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Section One: Introduction
Imagine being told that you do not have the right to choose what you do with your own body. You are presented with a situation that you are not mentally, physically, or financially prepared for, but you are told that you are not allowed an opinion that could change the outcome. You are forced to deal with it, ruin your life for the next eighteen years because you made a mistake and you do not have the option of fixing it. During the 1980’s, those against abortion attempted to get a constitution amendment passed that would ban abortions nationally (Newsman). In 1985, John Irving published the novel The Cider House Rules, discussing the topic of the right to choose and how it affects those who are denied it. He uses
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By utilizing a more proper tone, he presents his argument objectively, thereby making it more effective. This is seen most often in the dialogue of the characters, such as Homer and Dr. Larch, the main protagonists. Their speech patterns do not fully match up with other characters presented in the book, but rather they have a more educated way of speech. This can best be seen between Homer and the apple pickers at Ocean View Orchards when “he realized that when the men were not making an effort to be understood by a white person, he couldn’t understand them at all” (Irving 324). This formal way of speaking stems from Larch’s background, with his education and medical knowledge giving him the opportunity to learn how to speak in a more sophisticated manner. Homer, spending most of his childhood with Larch and studying medical books, picked up the same type of …show more content…
The readers see Homer grow up, see how he becomes acquainted with the people in his life that influence him and his beliefs. By watching Homer grow up, the audience becomes connected to him. An attachment develops between the reader and character, allowing the reader to truly get a sense of Homer’s mindset and why Homer decides to return to St. Cloud’s at the end of the novel and carry out Dr. Larch’s legacy, even if it is not what he believes in. He says in the novel that “I think [abortion] is wrong, but I also think it should be everyone’s personal choice” Irving (431). He also states that “[an embryo] is a baby to me” (Irving 174). The audience learns of these details and Homer’s reasoning to believe that a fetus has a soul. He came to the realization that he does not believe in abortion at a young age, but the readers see him progress throughout the years and see why he does decide to return to St. Cloud’s to carry out his mentor’s
Homer, and Richmond Lattimore. The Odyssey of Homer. New York: Harper & Row, 1967. Print.
In Judith Jarvis Thompson’s article “A Defense of Abortion” she explores the different arguments against abortion presented by Pro –Life activists, and then attempts to refute these notions using different analogies or made up “for instances” to help argue her point that women do have the right to get an abortion. She explains why abortion is morally permissible using different circumstances of becoming pregnant, such as rape or unplanned pregnancy.
January 22, 1973, a monumental ordeal for all of the United States had come about, which was that abortion was legalized. It was the Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade that made us take a turn into this political issue. In this case Jane Roe (Norma McCorvey) was an unmarried woman who wasn’t permitted to terminate her unborn child, for the Texas criminal abortion law made it impossible to perform an abortion unless it was putting the mother’s health in danger. Jane Roe was against doing it illegally so she fought to do it legally. In the court cases ruling they acknowledged that the lawful right to having privacy is extensive enough to cover a woman’s decision on whether or not she should be able to terminate her pregnancy.
This essay examines and critiques Judith Jarvis Thomson’s, A Defense of Abortion (1971). Thomson sets out to show that the foetus does not have a right to the mother’s body and that it would not be unjust to perform an abortion when the mother’s life is not threatened. For the sake of the argument, Thomson adopts the conservative view that the foetus is a person from the moment of conception. The conservative argument asserts that every person has a right to life. The foetus has a right to life.
Steiner, George, and Fagles, Robert, eds. Homer: A Collection of Critical Essays. Twentieth Century Views, ed. Maynard Mack. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall, 1962.
Over the course of the last century, abortion in the Western hemisphere has become a largely controversial topic that affects every human being. In the United States, at current rates, one in three women will have had an abortion by the time they reach the age of 45. The questions surrounding the laws are of moral, social, and medical dilemmas that rely upon the most fundamental principles of ethics and philosophy. At the center of the argument is the not so clear cut lines dictating what life is, or is not, and where a fetus finds itself amongst its meaning. In an effort to answer the question, lawmakers are establishing public policies dictating what a woman may or may not do with regard to her reproductive rights.
When I started watching The Cider House Rules I did not know what to expect. I came into this experience completely blind, as I did not watch the trailer or read any of the movie reviews beforehand. In retrospect, I am glad I did this because it prevented me from forming any biased opinions before I watched the movie. The Cider House Rules focuses on many controversial topics such as abortion and incest. It is a coming of age story about a boy named Homer and how he struggles with his own personal demons involving his adoptive father Dr. Wilbur’s work. Throughout the movie Homer meets various other characters that help open his eyes to how the world works and make him rethink his views
The debate of abortion continues to be a controversial problem in society and has been around for many decades. According to Jone Lewis, “In the United States, abortion laws began to appear in the 1820’s, forbidding abortion after the fourth month of pregnancy” (1). This indicates that the abortion controversy has been debated far back into American history. Beginning in the 1900’s, legalized abortion became a major controversy. In 1965, all fifty states in the United States banned abortion; however, that was only the beginning of the controversy that still rages today (Lewis 1). After abortion was officially banned in the United States, groups such as the National Abortion Rights Action League worked hard on a plan to once again legalize abortion in the United States (Lewis 1). It wasn’t until 1970 when the case of Roe (for abortion) v. Wade (against abortion) was brought...
