Do you think "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" is about innocence versus evil, or is it a story about a world in which everyone is morally questionable? Explain.
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Personally i think the book is about how one's morals can be extremely questionable. When one looks at how the story had about three main characters and one of them cannot speak or possibly process information. It is rather apparent that both of the remaining characters are trying very hard to con eachother into doing what they want. when Mr. shiflet first shows up and focuses on the car it is rather apparent that he is absolutly focused on ataining that car for his own use in life. along those same lines it is rather apparent when the mother makes a comment about not giving up the daughter for a coffin filled with jewels. it seems as though the mom wants to get rid of the daughter in any way she can. as does Mr. shifley want to attain that car and get on his way. the last straw takes place when Shiftley leaves the Lucynell at the diner. when 2 out of 3 characters in a stroy are con artistis and morally questionable that should send off flags. the bells really start to ring when the 3rd character cannot speak to express her emotions. this story absolutely portrays that everyone is morally questionablle in life at some time or costantly.
I think "The life you save may be your own" is a story that questions the good in everyone. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins and a major human flaw. In the story, Mr. Shiftlet stops at nothing in order to get what he wants. He ditches the daughter at the hotspot and tricks the woman in order to get her car. Mr. Shiftlet starts out as a decent seeming man, but by the end we see how he really is. It makes us wonder, if someone really wanted something, no matter how good of a person they are, would they go to extreme measures? A little bit of greed lies within everybody, and everyone will have to battle with it at some point in time in their life. This story shows us that know matter who you are, or what kind of person you are, everyone has the ability to change before our eyes, and do things that disgust us.
I think this story is about how people and their morals are questionable. For example, Mr. Shiftley appeared innocent, but hiddenly he was sneaky and just wanted to use the two women. This shows how you can never fully tell how a person is just by watching their actions because the person's actions might be for hidden, evil reasons. Many people may appear on the right track when you meet them because they may want to just make a good impression to get something in return, but really they may be terrible people. It's hard to really know a person's morals until you fully know them and also it is very hard to see if you fully just know a person. I agree with Brock, when he says that because the 3rd character cannot speak, it shows how morals are questioned in the story. She can not express how she feels on certain things, so therefore no one can really know her and her morals. This story fully states how morality can be questioned with mostly all people.
Just to be different, I'm going to say the the story is about innocence versus evil. The daughter, Lucynell is obviously innocent due to being deaf and silent for 30 years. On the opposite end of the spectrum are Mr. Shiftlet and the old woman who are constantly trying to con each other, and in the end they con poor Lucynell. Her mom manages to get Mr. Shiftlet to marry her so she won't be her problem anymore, and Mr. Shiftlet abandons her. Despite what Hollywood tells us about Superman, Spiderman, whichever good guy you choose always rising above evil, in "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" evil won against innocence.
In literature, the author of the piece often imbeds a certain theme, moral, or lesson that he or she feels is a key part of life. In "The Life You Save May Be Your Own," the author, Flannery O'Connor, shows his belief that everyone is a person that is morally questionable. I base my opinion upon two simple arguments. Primarily, the author shows this through his characters and dialogue. For instance, it is seen in the old lady who despite being of a fairly innocent position (a little old lady) is still very questionable. She often thinks of getting rid of her child, and getting work for less than it is worth. Also it is seen in a particular speech made by the man in which he states that he could tell the woman anything and she would not know the difference. Further more the author never brings up the theme of a battle between good and evil. Although he does mention innocence frequently, he never truly shows any struggle between the two. For these two reason, I feel that the story was meant to show the moral questionability among the people in that society.
