Name: Aaron Christian C.

Dagala
Theo 131 TTh 11:10-12:40

“Maria Full of Grace”

I enjoyed the plot of the movie because it shows the reality of life and what is happening
in other countries. The movie Maria Full of Grace showed a good portrayal of what it means for
a person to make a decision that could change his or her life, Maria at that time was still a
teenager and one could say prone to making mistakes. But at that time due to her circumstance
she was forced to make a decision. One that needed guts and could potentially risk her life and
future.

Maria before meeting Franklin has four choices at that time, ask her boss to employ her
again, proceed to her friend and apply as a maid, accept franklins offer of becoming a mule
where she has to smuggle drugs overseas, and lastly apply elsewhere for a job. Maria due to
being pregnant needed fast cash to prepare for the baby. Also she was the breadwinner of the
family, where her mother and sister heavily relied on her on monetary terms. This led her to
accept franklins offer and proceeded to becoming a mule, this was her fundamental option at
that time. Since Maria was desperate she accepted the job and understood the risk of it. For it to
be successful she practiced on swallowing grapes and really prepared herself. Knowing this I
believe Maria was morally accountable for her own actions and decisions. But I cannot fully
blame her due to her own circumstance. It is lawfully and morally wrong to smuggle drugs
especially that Maria is pregnant, it could harm the baby inside her. Since she was still in her
early stages of pregnancy Maria risked it and became a mule. If I were to Judge Maria I would
say that I cannot blame her and I think she did what she think she can do at that time. Her
actions are morally wrong but her intention is to survive and provide a good future for her family.
The end does not justify the means, as one would say.

I respect Maria’s decision to stay in the end, I believe she did it for the sake of her child's
future. She has a better shot of giving her child a better life in New York but at the cost of her life
in Colombia. I could say that her fundamental option has changed in the end when she saw the
picture of her baby. She wanted to become a mother that could provide a good future for her
future son or daughter. I applaud her for her courage in making that decision, doing that at a
young age really is a hard thing to do for she will really face many challenges along the way.