MAAN: Lying/ Ethics

Lying is rarely justified in everybody's eyes. Because a lie that one person sees as justified is very likely that there is a counter-argument that says it is not justified. So in this way no lie could benefit everybody. In Much Ado About Nothing Benedick is being tricked by his friends into believing Beatrice is in love with him. So Don Pedro, Claudio and Leonato put on a little act in Leonato's orchard and are lying about Beatrice's love. Don Pedro even says, "What was it you told me of/ to-day, that your niece Beatrice was in love with/ Signior Benedict?" (I.3.89-91). Benedict is overhearing this conversation and cannot believe his ears. This is a lie told by Don Pedro but Benedict believes it to be the truth. Also Don John, Borachio and Conrade are trying to break up the marriage between Claudio and Hero but lying about Hero's disloyalty and saying she IS disloyal. Borachio states their plan as wooing wooing Hero's gentlewoman and Don John lying to the others saying it is actually Hero.This is all one big lie plotted by Don John.That lie is definitely not justified and many people will not benefit from it, it will actually break people's friendships apart.

Lying is a everyday occurrence in everybody's days. People do not always mean to hurt others with lies but the do, just in moderations. Some lies are big, others are small, but they still hurt people. People can lie about doing a math assignment but the only person it would really hurt would be them self. In a way they were also hurting the teacher because in a way, the teacher failed to teach the student what was important. This applies to all of life whether you are a kid or an adult, lying is not the way to go. It can hurt people and even if it doesn't affect you right away, it will attack your conscience and it will hurt you even more. People need to lie at times to save themselves but they still hurt others in this way. The one exception i can think would be robots, because they are not technically people.

Poetry Analysis

The Age Demanded
by: Ernest Hemingway

The age demanded that we sing
And cut away our tongue.

The age demanded that we flow
And hammered in the bung.

The age demanded that we dance
And jammed us into iron pants.

And in the end the age was handed
The sort of shit that it demanded.

Analysis:
I think that this poem has a very true ending. And a "bung" is like a cork or stopper that would be in a keg or bottle. All of the things that the age demands would normally be quite easy but with the restriction it is suddenly all but impossible. I think that this poem is talking about all of society, with society being the age. Because in society there are rules for everything and rarely are things easy. So when whoever cannot do what they are asked of by society or the age, they are not doing the best that is possible. Without the restrictions, they would be able to do everything to the best of their abilities. So what are the people to do when they cannot do what is asked of them.
Ernest Hemingway uses a central metaphor in the poem, with "The Age" being society and all of the things "The Age" demands as situations in life where people in general cannot provide adequate results. And the last two lines of the poem demonstrate this by saying, "And in the end the age was handed/ The sort of shit that it demanded" (7-8). Those lines might make you think that the age was asking for bad results but then again, the age might just be stupid. Society might be stupid at times, the right choices are not always made, and bad things happen. This poems speaks a lot of truth, dancing with iron pants on would be extremely difficult...

Sorry about the "language".