My Brother- Dying and Illness brings people together
Beth Bernett- Illness is often overlooked or even denied in hopes of trying to conivine yourself and evryone around you, your alright.
Sicko- The Unites States health insurance system is based onprofit not who needs care .
Near Death- Doctors try to make patients apear better to to ease both the patient and families.
I found all these sources to be insightful . I found are discussion with Beth Bernett to be the most engageing. I found their was a great contrast in her discusion between the dominant social practices in our society and the un-normal dominant social pratices.We were able to her speak of how she did both. And hearing Beth speak was a real visual, and overall more personnel experience. I think it has to be the most effective thing of the entire unit, and gave a face yto dying and illness.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
HW 25 -Response To Sicko
In Sicko Micheal Moore argues that the American system of private medical insurance is a disaster, and that a state-run system, such as exists nearly everywhere else in the industrialized world, would be better.
Moore use people as props to prove his argument.He shows a man who cut off two of his fingers with a power saw and finds outs that it would cost $12,000 to save one of them, and $60,000 to save the finder. He had no health insurance and could only scrape together enough money to salvage the $12,000 finger. Then there's a woman whose husband was prescribed new drugs to fight his cancer, but their insurance company wouldnt prove it because the drugs were too "experimental". Her husband as a result died. There's another woman who made an trip to a hospital for emergancy treatment to learn her insurance company wouldn't pay for the ambulance that took her there because it hadn't been "pre-approved." Then their was a middle aged man, who suffered three heart attacks, and his wife, who developed cancer who were made bankrupted by the cost of co-payments and other expenses not covered by their health insurance, and have to move in with their son and his family.Also theirs a 79-year-old man who must work to continue have benefits because medicare won't cover all of the medications he needs.
Moore continues to argue that in other countries, like France, Canada, and Britain, health systems are far better and free. Moore takes us to these countries to see a few clean, efficient hospitals, where treatment is not only quick but caring. Moore show's doctors happy with their government-regulated salaries; and to listen to patients more then statisfied with their socialized health system, then are "corprate" health care.A patient in a British hospital run by the country's National Health Service says, "No one pays. It's all on the NHS. It's not America."
I found Sicko to be saddening while it still have moments of true humoris satire. I felt the movie does dodge some of the larger political questions about healthcare reform, like what exactly we should do to change are current system.
Moore use people as props to prove his argument.He shows a man who cut off two of his fingers with a power saw and finds outs that it would cost $12,000 to save one of them, and $60,000 to save the finder. He had no health insurance and could only scrape together enough money to salvage the $12,000 finger. Then there's a woman whose husband was prescribed new drugs to fight his cancer, but their insurance company wouldnt prove it because the drugs were too "experimental". Her husband as a result died. There's another woman who made an trip to a hospital for emergancy treatment to learn her insurance company wouldn't pay for the ambulance that took her there because it hadn't been "pre-approved." Then their was a middle aged man, who suffered three heart attacks, and his wife, who developed cancer who were made bankrupted by the cost of co-payments and other expenses not covered by their health insurance, and have to move in with their son and his family.Also theirs a 79-year-old man who must work to continue have benefits because medicare won't cover all of the medications he needs.
Moore continues to argue that in other countries, like France, Canada, and Britain, health systems are far better and free. Moore takes us to these countries to see a few clean, efficient hospitals, where treatment is not only quick but caring. Moore show's doctors happy with their government-regulated salaries; and to listen to patients more then statisfied with their socialized health system, then are "corprate" health care.A patient in a British hospital run by the country's National Health Service says, "No one pays. It's all on the NHS. It's not America."
I found Sicko to be saddening while it still have moments of true humoris satire. I felt the movie does dodge some of the larger political questions about healthcare reform, like what exactly we should do to change are current system.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
HW 24 - Illness & Dying Book, Part 3
In the last part of My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid, Kiancaid ask for her brother to do something with his life before he dies. She wants him to move out of their mother's home because there is no room for him. Kincaid also insist he needs to hold down a job, something that he has never been capable of doing. Her brother, Devon still doesn't take any of his sisters advise , while he is healthier,he begins sleeping with women and denying that he has AIDS. Kincaid ty to reason with him about his behavior, asking him how he would feel if someone did that to her.Her appeal does not fade him. After Devon's death , Kincaidthe begins to wonder the nature of grief and death in whole. She soon finds about Devons homosexuality through a chance encounter.
"His death was imminent and we were all anticipating it, including him, but we never gave any thought to the fact that this was true for all of us: our death was imminent, only we were not anticipating it...yet.- pg92
"Dalma just called, Devon died." And when he said "Devon died" I thought, Oh it's Devon who died, not one of his relatives, not someone of his, this is not someone he has to grieve for." -pg99
'When my husband woke me up, he said, "Sweetie, come, come, I have to talk to you. In the dark of the room I could see his face; that isn't really possible, to see something like a face in the dark of a room. -pg99
"He lived in death." -pg88
As I finally finish reading My Brother its left me wondering about the issues raised and I suspect that it will continue to stick with me way into the future. Kincaids journey to see her brother who is ill is painful. Kincaid describes the pain and symptoms he experiences during this time, and his developed dependance on his mother with such haunting detail. Kincaid writes, "He lived in death." pg88. For he did not live besides the fact that he ate and breathed. Ultimately she knew he would eventually die.It makes you really see how fast life can be , and it makes you wonder about your own possible illnesses in the future.