I believe "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" portrays a world in which everyone is morally questioned. Each of the three character the in the story go about their business in hopes of satisfying their own pleasures. They don't care how they affect the other two characters while seeking their pleasures. Mr. Shiftlet, while seeking to gain a car, does numerous things that put his morals in question. He claims that he doesn't care about money while continueally asking for more, abandons his deaf wife at a dinner, and bluntly lies to the mother all throughout the story. The mother readily gives away her only daughter in hopes of gaining and keeping a man around her house to order around. I have to disagree with Brock and Mandy about how, because the daughter cannot speak, we cannot be sure of her morals. It seems to me that she desperatly wishes to have constant attention. She is always following Mr. Shiftlet around, never bothering about weather he minds or not, and when she learns how to say "bird," she says it all the time, enjoying the new way to get people to notice her other than screaming or falling. In this way, everyone of the three main characters is morally questioned at one point or another during the story. At least, that's what I think :)
“The Live You Save May Be Your Own” is clearly not about innocence versus evil, but how everyone has questionable morals. No one is depicted as purely innocent and well-intentioned or as purely evil. Both the old lady and Mr. Shiftlet are fighting for their own personal gain, although neither is portrayed as a thoroughly evil person. Mr. Shiftlet wants the car and perhaps some money, while the old lady wants someone to stay and do work around the house with no cost to her. Both of them claim at some point in the story to have the daughter’s best interest at heart, but neither of them live up to this claim, as both of them shamelessly use her to try to get what they want. In conclusion, “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” is a story about how all people are morally questionable.
i just want to start off by apologizing for any major or minor typing errors in my journal entry up front. its not the easiest thing in the world to type with a cast, but i hope my general point will get across. i believe that "the life you save may be your own" is a story questioning the good in humans. characters in the story are tempted by things that their hearts desire, and these people go to drastic measures to attain these desires. mr. shiftlet wants the car, and thinks that he would go as far as to marry a deaf girl to get it. he ends up marrying her but doesnt end up staying with her. once he gets the car he abandons all other commitment and takes off on his own. the mother is so eager to get rid of her daughter that she marries her to a sly, crooked man like mr. shiftlet. she doesnt know where her daughter will end up and apparently she doesnt really care. these characters are just looking out for themselves and dont care about the outcome for others. this really tests each reader to look deep inside himself and think about how much greed he has inside. we all have some, some just not as much as others.
Flannery O'Connor's "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" is a short story portraying the questionable morals in every person alive today. O'Connor uses the protagonist, Mr. Shiftlet, and the old lady to show that many people do not care who they hurt as long as they get what they want. Mr. Shiftlet's questions and comments throughout the story show that he knows that there are icky people in society; he knows because he is one of them. I think that a part of the story that is not seen very well in the view of Lucynell. I'm sure not many people have thought to care but how would it feel to be used like that. Both ends were just looking to get what they want. Kind of a bird walk but I think that is just another way of showing that everyone has evil side.
The story, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" seems more like a story to show that everyone is morally questionable, rather than innocence verses evil. Both the Old Lady, and Mr. Shiftly seem like sleazy people. The Old lady says that she would never give away her daughter, not even for a casket full of jewels, but then she ends up paying Mr.Shiftly seventy-five dollars to marry her. She also says she only has seventy five dollars, but according to Mr.Shiftly he's sure she has more stashed away up in her room. The thing that bothered me most about the old women was that she said her daughter was fifteen or sixteen when she was really thirty. Mr. Shiftly obviously is a little corrupted also. He pretty much took the old ladies money and car, and left his wife at the hot spot. The only innocent person in this story was the daughter. I find it interesting that the only one that's innocent is the one that can't hear, or talk. With out her disabilities I would imagine that she would be just as bad as the other two. When it comes down to it everything has a price, and if given enough temptation practically anyone would do something morally questionable.
I think the story is about how questionable ones morals are. In my opinion the daughter in this story was the only person that hadnt put upa fake front in order to get something they wanted. Mr. Shiftley acts as though he would like to marry the daughter so he can get the car that he wanted and then he leaves her in a n eating establishment. THe mother puts up a fake front and talks aboput how wonderful her daughter is and that she wouldnt ever give her up. This was all in the plan to get Mr. Shiftley to think that the daughter was something special and the mother could then get rid of her. THe world is full of people putting up fake fronts to trick people into giving them what they want.
