Sea and Poison
Shusaku Endo's novel The Sea and Poison was published in 1958. Although it is set during World War II, The Sea and Poison is about much more than the war. The novel is about bioethics. The fact that The Sea and Poison is set against the backdrop of one of the bloodiest wars in history is appropriate from a literary perspective. Morality of war is juxtaposed with the morality of self-serving doctors. The decisions that doctors make in their own interest is depicted alongside the decisions that generals make to take prisoners of war and strip them of their humanity. Therefore, Endo's novel is multilayered and complex. The lessons Endo tries to teach through the moral turpitude of The Sea and Poison remain salient today, especially in light of the growing conflicts of interest in a for-profit American healthcare system.
The Sea and Poison is as realistic as it is dystopic. Dr. Suguro is an oddly familiar character, who resembles any number of doctors who and researchers who have struggled with the system of science and medicine. Suguro hides behind the cloak of authority, much as soldiers can during wartime. In Japanese society especially, authority has a strong bearing on a person's actions and perceived moral responsibility....
Poison gas was regarded by many as a weak way to fight and anyone who thought of utilizing it was quickly dismissed. "…any power that used poison gas would inevitably be branded as beyond the pale of civilization for all the time and Cochrane's idea was quietly buried." (Stokesbury 94) However the British did use poison gas during World War I with some success, albeit at the cost of their
Dead Body in War Poetry Analysis of Poets War Poetry War is a brutal reality on the face of history. Thousands of lives have been wasted in the name of battles and millions of people were affected by it. Poet is a rather sensitive part of our society and feels the brutality of war more than a normal individual. During World War I, the world went through havoc during which millions of
According to a report in the New York Times, the level of piracy in Somalia's treacherous waters has fallen sharply in the year 2012. This is according to statistics that were released by the U.S. Navy. This fall is credited by the U.S. Navy to the aggressive patrolling by various international forces as well as increased vigilance by the commercial maritime operators (Shanker). In my opinion, I do believe that ransom
Frankenstein and Enlightenment The Danger of Unregulated Thought in Frankenstein Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; Or, the Modern Prometheus, considered by many to be one of the first science-fiction novels written, is rife with anti-Enlightenment undertones. Shelley's novel, first published in 1818 and republished in 1831, examines the roles of science and religion, and provides a commentary on the dangers of playing God. Considering that Mary Shelley was the daughter of two prominent Enlightenment
Rachel Carson, she asserts that water is our most precious natural resource and goes on to state that "most of the earth's abundant water is not usable for agriculture, industry, or human consumption because of its heavy load of sea salts" (1) and therefore "in the midst of this plenty we are in want" (1). Okay, so let's examine this particular argument; first she says that the earth's abundant water
Most individuals fail to appreciate life to the fullest because they concentrate on being remembered as some of the greatest humans who ever lives. This makes it difficult for them to enjoy the simple pleasures in life, considering that they waste most of their time trying to put across ideas that are appealing to the masses. While many did not manage to produce ideas that survived more than them, others
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