Pastan's "Ethics"

This story is a perfect example of how we are as humans. It is said we think we know everything when we are young adults, but the truth is we don’t know anything. I think half of that statement is usually true for most of us, and the other half is not as true as it seems. We really don’t know much, but we also know that. Sometimes we try to cover it up with fancy language or making a bold decision, but the fact of the matter is, we are just bluffing; we are just doing whatever it takes to get by. In this poem the main character is faced with a question of whether to save an old lady or a “sacred” painting. Every year the students have to decide something, but most of the time it isn’t a heartfelt, thought out decision. This is true not only in this ethics class, but in most decisions in a young person’s life. We don’t think about how things might affect us in the future, or even more importantly, how it affects others.

We also see how the perspective changes as we get older. All the situations we have been asked about suddenly become more than just hypothetical and we have to make a decision that will carry weight. All of the things we thought would never affect us are things we begin looking in the eye. The character probably never thought she would see the day when there might actually be an old lady looking at that painting, let alone have it be her.

I love when a poem speaks to the reader in such a tangible way. As literature students, we don’t necessarily think the things we are reading in our classes are going to have a significant impact on us. And while some of them may not, there will be those that (forgive the cliché) change our lives whether we see it now or not.