A friend of mine who teaches at a big Midwestern university recounts in class the events of her first week as a reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune. She was sent to Duluth to cover Democratic presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey on the campaign trail. When they were introduced, Humphrey vigorously shook her hand. “Oh yes, Susan,” he said, “I read your stuff all the time.” He couldn’t have read her stuff, though; she hadn’t written anything yet. “Just a few words,” she explains to her students, “but words that taught this fledging reporter a great lesson about pols and the little lies they tell.”
I usually find occasion during the semester to quote I. F. Stone’s dictum, “Every government is run by liars and thieves, and nothing they say should be believed,” to make the same point. But Susan’s story makes the point better. That’s because it has existential force. Her story vividly captures in a way a secondhand quote can’t the realities of a reporter’s life.
Some might think telling “war stories” is a waste of precious class time. I’ve a colleague who didn’t want to fall into the “trap” of regaling students with stories ad nauseam (“which, let’s face it, is easier than teaching or grading,” he said). So one semester he kept track. When he toted it all up at the end, he was surprised that he’d used less than an hour - out of 45 – talking about his newspaper experiences. And yet, he admitted, it was his stories that students seemed to remember most.
“Stories teach us how to live,” Daniel Taylor said in his essay, “The Ethical Implications of Storytelling.” What he meant was that stories preserve our experience for contemplation and evaluation. Although not all stories carry a heavy message, there’s an entire category of stories, so-called “exemplary tales,” that are told to convey a moral.
Our war stories are potentially just such tales. They can provide evidence, in ethicist John Barton’s words, of “how real human beings live through various crises and trials and remain human.” My colleague who kept tabs on his storytelling has described his stories as cautionary. Most, he said, deal with “screwups I learned from.”
But sometimes the storyteller and the audience can’t agree on what exactly the moral of a story is.
When Susan was a cub reporter on the Tribune, she interviewed the Beatles, who were on their second tour of the States. She got into their hotel room by dressing up as a waitress in an ugly, mustard-colored uniform and accompanying an actual room service waiter upstairs. Ringo took one look at her little plastic name tag – it read “Donna Brown” – and snorted, “What kind of name is that?” The waiter nudged her in the side. “Tell them what you real name is,” he urged. She did, as well as her reason for being there. Rather than throw her out, the Beatles politely answered her questions. They even let her phone for a photographer. The next day her story ran on the front page, with a photo of John sitting at a table and looking up at her and laughing as she poured coffee in his cup. She still has a glossy print of that photo somewhere.
Many of Susan’s students think she’s nuts for not having the photo hanging up in her office. They also think she’s nuts for saying she’d never participate in the same kind of stunt today. To her celebrity-struck students, disguising herself as a hotel waitress to get an interview with the Beatles seems soooo cool. They lose all sight of the fact that it wasn’t a story of vital public interest that demanded undercover methods.
Susan intends one lesson when she talks about her hard day’s night, but her students, living in a paparazzi-saturated culture, draw another. “It may be a lost cause,” she remarked to me.
Or maybe not. Negotiations over what the point of a story is can be part of the point of the story. In the process of negotiating, we test different interpretations, try out different themes. This is helpful. This is educational. Lawrence Kohlberg, the Harvard psychologist famous for his research on the stages of moral development, contended that “the teaching of virtue is the asking of questions. . . not the giving of answers.” Stories don’t necessarily have to yield clear moral rules to be of value. It’s enough sometimes if they just give us something to think about.
22 comments:
I think that Meghan's attitude toward ethics is that you should do the right thing. I believe that the poem is about being yourself and you are yourself whether you are sleeping or awake. I like the quote, "Nothing can reach you not even the agitated ghosts of ancient philosophers." This shows that when you are asleep no one can influence the way you think and no one can alter your decisions.
Also, I feel like her attitude towards ethics is if you see something report it. Report the truth. The poem states, "SO why wake you to see the firelight...with a piece of poisoned apple caught in her throat." I take that as if you awake from your sleep or if you are out on an assignment and you see something that is morally wrong. The job of a journalist is to report it. This goes hand and hand with the SPJ code. The book, Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies, also states that you have to seek truth and report it. The book also states reasons when it is OK not to report on the truth. "When codes offer contradictory advice, one hopes that journalists will take the time to think long and hard about the options available to theme," 55. This shows that sometimes the code of ethics may be wrong. For example, if you re reporting on a crime that occurred it may be safer not to report names because you may be putting someone's life in danger.
