giuseppe Flashcards
“she, it,”
dehumanising pronoun
- frequent use of commas indicate hesitation
- dehumanising the mermaid, correcting themselves to justify their actions
“had never learned to speak because she was simple”
“fish cant speak”
“only a fish”
- implications that she is an inferior form of human
- contradicting beliefs, do they believe she is an unintelligent form of human or not human
- part of the justification of their actions
“the priest who held one of her hands whilst her throat was cut”
- priest acts as a comfort to her
- priest has ulterior motives for comforting her - he is deceitful
- corruption of his role as a priest
“but she screamed like a woman in terrible fear”
simile, raises the question of humanity
screamed = indicates her human qualities
“this was proof she was just a fish
and anyway an egg is not a child”
“but refused when some was offered to him”
- doctors justification that she is not human
- doctors confusion, contradiction to justification
“Then they put her head and her hands
in a box for burial”
- physically separating the ‘human’ parts from the ‘fish’
- unable to fully convince themselves she’s not human
“wedding ring”
“the ring stayed put”
proof of her humanity
- possibility of a connection with another human
- man made object
“starvation forgives men many things”
- in extreme situations, the trad moral norms and values don’t apply
- reliable on primitive survival instincts
= the uncles justification
“the aquarium keeper”
- responsible for he mermaid
- he betrayed the mermaid, morally responsible for her death
“but couldn’t look me in the eye”
shows his guilt
- cant forgive himself (older vs younger gen)
“for which I thank god”
- speakers relief he still has morals
- portrays a critical attitude of the older generation who have made unacceptable moral decisions
The Priest
- represents the moral and spiritual authority of religion
- minimises his own authority in order to dehumanise the mermaid
- the priest has sinister qualities - offering spiritual consolation whilst actively assisting in her murder
- his moral and spiritual role in the community is corrupted
The Doctor
- represents the power of science
- minimises his own authority in order to dehumanise the mermaid
- the doctor insists that the mermaid isn’t human, despite refusing to eat her eggs (although they are a delicacy)
Giuseppe
- he defends the murder to the speaker, claiming there are situations where survival overrides morality
- the poem is named after him to focus the reader on the complex moral dilemmas people face when living in these extreme circumstances
