Ambiguity

In his 1997 essay, Philippe Fontaine addresses the issue of ambiguity in Smith’s account of sympathy. He notes how many commentators, such as Philip Mercer, have argued that Smith fails to clarify whether sympathy involves imagining oneself as another person or whether it involves imagining oneself in another person’s situation. Fontaine calls the first instance “empathetic identification” and the latter “partial empathetic identification.” While he notes that Smith did not have a term for the…

In Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold, the reliability of the narrator is suspect as he relays the tragicomic story while adopting an omniscient and bias persona despite being a character in the story, creating a sense of ambiguity in regards to the murder. By relaying the story 27 years later, the narrator’s primary source of information is the amalgamation of memories of the townspeople, who all have contradicting and non-linear remembrances of the event. “Many people…

in the Pharmacopornographic Era, Beatriz Preciado uses their body and their body of work as a means of transing theory. Put another way, B.P. uses a genre bending approach to writing theory to attempt to articulate the lived experience of gender ambiguity. B.P. challenges normative conceptions and understandings of bodies, theory, and modes of production in an attempt to explain the queer body. To do so, B.P. employs the radical approach of simultaneously queering oneself and queering theory.…

alternatives, he allows the readers to interpret the significance of sin and morality on their own, leaving more of the story to the readers’ imagination instead of planting his views and ideas in their minds. Through using the contrasts of paradoxes and ambiguity, Wilde is able to express ideas that possess a deeper meaning than that of the superficial words. When Lord Henry speaks to Dorian about the immorality of influence, he essentially confirms the existence of a moral order that Wilde…

introducing the book's narrator. Nick Carraway manages to charm the reader by appearing more humble and honest than just about anyone in the novel. However, Nick may not be the reliable source he initially appears to be. Indeed, there is a great deal of ambiguity in his tone. Chapter One shows Nick's charming but ambivalent mix of self-deprecatory wit, bemusement, and uncertainty. Nick includes many self-critical details to show that he has a realistic view of his own flaws. This does set him…

her second major non-fiction work, which is called, “The Ethics of Ambiguity”. What are ethics and ambiguity? Ethics is the moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity while ambiguity can be defined as not having one obvious meaning or interpretation. So how can we relate human existence to ambiguity? According to Shannon Mussett, a professor of philosophy mentioned, “In The Ethics of Ambiguity, she developed an existentialist ethics that condemned the…

In Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, both authors demonstrate a form of moral ambiguity. Each author’s moral ambiguity is slightly different which is understandable do to the two different cultures each author is presented. In the novel Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, the main character, Marlow, proves himself to be morally ambiguous because he is willing to go on his European expedition to Africa yet he seems to despise the events he sees there in…

Seven Types of Ambiguity What is a short story? When thinking of a short story what comes to mind? A short story consists primarily of three key elements. These elements are characterization, conflict, and theme. Shirley Jackson’s story, “Seven Types of Ambiguity”, is a very good example when thinking of a short story. The story consists of all three elements characterization, conflict, and theme. In her story, Shirley Jackson creates an atmosphere of the unknown. A.M. Homes said, “The…

Ambiguity is a key component of stirring up arguments among people. Rog Phillips’ The Yellow Pill fires off ambiguity on all cylinders as it acts to draw the reader to debate between if Doctor Cedric Elton is sane in thinking he is on earth, or if Gerald Bocek is correct in claiming that the story takes place on a spaceship. Using tools such as crime accusations and anecdotal evidence from both Cedric and Gerald that they are correct, Phillips attempts to draw two sides out of the reader: space…

Different people have various views on morals of “good” and “bad”, with many viewpoints conflicting with each other. Depending on one’s perspective, others who see themselves as sincere are truly cruel in the eyes of others. However, there are situations where the line between good and evil blur. This concept is often employed in many stories as a useful tool to progress the story into a unique perspective. In The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Daisy Buchanan is truly a morally ambiguous…