Analysis Of Paul Kalanithi's 'When Breath Becomes Air'

William Carlos Williams’ passion and dedication of medicine can be seen through his literary contributions of short stories and poems. The Doctor Stories use interior monologue in a stream-of-consciousness as a tool to reflect each narrator’s experience and gives insight into the character and his appraisal of each of the situations encountered. It is through this stream-of-consciousness that we come to realize the observational nature of this doctor’s actions and thoughts.

In “Surrounded by Sleep” by Akhil Sharma, Ajay has to deal with his new life after his brother Aman’s, accident. Ajay and his family’s lives revolve around Aman’s coma, uprooting their lives from New York to Virginia to be with him. In addition, a big part of their everyday routine is dedicated to Aman, such as constant prayers and visits. However, during a late night visit to Aman, Ajay is inspired by a musician on the television, who shouts at his fans to stop watching him and live their lives. This is a turning point for Ajay, as he realizes he has only been living for Aman, but wants his own life now.

In many cultures, modern beliefs and native myths blend to create a new way of life. Antonio, from Bless me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, causes the blend of modern and traditional in the Chicano culture because of his inability to choose between the beliefs of his parents. Antonio’s mother is a strict Catholic and the descendant of farmers, and Antonio’s father believes in the golden carp and descends from vaqueros. They pressure Antonio to choose, but, with Ultima’s guidance, he discovers that it is possible to believe both. At the end of the novel, Antonio proves that the heritages of his parents can be combined and reformed to create his own beliefs. Antonio Luna-Marez’s uncertainty in his faith and heritage comes to a climax in the final

he AIDS hospice reeked from disease and neglect. On my first day there, after an hour of "training," I met Paul, a tall, emaciated, forty-year-old AIDS victim who was recovering from a stroke that had severely affected his speech. I took him to General Hospital for a long-overdue appointment. It had been weeks since he had been outside. After waiting for two and a half hours, he was called in and then needed to wait another two hours for his prescription. Hungry, I suggested we go and get some lunch. At first Paul resisted; he didn’t want to accept the lunch offer. Estranged from his family and seemingly ignored by his friends, he wasn’t used to anyone being kind to him — even though I was only talking about a Big Mac. When it arrived, Paul took his first bite. Suddenly, his face lit up with the biggest, most radiant smile. He was on top of the world because somebody bought him a hamburger. Amazing. So little bought so much. While elated that I had literally made Paul’s day, the neglect and emotional isolation from which he suffered disgusted me. This was a harsh side of medicine I had not seen before. Right then and there, I wondered, "Do I really want to go into medicine?"

A statement such as ‘War is unavoidable’, for some leave a bad taste in their mouth, as if the person stating such a claim was the devil himself, for others it is a way of life. “Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa a poem that takes place where most refuse to tread; a journey which displays the interpretation of each viewer and the memories and images the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial evokes. They erect various Memorials and Monuments which help individuals associate memories and the meanings; but only someone who went through it or experience a personal lost, will find release from conflict, memories left untouched for years, “I said I wouldn’t / dammit: No tears.” (3, 4)

Selzer’s The Exact Location of the Soul captures the essence of being a physician by using first person point of view, a series of personal anecdotes, and such striking imagery.

For as long as I could remember, I have seen my father rushing to the hospital in a white coat, answering pagers in the middle of important family conversations and attending night calls even in the most terrible weather. I had always wondered; what could be so important that it belittles every other responsibility in his life. It was only after many years of anguish and protests that it finally made sense to me. This defining moment of realization occurred when I first met a patient in his office. I saw how the gratitude in the patient’s eyes can provide a sense of fulfillment that triumphs all other feelings in the universe. It was human life that was most important. Being a doctor does not make you a mere healer but also gives you the responsibility of a caregiver. I had never felt more proud of my father and that was the day I felt the urge to relive this feeling many times over. It was there in that moment that I decided to pursue a career in medicine.

