Lesson no. 7
                                               

                                        The Use of Force
                                                                                      

                                                                             (William Carlos Williams)

"Please come down as soon as you can, my daughter is very sick."
When I arrived, I was met by the mother, a big startled looking woman, very clean and apologetic who merely said,"Is this the doctor?" and let me in. She added. "You must excuse us, doctor, we have her in the kitchen where it is warm. It is very damp here sometimes."
The child was fully dressed and sitting on her father's lap near the kitchen table. He tried to get up, but I motioned for him not to bother. I could see that they were all very nervous, eyeing me up and down distrustfully. As often, in such cases, they weren't telling me more than they had to, it was up to me to tell them; that's why they were spending three dollars on me.
The child was fairly eating me up with her cold, steady eyes, and no expression on her face whatever. She did not move and seemed inwardly, quite; an unusually attractive little thing, and as strong as a heifer in appearance. But her face was flushed, she was breathing rapidly, and I realized that she had a high fever. She had magnificent blonde hair in profusion. One of those picture children often reproduced in advertising leaflets and the photogravure sections of the Sunday papers.
"She's had a fever for three days,"began the father, "and we don't know what it comes from. My wife has given her things, you know, like people do, but it doesn't do any good.
And there's been a lot of sickness around. So we tho't you'd better look her over and tell us what the matter is."
As doctors often do, I took a trial shot at it as a point of departure. "Has she had a sore throat?"
Both parents answered me together,"No .... No, she says her throat doesn't hurt her."
"Does your throat hurt you?" added the mother to the child. But the little girl's expression didn't change nor did she move her eyes from my face.
"Have you looked?"
"I tried to", said the mother, but I couldn't see.
"As it happens we had been having a number of cases of diphtheria in the school to which this child went during that month and we were all, quite apparently thinking of that, though no one had as yet spoken of the thing."
"Well,"I said," suppose we take a look at the throat first. I smiled in my best professional manner and asking for the child's first name I said, come on, Mathilda, open your mouth and let's take a look at your throat."
"Nothing doing."
"Aw, come on, "I coaxed,"just open your mouth wide and let me take a look."
"Look," I said opening both hands wide,"I haven;t anything in my hands. Just open up and let me see."
"Such a nice man, "put in the mother."Look how kind he is to you. Come on, do what he tells you to. He won't hurt you."
At that I ground my teeth in disgust. If only they wouldn't use the word "hurt"I might be able to get somewhere. But I did not allow mtself to be hurried or disturbed but speaking quietly and slowly I approached the child again.
As I moved my chair a little nearer, suddenly with one catlike movement, both her hands clawed instinctively for my eyes and she almost reached them too. In fact she knocked my glasses flying and they fell, though unbroken, several feet away from me on the kitchen floor.
Both the mother and father almost turned themselves inside out in embarrassment and apology. "You bad girl," said the mother,taking her and shaking her by one arm."Look what you've done. The nice man......"
"For Heaven's sake," I broke in."don't call me a nice man to her. I'm here to look at her throat on the chance that she might have diphtheria and possibly die of it."But that's nothing to her."Look here", I said to the child,"we're going to look at your throat. You're old enough to understand what I'm saying. Will you open it now by yourself or shall we have to open it for you?"
Not a move. Even her expression hadn't changed. Her breathes, however, were coming faster and faster. Then the battle began. I had to do it. I had to have a throat culture for her own protection. But first I told the parents that it was entirely up to them., I explained the danger but said that I would not insist on a throat examination so long as they would take the responsibility.
"If you don't do what the doctor says you'll have to go to the hospital", the mother admonished her severely.
"Put her in front of you on your lap", I ordered," and hold both her wrists".
But as soon as he did the child let out a scream."Don't you're hurting me. Let go off my hands. Let them go I tell you." Then she shirked terrifyingly, hysterically.
"Stop it! You're killing me!"
"Do you think she can stand it, doctor?" said the mother.
"You get out", said the husband to his wife. "Do you want her to die of diphteria?"
"Come on now, hold her", I said.
Then I grasped the child's head with my left hand and tried to get the wooden tongue depressor between her teeth. She fought,with clenched teeth, desperately!
But now I also had grown furious - at a child. I tried to hold myself down but I couldn't. I know how to expose a throat for inspection. And I did my best. When finally I got the wooden spatula behind the last teeth and just the point of it into the mouth cavity, she opened up for an instant but before I could see anything she came down again and gripped the wooden blade between her molars. She reduced it to splinters before I could get it out again.
"Aren't you ashamed", the mother yelled at her. "Aren't you ashamed to act like that in front of the doctor?"
"Get me a smooth- handled spoon of some sort", I told the mother,"We're going through with this." The child's mouth was already bleeding. Her tongue was cut and she was screaming in wild hysterical shrieks. Perhaps I should have desisted and come back in an hour or more. No doubt it would have been better. But I have seen, at least, two children lying dead in bed of neglect in such cases, and feeling that I must get a diagnosis now or never I went at it again. But the worst of it was that I too had got beyond reason. I could have torn the child apart in my own fury and enjoyed it. It was a pleasure to attack her. My face was burning with it.
In the final unreasoning assault I overpowered the child's neck and jaws. I forced the heavy silver spoon back of her teeth and down her throat till she gagged. And there it was - both tonsils covered with membrane . She had fought valiantly to keep me form knowing her secret. She had been hiding that sore throat for three days at least and lying to her parents in order to escape just such an outcome as this.
Now truly she was furious. She had been on the defensive before but now she attacked. Tried to get off her father's lap and fly at me while tears of defeat blinded her eyes.


