Chemotherapy In Margaret Edson's Wit

I always get nervous when reading poems because I am nervous that I will not completely understand the poems; however, I could understand these poems. What I learned from the poem titled, “Cancer Winter,” was that the doctor exclaimed “You’re cured,” the women felt the ache of her missing breast (Salcman and Collier, 2015). The doctor quickly jumped in to explain how exciting the cancer was gone, but having your breast remove is a big transition and can take some time to get use too. It appears she was feeling mixed emotions about having the cancer gone, but adjusting to her new reality. In a poem titled, “Mammogram” accounts a women’s experience with the possible chance of having breast cancer (Salcman and Collier, 2015).

In Margaret Edson’s Wit, the author uses the binary opposition of compassion and austerity. The protagonist, Vivian Bearing, a doctor of English, learns that she has advanced ovarian cancer, and undergoes an experimental chemotherapy program. Her doctor, Jason, and her nurse, Susie, have different views of her mortality, and the author shows their contrasting views in a particular scene. While Susie shows a more compassionate side to Vivian, Jason is very stern with her. Jason faces the inevitable with no hesitation and though Susie can as well, she also comforts Vivian.

A really good metaphor that was used in the poem “A beard for a Blue Pantry” when he says, “Or washed her abundant hair which is gone now, like Bluebeard who sickened and dwindled away”. (Hall). This line is very relatable because I’ve had family that lost their hair due to cancer. He showed the audience what was going on instead of telling us. In my opinion, I believe that the poem “Her Long Illness” really painted an image for the readers and made us feel as if we were there at the hospital with him and watching him nervously pacing around, drinking coffee, and reading poetry to his wife while in chemotherapy.

It started with just one mole, and later the cancer metastasized all in her body. I watched her endure such pain and witnessed the doctors give her such strong doses of medicine that made my grandma very unlike her usual vibrant self. All she prayed for was to peacefully pass. Why couldn’t we grant her that one last wish? C) Preview: “Death with Dignity” should be legalized as an option for terminally-ill patients because it alleviates the suffering one must endure, it’s freedom of choice, and it would prevent inhumane ways of suicides.

The movie Wit (Bosanquet & Nichols, 2001) focuses on Dr. Vivian Bearing, an English professor who is diagnosed with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer. It chronicle’s Vivian’s experiences with her health care team up until her death. Throughout the movie her doctors, Doctor Kelekian and his fellows, most notably Jason, make many errors while treating Vivian. They communicate with Vivian in ways that make her feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable, violate ethical principles by ignoring her autonomy and not sharing critical information about her health with her, and failing to addressed her spiritual needs. Vivian’s nurse, Susie, does her best to care for Vivian.

Clayton Guzdial Ms.Schwartz WC 7 17 January 2016 Enlightenment During the Enlightenment period, Immanuel Kant, a philosopher, discovers a problem from his philosophy that humans can only be classified in one of two categories on how they live their life, faith or reason. In understanding and connection with the movie Wit, Vivian can only live out reason and knowledge. In the film Wit, Vivian Bearing is a english professor who is ths diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. With this, it leads her to a depression of sadness at the hospital. Meaning, when she notices that she doesn't get any visitors she looks to her past life moments and wishes she was nicer to people.

It is very clear to most that Grey’s Anatomy is an inaccurate depiction of medicine and the healthcare industry. Though heavily dramatized and ‘doctored’, there have been moments of learning, especially with this ethical issue. In episode 18 of season 6 (Suicide is Painless), Dr. Altman, a cardiothoracic surgeon, is faced with a situation where her patient, Kim Allen, wishes to end her life through physician-assisted suicide. Kim is a newly married patient with stage IV large cell lung cancer that has spread to her lymph nodes and liver. Her only option remaining is palliative care and she has been given 6 months to live and will soon have to be intubated due to breathing difficulties.

She worked to promote the cause of women’s suffrage. “Tubman travelled to New York, Boston, and Washington D.C. to speak out in favor of women’s right to vote “At some point in the late 1890s, she underwent brain surgery a Boston Massachusetts General Hospital as she was unable to sleep because of pains and “buzzing” in her head. She refused to be given anesthesia. Instead she chewed a bullet during her surgery. She had seen the Civil War Soldiers do this when their limbs had to be amputated.” Her dream was to build a home for the elderly, in 1908 the “Harriet Tubman Home for the Elderly” was built.

