I was moved by some of Frank's more deep and meaningful lines. One that I loved was "every heartbeat is hope for the next one," which is a great way of saying that as long as the heart beats, there is always hope. Another great line was "illness threatens physically, and it threatens existentially and spiritually. Eventually...that threat can morph into a kind of liberation." To me, this means that illness is so fearful because it threatens life, which is the most important thing in the world. This threat can make somebody feel as though there is nothing left to fear once their life is on the verge of being taken. Overall, this was a very well written and touching article.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Response to Tricksters and Truthtellers
I love the respect that Frank shows for the value of literature and writing as a therapy. To me, this article was more about storytelling than it was about illness. It was about how every person can find value in hearing another person's story. Stories of illness are especially important, because they humanize the patient. Many patients' lives revolve around their current T-cell count or white blood cell count, and by hearing others' stories, their lives can continue.
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Thank you for such a thoughtful response. You got the the heart of why I chose this article -- because, as you said, it's not really about illness, but about the power of writing to heal. That's really what inspires me as a writer and as a teacher. Words can do things; writing can do things.
ReplyDeleteI also really like that you honed in one specific lines that touched you and made you think. I appreciate that y'all had lots to do in advance of our last class, so I'll work on making deadline-days less reading heavy. Thanks for your comments.