Clark, Brian: 1932 - 2021

Whose Life Is It Anyway?, 1978 - Thematic Parallels: Autonomy

Clark, Brian: Whose Life Is It Anyway?, 1978
The topic of "Whose Life Is It Anyway?" centers around euthanasia, personal autonomy, and the right to die with dignity. The play poses challenging moral and philosophical questions about who has the ultimate authority over a person's life
The following books are thematically similar. They lend themselves well to being read in groups, compared with one another, or used to teach a similar topic over an extended period with a class:
- Hansberry, Lorraine: A Raisin in the Sun, 1959, ~150pp
  The play deals with questions of dignity, societal constraints, and personal choice under trying circumstances. The characters must confront who controls their future and the right to pursue happiness.
  Both works both deal with human dignity, autonomy, and resistance to dehumanizing systems. They force audiences to ask: What makes life worth living—and who gets to decide?
- Hegi, Ursula: Stones from the River, 1994, ~520pp
  The novel explores life with disability (the protagonist is a “zwerg,” or dwarf) and societal perception, addressing stigma, the struggle for identity, and the right to self-define—issues echoed in Ken’s battle for agency in hospital.
  Both works present protagonists who assert their right to self-determination in societies that marginalize them, revealing the universal human need for dignity, autonomy, and meaning..
- Nasar, Sylvia.: A Beautiful Mind, 1998, ~470pp
  This biography follows the life of John Nash and his struggle with schizophrenia, confronting the tension between the medical establishment’s control and the individual’s independence, as well as the question of what constitutes a life worth living.
  Both protagonists face debilitating conditions that drastically change their lives and challenge their sense of identity. Both stories are deeply philosophical and ask audiences to consider what makes life meaningful and who gets to decide what constitutes a life worth living.
- Prejean, Helen: Dead Man Walking, 1993, ~350pp
  This work focuses on morality, justice, and the value of human life in the context of death penalty and forgiveness, sharing ethical and life-and-death themes similar to euthanasia debates.
  Both works challenge audiences to consider who holds the authority to make life-or-death decisions—society, the individual, or institutions. Thev y furthermore ask whether preserving life at all costs is truly humane.
List of general discussion questions on Autonomy (pdf)
List of essay prompts on Autonomy (pdf)