I think the poet thinks that her attitude is untouchable. I feel that she thinks no one can bother her or talk to her. She is in her own world. When you are sleeping it is like you are in your own world. No one knows what you are thinking or what you are dreaming about. You are alone to be who you want to be.
In the book good work is defined as, "Labor that earns high marks both technically and morally," 50. "It is work that is both excellent in quality and socially responsible," 50.
I believe that good work can be done, but it could be morally wrong. For example, when I was interning for a newspaper I was faced with an ethics question. The question was whether to publish a quote or not. The quote, I think, would have hurt the Town Supervisor, because he said it, but it would have made my article stronger. In the end after speaking with my editor I did not publish it. I would have felt bad if I published it and then he got demoted or fired. I would have the guilt on me.
I feel Meghan does conform to Stocking's concept of good work. Although journalists have to report the truth sometimes people are not going to like the truth.
"Seek truth and report," that saying is like part of the journalism Bible. I feel that Meghan's poem is telling us to do that. The book also tells us to do the same thing, but if you come across a situation that is morally wrong or just does not feel right think about the decision you want to make.
I would argue that the poem To Megan, Asleep in Ethics Class describes Meghan’s attitude towards ethics as ignorance. “As if what people are is all they’ll ever be / you close your eyes / and it’s suddenly night everywhere and always,” reads the poem. This line reveals that Meghan shuts out any form of ethical or moral ideas by turning away from the morally right decision. My interpretation of the people and the night refers to Meghan’s inability to decipher between individuals and their wishes, such as privacy. According to S. Holly Stocking’s work What Is Good Work?, the code of ethics is used to seek truth and report it, but it also “... counsels reporters to minimize harm by respecting the privacy of people who are not public figures,” (55). Meghan would surely fail in this approach given her tendency to close her eyes and avoid ethical desicions in the darkness of night.
I believe that the poet would think of her attitude as detrimental to herself. Her actions of avoiding the truth in darkness and making unethical decisions may be seen as successful in the shortcomings, but are in fact harmful. “So why wake you to see the firelight / beating frantically on the walls of Plato’s cave / when your sleeping face is beautifully composed / like that of fairy-tale princess / with a piece of poisons apple caught in her throat.” The quote from the poem reveals the firelight as ethics and seeking the morally right action. Avoiding making an ethical decision may seem as if it’s the right action, and it may cause success such as wealth and beauty, but in reality such unethical decisions may lead to harm. For example a piece of poisoned apple caught in her throat or the loss of her career. The poet wants Meghan to open her eyes to ethics.
I would argue that Meghan does not conform to S. Holly Stocking’s concept of “good work.” As was mentioned earlier, Meghan is living in this veil of darkness where she closes her eyes and there’s night everywhere. This reveals her turning away from ethics which are sacred. This was also mentioned in Stocking’s work where she used an example from The Absence of Malice. Meg Carter ran the story of Michael Gallagher’s strong alibi of assisting Teresa Perrone in getting an abortion. The poem and the work are the same in that both characters are ignorant of people’s privacy and silence both their “conscious and moral imagination,” (53) in order to succeed.
Both characters ignore ethics in order to achieve their desires. Megan in the poem, though is beautiful and successful, is harming herself. Meg Carter in Stocking’s work is getting the story out and doing all that is possible to succeed, even if it means harming others. This could cause complications among sources, editors and the publication itself.
I think that Meghan's attitude, like previously stated, is one of ignorance. Meghan does not see the importance of ethics and feels as if what she sees in front of her is all that there is. There is no discussion or room for debate. Everything is just "words" to her and she is dead (like a princess who ate a poisoned apple) to intelligent discussion.
The allusion to the allegory of the cave showcases her ignorance as well. Meghan is like the chained people in the shadows, believing that the shadow puppet show they constantly see is reality. There is nothing else. The "firelight" is intellect and discussion. The poet understands that Meghan wants to believe reality is black and white and does not want to be awoken to learn.
