INTRO: In this essay I will be exploring the ethical standpoint in the short story “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” by Tony Parsons. The characters I will be specifically discussing about is the main character Jazz along with Megan and the Iraqi national. (THESIS 1):These three characters all interact with one another at one point in the story, however each their actions and decisions are driven by their own ethical principles. (THESIS 2: While these three characters are very different from one another, I think their actions are driven by their own ethical principles throughout the story). *not sure which one sounds better to use* I’ll first be discussing Jazz and how she uses deontology ethics for her job as an immigration officer for the UK Border Agency. Next I’ll be breaking down how Megan, a sweet blonde and pretty American teenager who’s trying to get into the UK for all the wrong reasons, is shown and driven by her virtue ethics. Finally, I’ll be talking about the Iraqi general who’s actions according to global ethics cause him to break international law.
Paragraph 2
* brief summary of the story (3-5 sentences)
* How jazz lives by a set of rules for her job (deontology)
* Explain what deontology is
* How she handles different situations with different characters including Megan, Donald and so on.
Paragraph 3
* Talk about Megan and who she is and how throughout the story she’s trying to find out who she is and what she wants with the help of jazz
* Brief explanation of Virtue ethics
Paragraph 4
* Talk about the Iraqi national and how his global ethics cause him to take illegal action
* Maybe also include Donald and/or the man in black
* include how the story also shows globalization and it’s different types
Conclusion
* brief recap of the essay
Author: Benjamin Galicia
The two stories that stood out to me the most and that I will be writing about it are The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe and Young Goodman Brown by Nathanial Hawthorne.
The two characters I will be comparing are the Narrator and Goodman Brown.
Similarities
* both characters ultimately descent into madness
* Both go through a phycological battle against themselves
* Both contain bad omens and curses (gothic element)
* A return to normalcy at the end (central gothic irony)
* Both go through some similar gothic emotions like shock, suspense and fear
Differences
* Black Cat narrator speaks in first person while Goodman Brown is narrated in third person
* Different gothic actions. In The Black Cat it’s way more extreme and even pushing the limit with violence and gore
* Different time periods/settings
* Both fall into madness differently. One through his own perverseness (spirit of perverseness) and Goodman Brown through what he sees around him/ throughout his experience in the forest.
* More terror in Goodman Brown meanwhile there’s more horror in The Black Cat
The story “The Enormous Radio” can be viewed as gothic for a couple of reasons. The main reasons is how there are some gothic actions and emotions throughout the story. Irene realizes that the radio her husband Jim bought her can actually hear into other peoples apartments. Throughout the story she starts eves dropping more and more into the other neighbors apartments. She does it so often that it starts making her more and more sad and depressed. Even though she knows she shouldn’t and that’s it’s wrong to listen in on other peoples lives without permission, she still does it even after her husband told her not to. The radio itself can even be viewed as a sort of plot point, the point being that it’s a trap. Ever since the radio came into their lives, it’s caused more problems between the two. Later on in the story we find out that one of their neighbors, Mr. Osborn was beating his wife and can be heard through the radio. That whole scene was quite suspenseful as it happened quite suddenly. Not only that but it’s based off of a real sensitive topic, domestic violence. The biggest shock in my opinion is when Jim completely loses it and goes off on Irene at the end. It came as a surprise and the whole ending was quite suspenseful and chaotic. Not only that but he was completely degrading her by bringing up all the horrible things she’s done in the past. From not giving her own sister part of their mother’s will to even having an abortion. Trying to prove that she’s not as nice and innocent as she thinks she is. With all of these gothic elements, actions and emotions, I think this story can very well be classified as gothic.
Although this story can be seen as gothic, it can also be argued that it’s not. For starters, the setting isn’t close to being gothic at all. Jim and Irene live in an apartment of a big building. And although their described as average people it’s safe they’re good with money since they have a maid and handyman. Nothing in the apartment gives off any cryptic or unsettling vibes. There’s also not a lot of super strong gothic emotions like terror, extreme fear, nightmares, death, madness. Someone could read this story and not think much of it or feel any of these emotions at all. It’s only until the very end when we start getting some emotions from the characters.
The five main points that mostly interested me were
1. Gothic representation of extreme circumstances of terror, oppression and persecution, darkness and obscurity of setting, and innocence betrayed (Page 1).
2. Among the extremes and taboos that the gothic explores are religious profanities, demonism, occultism, necromancy and incest (Page 6).
3. Gothic also deals with the extreme states of past traumas and guilt (Page 6)
4. Landscapes in the gothic similarity dwelt on the exposed, inhumane, and pitiless nature of mountains, crags, and wastelands. Even something simple as a house, cellar or rooms can become a gothic setting (Page 7).
5. What led to American gothic was the frontier experience of inherent solitude, potential violence, fear of European subversion, and anxieties about democracy as well as the absence of society racial issues concerning both slavery and native Americans. (Page 4)
Out of all the stories we’ve read so far, my personal favorite would have to be “The Black Cat” by Edgar Allan Poe. The main reason why it’s my favorite is because this is a story I have read before back in high school so I was a bit familiar with it. However I didn’t like the story back then at all because I didn’t understand it. Not only that but reading it was difficult enough considering how Edgar Allan Poe as well as a lot of authors back then used to write. I found it difficult to read so I didn’t bother continuing to care for it. However now it’s a different outcome. Now I understand it much more. It’s a very dark and odd story with an even more sinister narrator who we learn is actually about to die for the crimes he committed against his cats and more. The theme of murder and death as well as the gothic elements is something I found very well written and actually interesting. I rarely read stories like that but I enjoyed this one. I liked the how the narrator was writing as he remembered while trying to manipulate us as the reader into thinking he’s not such a bad guy. However I learned that he’s the only one talking so there’s no other input or outside opinion on him. He slowly realizes how far he’s lost himself and even acknowledges how the alcohol really messed him up even more to the point he can’t tell reality from illusion. This is just a few of the many things I really enjoyed. All the stories are great however I really enjoyed this one the most after coming back to it a few years later.
