Jean-Dominique Bauby revealed“…I would have to rely on myself if I wanted to prove that my IQ was still higher than a turnip” (Bauby 82). Bauby’s account has augmented my perception of those who endure and succumb to stroke. I now ascertain the struggles of trying to preserve independence and retain dignity whilst enduring the collapse of the body. Having a stroke can effect a person’s self-esteem, I could sense Bauby’s feelings of anger, apprehension, sadness, and fear in wavering points while reading. “My weekly bath plunges me into distress and happiness” (Bauby 17) demonstrates his frustration of having to be bedridden and reliant on caregivers. His memoir provided insight on how many patients with stroke cope with ambiguity, even Bauby …show more content…
Locked-in syndrome comprises damage to the pons (located in the brainstem). From prior lectures, I assume Bauby had impairment to hubs in the brainstem central for talking and facial movements. This clarifies Bauby’s inability to freely breathe, speak, chew and swallow food and liquids. From class dialogs, we discussed how the pons has vital neural passageways amid the cerebrum, spinal cord, and cerebellum. In locked-in syndrome, I assume there has to be some disruption of the motor fibers (which control the body muscles) in the brain via the spinal cord, this explains why Bauby’s cognitive function remained intact, while his body remained …show more content…
The section Our Very Own Madonna is a recollection of holidays, vacations, and past accomplishments which gives credence to his legacy before his stroke. I find his memoir encouraging, Bauby refrains from using self-pity; his optimism, wit, and honesty while captive in a paralyzed body is motivating. I am in awe of Bauby’s strength, courage, and resiliency, upon finishing The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, I had immense feelings of gratefulness. I am amazed that he wrote his memoir by blinking his left eye to indicate his words. Perhaps what I find most disheartening is having an active mind while confined in a still body. My favorite quote from the book entails “My old clothes could easily bring back poignant, painful memories. But I see in the clothing a symbol of continuing life. And proof that I still want to be myself. If I must drool, I may as well drool on cashmere” (Bauby 17). Bauby’s vivid accounts of the past and his current life made me reflect of my own, while reading, I consistently thought about my future and the insecurity of life. I mused. If I had Bauby’s condition, would I be as progressive and optimistic about my debilities? I would hope
The essays, “On Being a Cripple”, by Nancy Mairs, and “Living Under Circe’s Spell”, by Matthew Soyster are both about how each author deals with multiple sclerosis in their life and their opinions on it. Mairs’ piece is a careful examination of her experience with MS and her perspective towards her future. In contrast, Soyster writes humorously of a particular incident he had with MS and artfully weaves his ideas about the disease in with his story. In both instances, the authors share the purpose of narrating their encounter with MS to the world to raise awareness. Both employ the rhetorical strategies of appeals to pathos and varying sentence structures to achieve this goal, some more effectively than others.
These two essays are about two dissimilar disabilities. Nancy Mairs and David Sedaris act as examples of how an author’s writing can change the tone and meaning of a narrative. Mairs message was educational and encouraging as she explained her life with MS and how society sees her. Sedaris use of experience and memories portrays his life with obsessive-compulsive disorder; what he calls “tics”. These two writers take similar topics and pitch them in ways so the reader can see the illustration behind them.
Her essay is arranged in such a way that her audience can understand her life - the positives and the negatives. She allows her audience to see both sides of her life, both the harsh realities that she must suffer as well as her average day-to-day life. According to Nancy, multiple sclerosis “...has opened and enriched my life enormously. This sense that my fragility and need must be mirrored in others, that in search for and shaping a stable core in a life wrenched by change and loss, change and loss, I must recognize the same process, under individual conditions, in the lives around me. I do not deprecate such knowledge” (Mairs, 37). Mairs big claim is that she has accepted herself and her condition for what is it, yet she refuses to allow her condition to define her. Through her particular diction, tone, satire, and rhetorical elements, Mairs paints a picture of her life and shows how being a cripple has not prevent her from living her life. She is not embarrassed nor ashamed of what she is, and accepts her condition by making the most of it and wearing the title with
In the essay, “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self,” Alice Walker writes about how she lost her eyesight in one eye due to a childhood accident. Alice communicates to the reader how, when losing an eye, she cared much less about the loss of her eyesight and more about how she appeared to others. In the story, Alice recalls different points where the accident affected her life. To her, the loss of her eye was not just a physical impediment, but a mental one as well. Once she had a surgery to remove the “glob of whitish scar tissue,” she felt like a new person, even though she still could not see. Alice says, “Now that I’ve raised my head,” and can stop holding herself back from being the greatest she can be. Just as Alice is affected by
...taphors, and the simplistic approach are all ways she used to express the feelings of a young fifteen year old girl, wondering when they will grow into their bodies and out of the awkward stage they are stuck in. She beautifully illustrates the longing for that perfect dress which will solve all of their problems for even just one night. But even after it is said and done with, and we have grown into our skin, we will more than likely not be perfect by Cosmopolitan standards, but perfect just the way we are supposed to be.