Meghan does not conform to S. Holly Stocking's concept of "good work". She is not seeking out ethically sound decision making skills. She is turning a blind eye to ethical discussion and won't learn anything. S. Holly Stocking states, "If good work requires attention to both the technical aspects of one's job and to the moral implications of one's work, bad work clearly requires indifference to one or both of these." Meghan is clearly indifferent to ethics and because of this she does not conform to the concept of "good work"
I believe that Meghan's attitude towards ethics is one of disregard and indifference. She's resigned to her own views of the world, and doesn't even attempt to entertain the idea of ethical advancement or discussion. She believes that her world is reality for all, which is evident in her closing her eyes "and it's suddenly night everywhere and always".She is blissfully ignorant, sleeping soundly while matters of extreme importance and controversy are being examined and taught.
The poet's response to Meghan's attitude is bafflement that anyone could possibly sleep when ethics are being discussed. The poet is so consumed by examining ethics that it's as if "the agitated ghosts of ancient philosophers" are "swirling around our hot basement classroom" and if even this cannot stir an interest in her then perhaps it's better to let her sleep. I think that the portion that says "why wake you to see the firelight beating frantically on the walls of Plato's cave" means that even if she were awake, Meghan would only be seeing the shadows of reality and would be tricked just like the prisoners in Plato's cave. Rather than alert her to these ugly truths, the poet lets her sleep even if what's keeping her so happily sedated is ultimately harming her.
Without question, I'd say that Meghan fails to conform to Stocking's concept of "good work". This is because it's defined by adhering to both good technical work as well as being morally good. In Meghan's case I think she fails to do both of these things. By neglecting the importance of ethics Meghan would be incapable of approaching a situation correctly on a technical level because she has failed to educate herself and wouldn't know how to fully understand a situation before acting. "Sleeping" through life and assuming everyone shares the same experience can also lead to immoral decisions, even if it is simply the result of ignorance. As in the case of Meg Carter, ignorance is no excuse for bad judgement calls and the decisions we make can have very real repercussions.
I believe that the poem “To Meghan, Asleep In Ethics Class” is about reporting the truth, and that if you see something you should report it. I think that she does not take ethics into consideration at all. The line “nothing can reach you not even/ the agitated ghosts of ancient philosophers” shows that she does not think of doing what is ethical, she just does what she feels needs to be done. According to S. Holly Stockings, when following the code can become tricky “…one hopes that they will thoughtfully consider, as a utilitarian might, the consequences of their actions for everyone involved” (55). Meghan would not think of anyone else in a tough situation and just do whatever she wants or needs.
I believe that the poet thinks of Meghan as being harmful to her surroundings and to herself. Not thinking about ethics can lead you to hurting your sources, co-workers, and business by misleading their trust and exploiting them. It can also cost you your career. I think the author wants Meghan to re-evaluate her thoughts on ethics so that she can try to prevent doing anything unethical.
Therefore, I would argue that Meghan does not conform to S. Holly Stockings concept of “good work”. She is not open to learning about ethical decision-making or discussions.
Meghan has a dismissive attitude towards ethics. She feels as though if she ducks her head and rests, the entire argument will simply pass over her head. On the surface, this seems to do the trick. Her "sleeping face is beautifully composed/like that of a fairy-tale princess." However, the next line shows us that that is not the case. The "poisoned apple" is a double metaphor---it refers to both the poisoned apple of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the apple from the Tree of Life. The irony is, in attempting to avoid the ethical conundrums of life, Meghan failed to remove herself; her choice is still an answer to the question. She is not detached; she has simply given up, and in failing to address the question has failed at the question. Nothing, not even sleep, is removed from the holistic nature of ethics.
"Good Work" is a combination of earning high marks both technically and morally. In failing to face up to the ethical question, Meghan earns very low moral marks. She is weak, and her method of avoidance simple does not work. I suppose she also fails technically, because the nature of her choice is technically unsound, doesn't achieve what she wants, and leads her to a poor moral place.