"His death was imminent and we were all anticipating it, including him, but we never gave any thought to the fact that this was true for all of us: our death was imminent, only we were not anticipating it...yet.- pg92
"Dalma just called, Devon died." And when he said "Devon died" I thought, Oh it's Devon who died, not one of his relatives, not someone of his, this is not someone he has to grieve for." -pg99
'When my husband woke me up, he said, "Sweetie, come, come, I have to talk to you. In the dark of the room I could see his face; that isn't really possible, to see something like a face in the dark of a room. -pg99
"He lived in death." -pg88
As I finally finish reading My Brother its left me wondering about the issues raised and I suspect that it will continue to stick with me way into the future. Kincaids journey to see her brother who is ill is painful. Kincaid describes the pain and symptoms he experiences during this time, and his developed dependance on his mother with such haunting detail. Kincaid writes, "He lived in death." pg88. For he did not live besides the fact that he ate and breathed. Ultimately she knew he would eventually die.It makes you really see how fast life can be , and it makes you wonder about your own possible illnesses in the future.
Friday, December 17, 2010
HW 23 - Illness & Dying Book, Part 2
So far in My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid the distance between Kincaid and her brother has grown alittle bit again,but Kincaid is stillcompelled to do all she can for her brother.Her brother is being treated in a poor nation with few resources to spare on the terminally ill.In Antigua, hospitals don't have drugs on hand. So Kincaid had to have a family friend fill a prescription at a pharmacy for her sick brother.
"I felt myself being swallowed up in a large vapor of sadness...I became afraid that he would die before I saw him again...It surprised me that I loved him; I could see that was what I was feeling, love for him, and it surprised me because I did not know him at all."
"I felt myself being swallowed up in a large vapor of sadness...I became afraid that he would die before I saw him again...It surprised me that I loved him; I could see that was what I was feeling, love for him, and it surprised me because I did not know him at all."
"My brother who was lying in the hospital dying, suffering from the virus that causes AIDS,told the brother who is two years older than he is, the brother i am eleven years older than, that he had made worthlessness of his life"-p.g.29
"The way he said it,though,alerted me to something.He had not known or imagined that I,his own mother,could have in her life a someone about whom I felt the same way he felt about me."- p.g. 62
I found it intresting how Kincid's wonders whether or not if her mother's actions did indeed drive her into a better life as a writer in the U. S., than she could otherwise have had. And also, whether Mrs. Drew's relative coddling of Devon did not lead him to his carefree, Rastafarian lifestyle. I made think how many choices are decided for us ? how many paths are closed or open? I hope that in my final days wheather that be today or tommorow that Im overall happy with my choices , my decisions.It make's me think back to a quote in The Stranger "Yes, that was all I had. But at least I had as much of a hold on it as it had on me. I had been right, I was still right, I was always right. I had lived my life one way and I could just as well have lived it another. I had done this and I hadn't done that. I hadn't done this thing but I had done another. And so? It was as if I had waited all this time for this moment and for the first light of this dawn to be vindicated."
Saturday, December 11, 2010
HW 22 - Illness & Dying Book Part 1
My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid, Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux; First Paperback Edition edition (November 9, 1998)
Jamaica Kincaid opens the story she by describing her first visiting Devon in the Gweneth O’Reilly ward of the Holberton Hospital, where he was dying of AIDS; she then bact tracks to the his birth.Devon is said to be the only one of Kincaid’s four siblings not born in a hospital.The arrival of the new child disrupts the family life, and the other children are sent to sleep at neighbor's houses.
"WHEN I SAW MY BROTHER again after a long while, he was lying in a bed in the Holberton Hospital, in the Gweneth O'Reilly ward, and he was said to be dying of AIDS." p.g. 1
Jamaica Kincaid opens the story she by describing her first visiting Devon in the Gweneth O’Reilly ward of the Holberton Hospital, where he was dying of AIDS; she then bact tracks to the his birth.Devon is said to be the only one of Kincaid’s four siblings not born in a hospital.The arrival of the new child disrupts the family life, and the other children are sent to sleep at neighbor's houses.
"WHEN I SAW MY BROTHER again after a long while, he was lying in a bed in the Holberton Hospital, in the Gweneth O'Reilly ward, and he was said to be dying of AIDS." p.g. 1
"A look of agony would come into his eyes." p.g. 16
"I'am so vulnerable to my family's needs and influence tat from time to time I remove myself from them" p.g. 20
Im really enjoing how the memoir is fellowing Kincaid's emotional odessy as she tries to deal with her brother's battle with AIDS, its real gripping hard stuff .It plays on so many fears. The lost of a love one, denial, dying of a deadly diese and more. Her rambling structure actually pulls me in,I find her thoughts on family, death, community, and identity to be insightful. Onlt thing that so far has got me is Kincaid's long ans at times drawn out reflections, Kincaid opens a discussion on some relevant topics straight from the beggining.