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                                                                 Exercises

Q 1. Choose the correct answer.

1. Who is 'I'in the story?

(a) the father  
(b) the doctor
(c) the mother
(d) the sick child


2. The parents were nervous because

(a) they did not want to tell the doctor anything.
(b) they did not know what to say.
(c) they wanted the doctor to tell them everything.
(d) the child did not tell anything.


3. The doctor was impressed

(a) by the beauty of the child.
(b) by the patience of the child.
(c) by the patience of the parents.
(d) by the picture of the child he had seen in Sunday's paper.


4. The doctor took a 'trial shot at it' means

(a) he made a wild guess to begin with
(b) he gave her a shot
(c) he took parents to talk
(d) he examined the girl carefully


5. The doctor feared that the child might be suffering from diphtheria.

(a) from the appearance of the child
(b) the parents told him so
(c) from the examination of the child
(d) he guessed because there had been such cases in a local school


6.The child did not respond to the doctor's instructions because


(a) she was afraid of the doctor
(b) she was a stubborn child
(c) her parents had tried to open the mouth
(d) she was angry


7. The doctor ground his teeth in anger because


(a) the child did not respond
(b) the mother told the girl,"He would not hurt you."
(c) the parents did not let him handle the child.
(d) the child had knocked his glasses.


8. The doctor had almost succeeded in opening the mouth of the girl but failed to see because


(a) the child resisted strongly.
(b) the parental love made the father to release her at the last moment.
(c) the rough handling hurt the child.
(d) the mother stopped him.



 Q 2. Mark the sentences true or false.


Answer:

1) True          2) False              3) True                 4) True                5) True                  6) True


7) True          8) True              9) True



Q 3. Answer the following questions.


1. What was the condition of the parents on the arrival of the doctor?

Ans. The parents were very nervous. They were looking at the doctor distrustfully.


2. What was the behavior of the child with the doctor?

Ans. It was very cold initially and she did not respond at all. Then she became aggressive and knocked his glasses down. She remained violent during her throat examination.


3. She had a fever for three days, hadn't she?

Ans. Yes, she had a fever for three days.


4. Did the girl change her expression when the doctor said,"Does your throat hurt you"?

Ans. She did not change her expression at all.


5.Why did the doctor call the sick girl by her first name?

Ans. The doctor wanted to get friendly with the girl in his professional manner.


6. Did the sick child promptly respond to the instruction of the doctor?

Ans. The sick girl did not respond promptly to the instruction of the doctor. She remained non-cooperative and stubborn.


7. Why did the parents rebuke her?

Ans. The parents rebuked her on knocking the doctor's glasses down.


8. What was the threat of the doctor to the child for not showing her throat?

Ans. The doctor threatened the child that if she did not open her mouth herself, they would open it themselves for her.


9. Why did she break the wooden blade?

Ans. She broke the wooden blade because the doctor had forcefully inserted this blade into her mouth to open it. She was frightened from the throat examination.


10. What was the condition of the tonsils of the sick girl?

Ans. Her tonsils were covered with membrane. It showed that she was suffering from diphtheria.





Q 4. Answer the following questions in 50-100 words.


1.How did the child look by appearance?

Ans. When the doctor had a glance of the child she was fully dressed. She was sitting on her father's lap near the kitchen table. The child had cold and steady eyes. She had expressionless face. She was motionless and seemed inwardly quite. She was an unusually attractive little girl but as strong as a heifer in appearance. Her face was flushed and she was breathing rapidly. She was in high fever. She had magnificent blonde hair, in profusion. She was like one of those picture children often reproduced in advertising leaflets and specific sections of the Sunday papers.