Choice, what is choice? Choice is the right, power, or opportunity to choose. Everybody in society has a choice and these choices have many outcomes. A woman’s right to choose to have an abortion or not, is her fundamental right. If society outlaws abortion, society is interfering with the woman’s right to make decisions related to her own body. Many theorists believe that sexuality is what divides women from men and makes women less valuable than men; keeping this concept in mind it can be said that gender plays an immense role in social inequality. In one of Thomas Jefferson’s speeches, he explains how we should never put at risk our rights because our freedom can be next. (lp. org 2007) Roe.V .Wade is believed to have been the United States Supreme Court’s decision that resulted in the dawn of the abortion controversy between pro-choice and pro-life advocates, and whether what the woman is carrying is simply just a fetus or a life, the debate is endless. The social-conflict theory reflects the inequality women face regarding abortion in society which brings about a negative change. If a woman’s right to choose would be taken from her then this would cause social inequity. Taking a women’s right to choose would mean taking her freedom and taking freedom away from any human being would imply inequality.
In conclusion, laws are passed for a reason in most cases it is to help, not hinder nor harm. Some may argue the Supreme Court should have not passed the bill in 1972 while others believe it is the women right to choose to have an abortion. Even though there will always be the naysayers in the back trying to do away with the law, there too will always be women like myself willing to exercise their right to choose. When the smoke clears and the dust settles, only the women who experienced such events in their life should speak on the psychological effects of abortions. However, I do know, as the poet so puts (Banh, 2014) it, I knew them all though faintly, I loved them all and I will always have an open space in my heart for all my un-born children.
Controversy and arguments that were setbacks in the ongoing battle for women’s rights, specifically the right to an abortion, were put to slight a rest with the landmark verdict of Roe v. Wade. The revolution in reproductive rights caused by Roe v. Wade evolved from a spark in the hearts of women everywhere. When women claimed their rights as humans, that was when the face of women’s equality in all aspects started to change. The case of Roe v. Wade was the official legalization of a woman’s constitutional right to get an abortion in the United States, but the aftermath of any case is what makes or breaks the future laws and regulations. Through all of the restrictions, regulations, and loopholes, Roe v. Wade’s verdict stuck and continued to
Abortion is arguably the most controversial topic in all the issues revolving around reproduction. Women of all different races, classes, and religions have been practicing abortion since before the colonial era in America. The laws pertaining to abortion have changed many times, adding and removing discrepancies and stipulations throughout many years, and still to this day. The views of abortion in society during different time periods have also changed and adapted. At the time of Sarah Grosvenor’s decision to abort, the laws pertaining to abortion did not make the act fully illegal. However in years after Grosvenor’s case abortion was outlawed. The law played a minor part in women’s decisions to have an abortion, however society, and gender played the most prominent role in the decision of abortion.
Homer begins to see why people might have abortions and why, in some cases they might be justifiable and worth while. Homer’s viewpoint changes when he encounters Rose’s situation, where he sees the unfortunate events take place right before him and he starts to really understand why a person might want to have an abortion in situations like Rose’s. Homer preforms the abortion for Rose because he knows her well, he knows her reasoning behind wanting to have the abortion and he knows that she will most likely have a hard time continuing to a have a happy life if he does not preform her
With so many women choosing to have abortions, it would be expected that it would not be so greatly frowned up, yet society is still having problems with its acceptance. Every woman has the fundamental right to decide for herself, free from government interference, whether or not to have an abortion. Today, more than ever, American families do not want the government to trample on their right to privacy by mandating how they must decide on the most intimate, personal matters. That is why, even though Americans may differ on what circumstances for terminating a crisis pregnancy are consistent with their own personal moral views, on the fundamental question of who should make this personal decision, the majority of Americans agree that each woman must have the right to make this private choice for herself. Anti-choice proposals to ban abortions for “sex-selection” or “birth-control” are smokescreens designed to shift the focus of the debate away from this issue and trivialize the seriousness with which millions of women make this highly personal decision. Any government restriction on the reasons for which women may obtain legal abortions violates the core of this right and could force all women to publicly justify their reasons for seeking abortion.
Homer is said to have been blind and told his stories orally. Because the facts of Homer’s life when he was born or died, where he lived, who he was- remain unknown and shall most likely never be known. Many scholars have doubted the existence of a “Homer” and point to his texts as the work of a collection of authors over a long period of time.