Downton Abbey: Rhetorical Argument

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embarrassment and colossal inconvenience. Edith does not want to “kill”—the word she chooses, accurately—the “wanted child” of the man she truly loves. But the specter of being a single mother of a “bastard” child, with all that this entails—the social ostracism, pity, and family shame—is worse, in her benighted judgment. Edith reluctantly resolves to have an abortion in London, telling no one but her widowed and childless Aunt Rosamund, with whom she stays in the city. Edith has found a doctor who advertises somewhat clandestinely that he will help a pregnant woman get rid of her problem.” (Stokes Paulsen) The methods and legality of abortion may have changed in today’s society, but the issue remains the same.

Abortion is no longer illegal. The debate is over its ethics nowadays. But in a time where teen pregnancy is still a problem and teenagers are widely unable to provide for themselves, let alone a family, abortion is necessary.” Edith’s situation, however distant in terms of time, wealth, and manners, is nonetheless a paradigm for crisis pregnancies. Transposed to a more universal key, her situation is common.”(Stokes Paulsen) The main argument against abortion is that it is a form of murder, or cruel and unusual punishment. However, it has been shown that a fetus cannot truly feel pain, in fact, pain receptors in infants brains only develop after several months of childhood. Abortion may have been wrong in the times before World War I, but in today’s time it is a necessary evil.

“It is fitting that a historical period so filled with “behind-the-scenes” action as the Edwardian era be used as a backdrop for a television series, let alone one with such layers to it as Downton Abbey. The Edwardian era, at first glance peaceful and “golden”, was in fact a chaotic and anxiety-ridden time. It was a time of fervent optimism mixed in with a sense of pessimistic doom. People wanted change, without actually having to change anything, resulting in a stalemate, creating a melting pot of emotions and ideas.” (Helgadóttir,29) Downton Abbey portrays a society not so much different than our own, rife with social issues and inequalities. All these issues, suffrage or feminism, the servant class, and abortion, transpose across time. They are, and will continue to be issues until the world is brought together to solve them once and for all.  

Works Cited

Helgadóttir, Steinunn. "The Edwardian Era as Depicted in Downton Abbey." 2014. Web. 25 Apr. 2015.

Hewitt, Chris. "The Women of Downton Abbey." The Women of Downton Abbey. 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 23 Apr. 2015.

Lee, Adrian. "The Real Life Downton Abbey: The True Story of Servants." 25 Sept. 2015. Web.

Musson, Jeremy. "Downton Abbey as History." Foreign Affairs. 5 May 2015. Web. 1 May 2015.

Opperman, David. "Downton Abbey’s Glimpse at a Once-Great Britain, Part 2." Faith and Heritage. 10 July 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

Stokes Paulsen, Michael. "Lady Edith and Abortion Rights." Public Discourse. 17 Mar. 2014. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.

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