Meghan’s attitude is of ignorance and indifference. She doesn’t feel the need to pay attention because of some notion that people are who they are and there is no way to change that or anything to learn from it. The poet seems resentful of her attitude. The poet alludes to Plato’s allegory of the cave stating, essentially, there is no use showing Meghan the firelight that projects the false shadows of her world on the wall because it would be wasted on her. It’s better to let her sleep in her ignorance than try to reach her who does not want to me reached. Meghan does not fit within S. Holly Stocking’s concept of good work. This concept “requires attention to both technical aspects of one’s job and the moral implications of one’s work.” Meghan fails in both these regards. By sleeping she is paying no attention to ethics, which is the basis for understanding how to operate morally in the journalism profession. Her indifference in the class shows a lack of interest in learning fundamental technical skills in the profession to operate as a productive journalist. In chapter 4 of our reading, S. Holly Stocking makes a reference to Megan Carter, a character from the movie Absence of Malice, having either not been to journalism school or having slept through it due to her lack of doing good work. Megan Carter uses immoral practices to obtain information and ignores the fundamental rules of journalism to obtain a story that ends up bringing a bad name to herself and her paper. Had she done good work she could have found the real story at hand.
Meghan appears to not care about what is going on in ethics class. Maybe she had a hard night? I don't know but what I do know is that if she's had a hard night she should have had a cup of coffee and made herself stay awake. Maybe she thinks that the class doesn't matter? Well then that leads us to believe she has no intention of being ethical later on in her career. Is she even being ethical by sleeping in class? No I do not think so at all.
Meghan has shrouded herself in darkness, and she has left the door to learn about and discuss ethics closed. This says something about her and how she feels about ethics. My thoughts would be that she either does not care, or believes that the ethical values that she already abides by are set in stone. She is not open to learning anything else, and she believes that what she is doing is right.
The author I feel is very obviously agitated and disapproves of Meghan's sleeping habits and ethical habits. She shuts herself down in order to not have to pay attention and the author is not okay with that. The poisoned apple, or her inability to pay attention in class will ultimately kill her, until she wakes up and sees the light of what she could be learning while she's fast asleep. She is not conforming to S. Holly Stocking's idea of "good work" because she is not being open to learning about ethics. If she's asleep, what is there to learn? Nothing. All she sees is darkness and her own thoughts, and there is probably nothing new to learn there.
I agree that Meghan's attitude is one of indifference and disregard; she does not wish to learn about ethics and she does not practice it in her classroom. Most people know that to fall asleep in class is disrespectful to your professor and your peers as well as wastes money you are spending to get a degree, all of these things make for an unethical student. She has shut her eyes and shut out the morally right decision from her mind.
Because she is so closed off to learning anything new she is not conforming to S. Holly Stocking's idea of "good work." "you close your eyes
and it’s suddenly night everywhere and always."She has closed her eyes and her mind and does not want to gain knowledge, even though she knows she should.
I think the poet views Meghan's behavior as offensive and detrimental to herself. This is illustrated in the lines "when your sleeping face is beautifully composed
like that of a fairy-tale princess
with a piece of poisoned apple caught in her throat"
She is dead to everything around her. She has poisoned herself with her disregard and indifference.
Meghan certainly seems ignorant of ethical teachings. The explicit references to Plato's allegory of the cave makes it clear that Meghan is not one of the enlightened ones who has fought their way out of the cave--she is, instead, asleep, dead to the possibility of a truer world. She is entertained by the shadows, semblances of real life and real concepts of important things: love, death, morality.
Indeed, morality seems to be a foreign, ungeffable concept to Meghan--the ethical concepts she is sleeping through hearing are "just words." The philosophers who composed these words are dead now, just "ghosts," unworthy of her attention. If Meghan cannot pay attention to these basic moral concepts and sleeps through the class meant to help her learn how to make important decisions that will affect her journalistic career, how can we expect her work to be "good?" Stocking defines good work as something that holds up ethically and professionally. Meghan seems to have an extraordinarily lax attitude towards both.
