this would be how the family in the story lives in a run down home and they have a lower education, you can tell this by how they speak to the doctor. The doctor represents the upper class because he holds more power than the family and has a higher education.
Logic vs. Emotions
The doctor represented the one consisting of the logic. In his own world he knew was completely right and knew what was best for the girl. Mostly because he was superior with the actual degree in medicine considering that he was a doctor. Also because he was an adult and 'adults know best'. In a way he was right for forcing her to get 'checked' because she would have died with out it. Although her emotions as stubborness fed into what he wanted out of her. He liked that she resisted. But this drove him to take advantage of her "for her own good" which proves again the logical thinking of the doctor.
The emotional side of the story belongs with the girl. She provided stubborn actions based off her emotions where in reality she was just protecting herself. Being uncomfortable make her rebel and that is where her side was the most vaid. She was in self deffence mode and even though he got off on it, she was doing what was best for her own well being.
Our intepretation of the use of force in the story is the idea of Upper class verses lower class. The doctor represents the upper class because he is a doctor. In order to be a doctor, we know that he must be educated and has money. He also takes advantage of the poor family.
Lower class is represented by the family because they cannot pay for heating in their house, and they can't afford a hospital bill. We can also see that they are uneducated through the way the father speaks. He says, "My wife has given her things, you know, like people do, but it don't do no good."
Rape is represented through the idea of upper class verses the lower class because the lower class is oppressed by the upper class through the taxes they need to pay. The upper class takes advantage of the lower class. The doctor portrays the upper class because he views himself as superior to the family and he thinks he knows what is best for the child.
AMELIA AND GRACE:
We were given the interpretation of Nations vs. Colonies for our analyses of “The Use of Force.” We went about this looking at not only the daughter in the story, but also the mother, as oppressed. Throughout the story the doctor tells the parents, and tries to tell the daughter, what to do. He would represent the ultimate government of a Nation that would form a Colony, the executive branch or something like it. Now the father who is, more or less, bossed around by the doctor would represent the people from the colonizing Nation that would go to these colonies and make sure everything was in order. He is the one who gets a lot of the brunt of rebellion that the executive government would usually see.
Moving on to the mother and the daughter, they represent the Colonies. The mother plays the role of the person who throughout a revolution is unsure, that feels as if the colony should be listening to the nation but also fears for the welfare of the colony and its people. This person is usually eliminated from the situation one way or another; either tossed aside by the governing Nation or by its peers in the colony. In this case, the government is the one who tries to get rid of the waffling person who really just can’t decide what they think is best. This is represented by the father throwing the mother out of the kitchen. And the daughter, she is simply a symbol for the aggressive rebels. The people who stand up and fight for what they want.
But, in the end of the story, the author proves confusing, as he throws in the fact that the daughter really did have diphtheria. Creating a thoroughly confusing and ambiguous aura to the story when you put it all together, because in the end, the doctor and the father really did know what was best. So does that mean that the Nations are right and the Colonies are wrong?
Men vs. Women:
Characters: Doctor and father= the men (oppressive). Mom and the daughter=women (victims)
The father and the doctor are oppressive because the father overpowers the mother.
“Do you think she can stand it?” said the mother.
“You get out” said the father.
“Come on now, hold her.” Said the doctor.
This shows that the mother is being concerned and the father controls her by telling her to get out because she doesn’t know what is right for the daughter.
Men vs. women: Men are physically stronger than women. (Dad holds little girl down against her will) (The doctor was forceful because he forced a wooden spoon down her throat against her will.) Men think that women can’t think for themselves. (the doctor said “The damn little brat must be protected against her own idiocy” which shows that he thinks he knows what is best for her and she can’t think for herself). Men judge women on their appearance and not their actions. (The doctor analyzed the little girl when he called her attractive and thought she had magnificent blonde hair) Men are typically providers for their family; therefore they have more power over women.
Kevin, George, and Zack
Old vs. Young
The Old Characters in the story are the parents and the doctor. The little girl represents youth in the story. The interpretation of the story is the older characters are raping the younger girl. The little girl is fighting back while the dad holds her down while the doctor sticks the wooden spoon down her throat. The doctor says "Put her in front of you on her lap, I ordered, and hold both of her wrists". She tries to fight back but they overpower her.In the story he states "In a final assault I overpowered the child's neck and jaws"
" The Use of Force" can be interpreted in many different ways. One valid interpretation is dictator/government vs. the common people. We both agreed that the doctor represents the dictator and the father represents the government that supports him. The mother and the child represent the common people.
1. "He tried to get up but I motioned for him not to bother."
2."Put her infront of you on your lab, I ordered, and hold both her wrists." ---> The doctor tells the father to do something and he does it which shows that the doctor has power over the father but the father still has some power because he restrains the child like he is told.
3."If you don't do what the doctor says you'll have to go to the hospital, the mother admonished her severly."---> This shows that the mother and daughter are common people because if they do not listen to the "dictator" there will be consequences.
The damned little brat must be protected against her own idiocy, others must be protected against her, its a social necessity.---> This is common dictator mentality because the doctor thinks that he is helping the girl and trying to help his "people" but really is hurting them and it is against their will to be treated the way he is treating them.
This interpretation represents a rape because the dictator is alot stronger then the common people and he might make people do things that they don't agree with. When a dictator tries to make the people of his country agree with him they usually do because they know that either way they are going to get hurt whether they go along with his bad ideas or disagree and take the punishment. In a rape the victim doesn't know if they should fight back and get hurt or let the rapist take control because either way they will be getting hurt just like the dictator does to the common people.
Upper vs. Lower Class:
The doctor is representative of the Upper Class, while the little girl and her family represents the lower class. The way the Doctor has this superior attitude when talking to the family shows this. He obviously thinks he's better than them, or of a higher social class. Another way this is shown is how he acts very dismissive of them, and doesn't seem to care a whole lot about them as a family, he just wants his throat swab and then to leave.
Also, the way the family seems to hold the doctor in such high regard, and agree with everything he says makes it seem like they think he actually is better than they are. In addition, the manner of speaking the family has is very poor, whereas the doctor has impeccable speech and grammar.
The differences and ways each party treats the other shows the conflict between the two groups.
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