WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30, 2016
Due Thursday, March 31, 2016
Choose ONE of the following questions to respond to in one developed, precise paragraph. Paragraphs will be graded based on elevated diction, level of sophistication, and depth. Proofread your responses before publishing!!!
Response to "Carrie Buck's Daughter" by Stephen Jay Gould (Pages 345-357)
A. What attitudes of the society in which Carrie Buck was reared does Gould want his readers
to analyze and evaluate? Why?
B. Analyze the way Gould uses historical information to demonstrate "guilt by genealogical
association."
The way in which Carrie was reared in “Carrie Buck’s Daughter” by Stephen Jay Gould presents the societal attitude towards reproduction and mental health in the early 1900’s. The stigma the Bucks experienced, in this case regarding sterilization, demonstrates the taboo of these issues during this time. The operation performed on Carrie to sterilize her (for what she thought was appendicitis) was done out of ignorance and an unwillingness to understand and talk about the human psyche. Vivian Buck, Carrie’s daughter, was declared an “imbecile” at the age of six months old, following similar diagnoses of her mother, grandmother, and aunt. This further demonstrates the negative attitude the medical field had towards people who developed differently than the majority. Then, it was inappropriate to speak about issues such as these, simply because it may contradict the traditional handling of “abnormality.” Gould’s aim was to create a better understanding of past mistakes, as well as raise questions about the way we respond to mental health and human rights today.
ReplyDeleteGould uses his historical information to demonstrate the negative attitude the medical field had towards people who developed differently than the majority of others. It was unquestionably inappropriate for a doctor to speak about issues such as these. It may have lead to the contradiction of the traditional handling of abnormalities. Gould’s main goal was to create a further understanding of these past mistakes. While also raising questions about the way we respond to mental health patients, and the rights they are given today.
ReplyDeleteGould wants his readers to understand the social stigma and attitude society had towards female reproduction, and psychological health dating back to the early 1900's. The Bucks faced many adversities, one in particular regarding sterilization. Carrie Gould thought she was having a procedure done for appendicitis, however she was getting sterilized. This action was caused by societies unwilling nature to see the effects of mental health. In the early 1900's mental health was not as advanced as it is today, and even today there are many advancements still to be made. Carrie's daughter Viviane, was later accused of being "imbecile" at the age of six months. Again, this represents another example of ignorant behavior portrayed by the American society. Gould's purpose was to expose the ignorant behavior exemplified by our society in the early 1900's, but also to generate a better appreciation for mental health. As a society we need to learn from our mistakes, and in this case, we need to approach the topic of mental health with an open and understanding mind.
ReplyDeleteThe society in which Carriw Buck was reared in was one characterized as a society with harsh stigmas against many different things such as girls being pregnant out of wedlock, race, mental illness, and receiving treatment for mental illness. However it is the stigma against mental illness that Gould wants his readers to analyze because a fragment of that stigma still exists in today's society. Although today some mental illnesses are glorified and seen as normal or attractive like anorexia, bulimia, depression, and anxiety back in this time period they were seen as atrocious and victims received cruel treatment like sterilization. Gould writes so that his readers stop viewing mental illnesses like so and start seeing them for what they really are.
ReplyDeleteStephen Jay Gould depicts a discriminative society during the 1900's in his essay "Carrie Buck's Daughter". Gould portrays an attitude of degrading unlawfulness and stubborn tradition in the society of Carrie Buck to promote the past flaws in medicine. Through the personal experience of Carrie Buck and her daughter, Gould describes the harsh and unjust treatment medicine has subjected women and disabled personnel to. Through this depiction Gould is able to inspire readers to pause and reflect on their own experiences. Gould's analysis of Carrie Buck's society instils a moral awareness in readers minds. Rather than conforming to unjust views, one should respect all aspects of others, disregarding gender and race, and including those whom are mentally or physically impaired.