Truthfully, in "Then Life You Save May Be Your Own," I believe that the story is more about evil versus evil with both sides using the innocent as a pawn or pawns than "a world in which everyone is orally questionable". The two evils are trying to con each other into getting what the other con possesses. I see it that way because of the girl. It couldn't or shouldn't be about a morally questionable world because there was one character, the deaf girl, in the whole story that was completely or relatively pure and living the "perfect life", seeing everything as a child sees it, according to some Transcendentalist views. The girl is the innocent pawn of the others' game to get what they want. If the whole world was morally questionable, what would be the point of writing the story? Satires are defined as a story attempting to bring about change. In a truly morally corrupt world, no one would want to change their ways or try to tell others to change their's. The writer would be corrupt also. There wouldn't even be this story.
In my opinion, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" is a story about a world in which everyone is morally questionable. Out of all of the three main characters in the story, the mother and the man, Mr. Shiftley, are only concerned for the betterment of their lives. The mother would like to get rid of her deaf daughter, but she fakes a front, saying that her daughter is the sweetest in the world. She also states that she would not give her up to any man. The man however, is taking advantage of the woman and her daughter, because he wants the car. In order to get it, he must marry the woman's daughter, so he is also putting up a fake front, saying that he would take good care of her. It is then apparent that Mr. Shiftlet was only using the daugher when he leaves her at the Hot Spot. All in all, I believe that this story is about a world in which everone is morally questionable, rather than innocence versus evil.
I think that "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" is about people whos morals are questionable. When Mr. Shiftlet comes into the story his only worry is how to attain the car. He is willing to do anything to get the vehicle. Also, the mom's main goal is to get rid of her daughter. She cons Mr. Shiftlet into marrying her daughter so that she wont be such a burden to the mother anymore. Neither of them really care about the daughter. They are just focusing on what they want and it shows how their morals are questionable.
In my opinion, the story is definitely about the questioning of one's morals. Each and every individual possesses greed at different levels. Although Mr. Shiftlet is considered "the bad guy", we can all relate to him in some aspect. The story teaches us to be careful about who we trust because there is always a side to everyone that nobody sees. We all do what we can to get the things we want, only he took it much further than most people would. His desperation is definitely noticeable, making him the anti-hero that he is. It shows the unfortunate truth that some people take advantage of other people, much like Mr. Shiftlet took advantage of the daughter. In order to feel completely safe with people you must learn to not completely trust them until you've seen all sides to them.
I feel that 'The Life You Save May Be Your Own' depicts a world in which everyone's morals are ultimately questionable. Everyone in the story, it seems, has their own agenda- except for the deaf Lucynell. When Mr. Shiftlet arrives, the narrative describes how he sees the car, and seems to suggest that he wants it. All his actions from that point on are manipulative, trying to get himself into a position where he can somehow get the car. Likewise, the old woman's actions after first seeing Mr. Shiftlet are to get him marry her daughter, an end which she pursues with as much tact and cunning as Mr. Shiftlet himself. In addition to this, the boy Mr. Shiftlet picks up on the road seems to have his own reasons for running away, leaving us, the audience, questioning his morals in a way as well.
