John Q

The movie John Q, provides a great example of a Tragedy Film! John Q’s son is fighting for his life with a very weak heart condition. John’s health care insurance coverage requires an incredible $75,000 down payment to keep their sick son in the hospital with full attended care, or else he’ll be kicked out. The son’s condition requires a heart transplant. After being told that their health care insurance won’t be able to cover the heart transplant, John starts up a dramatic and emotional controversy in the emergency room pointing a gun at the cardiac surgeon to force him to find his son a heart. Aristotle’s idea of tragedy dramatizes what may happen and includes a cause-and-effect chain. Aristotle says that tragedy arouses pity and also fear. I felt a great amount of fear towards John’s intense character as he was willing to do anything and kill anyone that was not willing to save his son’s life. But I also felt a great deal of pity toward him, his wife and son as the corporate rules and regulations of health insurance should do the right thing and save a child’s life. John Q’s bold decisions provided an example of Aristotle’s “cause-and-effect chain” as his dramatic actions forced the hospital staff to take action and save his son’s life. Towards the end of the film I could see John Q’s excitement for his son’s care, yet sadness in his eyes as he was questioning if he made the right decision to use violence as his way to communicate and face going to jail.