ReplyDeleteSocietal attitudes towards mentally ill or challenged groups were aggressively discriminating in Gould's "Carrie Buck's Daughter". Carrie Buck, her mother, sister, and six-month old daughter were all declared imbeciles and therefore had their right to reproduce taken from them for the "good of the public". This was based on the idea that criminals and imbeciles who would further negatively impact society with their kin can be suppressed by laws. But Carrie was never psychologically evaluated before her sterilization and was later proven to be perfectly healthy and stable mentally. Her daughter was never given a fair chance to be evaluated due to her age. In fact, all children develop at different rates, and therefore a truly fair test wouldn't have been made until at least after adolescence. The purpose of the analyzing these negative attitudes towards Carrie Buck's family in society is to chip away at the simplicity of placing others into categories. Things are not always black and white and Carrie Buck was scrutinized because of society's hasty categorization of her and her family. Gould wants his readers to be more accepting and portrays an act of gruesome discrimination as a tool for persuasion.
ReplyDeleteThe major attitude of society of which Carrie Buck was reared in "Carrie Buck's Daughter" was the attitude of the society directed toward the recreation of mental health. There were many difficulties that the Bucks had to go through, one of those being sterilization. Carrie Buck had been sterilized instead of getting a procedure on her appendicitis, which she thought was happening. This was all a result of society being unable to see the effects of mental health. Gould wanted his readers to be able to understand these true effects of mental disorders because this issue still occurs in society today. Meantal disorders are seen as more common in people today than they were in the early 1900s. People used to be given horrible treatments like how Carrie Buck had with sterilization. Gould does not want his readers to view mental illnesses like this again, he wants them to see it as it is. Carrie's daughter Vivian Buck was told to be "imbecile" at that age of only six months. This diagnosis had been given to her mother, aunt, and grandmother as well. This is another perfect example of the wrong attitudes toward people who are just simply different than "normal."
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ReplyDeleteAlexa Belanger
ReplyDeleteCarrie Buck was reared in a society of harsh judgment and lack of exception for those who live different lives than what we call "normal". In Gould's "Carrie Buck's Daughter" people who attained mental illnesses were looked down upon and were severely discriminated against. Carrie Buck and others from her family were forced into sterilization. Carrie believed she was having a procedure done on her appendix but instead the doctors were sterilizing her without her conscious awareness. Carrie, along with her six month old daughter, were sterilized without being tested or having the chance to revolt against their diagnosis of being an “imbecile”. Her daughter was not even at the age of speaking before her right to have children was unethically taken away. I believe Gould wrote this essay to raise our awareness of unethical conclusions about mentally ill people that were formed in the past and to ensure it does not happen again.
Gould wanted his readers to understand the social stigmas that society in the 1900's had towards mental illnesses and other psychological effects. One of the disturbing treatments was female sterilization which we saw in Carrie Gould's Daughter, she thought she was getting a standard procedure done but in reality she was being sterilized. In this time period entail health was not as understood as it is today. Another atrocity portrayed was when Carrie's daughter Viviane was accused of being mentally ill by only six months old which isn't medically correct. Looking back we have improved tremendously on the topic of mental illness but we still have a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteThe way in which Carrie was reared in “Carrie Buck’s Daughter” Gould wants his audience to show how people in in society had a negative attitude toward female reproduction for women with mental illness, out of wedlock and race. The experience that not just the Bucks but women in general that faced sterilization was cruel and disturbing. The idea that if women with mental health issues are not deemed right for child rearing would be sterilized. Children would be tested at young ages to determine if they would be fit for reproduction and if not they would be sterilized at some point. Gould wanted to expose this stigma to his reader in order to reduce the misconception that mental illness takes away the right to bear children and to look at the topic of mental illness with an understanding mind.
ReplyDeleteStephen Jay Gould presents the social stigma and attitude society had placed upon female reproduction and mental health in the early 1900's during his “Carrie Buck’s Daughter.” In a case regarding sterilization, Carrie believed she were to have an appendicitis procedure but ended up being sterilized. It is beyond belief that children would be tested at such young ages to determine if they would be permitted to reproduce, or if they would be sterilized. Carrie’s daughter, Vivian Buck, was later accused of being an “imbecile.” Gould's purpose in writing this piece was to not only create a better understanding of these mistakes and pose questions about human rights and health today, but to reveal the ignorance demonstrated by society at the turn of the twentieth century. Gould believes that we should stop classifying people as their mental illness and start seeing them for who they truly are.
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