In "the life you save may be your own" i think it is a story about a world in which everyone is morally questionable. You don't have a story of Good Cop Bad Guy, or Hero versus evil villan, no you have a story of a man trying to con a woman out of a car, but the woman is trying to con the man into a wife. It's something that you would'nt see anywhere else, its something that you muse say, we'll i don't quite know exactly if i agree with that. You see that not all old ladies are nice and sweet. You see that not all travelers are kind and polite. You see that you have two cons trying to get something from the other. Maybe it's getting rid of a wife, of maybe it's just as simple as getting a car. We live in a world where everyone has questionabel morals
17 comments:
Personally i think the book is about how one's morals can be extremely questionable. When one looks at how the story had about three main characters and one of them cannot speak or possibly process information. It is rather apparent that both of the remaining characters are trying very hard to con eachother into doing what they want. when Mr. shiflet first shows up and focuses on the car it is rather apparent that he is absolutly focused on ataining that car for his own use in life. along those same lines it is rather apparent when the mother makes a comment about not giving up the daughter for a coffin filled with jewels. it seems as though the mom wants to get rid of the daughter in any way she can. as does Mr. shifley want to attain that car and get on his way. the last straw takes place when Shiftley leaves the Lucynell at the diner. when 2 out of 3 characters in a stroy are con artistis and morally questionable that should send off flags. the bells really start to ring when the 3rd character cannot speak to express her emotions. this story absolutely portrays that everyone is morally questionablle in life at some time or costantly.
I think "The life you save may be your own" is a story that questions the good in everyone. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins and a major human flaw. In the story, Mr. Shiftlet stops at nothing in order to get what he wants. He ditches the daughter at the hotspot and tricks the woman in order to get her car. Mr. Shiftlet starts out as a decent seeming man, but by the end we see how he really is. It makes us wonder, if someone really wanted something, no matter how good of a person they are, would they go to extreme measures? A little bit of greed lies within everybody, and everyone will have to battle with it at some point in time in their life. This story shows us that know matter who you are, or what kind of person you are, everyone has the ability to change before our eyes, and do things that disgust us.
I think this story is about how people and their morals are questionable. For example, Mr. Shiftley appeared innocent, but hiddenly he was sneaky and just wanted to use the two women. This shows how you can never fully tell how a person is just by watching their actions because the person's actions might be for hidden, evil reasons. Many people may appear on the right track when you meet them because they may want to just make a good impression to get something in return, but really they may be terrible people. It's hard to really know a person's morals until you fully know them and also it is very hard to see if you fully just know a person. I agree with Brock, when he says that because the 3rd character cannot speak, it shows how morals are questioned in the story. She can not express how she feels on certain things, so therefore no one can really know her and her morals. This story fully states how morality can be questioned with mostly all people.
Just to be different, I'm going to say the the story is about innocence versus evil. The daughter, Lucynell is obviously innocent due to being deaf and silent for 30 years. On the opposite end of the spectrum are Mr. Shiftlet and the old woman who are constantly trying to con each other, and in the end they con poor Lucynell. Her mom manages to get Mr. Shiftlet to marry her so she won't be her problem anymore, and Mr. Shiftlet abandons her. Despite what Hollywood tells us about Superman, Spiderman, whichever good guy you choose always rising above evil, in "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" evil won against innocence.
In literature, the author of the piece often imbeds a certain theme, moral, or lesson that he or she feels is a key part of life. In "The Life You Save May Be Your Own," the author, Flannery O'Connor, shows his belief that everyone is a person that is morally questionable. I base my opinion upon two simple arguments. Primarily, the author shows this through his characters and dialogue. For instance, it is seen in the old lady who despite being of a fairly innocent position (a little old lady) is still very questionable. She often thinks of getting rid of her child, and getting work for less than it is worth. Also it is seen in a particular speech made by the man in which he states that he could tell the woman anything and she would not know the difference. Further more the author never brings up the theme of a battle between good and evil. Although he does mention innocence frequently, he never truly shows any struggle between the two. For these two reason, I feel that the story was meant to show the moral questionability among the people in that society.