“I am a Cripple,” when people typically hear these words they tend to feel bad for that person, but that is exactly what Mair does not want. She prefers that people treat her the same as they would if she did not have the disease. Throughout the essay, Mair discuses her disease openly. She uses an optimistic tone, so that the reader will not recoil with sadness when they hear her discuss the disease and how it affects her life. In Nancy Mair’s essay “On Being A Cripple,” Mair uses her personal stories, diction, and syntactical structures to create an optimistic tone throughout the essay, so that the audience can better connect story.
I have chosen to write my book report on an autobiography. Dr. Arnold Beisser’s Flying Without Wings discusses his battle against polio and how he overcame innumerable obstacles. Born in 1925, he contracted paralytic polio at age 24. While our situations are vastly different, I found that we were actually quite similar. His insights into the life of an individual with a disability are accurate. Although the autobiography is not financially focused, many of his ideas and life lessons directly relate to financial goals and ultimately financial independence.
Her family life is depicted with contradictions of order and chaos, love and animosity, conventionality and avant-garde. Although the underlying story of her father’s dark secret was troubling, it lends itself to a better understanding of the family dynamics and what was normal for her family. The author doesn’t seem to suggest that her father’s behavior was acceptable or even tolerable. However, the ending of this excerpt leaves the reader with an undeniable sense that the author felt a connection to her father even if it wasn’t one that was desirable. This is best understood with her reaction to his suicide when she states, “But his absence resonated retroactively, echoing back through all the time I knew him. Maybe it was the converse of the way amputees feel pain in a missing limb.” (pg. 399)
In the essay “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs, Mairs talks about her struggle with multiple sclerosis, or MS, which is a disease that affects the spinal cord, brain and optic nerves in your eyes causing to lose muscle control, balance and vision problems. Throughout the essay Mairs talks about why she lets the word “cripple” be the word that defines her condition. Mairs believes “cripple,” unlike other words, targets her reality. Throughout the essay Mairs presents herself as honest through her exquisite use of language, and very realistic outlook on life.
It is frequently expressed by stroke patients and caregivers that they have not been afforded the suitable information related to stroke, treatments, or post discharge management and recovery, and that the information conveyed is perceived as insufficient and complex. The problem is that there is a failure of healthcare professionals in identifying the learning needs of stroke patients associated with a deficiency in knowledge of just how to access and communicate this crucial information. Indeed, while patient education can be time consuming and nurses may not be properly trained in stroke education it is a nursing duty to provide these teachings to patients and caregivers prior to discharge. This paper will propose an educational plan intended to train, assist, and support nursing staff responsible for stroke patient education, in providing accurate, individualized, guideline based stroke education to patients and families prior to discharge. This plan
Mairs, Nancy. “On Being a Cripple.” Writer’s Presence: A Pool of Readings. 5th ed. Ed. Robert Atawan and Donald McQuade. Boston:Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2006. 183-193. Print
Favali, Vanessa, and Martin Milton. "Disabled Horse-Rider's Experience Of Horse-Riding." Existential Analysis: Journal of the Society for Existential Analysis 21.2 (2010): 251-262. 7 Mar. 2011.
Solis, P. (n.d.). Stroke as a core measure: American heart association: What’s coming down the
...c changes. Some people undergo depression while others learn to adapt to the new lifestyle. With creating Me Before You, Jojo Moyes revealed a novel containing a widespread of border crossings. Will physically changed after he was hit by a car and came across many emotional conflicts with his new life. Louisa withstood a psychological change, accepting that Will wanted to kill himself. Aside from the obvious emotional border crossings it comes with, quadriplegia has changed today’s general public for the best. The community is more informed, active, and aware of issues concerning quadriplegia and other long term disabilities. In the novel, Louisa embodies the general public as she is actively researching while assisting Will in his quadriplegic journey. The novel Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes would only be a great addition to a curriculum respecting border crossings.
Despite that, Madonna and Callas’s public reputations are far apart.√ good Callas was considered a tragic woman during the height and end of her fame,; her image was of a fragile woman and she was seen as ‘mirroring in her life aspects’ (Phillip,, R,. 2008, p.175) when she performed on stage. Operatic roles within the twentieth century are mostly heart-breaking, where ‘almost all of the characters die, on stage or just off it, through suicide or murder’ (Phillip, R,. 2008, p. 175) and these characters were Callas’s speciality, giving her a feeble image. In contrast, Madonna is considered a ‘bankable image, carefully and continually constructed in an era of media globalisation’ (Nick Jones, 2008, p. 168), and greatly known as a ‘Pop Queen’ who relies on the public for her reputation by continually conforming to society styles to increase her performances, sales and reputation. √ good observation. Perhaps emphasise the fact that in comparison to Callas, Madonna can be seen as very much in control. She’s not a victim.