KIEU Eaasy-Theme 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

KIEU Eaasy-Theme 2 - Essay Example Although it may be assumed that the spirit behind Kieu’s decision to engage in immoral activities is ethical, the actions the she takes are immoral and against the standards set by the society. Kieu’s liberal personality is revealed when she decides to engage in prostitution in order to cater for the needs for her family. Kieu was well educated and had a bright future ahead, but problems befall her family. As a result, she takes the path of prostitution and becomes a victim of circumstances. According to her society, prostitution is immoral and an abuse of womanhood, but Kieu takes a bold step to engage in it in order to assist her brother and father. The spirit behind her decision to join prostitution in order to assist her family may be taken as a moral action, but in the real sense and based on her society’s norms, it is immoral (Du 151). Kieu falls in love with Kim. Both are teenagers but they follow their desires to develop a passionate relationship. The soc iety prohibits teenage relationship because they are likely to fall into temptation and engage in sexual intercourse. The society is against the relationship, but Kieu’s liberal personality enables her to fall in love with Kim, thus breaking the social norms set by her community. Although Kieu may be considered to be moral when she decided to preserve herself until marriage when her boyfriend Kim tried to make sexual advances to her, the whole relationship is immoral because it contravenes the basic moral codes that prohibit sexual relationships between teenagers (Du 118). Judging whether Kieu’s actions are moral or immoral depends on the society that one is coming from. Every society defines morality in its own context. Looking at Kieu’s character, it is somehow admirable because she loves her family more than herself and decides to practice prostitution in order to save them. If Kieu were a selfish individual, she would have agreed to get married to Kim and le ave her family to suffer. Therefore, in another context, her decisions are admirable and she can be considered to be a bright person. She chooses to assist her family, even though it meant going against social norms and beliefs. Nevertheless, her actions cannot be taken to be those of a hero because the path of prostitution is not a correct one and is not acceptable in any society. Prostitution is immoral and is taken to be lack of respect to oneself and the society at large. Kieu could have made other choices rather than prostitution. Many bright girls around the globe face similar circumstances in life, and prostitution to a morally upright person is immoral. Even though Kieu proved to be morally upright when Kim made sexual advances to her, she later proved to be a weak human being who uses family as a reason to practice prostitution. It is clear that her decision to practice prostitution could not be deterred by social norms and so she had to follow her liberal attitudes to do w hat fulfilled her desire and what she felt was good for her and her family (McLeod and Nguyen 69). Morals are ethics that determine whether the behavior of an individual is good or bad. Every society has its own way of expressing moral behavior and ethics. One may be faced by a situation where the moral behavior can be abandoned in order to save another from bigger problems. For instance, Kieu is forced to join the brothel and start practicing prostitution in a bid to save her father and