I believe "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" portrays a world in which everyone is morally questioned. Each of the three character the in the story go about their business in hopes of satisfying their own pleasures. They don't care how they affect the other two characters while seeking their pleasures. Mr. Shiftlet, while seeking to gain a car, does numerous things that put his morals in question. He claims that he doesn't care about money while continueally asking for more, abandons his deaf wife at a dinner, and bluntly lies to the mother all throughout the story. The mother readily gives away her only daughter in hopes of gaining and keeping a man around her house to order around. I have to disagree with Brock and Mandy about how, because the daughter cannot speak, we cannot be sure of her morals. It seems to me that she desperatly wishes to have constant attention. She is always following Mr. Shiftlet around, never bothering about weather he minds or not, and when she learns how to say "bird," she says it all the time, enjoying the new way to get people to notice her other than screaming or falling. In this way, everyone of the three main characters is morally questioned at one point or another during the story. At least, that's what I think :)
“The Live You Save May Be Your Own” is clearly not about innocence versus evil, but how everyone has questionable morals. No one is depicted as purely innocent and well-intentioned or as purely evil. Both the old lady and Mr. Shiftlet are fighting for their own personal gain, although neither is portrayed as a thoroughly evil person. Mr. Shiftlet wants the car and perhaps some money, while the old lady wants someone to stay and do work around the house with no cost to her. Both of them claim at some point in the story to have the daughter’s best interest at heart, but neither of them live up to this claim, as both of them shamelessly use her to try to get what they want. In conclusion, “The Life You Save May Be Your Own” is a story about how all people are morally questionable.
i just want to start off by apologizing for any major or minor typing errors in my journal entry up front. its not the easiest thing in the world to type with a cast, but i hope my general point will get across. i believe that "the life you save may be your own" is a story questioning the good in humans. characters in the story are tempted by things that their hearts desire, and these people go to drastic measures to attain these desires. mr. shiftlet wants the car, and thinks that he would go as far as to marry a deaf girl to get it. he ends up marrying her but doesnt end up staying with her. once he gets the car he abandons all other commitment and takes off on his own. the mother is so eager to get rid of her daughter that she marries her to a sly, crooked man like mr. shiftlet. she doesnt know where her daughter will end up and apparently she doesnt really care. these characters are just looking out for themselves and dont care about the outcome for others. this really tests each reader to look deep inside himself and think about how much greed he has inside. we all have some, some just not as much as others.
Flannery O'Connor's "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" is a short story portraying the questionable morals in every person alive today. O'Connor uses the protagonist, Mr. Shiftlet, and the old lady to show that many people do not care who they hurt as long as they get what they want. Mr. Shiftlet's questions and comments throughout the story show that he knows that there are icky people in society; he knows because he is one of them. I think that a part of the story that is not seen very well in the view of Lucynell. I'm sure not many people have thought to care but how would it feel to be used like that. Both ends were just looking to get what they want. Kind of a bird walk but I think that is just another way of showing that everyone has evil side.
The story, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" seems more like a story to show that everyone is morally questionable, rather than innocence verses evil. Both the Old Lady, and Mr. Shiftly seem like sleazy people. The Old lady says that she would never give away her daughter, not even for a casket full of jewels, but then she ends up paying Mr.Shiftly seventy-five dollars to marry her. She also says she only has seventy five dollars, but according to Mr.Shiftly he's sure she has more stashed away up in her room. The thing that bothered me most about the old women was that she said her daughter was fifteen or sixteen when she was really thirty. Mr. Shiftly obviously is a little corrupted also. He pretty much took the old ladies money and car, and left his wife at the hot spot. The only innocent person in this story was the daughter. I find it interesting that the only one that's innocent is the one that can't hear, or talk. With out her disabilities I would imagine that she would be just as bad as the other two. When it comes down to it everything has a price, and if given enough temptation practically anyone would do something morally questionable.
I think the story is about how questionable ones morals are. In my opinion the daughter in this story was the only person that hadnt put upa fake front in order to get something they wanted. Mr. Shiftley acts as though he would like to marry the daughter so he can get the car that he wanted and then he leaves her in a n eating establishment. THe mother puts up a fake front and talks aboput how wonderful her daughter is and that she wouldnt ever give her up. This was all in the plan to get Mr. Shiftley to think that the daughter was something special and the mother could then get rid of her. THe world is full of people putting up fake fronts to trick people into giving them what they want.