I believe Meghan does conform to the idea of “good work” and but is doubtful of “ethics” as an idea. In the poem’s first stanza she begins with “as if”. I interpret this as meaning that people can always change and do always change even if they think otherwise. What we are today may not be so tomorrow. She goes on to talk about the ease of merely shutting ones eye and ignoring the world--or ignoring any given problem. It’s easy to not take action, and by doing so you avoid exposing yourself to immediate criticism. She later alludes to snow-white—fairy tales in general—which adds a sense of unattainability to the idea of “truth” and “ethics”.
Perhaps, she is conflicted because she can look good by not having to make a meaningful decision to report something. In the final stanza though, she admits that while you can look good outwardly, like the sleeping princess, on the inside it’s unsettled—represented by the poisoned apple.
Meghan conforms to the idea of “good work” because she understands that her actions have consequences. She understands that the “technical aspects of her job and moral implications of her work” have consequences. Even though she is torn, as it appears she it in her poem, and considers taking a path of inaction that does not detract from her acknowledgment of the concept of “good work”. Even the code of ethics is somewhat torn. It contradicts it self as well while trying to satisfy all possible aspects of ethical dilemmas. Trying to decipher what is truly ethical from a contradictory document would make me, at the very least, consider shutting my eyes and doing nothing.
Meghan is not conforming to S. Holly Stocking's concept of "good work". But few people do. The poem alludes to the difficulty of incorporating ethical decision-making into our lives. It's simpler to forgo deep examination of life's choices. It's easier to sleep. The inertia that acts on our work and academic lives favors this. Thoughtful, purposeful, questioning or dissent is difficult, often met with suspicion and seen as a hindrance.
Why would Meghan choose to wake from her sleep and look at the "firelight beating frantically on the walls of Plato’s cave"? Plato says that if someone were to look into the fire, their eyes would hurt and they would "turn away and flee [back] to that which she is capable of looking at."
Although Meghan is asleep, unreachable by the lessons and wisdom of "ancient philosophers," I don't think that the author has completely forsaken her. Ignorance has a root cause, which like the poisoned apple that puts Snow White into a deep slumber, can be addressed. Like Plato's cave-dweller, someone may have to come over and drag Meghan out of her slumber in order for her to see the sun light.
I think¬ that a good word to describe the attitude of Meghan in this poem would be apathetic. The metaphor of her closing her eyes and “it is night everywhere and always” is alluding to the fact that she is shutting out the lessons of philosophers past while sleeping in class. I think that Meghan is characterized as an individual who sees people as stagnant, never changing and ignores the lessons of ethics.
In the second part of the poem where the narrator is speaking at Meghan he says that these are “all just words.” Essentially in one ear and out the other. The rhythm is so refreshing in my opinion. I love the end. It feels like the sarcasm comes to the forefront and the sarcastic message hits her in the face. “Your sleeping face beautifully composed like that of a fairy tale princess.. .with a piece of poisoned apple in her throat.” The rhythm smacks Meghans face with the message that her ignorance is bliss but it will be the end of her.
I do not think that Meghan is capable of “good work.” This is just my opinion, but I think that Ethics is a mix of morals and technicalities. I think that ethics is the scale that weighs these two and the resulting action can be ethically wrong or right. If she dismisses Ethics than she is incapable of “good work.”
It can "be difficult for individuals who don't know or don't care what is expected of them." By Meghan sleeping through her class (to you it's just words/so why wake you to see the firelight) she is indifferent to the value of ethics. She is not demonstrating malice, but just like in the chapter, the absence of malice does not equal good ethics. In Ethics class light is cast into the part of the profession that you may not otherwise think of during your writing/reporting and gives the student journalist something to think about. Meghan sleeps and the poet does not wake her and force her to see beyond her own existing opinions (as if what people are is all they'll ever be/you close your eyes).
Refusing to acknowledge that more things hang in the balance of journalism than simply telling a story; but that you will have to make decisions, choose to include or omit things which are said, and forge relationships with other people, will not prevent Meghan from facing those dilemmas only she will not have any ethical study to draw upon. (Like that of a fairytale princess/with a piece of poisoned apple caught in her throat.)
