We cannot escape the cycle of life even if we tried, some people are privileged to live longer than others and for some the taste of death may take its toll sooner than you think. In the book The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Hazel Grace knows well that death is the possible outcome; she looks at her disease with humour. She playfully shows her sense of humour throughout the book, such as “I didn’t tell him that the diagnosis came three months after I got my first period. Like: Congratulations! You’re finally a woman. Now die”. Hazel Grace, who is constantly troubled by her illness, struggles to fit in, make friends, enjoy herself and be optimistic. Hazel Grace because of her lung capacity is unable to participate in other extracurricular activities such as running or even walking up the stairs but she does attend support groups where she meets others like her …show more content…
In the novel, Hazel Grace finds that “chasing your dreams” may be too big and unrealistic fearing that maybe her cancer is not the only thing depriving her from attaining it but also her lack of self-confidence and paralyzed thoughts that maybe staying in her room every day is not all that bad. Hazel Grace, like many other teenagers have a dream, hers is to meet Peter Van Houten the author of her all-time favourite book An Imperial Affliction; she mentions “this book was as close as a thing as I had to a bible”. Since Hazel does not have much of a social life and any extracurricular activities she spends her time reading this novel over and over again wondering if there is ever going to be a sequel to the end. In addition, she gets to fulfill her dream thanks of the help of Augustus Waters and the genies, by flying them to Amsterdam to have her unanswered question finally for many years answered. (*** How she meets Augustus and makes her dream
In the short story “The Reach,” Stephen King addresses the fact that in life there is a constant fear of death, but when confronted with it is easier to accept when someone has seen many deaths and knows that they are dying themselves. The narrator of the story knows that she is dying and, being an elder, has seen many deaths. We reach this conclusion when she questions the love she has for others and no longer cries when others die around her anymore. She has seen many deaths in the years and can only accept that death is inevitable and a part of life. Mostly everyone she grew up with has passed on already.
The possibility of death is something that Caroline has faced everyday. This has shaped her identity in a way that has made her stronger, and more lively. With death being an issue
For this project, I decided to read “The Fault in Our Stars,” a novel written by John Green. This book is about 16 year old Hazel Grace, who is diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She attends weekly Cancer Support Group, where she meets Augustus Waters, a “very intelligent and hot” boy who is currently in remission. They both take a liking for each other, their relationship growing and developing throughout the book as they fight cancer together. Along the way, Hazel learns many important lessons about life.
Some people spend their lives working towards the coming of their death, and their life thereafter, where others spend their lives doing everything they possibly can to make the most of their time on earth. In Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom, the lead character Morrie Schwartz was diagnosed with the fatal disease Lou Gerrig’s Disease, also known as ALS. Although many people would fall into a deep pit of self-loathing and regret, Morrie Schwartz took the opportunity to teach people about life and love. He surrounded himself with friends, and loved ones in his final days. Contrary to Morrie’s attitude, Lear, in William Shakespeare's King Lear, treats death as a negative thing in his life, fearing it, and running from it.
One of the most important things to remember about any living thing is that we are not invincible. Everyone and everything who has and will be born has or will die. Though everyone hopes to live a long and successful life that is not always the case. When looking at this still shot of The Fault in Our Stars produced by Temple Hill Productions, the college-aged female audience instantly sees the young love and inevitable sickness and heartbreak in a black and white pathos-driven photo overlaid with an emotional quote by author, John Green. This black and white photo draws attention to itself by the use of a friendly, youthful looking font and a nice focal point that draws our immediate attention to the couple.
They do well in steering away from the common dreadful metaphors of illness in literature by discussing them in a realistic way to conjure acceptance that death is a reality of life. They also show the impact of the use of/belief that illness as a metaphor for death and fixating on it and how it can affect one’s journey through life. This is seen in how the Fitzgerald family from The Fault In Our Stars is torn apart by not accepting the possibility of Kate’s death and losing touch of other important aspects of life which led them to become estranged. This strange family dynamic is beautifully narrated in the story in such a way that the reader feels as though they are able to read every character’s brain in the story to find out that even though they have become significantly distant, they all love each other but are unable to show it because they feel neglected compared to Kate, who they all love and are dedicated to saving. They feel as though their
It is inevitable that we will all die it is a fact that everyone must come to terms with. There comes a time in everyone’s life that they must face death; a friend’s tragic accident, a family member’s passing or their own battles with diseases. When faced with the idea of death people will act in different ways some may find it therapeutic to apologize for the negative they have done, some may want to spend time with loved ones to ease the future pain, and others may decide that their life was not what they believed. The story Death Constant Beyond Love tells us about a man named Senator Sanchez who is living a happy life with his wife and five kids. That is until he is told by doctors that he only has a short time to live. Death is unknown much like love, we do not know or understand when love will find us, and it is the same with death. In Death Constant Beyond Love is not your typical love or death story. After told about his pending doom Senator Sanchez wants to keep his life as constant as normal, until his desires for a young woman change his plans, and then he dies.