The book Still Alice by Lisa Genova, is about the power of disease and how it physically and emotionally affects the protagonist Alice. The ignorance towards Alzheimer's patients makes them feel isolated from the world, attesting to the fact that it is important to ensure them that they are still loved. Research shows that more than two third of people diagnosed with dementia experience a feeling of isolation from other people(Ranosa). Alice is dealing with mental issues and try’s to commit suicide, by swallowing all the pills in the bottle. Furthermore, Alice's husband said, “I’m going to hire a home health", a sign that her family members are starting to find difficult, to take care of her (Genova 261).

In Chapters 7-10 of Machine Man, Max Barry further explores the character of prosthetist Lola Shanks, her relationship with Charles Neumann, and her passion for helping others. Lola was lying in a hospital when she told Charles that she did not like her ears (Barry 124). That was one of the things they have in common is that they each want to change something about themselves. Lola is a prosthetist who first met Charles when he had his first accident and she was the one with all of the options of a new leg. From that moment on, the two realized that they both had a thing for prosthetic things.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall is a novel based on the clash of two cultures---the Hmong culture and the American culture. A little Hmong girl is diagnosed with epilepsy which her parents believe is caused by spirits. Because of this belief, they try to cure her illness not with western medication but their own Hmong ways. There is a huge misunderstanding between the parents and the doctors that Anne Fadiman explores. Anne Fadiman provides readers with a vivid, detailed history of the Hmong in Laos to their involvement in the Vietnam War to their struggles in America that explains this clash.

A few weeks later, she began teaching it to her students. Teaching rhetoric, logic, algebra, and chemistry among other studies, Catharine found the books to be unsuitable to teach her students the way she desired and instead began to write her own. Even more groundbreaking, Catharine taught calisthenics to teach women proper physical education because she believed society’s view imposed poor views of health by promoting fragility, tight corsets, and poor diets. Even though Catharine advocated proper health, she had numerous nervous collapses and was treated in sanitariums frequently in her life. Catharine authored multiple treatises and books, including, A Treatise on Domestic Economy, The American Woman’s Home, The Moral Instructor for Schools and Families: Containing Lessons on the Duties of Life, and The Duty of American Women to Their Country.

Shine sued Dr. Vega for the wrongful death of his daughter, Catherine Shine. On March 18, 1990, Catherine Shine suffered an asthma attack and she was taken to the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in order to receive medical attention. It was said that Catherine was highly educated on her illness because her father was a doctor. Catherine agreed to go MGH under the condition that she would only receive oxygen. She was not pleased with the medical attention that she was receiving so she decided to

In “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”, Rebecca Skloot analyzes ethics in past scientific/medical studies, specifically Henrietta Lack’s case, to alter the way the reader sees how modern medicine came to be. Doctors took the cancer cells of a young, poor, African-American woman diagnosed with cervix cancer in 1951, without her consent, and used them to grow an immortal cell line that has made millions of dollars and is still used today. Skloot shows the effect Henrietta’s infamous cells (HeLa cells) have had on the scientific community presently and show the negative effect it has had on her family. The author wants the audience be aware of the how an essential cell line used in research was created with great ethical injustice. Skloot wants audiences to learn a little from Henrietta’s story and at least be aware of the ethical scientific issues today to form their own opinion.

On January 29, 1951, an African American woman named Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with Stage 1, Epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix, after her visit to John Hopkins Hospital. Henrietta began radium treatments which was proven to kill cancer cells and a safer option than surgery, according to her physician Howard Jones. Jones increased Henrietta’s dose of radiation in hopes to decrease the size of the tumors however the treatments were proven ineffective and her skin was burned blacker while the pain grew unbearable until she passed away on October 4, 1951. She left behind her husband David “Day” and five children: Lawrence, Elsie, David Jr, Deborah, and Zakariyya (Joe). This paper will focus on how Henrietta Lack’s and her family’s experience