A War on The Self: Reaction Paper to "The Rhetoric of Cancer"

Many proclaim cancer to be a battle. Although it is analogous to it, the term “battle” in this case does not only refer to a war-like scheme in which we have weapons to face the ultimate enemy, cancer, in order to get better. It is a battle also in terms of staying motivated to carry on with daily activities, to provide the needed provisions for treatment, and to assure oneself that there is still hope in the eventual dissipation of the illness. To “fight cancer” seems to be a ubiquitous term when relating to patients. Upon reflection it seems proper to ask ourselves: if cancer is within us, does it really make sense wage war on our own body? Aren’t there better terms we can use than “to fight?” Along with the perspectives of several cancer patients and expert scientists, the podcast “The Rhetoric of Cancer” by BBC World Service analyzes this linguistic problem, among other things such as the technologies being utilized today in treating patients, and different ways to look at cancer as a whole.

Andrew Graystone, the narrator of the podcast, was diagnosed with cancer over three years ago (as the podcast was made recently, in November of 2013) and decided that he wanted to look for a more appropriate term in dealing with his cancer, aside from militarized terms such as “to fight” and “to battle.” In the realm of medical sciences, these terms probably seemed more most fitting as the drugs that were are being invented and studied often aim to find, isolate, and kill the cells responsible for the spread of the cancer. However, as Andrew was the one who introduced the cancer into his system, and as he was aware that the cancer was part of him, he decided that terms of hostility would not be best to use when referring to his own body. A devout Christian, he eventually turned to a good friend and theologian, Paula Gooder, asking for her views on the matter. Her side is what struck me most. She remarks that with cancer, perhaps it is better not to look at it as a war of good and evil, but rather, as a reminder of the reality of imminent death in our lives. We are all bound to die eventually – some sooner than others. This is why we live with concepts of morality and justice, and we aim to live life to the fullest.

In the end, Andrew remarks that although he wants his cancer gone, he is not hostile towards it – he simply wants to “kiss his cancer goodbye.” If there’s anything to be taken away from this 25-minute podcast, I believe it is that we should treat cancer patients not as people going through wars and struggles, but as people going through a process of rediscovering themselves and coming to terms with what’s going on in their own bodies. Cancer is not to be fought, it is simply to be removed.

Redd Claudio

2013-59776

A Trip to the Moon Reaction Paper

               If I’m just a regular girl present in the first screening of the film, which is in 1902, I would be so amazed of the effects they had in the film. The technology of moving pictures were just starting during that time, and seeing something so futuristic, with many visual effects, will make me think that this movie is really great and amazing and I would for sure will give it a big thumbs up. There is also a colored version of the film where Melies and his crew carefully colored the rolls of film, one by one. Since all the films then were black and white, I will be delighted to see a colored film. Melies really took a great effort in making the film. They had a studio and a lot of props in order to make it look futuristic. If I’m also watching it during 1902, I would be more imaginative and would really wonder if it will be possible to set foot on the moon, if there are aliens, if there are other living things outside earth, etc. As said, the film is one of the most technically innovative films during that time. But if I’m a scientist during that time, and I was given the chance to watch it on the first screening, surely, I will find the story of the movie very illogical. I will see it as a movie that ridicules science and astronomers. But I will find the production and cinematography a big leap in the technology of film-making.

Pauline de Leon

2011-44571

Time Enough at Last Reaction Paper

Time Enough at Last is the 8^th episode of the American Television series “The Twilight Zone”. The episode is from the short story written by Marilyn Veneble. It is about a man named Henry Bemis, a bank teller and an avid reader. Being too addicted to reading books, it affects his work. One time he shortchanged a customer, making him annoyed. This angered Bemis’ boss and wife. His boss’ wife mocked him. The next day, Bemis had lunch on the banks vault, where he can read books. All of a sudden a tremendous explosion happened, knocking him unconscious. After gaining consciousness, he went out of the vault and found everyone dead. He was the sole survivor and although he can survive because there were tons of foods that are left for him, he was in despair because he was alone in the shattered world. He then found a library, and saw that the books are readable. He realized he had all the time in the world to read them all. But he accidentally tripped and his glasses broke, leaving him virtually blind. Thus he cannot read the books anymore, making him more gloomy and depressed.

            

       If I’m going to make an update of the story, instead of killing himself, I’ll continue it with him collecting the shattered pieces of his glasses. He will really try his best to find it and bring the pieces together. His glasses are very crucial to him because he will also need it when looking for food. After he found all the pieces, he will go find something to attach the pieces together, like glue or something, which I think is not impossible to find. After that he can go on to his life, fulfilled, reading books from different fields, becoming more knowledgeable that it allows him to experiment, build robots, enhance the technology, and make the world a little better for him.

Pauline de Leon

2011-44571

Life in Solitude: A Reaction Paper on "The Twilight Zone (Episode: Time Enough At Last)"

“Time is gold.” This is a saying all of us are probably very familiar with. It is essentially saying that time is precious, how it is in fact lost in simply seconds, literally. And this is especially showed in the life of Henry Bemis, a bank teller and avid bookworm, as depicted in an episode of The Twilight Zone entitled Time Enough At Last.