Death alone is a scary thought to most individuals. People who live their life in fear of death don’t really get the most out of life. Someone who is terminally ill would be in a similar situation. There are two ways to live life after being diagnosed terminally ill. One way would be to get the most out of what remains of the person’s life. This would be considered the positive outcome. In the story “Letter from a Sick Person” the narrator recently has been informed he is terminal. Instead of panicking or being upset he embraces it. He accepts that his death is unavoidable and it gives him a brand new meaning in his life. He states, “In journeys, the greatest grief is hidden”. This life explains while he is not exactly happy he has discovered a way to cope with his illness. He feels as if it was his time stating, “I tell you I wanted death to come like a captain and carry me off”. Even in his death he knew that it wasn’t him who would be forced to overcome his death but the people left
2. Another complication to The Fault in Our Stars, is that a few days after Hazel Grace and Augustus (and their parents as well) start planning for their trip to Amsterdam, things turn for the worst when at night, Hazel Grace’s lungs fill up with fluid. This unsuspected event causes Hazel Grace’s heath to plummet 7 stories down and brings the Amsterdam trip to halt. The highly anticipated trip for the two teenagers, plus her mother, was put on hold because Hazel Grace’s health was so unstable and they couldn’t risk her getting worse or another accident happening while in Amsterdam without the right doctors on hand.
Through the difficult, cancer-controlled lives of Augustus, Hazel, and even Peter Van Houten, we see just how bad some people have it. They must deal with the fact that what they were given is not ideal, but must be dealt with. Augustus had to deal with this up until the last days of his life, where he began to focus on his legacy and making sure his life had a purpose, which makes it evident that others will also search for things like these throughout the course of their
This book actually impacted my view on life a bit. Life is a fragile gift and this book made me wonder if I am using my time in all the wrong ways. We should all work to be using our days as best we can and try to be happy regardless of our sadness. As we all know that’s not as simple as it sounds, which makes the strength of Hazel and Augustus extremely inspiring and even eye-opening. When I compare myself to these two characters I hope I can be more like them.
As soon as your life takes a traumatic turn like Tug and Morrie your mind starts to appreciate things more. “And I watched an eagle as it was flying” (Mcgraw 2). Tim’s father started to appreciate nature after he was informed that he was carrying a fatal brain tumor. In the same way, Morrie teaches us to appreciate the little things like the rain falling and the people who make us who we are. “I look out the window everyday. I notice the change in the trees, how strong the wind is blowing. It’s as if I can see time is almost done, I am drawn to nature like I’m seeing it for the first time” (Albom 84). Once you know that your time on Earth is almost over, you start to appreciate the little things around you because in the end sometimes all you see are the small things that you never noticed before. “The loving relationships we have, the universe around us, we take these things for granted” (Albom 84). Many people in this world only pay attention to materialistic things and do not realize the perfect world they have without those objects. Appreciate what is in your life already before it is too late. In addition, do not fear what comes unexpectedly, but accept it and live your life to the highest expectation. “And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter, And gave forgiveness I’d been denying”(Mcgraw 2). Once Tug found out he was sick he did not fear or ignore his issues, he overcame and fixed them. In “Factors that facilitate and hinder the manageability of living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in both patients and next of kin” patients did not do this. “Earlier episodes, attitudes and hatred of the disease obstructed acceptance of the situation. Thoughts about the future frightened them, because they were afraid they would be unable to plan and adequately organise their lives during the disease process and after the death of the
In the essay, Mairs presents a self-deprecating sense of humor about her harsh reality, but she also provides a dark emotional intensity throughout. Mairs exudes an isolationists mentality within her own frustration claiming, “I want them to see me as a tough customer, one to whom the fates/gods/viruses have not been kind, but who can face the brutal truth of her existence squarely.” (Mairs 117). For most, degenerative disease or not, life presents opportunities to want to shake our fists at our makers, if only to appear stronger than we actually are. Yet, strength isn’t all Mairs has to show us, “Are there worse things than dying?” she states in a moment of realization and doubt, ” I think that there may be.” (Mairs 119). To the reader, this line instills a sense of anxiety, which is clearly something shared with the writer. By the end of it, you can see straight through the author’s humor as an emotional attachment towards her builds on itself. That attachment is purely a response based on her ability to show her self to her
Everybody will die, but throughout the course of their lives circumstances will determine how they live. Margaret Atwood is among the most-honored authors of fiction in recent history. (“Margaret Atwood”.) One of her many short stories I have read is “Happy Endings”. In this story she has a sort of ironic theme. She allows her readers to be aware that no matter what obstacles you face in life you will end up with the same result death. I believe this short story, as well as most of her writing, relates to her personal life. Overall throughout the story she talks about the expectations of women, their rebellious and pessimistic ways, and how she examines life through her own experiences.
In John Green’s novel, The Fault in Our Stars, cancer patients Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters find love within their own tragic story, Hazel with terminal Lung Cancer and Augustus with Osteosarcoma. While their romance is comforting, their story is ultimately heartbreaking. The Fault in Our Stars is a sad story, Augustus comes into Hazel’s life and is then killed by cancer, but that does not mean their story was entirely depressing. In Amsterdam, when Hazel recounts her unpleasant meeting with Van Houten to her mother, she explains, “You have a choice in this world, I believe, about how to tell sad stories, and we made the funny choice,” and in this, Green emphasizes the message that even the gloomiest stories do not have to be depressing.