Hey everybody! If you’re looking for Matt Harding’s “Dancing” video, just scroll down. (Great comments so far, by the way.)
I asked you to read William Carlos Williams’s short story “The Use of Force” for Friday. This post is designed to give you a couple of things to consider after you’ve read the story. I’ll probably bring up these same issues in class on Friday, but feel free to comment here as well.
You might have noticed several moments in the story when Williams uses figurative language (as opposed to literal language). For example, early on the narrator says “The child was fairly eating me up with her cold, steady eyes” (97) -- he means that figuratively, of course. What are some other examples of figurative language in the story? Why do you think Williams chooses to use figurative language sometimes rather than literal language?
Here’s a related question: What is the significance of the title? Sure, it has a literal meaning. But what other, non-literal meanings might it have? This question is another way of asking whether you think the story might have some “symbolic” significance (beyond what literally happens in the story, i.e., a doctor resorting to “the use of force” to treat an uncooperative patient). What other, broader “argument” might Williams be making here?
3 comments:
It seems to me that the strongest "use of force" present in Williams's short story is the force the child, Mathilda, exerts on her parents. Because of the force Mathilda uses, her father chose to "release her just at the critical times" (98). Thus, the previous use of figurative language helps prepare the reader for taking the later part of the story I cited not literally.
Brian Zinser
I think that the author chose the title "The Use of Force" to emphasize in the story the EFFECTS of the use of force. I believe that William Carlos Williams is trying to say that using force leads us to derive a certain pleasure from anger. For example, towards the end of the story, Williams says that the Doctor felt, "It was a pleasure to attack her (99). The figurative language in the story explains to the reader the anger in the Doctor's heart.
No anonymous posts, please.
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