Moral Lesson

Use this forum to discuss the October Book of the Month "McDowell" by William H. Coles.
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chelhack
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Moral Lesson

Post by chelhack »

Who all thinks that there is a moral lesson within this contents of this book?
Or did it make you think about appreciating what you have?



For me McDowell by William H. Cole made me think about the things that I take for granted or don't show
more that I am appreciative of.

I made me think about one day one may have it all then the next have everything taken away, therefore, cherish what you have now because tomorrow is not guaranteed.
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Post by Charlyt »

For me, the moral lesson of the book is that every action you do, and/or everything you say has a consequence, whether you are aware of it or not. And this consequence may be directed to you, to the people around you, or both.
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Post by lesler »

I feel like the author touched hard on ethics, specifically euthanasia. What Hiram did was kind, but not necessarily right.
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

All of Coles' books have a heavy focus on morality and different views of morality.
Life without a good book is something MrsCatInTheHat cannot imagine.
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Post by Sophy Chunge »

To some people you are good, to others you are bad. You cannot please everyone. Consider Maria calling McDowell a "woman's nightmare." But, Rima, and Winona, considered him a gentleman.
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Post by Bavithra M »

I dont think that there is any moral lesson in the book.
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Poppy Drear
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Post by Poppy Drear »

It seems like the book isn't trying to teach a lesson so much as it is trying to cause the reader to really think critically about their own morality. In my opinion, that's a more valuable goal for the book to have.
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Post by Vscholz »

I prefer the formal school of thought when it comes to reading. Well, usually I do.

I don't often seek out didactic literature, but I don't know that I believe a story can be completely without a moral. That could be my literary analysis brain taking over. Our subject positions allow us to have different interpretations of tales; the morals one person sees presented may not be the same ones as another.

I think that most novels anymore aren't out to teach specific lessons (like many urban legends preach the threat of death by a madman to fornicating teens) but instead they are intended to make the reader think, as ViziVoir mentioned.
As for you & your heart & the things you said & didn't say, she will remember them all when men are fairy tales in books written by rabbits. (Schmendrick the Magician)
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Post by Cardinalsparrow »

This story goes to portray the fact that human beings are multidimensional, you can be good on one hand and be bad on the other. It also shows us that our actions have consequences which might come back to bite us in the ass.
Some books are to be tasted , others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested-- Francis Bacon
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Post by Rosemary Wright »

My moral lesson from the book is that selfishness and arrogance do not sustain success.
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Maria-Goretti Amarachi Okechi - Catherine
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Post by Maria-Goretti Amarachi Okechi - Catherine »

In my own view, I would say that this book carries a lot of moral lessons, the life of Hiram McDowell is a lesson itself. But to mention but few, this book have changed my perspective about life. I've come to realise that everything we do in this life has its consequences. I've also learnt that we can not please everyone at the same time no matter how good we are to them.
More so, this book have taught me that even your best of friends can betray for selfish reasons.
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Post by Mely918 »

I think there are a variety of moral lessons in this story. The biggest one that stood out to me was that of perspective. No matter what, you will always be the good guy in some people's stories and the bad guy in others. It depends on part on the role you play in that individual's life. That also goes along with the lesson of every action having a reaction.
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Post by Bavithra M »

In my point of view this book has a moral lesson. This book reminds me of a proverb "What you sow; Sow you reap"
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Post by Moddesser Elahi »

There is a thought-provoking message in this story. But it was not a moral lesson for me specifically, rather it was related to a very deep-thought about various aspects of one's journey of life.
PANACEA - Please do not overvalue your body and mind! Just be life! :dance:
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Post by PoisonWhiteRose »

I'm in the middle of reading this book, but it seems to me that the book may not be completely "focused" on giving a moral lesson. It's more that it was included to give the book more depth and to leave the readers thinking but not necessarily as a lesson.
"I spent my life folded between the pages of books.My world is one interwoven web of words, stringing limb to limb, bone to sinew, thoughts and images all together.”
― Tahereh Mafi, Shatter Me"

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