Meghan's attitude towards ethics is that she does not care. She dismisses anything involving ethics, ignoring any potential group discussion or debate. She could care less about Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, etc. Meghan cares about taking naps, slipping into eternal darkness, where nothing can reach her, where she cannot see any light, can barely even see what's in front of her. The poets response is confusion and disbelief that anyone could be so ignorant towards ethics, debates, wisdom, and healthy discussion with what is going on in the world. Perhaps for Meghan, ignorance is bliss. I believe someone like Meghan simply cannot handle anything involving ethics, let alone any discussion involving thought and sincerity. She is a lifeless drone, no cares in the world, seeks darkness, can only handle what's right in front of her, no grasp of time or where the light is. With that said, Meghan does not conform to S. Holly Stockings concept of "good work". She does not conform into this concept because she is not interested in ethically sound decision making skills.
I didn't really know how to interpret the poem. I believe that Meghan has a careless attitude towards ethics. Either that, or she was just caught on a bad day. From the first line of the poem, "As if what people are is all they’ll ever be you close your eyes," it seems as if Megan has no hope for people, as if ethics are a lost cause to her.
If ethics are unimportant to Megan, if her sleeping in class proves a disinterest in learning or discussing questions of ethics, if she lacks hope that people, even those who may have made unethical decisions in the past, are capable in the future of making ethical choices founded on principles of morale, then Megan does not confirm to S. Holly Stocking's concept of good work. I say this because how can she do "good work," if ethics are unimportant to her? Some people who decide to make unethical, especially in the field of journalism, have taken some sort of ethics course and knew what they were doing was wrong but did it anyway. Whether you are a journalist or not, in order to do "good work" you have to be conscious of the decisions you are making, especially when doing a service for people.
Like many people have previously stated, I believe that that Meghan's poem portrays an opinion of ethics as ignorance. I don't believe that she disregards ethics, I think that she's taking more of an "ignorance is bliss" stance. “So why wake you to see the firelight beating frantically on the walls of Plato’s cave,” in other words, why wake up from a reverie to face the trials and tribulations of daily life. If one stays asleep and is ignorant to the world of ethics, one may be at peace. I’m not saying I agree with this stance, I think it is a naïve way of thinking, however I find it entertaining. When Meghan states, “your sleeping face is beautifully composed
like that of a fairy-tale princess,” it is just another piece of proof of her “ignorance is bliss” opinion. Her childlike prose is similar to a fairy tale princess because during her slumber in ethics class, she is dreaming in a world that doesn’t exist. A world without ethics is unreal, like that of a fairy tale.
Meghan’s attitude toward ethics is pretty obvious that she doesn’t care. She lays on her desk in class and sleeps while her teacher is giving a lecture and is rude to the professor. The poet thinks her attitude is not good. He describes that love death etc. are just words to her that they have no meaning and she doesn’t understand or want to understand ethics. He describes her, “ when you’re sleeping face beautifully composed like that of a fairy-tale princess with a piece of poisoned apple caught in her throat.” For me my understanding I think he’s describing her filled with so much potential, but she has been influenced by the wrong people and it has poisoned her into doing the wrong things.
While it is rude of Meghan, I think that she can conform to S. Holly Stocking’s concept of “good work.” We don’t know if this is the first time that she has fallen asleep in class, we don’t know the back ground of why she fell asleep in class. She could have been up all night with people or herself at the hospital, her mother or father could be sick, or other extenuating circumstances that contributed to her falling asleep. Everyone makes mistakes it’s how you fix your mistakes and make them better. Ethics is someone’s feelings or morals that tells them what is right or wrong. Did she make an ethical decision the night before staying up all night and help in someone in need? I think you have to look deeper into why she’s sleeping.
