Brian Clark's Play Whose Life Is It Anyway?

Brian Clark's Play "Whose Life Is It Anyway?"

The play "Whose Life Is It Anyway" by Brian Clark was made into a stage

play and film. The television play was made in 1972 and the stage

plays in 1978. In the play,” written by Brian Clarke, the intense

argument of committing Voluntary Euthanasia is discussed.

The main point of the play, Ken Harrison, once an imaginative, devoted

sculptor, is involved in a terrible car crash. Following a long

operation, Ken is paralyzed from the neck down; he is informed that he

may never be able to move his body ever again.

Brian Clark in a similar way uses different characters to show a

different view of Ken's possibilities. Dr. Emerson thinks Ken's life

is precious and should be kept at any cost, no matter what Ken's

wishes are. Dr. Scott also wants Ken to stay alive but values Ken's

opinion and thoughts more than Dr. Emerson, she thinks sympathy a lot.

Dr. Travers shows a view on Ken's problem, he sees it the same way as

Dr. Emerson, and thinks of it as a mental patient wanting to commit

suicide, and is happy to back up Dr. Emerson in a court of law, and

also sees it as doing a favor for Dr. Emerson, no matter what he finds

whilst talking to Ken.

In order to make the play more dramatic the debate further Brian Clark

uses a dramatic point. The point is that before Ken suffered his

accident he was happy and wanted to go on living, but at that time

people listened to him and he could have argued a point and people

would have listened to it. Now that Ken finds himself in a situation

where he doesn't want to go on living, few people want to listen to

him: 'Only my brain functions unimpaired but even that is futile

because I can't act on any conclusions it comes to....

... middle of paper ...

...uthanasia is

becoming his decision. The lights out at the end of the play

represents kens decision to follow euthanasia if the light would have

been left on then he may have decided to live.

Euthanasia should not be made legal because it will be easily misused

unnecessarily. Euthanasia would not only be for people who are

"terminally ill", it will become non-voluntary. I also believe that

Euthanasia is a rejection of the importance and value of human life.

Emotional and psychological pressures could become overpowering for

depressed or dependent people. If the choice of euthanasia is

considered as good as a decision to receive care, loads of people will

feel guilty for not choosing death. Financial considerations, added to

the concern about being a burden could serve as powerful forces that

would lead a person to "choose" euthanasia or assisted suicide.