Bemis lives a life constantly looking for time to read. One day he goes to the bank vault to just read undisturbed, but, as he reads a news article about a bomb, he suddenly feels the tremors of an explosion. He’s completely fine but once he goes out of the vault everything else and everyone else is not. He is the only one left, everyone, everything is gone. He lost hope and was about to end his life when he spots the public library. He discovers that although the library has been severely damaged, the books haven't. Suddenly seeing a bright silver lining, he gathers and organizes all the books. He finally has the time to just read. But just as he starts to read, he stumbles and his glasses fall and break. This makes him basically blind, blind to read.

If I were to make an updated adaptation of the story, putting it in the context of our present-day, it'd be quite simple. I'd simply change books to computers or laptops or even phones and Bemis's glasses to its power supply. Everyone today has probably used a computer at some point in his or her life. It's something we can all admit that is very useful yet addicting, especially with the internet. Like how books were to Bemis, if a person were to be deserted in a devastated city, a computer or any gadget that would provide him with communication is what I think would make him most happy, would give him the most hope. And like Bemis, we often don't realize that this bliss, the bliss of having access to these luxuries, is dependent on something we often cannot control or something we don't realize was even essential. We often get stuck staring at the screens, living our virtual lives more often than our actual lives. We then only realize our true solitude when we are presented with something that gives us happiness and hope, only to get our access to it taken away and now we can't do anything with it because we now have nothing and no one.

This episode has so many ideas and can be interpreted in so many ways. It showed how some of the oddest things could save you. It showed how the advancement of technology destroyed everything and everyone but not written knowledge, buildings but not books. But to me, it most importantly showed the importance of balance in life, balance between fantasy and reality, solitude and companionship. To Bemis, books and reading were the most important. There was nothing wrong with this passion; it just got him to ignore everything and everyone else. It got him to ignore life.

Audrey Anne A. Arocha

2012-51626

Read Me

                I really like happy ending stories. I felt awful after watching the All the Time episode. I was bothered with everything that happened in the movie. I am fond of reading books as well, that is why I knew where the leading man, Henry Bemis, was coming from. It is totally unjust to be a hindrance in someone else’s happiness. One must act as a bridge to the joy of everyone.

                In the movie, Henry, who has a poor eyesight, was so into books. His wife and his boss would always take away all of his readings for some reasons. Then one day, massive explosion happened while he was in this vault having lunch and reading a book. When he went outside, all he saw was ruins of his workplace. Everything was destroyed and everyone died. He was the only one who survived. He thought of committing suicide already, but he saw this Public Library and his passion for reading suddenly burst into flames. He already arranged all the books he wanted to read. But in the end, his glasses fell of and got broken.

                If I were to change this, I will let his wife dream what happened from the explosion up to the scene where his glasses got broken. In that way, she would feel how terrible his husband was going through. This might also change her mind with the way she was treating her husband. Now, it will have a one very happy ending.

De Jesus, Carmela Gabrielle D.

2013 - 55245

A Century Back, A Century Later: A Reaction Paper on "A Trip to the Moon"

Le Voyage dans La Lune, or simply A Trip to the Moon, is a 1902 short French silent film, popularly known to be one of the earliest films ever made. It depicts the adventure of a group of astronomers as they launch in a metal spaceship shot off by a cannon to the moon, further telling of their discovery of life in the celestial body and then finally their falling back to Earth.

In today's context such a story might seem quite fantastical and may even be perceived as a film that took a comedic and sarcastic stand on the idea of traveling to the moon and what or who may be uncovered there. When put in the technology and reality we have today, we may have the opinion that what is being shown is a comedy, is so funny because it is just simply so far of the truth. But although all these might be true, we have to take note that this film was created in a completely different time; a time that having a man on the moon just seems to be such an impossible feat and ideas about whatever is out there are just ideas of fiction.

All of this being said, if I were to go back to 1902, see the movie upon its release and remove all thoughts of present-day technology in mind, I'd have a completely different, in fact probably opposite, opinion. It would've probably seemed to be a futuristic film, a fictional film depicting what could be. Having the film itself been possible, the fact that there were now moving pictures would've already been an impressive leap in technology for me. For it to show more possibilities of future technology is just a plus. The film might also as well simply serve as an inspiration for inventors and scientists on their journey in literally reaching for the stars.

What humanity has achieved in the past century has certainly been quite a feat. Today, we see space flight as something of fact, something that already happened, in comparison to 1902 when it was just possible in the imagination, in works of fiction. It is certainly one very impressive leap of achievement and just like if we were in 1902 today, we could only simply imagine what we'd have achieved and where humanity could possibly be another century onwards.

Audrey Anne A. Arocha

2012-51626

Leaving on a Capsule

                The film Trip to the Moon is a silent film aired on 1902 in France. It is about scientists who planned to have a trip to the moon using a capsule. They eventually got on the moon. While they were wandering around, they saw some aliens and fought them. After some time, they decided to go back to earth. And the people welcomed them like heroes.

                If I were to watch this film on its first screening, I would first feel curious on how they would re-enact the whole thing. I must say that it is really not believable watching it in the year 2014, but it would give a slight idea to the people in the past on how trips to the moon are basically made. The background music and the comedic acting of the artists helped to not make the film boring.

                It is certainly safe to say that techniques on creating movies have leveled up in the most imaginable way. Comparing the means and ideas before on what we are having right now makes me appreciate more our technology today.

De Jesus, Carmela Gabrielle D.

2013 - 55245