In the poem "To Meghan, Asleep In Ethics Class," the subject's attitude towards ethics seems to be that of indifference, if not total disregard. Sleeping during class, interpreted literally, demonstrates a boredom with the curriculum or professor. To sleep during class, one must feel the subject is dull or unimportant. To analyze the poem more deeply, "asleep in ethics class" can be seen as a metaphor for someone who has such seems not to possess a moral compass, or lacks knowledge of ethical decision-making processes. The poem seems to embody the joke, "Oh, you missed have missed that day in school," in reference to a lack of knowledge on any given subject. The poet's attitude towards the subject is both resentful and apathetic- "so why wake you to see the firelight," as in, why bother. The last few lines of the poem, "when your sleeping face is beautifully composed/like that of a fairy-tale princess/with a piece of poisoned apple caught in her throat" could be interpreted as implying that Meghan's journalistic career will be dead on arrival, sans ethical journalistic training. Meghan does not represent that concept of good work. Good work consists of "labor that earns high marks both technically and morally," and "work that is excellent in quality and socially responsible." Because sleeping during class is not labor, but the absent of, it can not be technically or morally excellent. Meghan's "work" is not of good quality and is actually socially irresponsible, if we are to assume that Meghan will continue her journalistic career without a background in ethics.
After reading the poem, "To Meaghan, Asleep in Ethics Class," it is more than obvious that Meaghan lacks in ethics and has no interest in being in class. I don't know who this disrespect's more, the professor or her parents who are most likely paying for her part of her tuition. Meaghan could care less about her own ethics, let alone those that she should be learning about.
The poet obviously thinks that Meaghan has a poor attitude towards ethics, since she is just falling asleep in class. Her attitude screams, "I don't care" as she is sleeping with that apple poisoned with disrespect is lodged in her throat. It seems the author is mocking/combining the two Disney stories of "Snow White" and "Sleeping Beauty." Could it be possible that Meaghan needs to be kissed or maybe slapped with reality and morals to wake up and pay attention to her professor?
In the book, in S. Holly Stocking's, "What is Good Work?', Stockings says, "If good work requires attention to both the technical aspects of one's job and to the moral implications of one's work, bad work clearly requires indifference to one or both of these." If I didn't know better, I would think that Stocking was sitting right next to Meaghan when writing that. First off, good work requires attention, and obviously Meaghan is not giving that because she is asleep in class. Meaghan is not giving attention to the technical aspects of her job or the moral implications of her work, in addition to her lack of attention, because she is too busy sleeping and blatantly disrespecting her professor and fellow students.
In the back row, behind the conveniently large computer screen, Meagan lays her head sideways on the desk, one eye slightly open. Her professor spews of some ethics related nonsense. Meagan catches certain words and phrases here and there like prickly thorns that itch and burn. She was hiking through a field. Meagan had bought an apple on the way to class at the convenient store. It was the last of the green shiny ones in the barrel. She loved the green shiny ones. They reminded her of her 10th birthday party when her father filled an old wash tub with her favorite shiny green apples and ice cold water from the lake. With nothing but butterflies in their stomachs, Meagan and her friends hungrily baptized themselves in the old wash tub. One by one, her and her friends dunked their heads in the water mouthing for Gods forbidden fruit. Head submerged, she felt the cool water circle the backs of her ears, muted cries of laughter seemed miles and miles away. It was just her. She was free in a dark sea of green and grey. Near the bottom of the ocean she saw a shimmering stone emerald. The second of breath she had left was spent obtaining a blissful undersea kiss. She remembered her teeth crisply puncturing its skin and with that a surge of sunny bright color and flavor. Then darkness. She woke up warm in her fathers arms. She was wrapped in her favorite pink blanket. They watched the movie Snow White on video cassette, staying there until Meagan fell asleep. She always fell asleep before the end of the movie.
“As if what people are is all they’ll ever be”
Everyone that come to class are somewhat similar, studying at a university, being a student, living away from home,,etc. However, not all of us have the same values and ways of thinking.
To some, one lecture in class may be a life changing experience. To others, it may just be an hour of content of lecture for the next midterm exam.
Meghan’s attitude towards ethics can be seen as though she only chooses to hear or see what she wants to believe is right. “and it’s suddenly night everywhere and always” makes the reader imagine a barrier to other information, facts that Meghan does not want to take in. “nothing can reach you not even teh agitated ghosts of ancient philosophers” explains how thick her barrier is, her strong stance on her value. She knows what she thinks is right and wrong, and will not accept what is different.
The author is not furious with her attitude, however. The author understands her different value of ethics, and rather than her conflicting against the author’s ideas, she decides to let it go and not let it linger through her mind.
Post a Comment