Aristotle & I Remember Mama
Philosophy Through Film | Aristotle & “I Remember Mama”
1. In Aristotle, the good of man is described as final and self-sufficient. That is, the chief good is something final. This relates well to Uncle Chris throughout the movie. Everyone was scared of him – he drank, he drove fast and was quite brash. However, when he died, his nieces discovered that there was no inheritance, because he had been donating it to children with leg problems so that they didn’t grow up and limp as he did. No one knew, until that moment, that he was spending his money on children that he didn’t even know (aside from his nephew) so that they didn’t suffer the pain that he did. These donations were his chief good, and he could be described as a good man, even with his shortcomings, only after he died. He died happy, with a smile on his face, knowing that he had done a good thing. In all the years that he spent donating, he never asked for recognition or thanks, nor did he WANT anyone to believe he was a good man. This in itself made him good.
2. Aristotle describes the life of a good person as pleasant in itself. It contains adventitious charm and virtuous actions. This is a definition of Mama’s life. Mama very rarely gets angry, rather helping others with a kind word or act. She has raised her children very well, they offer to help out by doing odd jobs when money is tight, although they don’t necessarily realize how tight things truly are. Not only is Mama’s life pleasant, but she does everything she can to ensure that other’s lives are pleasant, as well. Mama is willing to do anything she needs to in order to keep her word, including posing as a cleaning woman in order to keep a promise to her baby. The most important example, however, is Mama’s admittance to Katrin that she had no desire to be rich. She likes the way her life is, and is happy just the way things are.
3. In Book II, Aristotle addresses moral virtue. This moral virtue, which
1. In Aristotle, the good of man is described as final and self-sufficient. That is, the chief good is something final. This relates well to Uncle Chris throughout the movie. Everyone was scared of him – he drank, he drove fast and was quite brash. However, when he died, his nieces discovered that there was no inheritance, because he had been donating it to children with leg problems so that they didn’t grow up and limp as he did. No one knew, until that moment, that he was spending his money on children that he didn’t even know (aside from his nephew) so that they didn’t suffer the pain that he did. These donations were his chief good, and he could be described as a good man, even with his shortcomings, only after he died. He died happy, with a smile on his face, knowing that he had done a good thing. In all the years that he spent donating, he never asked for recognition or thanks, nor did he WANT anyone to believe he was a good man. This in itself made him good.
2. Aristotle describes the life of a good person as pleasant in itself. It contains adventitious charm and virtuous actions. This is a definition of Mama’s life. Mama very rarely gets angry, rather helping others with a kind word or act. She has raised her children very well, they offer to help out by doing odd jobs when money is tight, although they don’t necessarily realize how tight things truly are. Not only is Mama’s life pleasant, but she does everything she can to ensure that other’s lives are pleasant, as well. Mama is willing to do anything she needs to in order to keep her word, including posing as a cleaning woman in order to keep a promise to her baby. The most important example, however, is Mama’s admittance to Katrin that she had no desire to be rich. She likes the way her life is, and is happy just the way things are.
3. In Book II, Aristotle addresses moral virtue. This moral virtue, which