Readings

Printed Page 463

The following essays by students Iris Lee and Isabella Wright analyze the short story “The Use of Force,” by William Carlos Williams (pp. 501–3). As you will see, both Lee and Wright attempt to answer questions that many readers have asked of this story: What is the purpose—aside from vividly describing his anger and frustration—of portraying a doctor’s use of force on an uncooperative patient? What larger points are being made? Lee and Wright arrive at different answers to these questions. By reading their essays, you will learn a great deal about how writers argue for their own analysis of a story.