《姐姐的守护者》中的伦理困境Ethical Conflicts in My Sisters Keeper开题报告

1. 研究目的与意义（文献综述）

Judi Picoult, the best-selling American novelist, is widely known around the world. She was awarded the title Master Writer by the famous magazine Figure for the elaborate art form and profound motifs closely associative with the contemporary social ethical anxiety and moral confrontation. Almost each of Picoult’s works questions the current social ethical problems with the themes vary from euthanasia, organ transplantation, juvenile delinquency to designer babies. Bringing her renown universally，My Sister’s Keeper touches on the poignant topic Bioethics and is rated as one of the top ten in the book list of the British Richard Judy book club in 2004. My Sister’s Keeper delineates a test-tube-born girl Anna and the affairs happening around the family. Anna’s birth is unconsciously regarded as organ warehouse for the treatment of her sister Kate by their mother Sara. In order not to be deprived of the right to medical treatment and self-determination, Anna sues her mother Sara. Deeply revealing the ethical dilemma and painful struggle of this special family, this book evokes extensive meditation on the development and dependency of biotechnology and the ethical issues it causes. Up to now, several articles studying the book My Sister’s Keeper center mostly on the motifs embodying ethical dilemma, maternal love, autonomous right: Sun Yuanyong(2014) mainly discusses the ethical crunch and choice, then explores the reason that rapid development of technology and stunning miracles of life have heavily challenged social moral principles and moral norms. Tian Sisi(2010) probes deeply into the interpersonal relations in the family when such calamity befalls. After detailed analysis of the characters mother Sara and daughter Anna, she also draws the similar conclusion that the subversion to traditional ethics by the development of new technology and material necessitates more thinking. Li Feifei(2015) inquires into the classical problems from the perspectives of family ethics, bioethics and legal ethics grounded on the relevant theories of Ethics. Her clear structure and classification elucidate the fact that human beings should be alert to the impact of new technology’s threat to traditional ethics and values of life. Shi Lei(2014) mainly analyzes the parental love and harm when people are trapped into the ethical dilemma, appealing to the masses to pay more attention to this matter and grapple with it. Then Li Yuan(2013) interprets the connotation of this book from the perspective of Bioethics. While Yu Jinjin(2015) demonstrates interpersonal ethics, marital ethics and professional ethics in My Sister’s Keeper, moreover makes a comparison between My Sister’s Keeper and Handle with Care. With the coming of the 21st century, life science and technology have impacted on individual’s value, right and dignity with great force. The application of biotechnology undoubtedly improves the quality of life, whilst it extremely challenges social ethics, which causes confusion of human value. This research aims to further analyze the connotative meaning in My Sister’s Keeper from the perspective of Bioethics amply, expound the phenomenon and cause of ethical dilemma, and propound some viable suggestions to draw more people’s attention about this social problems and prevent from getting bogged down in such embarrassed situation. Furthermore, the attention to this research could give people a clear comprehension on the relations and interactions between biotechnology and ethics.

2. 研究的基本内容与方案

The thesis tends to explore the ethical conflicts in My Sister’s Keeper from the perspective of Bioethics. It is inclined to be divided into four parts. In the first part, it introduces the life of Judi Picoult, her representative work My Sister’s Keeper, the literature review of this novel and the concept of Bioethics. In the second part, it illuminates the contradictions and confrontations in the family through the explanation of the two main characters’ actions in My Sister’s Keeper. Then the third part is attempt to probe into the influences and causes the application of biotechnology brings to with the analysis of Sara’s choice, Anna’s birth and Kate’s treatment in this novel. The fourth part concludes the ethical dilemma in the aspect of family and medicine, and try to propose appropriate advice to prevent the ethical tragedy.

By elaborating the ethical conflicts and ethical choices in the novel from the perspective of Bioethics, the thesis intends to reveal the ethical dilemma emerging in every aspect of life and the clash on traditional ethics by new technology, making more focus alight on this matter and new social ethic value system established.

3. 研究计划与安排

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4. 参考文献（12篇以上）

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