2. Why did the parents keep the sick child in the kitchen?

Ans. The parents had kept the sick child in the kitchen because it was warm there. The mother told the doctor that sometimes there was dampness in the atmosphere. Therefore they thought it better to keep the child away from damp air. She was suffering from fever. It is normally advised by the doctors that children should be protected against chill and cold when they get fever.There is always a chance of pneomonia or severe chest congestion. They also wanted to save her from epidemic.


3.How did the doctor succeed in examining her throat?

Ans. When the doctor found that the child was not willing to examined in a normal congenial manner he had to apply force for that. She had also reduced the wooden tongue depressor to pieces by gripping it when he was able to insert it in her mouth.
The doctor demanded a silver spoon, overpowered the child's neck and jaws and forced the heavy spoon back of her teeth and down her throat till she gagged. That was how he saw her tonsils covered with membrane.


4. Describe the feelings of the doctor in his struggle to diagnose the disease.

Ans. The doctor behaved in a professional manner smilingly but the girl was unwilling. When the mother told her that the doctor would not hurt her the doctor ground his teeth at that because it alarmed the child much more.
When the girl knocked his glasses he became irritated and threatened the child. He inserted the wooden spatula in her throat but she broke it into pieces. The doctor felt that he could tear the child apart  in his fury and enjoyed it. He felt pleasure to attack her. His face was burning with rage. Finally he succeeded in diagnosing the disease by the use of force.


5. Compare and contrast the conduct of a healthy child and a sick child.

Ans. It is said that  child is healthy when he takes active part in life. If a child is passive and does not respond or react to the voices or gestures we must consult a doctor. Parents should observe their children very minutely. If they are doing unusual things or behaving differently they should take them to the doctor. A sick child always remain dull and he do not take part in lively things whereas a healthy child always take part in games and other activities.



6. Under what circumstances the use of force can be justified?

Ans. Sometimes children betray their parents to get their unnecessary demands fulfilled. Mothers have more tender feelings towards kids. Normally they spoil the kids by giving them undue favour and shelter. If they feel that they do not pay heed to their instructions they should use force to save their children from becoming culprit.
Anything that a child say is not necessarily true. They should not be trusted blindly. Parents must be very keen about their activities. They should save their children from developing incurable habits in future. When love spoils, force improves.



Q 5. ANSWERS:


1. When I arrived I met my mother.
2. I motioned for him not to bother.
3. I moved my chair a little nearer.
4. She knocked my glasses flying and they fell.
5.I explained the danger.
6. They grew more and more crushing.
7.Then she shrieked terrifyingly.
8.Then I gasped the child's head with my left hand.
9. She opened up her mouth for an instant.
10. She reduced it to splinters before I could get it out again.


Q 6.  Punctuate the following lines.

does your throat hurt you added the mother to the child but the little girls expressions did not change nor did she move her eyes from my face.


Answer:


"Does your throat hurt you?" added the mother to the child. But the little girl's expressions didn't change nor did she move her eyes from my face.



Q 7. Use the following words in your sentences.

Words                                                 Sentences                    

Start                                               He started going to library.

Motion                                           I motioned him to stay there.

Trust                                              She did not trust him.

Magnificent                                    We saw a magnificent building in the village.

Leaflet                                           I receive different leaflets daily.



Q 8.
Answers:

1) to
2) up
3) at
4) of
5) in



Q 9. Use the following phrasal verbs in your own sentences.

Phrasal verbs                                                  Sentences

Sit on                                                          He has been sitting on my application for a month now.

Sit in                                                           I was allowed to sit in on an executive meeting.

Come from                                                  Where do you come from?

Come off                                                    That mark will not come off




Q 10. Answer the questions given at the end of the paragraph.

Then I grasped the child's head with my left hand and tried to get the wooden tongue depressor between her teeth. She fought,with clenched teeth, desperately!
But now I also had grown furious - at a child. I tried to hold myself down but I couldn't. I know how to expose a throat for inspection. And I did my best. When finally I got the wooden spatula behind the last teeth and just the point of it into the mouth cavity, she opened up for an instant but before I could see anything she came down again and gripped the wooden blade between her molars. She reduced it to splinters before I could get it out again.


1. Why did the doctor become furious?

Ans. The girl resisted violently against her throat examination. It was quite necessary so the doctor became furious to have a look at her tonsils.


2. What instrument did the doctor use to open her mouth?

Ans. He used the wooden spatula to open her mouth.


3. Why did she grip the wooden blade between her molars?

Ans. She gripped the wooden blade between her molars and reduced it to pieces because she was angry. She did not want her throat to be examined.


4. Write down the main idea of the paragraph.

Ans. The sick girl did not want her throat to be examined by the doctor. She was suffering a lot so it was necessary for the doctor to have a look at her throat. He used force to examine her and she reacted violently by breaking the wooden spatula.