Truthfully, in "Then Life You Save May Be Your Own," I believe that the story is more about evil versus evil with both sides using the innocent as a pawn or pawns than "a world in which everyone is orally questionable". The two evils are trying to con each other into getting what the other con possesses. I see it that way because of the girl. It couldn't or shouldn't be about a morally questionable world because there was one character, the deaf girl, in the whole story that was completely or relatively pure and living the "perfect life", seeing everything as a child sees it, according to some Transcendentalist views. The girl is the innocent pawn of the others' game to get what they want. If the whole world was morally questionable, what would be the point of writing the story? Satires are defined as a story attempting to bring about change. In a truly morally corrupt world, no one would want to change their ways or try to tell others to change their's. The writer would be corrupt also. There wouldn't even be this story.
In my opinion, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" is a story about a world in which everyone is morally questionable. Out of all of the three main characters in the story, the mother and the man, Mr. Shiftley, are only concerned for the betterment of their lives. The mother would like to get rid of her deaf daughter, but she fakes a front, saying that her daughter is the sweetest in the world. She also states that she would not give her up to any man. The man however, is taking advantage of the woman and her daughter, because he wants the car. In order to get it, he must marry the woman's daughter, so he is also putting up a fake front, saying that he would take good care of her. It is then apparent that Mr. Shiftlet was only using the daugher when he leaves her at the Hot Spot. All in all, I believe that this story is about a world in which everone is morally questionable, rather than innocence versus evil.
I think that "The Life You Save May Be Your Own" is about people whos morals are questionable. When Mr. Shiftlet comes into the story his only worry is how to attain the car. He is willing to do anything to get the vehicle. Also, the mom's main goal is to get rid of her daughter. She cons Mr. Shiftlet into marrying her daughter so that she wont be such a burden to the mother anymore. Neither of them really care about the daughter. They are just focusing on what they want and it shows how their morals are questionable.
In my opinion, the story is definitely about the questioning of one's morals. Each and every individual possesses greed at different levels. Although Mr. Shiftlet is considered "the bad guy", we can all relate to him in some aspect. The story teaches us to be careful about who we trust because there is always a side to everyone that nobody sees. We all do what we can to get the things we want, only he took it much further than most people would. His desperation is definitely noticeable, making him the anti-hero that he is. It shows the unfortunate truth that some people take advantage of other people, much like Mr. Shiftlet took advantage of the daughter. In order to feel completely safe with people you must learn to not completely trust them until you've seen all sides to them.
I feel that 'The Life You Save May Be Your Own' depicts a world in which everyone's morals are ultimately questionable. Everyone in the story, it seems, has their own agenda- except for the deaf Lucynell. When Mr. Shiftlet arrives, the narrative describes how he sees the car, and seems to suggest that he wants it. All his actions from that point on are manipulative, trying to get himself into a position where he can somehow get the car. Likewise, the old woman's actions after first seeing Mr. Shiftlet are to get him marry her daughter, an end which she pursues with as much tact and cunning as Mr. Shiftlet himself. In addition to this, the boy Mr. Shiftlet picks up on the road seems to have his own reasons for running away, leaving us, the audience, questioning his morals in a way as well.
In "the life you save may be your own" i think it is a story about a world in which everyone is morally questionable. You don't have a story of Good Cop Bad Guy, or Hero versus evil villan, no you have a story of a man trying to con a woman out of a car, but the woman is trying to con the man into a wife. It's something that you would'nt see anywhere else, its something that you muse say, we'll i don't quite know exactly if i agree with that. You see that not all old ladies are nice and sweet. You see that not all travelers are kind and polite. You see that you have two cons trying to get something from the other. Maybe it's getting rid of a wife, of maybe it's just as simple as getting a car. We live in a world where everyone has questionabel morals
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