Ethics by Linda Pastan

The message Linda Pastan portrays in the poem Ethics is the idea that one can only fully grasp ethics and morals once they mature and have developed experiences in their life. Ethics and morals can only be present once one has gained experienced and developed maturity. The author uses imagery, diction and figures of speech to prove this point. In this poem, a teacher asks her students, if there was a fire and they only had the choice to save a Rembrandt painting or an old woman, which would they save?

The author uses detailed imagery to support the theme. For example when the author states, “sometimes the woman borrowed my grandmother's face” (Pastan, 9-11), the student as a child, is relating to someone they know and not relating to themselves. This shows their lack of understanding and maturity. The character shows that age contributes in the understanding of the question. Another example says, “...old woman, or nearly so, myself...I know now that woman and painting and season are almost one, and all beyond saving by children” (18-24). ). Evidently, the quote is stating that onc...