Im really enjoing how the memoir is fellowing Kincaid's emotional odessy as she tries to deal with her brother's battle with AIDS, its real gripping hard stuff .It plays on so many fears. The lost of a love one, denial, dying of a deadly diese and more. Her rambling structure actually pulls me in,I find her thoughts on family, death, community, and identity to be insightful. Onlt thing that so far has got me is Kincaid's long ans at times drawn out reflections, Kincaid opens a discussion on some relevant topics straight from the beggining.
HW 21 Comments Left
Javon Blog:
Javon I thought you touched on some really central points about illness and dying.Denial , from reading your post and thinking back to some of my other post and are guest speaker, It seems to be a key themes in illness and dying. I wonder does it go back to you very point " I am fully aware that each of them will be taken at one point but i still continue to try to avoid the fact". Does this approach of denial and avoidance help sooth the harsh reality of death ? Also another interesting question I would like to bring up quick, are men more likely to avoid and denial death more then women ?
Sarah T Blog:
Sarah I really enjoyed your post. I felt you had a good sense of the discussion as awhole. I totally forgot about the Honeymoon from death aspect,which I feel is something really intresting. And seems to be a common occurence in facing death why is this I wonder ? Next time I would really enjoy hearing more of your own personnel insights.
Javon I thought you touched on some really central points about illness and dying.Denial , from reading your post and thinking back to some of my other post and are guest speaker, It seems to be a key themes in illness and dying. I wonder does it go back to you very point " I am fully aware that each of them will be taken at one point but i still continue to try to avoid the fact". Does this approach of denial and avoidance help sooth the harsh reality of death ? Also another interesting question I would like to bring up quick, are men more likely to avoid and denial death more then women ?
Sarah T Blog:
Sarah I really enjoyed your post. I felt you had a good sense of the discussion as awhole. I totally forgot about the Honeymoon from death aspect,which I feel is something really intresting. And seems to be a common occurence in facing death why is this I wonder ? Next time I would really enjoy hearing more of your own personnel insights.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
HW 21 - Expert #1
1.,Illness and dying is not like the movies .
2.,Denial Of being ill.
3., Being sick strips ones right of pride .
For me this insight was so true.In away I think we all wish death and illness was as easy as it is in the movies. That we still even in the end hold on to our beauty anbd essence. That are dignity isnt lost in the illness.But the truth is when we get sick theirs are no sets, no lights, nobody screaming out action. The actors cast in these roles are all to real and the emotions never end with a scene.Illness and eventual death are all to long.People can be sick like Eric for years. Never knowing that those days in a busling coffe shop with your son are fading with each mintue. With a end of a movie theirs closered with death theirs not.
Nobody wants to be sick.How many times do we get sick and try to fight it.Denie that we have a simple cold.I think it comes from a fear.A deep rooted fear, that sickness is only a fall away from death. When we are sick where left vulnerable. Its one of those times that your left depending on the people close around you.Or for some the realization yourself is the only one you have. So like Eric we put are intention to somthing else.For some its work or kids or school. All to ignore the fact that somthing isnt right.
In facing your death or in being a caregiver, you encounter and handle challenges far beyond what you believe yourself capable of, far beyond common concerns.The way in which you face death leaves your special mark on the world. It empowers others to learn and grow. It create a closeness and intimacy within a cicle of family, friends, and supporters by allowing them to participate in the dying.I would like to leave by a poem by brith poet Dave Harkins:
“You can shed tears that she is gone,
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her only that she is gone,
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back.
Or you can do what she'd want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.”
2.,Denial Of being ill.
3., Being sick strips ones right of pride .
For me this insight was so true.In away I think we all wish death and illness was as easy as it is in the movies. That we still even in the end hold on to our beauty anbd essence. That are dignity isnt lost in the illness.But the truth is when we get sick theirs are no sets, no lights, nobody screaming out action. The actors cast in these roles are all to real and the emotions never end with a scene.Illness and eventual death are all to long.People can be sick like Eric for years. Never knowing that those days in a busling coffe shop with your son are fading with each mintue. With a end of a movie theirs closered with death theirs not.
Nobody wants to be sick.How many times do we get sick and try to fight it.Denie that we have a simple cold.I think it comes from a fear.A deep rooted fear, that sickness is only a fall away from death. When we are sick where left vulnerable. Its one of those times that your left depending on the people close around you.Or for some the realization yourself is the only one you have. So like Eric we put are intention to somthing else.For some its work or kids or school. All to ignore the fact that somthing isnt right.
In facing your death or in being a caregiver, you encounter and handle challenges far beyond what you believe yourself capable of, far beyond common concerns.The way in which you face death leaves your special mark on the world. It empowers others to learn and grow. It create a closeness and intimacy within a cicle of family, friends, and supporters by allowing them to participate in the dying.I would like to leave by a poem by brith poet Dave Harkins:
“You can shed tears that she is gone,
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back,
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see her,
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her only that she is gone,
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind,
be empty and turn your back.
Or you can do what she'd want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.”
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