Ned's Struggle In 'A Normal Heart'

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Throughout the play, “A Normal Heart”, Ned Weeks becomes an extremely effective activist within the gay community in effort to make the country more aware of the deadly immune deficiency disease that is spreading and killing more and more gay men each week. Unlike the other people in his organization, Ned never fails to speak the blunt truth regarding this disease. At one point, Ned became so frustrated with the country’s denial of this disease that he answered a random phone call and said, “every gay man who refuses to come forward now and fight to save his own life is truly helping to kill the rest of us. How many of us have to die before you get scared off your ass and into action?” (Page 68) Ned is done with trying to peacefully handle this crisis within the gay community: he decided to take an aggressive and activist way towards solving this issue. While the other people within the small organization are quietly trying to help peacefully inform people of the disease, Ned decides to finally take this intense controversial stand. Ned has decided to stop taking “no” for an answer, no longer will he allow the country to keep disregarding this rapidly spreading disease within the gay community. After time, Ned’s …show more content…

Kramer uses Ned to express that self advocation is a vital skill. Without Ned, who knows what would have happened with the AIDS crisis. Ned did more than just bring awareness to AIDS, he brought integrity and confidence to the gay community. They were given a voice, a voice that eventually allowed them to feel more comfortable and passionate about being gay. By the end reading or watching this play, Kramer wants the audience to be passionate and accept one's differences. Stand up for yourself when you feel insecure. Be the person who acts on their believes. Accept your true self. Be a leader like Ned, and do not be a watcher like our entire country during the AIDS

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