This is a story about how the balloon explores the public's response to it and the relationship with the narrator conscience. The balloon itself is the symbolic representation of the story, so that the reader is forced to confront and respond to the story in the same way that the citizens of New York City must confront and respond to the balloon. The balloon can represent any imaginative origin, as the public demonstrates. The mention of the balloon as having a “deliberate lack of finish” which gave the “surface a rough forgotten quality” reinforced the idea that the balloon is an art object designed to provoke public and private reactions.

With each impingement, he angrily moaned at his assailants. And, there was even one point in the short film… one moment where you could see him clearly… for just a second or two, an image that burrowed its way into my mind. His harrowed face, the jaundice of his skin, and sunken eyes. He reminded me of my grandfather in the last few days of his life before pancreatic cancer had taken him. How he had become a shell of what he had once been, a blackening peel decomposing before our very eyes.

Redeployment, a national book award winner by author Phil Klay is a powerful, informative book about the Iraq war. It is composed of twelve incredible stories. The most memorable story for me is titled “Bodies.” The title got my attention emotionally and logically. Making sense of life, to readjust in the civilian world is the main theme of this story, which I believed it is a struggle to find direction to continue to live life and not just exist. Manipulation was another theme that made the process of connecting with people less stressful. However, it was not the most effective method.

How can one possibly prepare for the inevitability of death an When it comes to the topic of death, most people avoid discussing it and pretend that life will continue forever. They refrain from They refrain from planning for it or realizing that it will happen at one point or another. Time is a constraint. People tell themselves that they will achieve something in a certain amount of time which isn’t true because time will truly limit them. Most people do not achieve their dreams because they do not account for death. Instead of living in the moment, they just carefully continue their plans. There is always tension between planning for the future and just living in the pure moment. No one can know when they will cease to exist and many

Many of Tim Winton’s fictional texts mirror moments in his own life, and with an understanding of Winton’s personal context, we can begin to discover the importance of these events and an understanding into why many of his text orbit around similar ideas. Through the insight given in his landscape memoirs, Lands Edge and Island Home, a more considered reading of his fictional texts; Breath, A Blow, A Kiss and Sand can be found. Specifically, these texts explore the role that landscape and place have had in shaping his perspectives and distaste of the expectations of Australian males. These texts each explore certain aspects of the expectations that men all over Australia are subjected to that Winton strongly opposes. Winton grew up in the 1960’s middle-class suburb of Karrinyup, WA, his working class Christian family’s beliefs and values, and events in his early life have evolved to form many of his present-day values towards landscape and masculinity.

Jalapeno bagels is about a boy named Pablo whom cannot decide what to take to school for International Day. He wants to bring something from his parents’ baker. He wants something that represent his heritage but he cannot decide what to bring. His mother who is Mexican baked pan dulce and change bars. His father who is Jewish baked bagels and challah. Both of the bake good were good but while helping his parents with the bakery on Sunday morning, Pablo made a decision on what to bring. He decided to bring jalapeno bagels because they are a mixture both of his parents and just like him too. The multicultural representations in the story line is Mexican and Jewish. The pictures that were drawn in the book, the family has the same color of skin even though the parents are different cultures and the main character is mixed. There were no different skin colors.

Max Beckmann The Beginning (Fig.1) is an oil painting on canvas that measures 69x125-1/2 in. First titled "Childhood," the paintings meaning was based on Beckmann 's dreams and his past. He combined these into a dreamlike realm with an addition of imagination to create a relatable fairytale sequence. Using oil, brush and bright colors, he created three panels separated by bold white space. The left and right panel are the same size, unlike the middle which is much larger and contains more detail and various meanings. The three panels contained sex, innocence, and adolescence. Beckmann’s primary focus appears to be the various changes of a boy evolving into a man through a bizarre reality with imagery from his dreams.

A romantic drama film is a genre that explores the difficult aspects that come with love. The plot usually includes two people that are in love that can’t be together the way they want to be due to obstacles. The obstacles in a romantic drama film can include a family 's disapproval, to forbidden love, to one 's own psychological restrictions. The Notebook is a movie based on a best-selling novel that was written by author Nicholas Sparks. This is a love story that is composed of a series of obstacles between two young people that are madly in love with each other. It perfectly fits and displays the criteria for a successful romantic drama film because it includes the complexity of love, and elicits emotions.