Unlikely Contributions to an Ethical Problem

Module 13 Discussion Forum I: Unlikely Contributions to an Ethical Problem I

Rationale

The unlikely contributions series, in what should by now be a familiar refrain, provides an opportunity to consider how the unlikely or speculative aspects of a work contribute in particularly important ways to its meaning and broader purpose. In this forum, we will focus on the novel's Frankenstein figure, which goes by a few different names in the course of the novel but is most often referred to as Whatsitsname. 

Both this post and its sequel in the next module could potentially serve as pre-draft exercises for our our final high-stakes writing assignment,  the Signature Assignment , which will ask you to focus on an ethical problem raised in one or two of our readings.

Forum Instructions

The class will be divided into 4-5 randomly assigned groups. What contribution does the depiction of Whatsitsname make to the presentation of an ethical problem in Frankenstein in Baghdad? To put it differently, why does Saadawi build his moral reflection on post-war Iraq around this unlikely character? How does Whatsitname's supernatural characteristics make possible a kind of ethical thinking that wouldn't be available in a fully realist work? (Additional questions to think with: What complex idea about an ethical problem does the work present through Whatsitsname? How does Whatsitsname embody an ethical dilemma? What are the nuances of that depiction? What ethical values are at stake in this dilemma? What relation does the Whatsitsname have to individuals and institutions? Does he represent broader social conflicts (e.g. is he used as a figure for societal forms of oppression, such as racism, classism, sexism, homophobia, or religious intolerance)? How does he help the author represent the economic, political, or cultural origins of such conflicts?)

Please Order Your Post in the Following Way:

1. Open your comment, if you aren't the first to post in your group, by relating it to at least one preceding post using the argumentative twist technique. Make a claim about how an ethical issue is raised through the depiction of Whatsitsname in Frankenstein in Baghdad. (1-2 sentences)

2. Anchor your claim in a discussion of at least one concrete and specific narrative or textual detail. (1-3 sentences)

3. Supply reasoning that supports your claim. In other words, explain how the narrative or textual details that you cite confirm your claim, that is, serve as evidence. (Ideally, you'll either offer evidence that no one in your group has previously addressed or you will offer a different take on evidence previously mentioned.) (1-3 sentences)

Saadawi, Ahmed (Iraq). Frankenstein in Baghdad. 2013. Translated by Jonathan Wright. Penguin Books, 2018. From Chapter 10 to the end of the book.