Topic of Cancer

Before his death, Christopher Hitchens wrote about his great “struggle”. This “struggle” was him being diagnosed with cancer. Christopher described his denial to be short-lived as he tried to continue to make the appearances he had scheduled and continue to sell his books. Christopher described his fate to be ironic; just like the way that his career as a writer is based on irony, his fate was also decided by irony. On the day that his book hit the best-seller list, he found out that he had cancer. Christopher described the pain he experienced during his treatments. He felt as if he was “shackled to his own corpse”. He was not expecting the awful side effects that came along with his treatment. After describing his treatment as “chemo-poison”, he talked about the two different groups that were formed. Based on his writing and the way he lived his life there was a group that wished him to be ill, and another that was formed by physicians and prayer groups that prayed for his health. Christopher ended the essay by saying, “On both of these I hope to write next time - if as my father invariably said - I am spared”(89).

Christoper Hitchens wrote this essay with intent of sharing about his experience during his cancer treatments. He wrote this in hope to be spared, and have the chance to write again. Christoper achieved his purpose as he did a great job using figurative language to help describe his experience, as others are not able to directly relate to his pain. Christopher’s choice to write in first-person helped the reader understand his emotions even deeper. He had the ability to express all of his thoughts as he began to face new experiences, helping the reader understand his feelings. Christopher Hitchens left the reader with the exact emotions that he intended them to feel, while achieving his purpose of writing the essay.

The Man Behind the Essay

NANCY KASZERMAN/ZUMA

Christopher Hitchens was a controversial writer. He wrote on many topics such as politics, religion and history.  He received many awards on his writing. He died at the age of 62 (1949-2011) due to complications from esophageal cancer.

After The Ice

Winter is symbolic of death. Waking up on an icy winter morning in Arkansas to the phone call of death, was what Paul experienced. This morning would always be remembered by him because it was the morning that he got the phone call to report to the hospital. After sitting in the hospital for hours, the death of his nephew, Keith, was pronounced and it was presumed that it was not accidental. Keith’s step-father was charged with murder. Paul, to this day can not get two images out of his mind; the image of that icy morning driving to the hospital, and the image of Keith’s step-father in an orange jump suit handcuffed in the courtroom. Paul does not understand why the step-father committed this awful act, and he continues to imagine the amazing life that Keith had ahead of him. The memories at the age of seventeen become even more powerful, as Paul’s family grows older because he now has kids older than Keith was when he was murdered. Paul continues to imagine the relationship between Keith and the step-father, and what act could have caused the step-father to murder Keith.

Paul Crenshaw, an assistant professor at Elon University, wrote After the Ice to share and recreate his feelings after the murder of his nephew, Keith, for the reader. Paul recalled the feelings and emotions he felt “after the ice” when he heard the news that Keith’s step-father was to blame for his death. Paul achieved his purpose of having the reader feel the pain and confusion that he felt about the murder of his nephew. By explaining all of his memories with such detail, the reader was able to feel as if they were memories of their own. Paul Crenshaw achieved his goal, as the reader is left off questioning what could have drawn the step-father to murder Keith, and what life Keith could have had.

A Symbolic Time

JONATHAN NACKSTRAND - AFP/Getty Images

In literature, winter is symbolic for death, as well as a time of reflection. The picture above helps convey the emotions felt by Paul, as he had to wake up to the death of his nephew on a winter morning. Paul also reflected on the death of his nephew, Keith, in the essay, connecting to the symbolic meaning of winter.

What Really Happened

Written in a commanding tone, Madge McKeithen tells you, the reader, what to do. “Find the North Carolina Department of Correction Public Access Information System website. Enter the name of the offender. Write down the seven-digit offender ID number. Click on the box to see the photograph”(137). This was her first step and your first direction in asking the offender the questions she and you had been waiting forever to ask. A mother, wife, and your best friend, had been murdered by this man. This is the moment you have been waiting for, and finally grew the courage to do. Madge walks you through the steps of the entire situation. She connects you to her feelings during the event. You feel puzzled when you receive the answers from the inmate that she received. You have to deal with the struggle of going through life asking yourself, “Why you get to be alive”(139), and not your best friend. Grow up, to see her kids grow up knowing that their mother was not there, and only be able to imagine the love their mother possessed.

