Analysis Of Barbara Ehrenreich's 'Midterm'

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Midterm Critical Response Regarding, Barbara Ehrenreich’s excerpt from a smile or die: the brighter side of breast cancer” (2010) the author expresses how the fight with cancer wasn’t easy and how she felt threatened to stay positive. Society shouldn’t have a judgment on how a cancer patient feels. Throughout, the excerpt Ehrenreich reveals “how they (the doctors) attempted to recruit me into positive thinking” (Ehrenreich, 2010, p140). She explains how her negative perspective wasn’t appropriate for breast cancer. They say the effects of a positive viewpoint will help with the cancer treatment. She complained to people about the effects of the chemotherapy and the money grubbing insurance companies. Ehrenreich, being forced to be positive, I can relate to this. I was forced at a time in taking anger management classes as a way they’d “control my anger”. Apparently I wasn’t friendly enough toward society. In turn spent two months with an anger management class, discussing my feelings and how to be more positive. Sadly I don’t believe it worked. …show more content…

“Waking up on a gurney with a surgeon over you” (Ehrenreich, 2010, p141) confirming that breast cancer is now your new hobby isn’t too amusing. With nothing to do and no one to discuss her unhappiness without being infuriated, she was alone. I know the feeling of being alone. As a child, my mom worked all the time obviously my father was never there. I had to be my own friend. Even me and my younger brother were distant I have no one to talk to without a huge blow out either, so I can understand her frustration in that type of predicament. In these cases, people have different realities of how being sick works. Ehrenreich announces “Breast cancer did not make me prettier, or stronger, more feminine or spiritual…it gave me a gift.”(Ehrenreich, 2010, p143) her experience gave her knowledge on how to be more

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