Analyzing "The Use of Force" by William Carlos Williams

1. Hello Hana Abu Shammala. My name : My presentation: The use of Force

2. By The use of Force William Carlos William

3. William Carlos William Hewas born in Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1883. began writing poetry while a student at Horace Mann High School, at which point he made the decision to become both a writer and a doctor. He received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. He wrote the story The Use of Force in 1933 .

4. William Carlos Williams “The Use of Force” deals with a variety of emotions felt by a doctor during a house call. The story begins when a physician is summoned to make a house call on a family with whom he has had no prior contact. He quickly sizes up the situation: the household is poor but clean; the patient is a female child whose parents are nervously concerned, dependent on and yet distrustful of the doctor. The child's beauty and penetrating stare make an immediate impression on him. Concerned that diphtheria may be the cause of illness, he uses his customary professional manner to determine whether the child has a sore throat. The girl, however, won't open her mouth. She fights him off and all attempts to cajole her into compliance fail. He forces the girl's father to hold her down, while he manages to pry open her mouth after a long battle. She does, in fact, have diphtheria. “The Use of Force” is a story that employs the use of connotative language to convey its socially relevant theme within a brief conflict. William Carlos Williams uses situational irony to support his theme as seen in the quote, “Then I grasped the child's head with my left hand and tried to get the wooden tongue depressor between her teeth

5. The characters 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 doctor the little girl Mathilda parentsThe

6. The point of view The point of view in the story “The Use of Force” 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 The narrator for this story may have been thought of as Williams himself Williams is also a doctor in reality and that is probably the biggest reason for him to make one of the main characters a doctor..

7. .. Since the doctor was the one telling the story that made us, the audience, saw everything through his eyes. We got his perspective on the situation. The main issue that he was having was getting the little girls mouth open wide enough for a long enough period of time. Seeing it through his point of view made us see how and why it was important for him to do this. However, if it had been through another character's point of view we may have had some trouble understanding his reasoning.  

8. Mathilda views the doctor as an enemy, and refuses to talk to him. The parents have asked her and she has said that her throat does not hurt, but the doctor does not believe that they have been told the .So the truth The rage the doctor feels towards his young sick patient is a representation of Williams message, which is the user of force loses his humanity in the minds of others. While irony is used to contrast the loss of humanity the use of symbols reinforces the main theme..

9. Conflict– • The main conflict is between Mathilda and the doctor. The doctor needs to check Mathilda's throat to see if she has Diphtheria, but the girl will not open her mouth.

10. There is also a conflict between the parents and themselves/the doctor. They want to go along with the doctor because they know he must check, but they do not want force or hurt their daughter .

11. The setting It takes place at a family’s home. I think it takes place somewhere in the early 1900's. I think it would make a difference to the story if it were set somewhere else, only because if the sick girl was brought to like a hospital for example, maybe she would have been diagnosed and helped sooner without all the hassle that occurred at the house.

12. The events of the story is simple. It does not seem too complicated and is easy to make sense of. The author makes his points, and plot of the story clear and easy to understand .

13. The theme • The theme in of this story is about the user of the force who loses his humanity in the minds of others. This implicate that not everyone’s means cannot always justify their ends. This theme may not be general but through the story it was build up firmly. The story reflects a social issue on whether force is an applicable method to attain one’s goal or to gain benefits for the majority. Both characters involve, the doctor and the child patient, try to win this fight with a conduct that isn't regulated by social norms. The story indicates a lack of obedience from the girl and self-discipline from the doctor. It is now easier to comprehend how social roles and personal impulses get incorrectly mixed creating a disruptive working environment.

14. Thank You