The feelings and experience that Madge McKeithen created in What Really Happened are incredible. You feel yourself feeling the pain and emotions that Madge felt when facing the courage to talk to the offender that took her friend’s life. You can feel the struggle Madge had and frustration that was created when the offender did not give her the answer that she wanted to hear. Due to this, Madge achieved her purpose of making the reader feel all of the emotions that she felt. By writing the essay in a commanding tone, the reader is able to feel all of the emotion Madge felt because the reader is following in her footsteps. Madge Mckeithen created an incredible experience for the reader, while achieving her intended purpose in writing, What Really Happened.

The Dream

Sherrydayne Abroad

The white picket fence resembles what every mother dreams of having. A happy, safe and loved family was what Madge wanted her best friend to provide to her family. This was why she felt the need to ask the man who murdered her best friend, why?

Travels With My Ex

Susan Straight recalled many events from her and her ex-husband’s life as she drove to Huntington Beach. She introduced her three daughters: “The Scholar”, “The Baller” and “The Baby” by telling why they were given these nicknames. They were going to Huntington Beach with The Baller’s friends and boyfriend to celebrate her eighteenth birthday. Susan and her daughters were discussing how more and more people  they knew were being pulled over. They believed this was because the police officers were trying to make “revenue”. Susan expressed her dislike towards traveling to Huntington Beach, and her dislike grew when they were pulled over. Her ex-husband believed that it was because they had a van full of  black kids. This act caused Susan to recall different events that occurred to her and her ex-husband because of his race. Susan expressed her belief of the racism that police officers possessed towards her husband. When they first began to date, Susan described a time in which the police officers yelled racial slurs at her ex-husband and told her she was in the wrong place. Both Susan and her ex-husband called the reason for them being pulled over as the police officers making “revenue”.

Susan Straight was trying to achieve her purpose of telling about her dislike towards the police officers because she believed that they were trying to make “revenue”. Susan recalled events from her past to help her audience understand why she possesses the dislike that she does. She sarcastically described her husband as being “scary”, as a way to sarcastically approve of the police officers’ actions. This helped her audience connect to her thoughts and feelings. Susan Straight has won many different literary awards for her short stories. This is why she was successful in achieving her purpose of sharing her dislike for the police officers trying to make “revenue” by using an argumentative essay.

Rodney King

Matt Sayles/AP Photo

Susan mentioned Rodney King in her essay when she mentioned the racism that her and her  ex-husband experienced from the police. The racism was one of the main reasons why Susan had the dislike that she possessed. 

Port-au-Prince: The Moment

Mischa Berlinski explained his experience, “Faces in the days to come would reveal weariness, despair, misery, grief, and very often joy. But everywhere I went on that first day after the quake, I saw a facial expression I had never before seen”(11). Mischa, his wife and child Leo were working in Port-au-Prince Haiti in 2010 during the earthquake that changed the lives of many. Mischa and his family moved to Haiti in 2007 when his wife got a job with MINUSTAH. He was alone when the earthquake hit. His family’s safety was the first thing to come into his mind. Once Mischa found his family safely, the other people they met in Haiti came to mind. Fortunately, for Mischa and his family, their property was not badly damaged; but this was not the case for many others. Much of Port-au-Prince’s buildings were not structurally sound and suffered great damage during the quake. Mischa went to observe the damage caused by the quake. He saw the crowds of people trying to seek safety with expressions of despair on their faces. The quake made new sights for Mischa as many buildings collapsed to one story, crushing people and leaving their bloody corpses insight.

Mischa Berlinski wrote this essay to inform the reader about his experience during the earthquake in Haiti. He was fortunate to survive and felt the importance to share his experience. Mishca did a great job achieving his purpose because his style helps the reader understand what Mischa experienced during the quake because he shared the different emotions that he felt during the event. Due to his connection with the New York Times and experience as a novelist, his story was able to get out on such a great scale. Mishca did an excellent job portraying his experience during the earthquake in Haiti to his audience.

Hotel Montana

Bruce Ely/The Oregonian
The picture shows the crumbled Hotel Montana that Mischa visited the day of the quake.