English102 Midterm

What is medicine for?

The making of contact.

What Is A narrative essay?

A spoken or written account of connected events. Narratives are found in:

Autobiographies, short stories, cultural myths, news accounts (Television, print and digital formats), films, blog posts, podcasts, magazines, and art.

Contempt

loathe or hate

(Far) Vaster

(much) larger

Sloth

lazy

(To) Malinger

to fake being ill or sick

Apathy

lack of care and interest

Gratification

satisfaction or enjoyment

Muster

handle

Meager

very small or tiny

Saddled (with)

burdened with

Conspire

to plot or plan something negative

Inundated (with)

overwhelmed

Nihilist

have a belief that there's no God; symbolises lack of purpose and meaning

Inroads

affects

Surly

rude

Moochers

people who take advantage of others' generosity

Putrid

rotten or decomposed

Bleak

miserable

Surreptitiously

sneakily or secretly

Disheveled

messy-looking

Pallid

pale-looking, often due to sickness

Morass

a complicated or confusing situation

Masticating

chewing

Palpable

noticeable; felt or touched

eg: The tension in the room was quite palpable.

Disparaging

negative judgemental comments

eg: She made disparaging comments about his work, which hurt his feelings.

Remitting

to keep away or make leave

eg: Her symptoms were gradually remitting with the new treatment.

Nascent

developing and growing

eg: My friendship with the new girl was nascent.

Culprit

the guilty person

Morbidly

extremely

Fortified

strengthened & made better

Admonish

to warn or reprove

Duress

force someone against their will

Flagrant

outrageously bad and obviously offensive

Inexorable

unavoidable and impossible to stop or prevent

Voracious

Definition: desiring or consuming great quantities

She had a voracious appetite for books, devouring several novels each month.

Indiscriminate

Definition: choosing at random without careful selection

The indiscriminate use of pesticides in agriculture can harm both pests and beneficial insects, corrupting the ecosystem.

Eminent (for a person, not a thing)

Definition: of high reputation, outstanding

The eminent scientist, Alain Aspect, was awarded the Nobel Prize for his groundbreaking research in the field of quantum physics.

Steeped (in; the only preposition that follows steeped)

Definition: soaked, drenched, saturated

I steeped the tea leaves in hot water, allowing the rich aroma and flavour to slowly infuse the liquid.

Replete (with; the only preposition that follows replete)

Definition: completely filled

After the grand feast, the table was replete with delicious desserts.

Abound (with, the only preposition that goes with it)

Definition: exist in great numbers (comes from abundance, which goes with the preposition "in")

During the springtime, colourful flowers abound in the lush gardens of Central Park in New York.

Prognosticate

Definition: to predict or foretell a future event

The weather forecasters tried to prognosticate the likelihood of rain for the weekend, relying on various climatic models and data.

Automaton

Definition: a robot, or a mechanical person/device

The factory used an advanced automaton to efficiently manufacture electronic devices.

Matron

Definition: an older married woman

The matron of the nursing home has been providing compassionate care to the elderly residents.

Scouring

Definition: scrubbing a surface

She spent hours scouring the beach for seashells to add to her collection.

Grime

Definition: dirt leftover/ingrained on the surface of something

The grime on the neglected windows made it nearly impossible to see through.

Paradox

Definition: self contradictory but is true

It's a paradox that such cold and breezy weather can be so humid.

Realm

Definition: the area of speciality (the kingdom of specialty)

The writer decided on writing in the realm of science fiction, where imaginative worlds and futuristic technologies often come to life.

Annals

Definition: historical records (has to be a huge concept/thing/area of something

The annals of history are filled with stories of extraordinary individuals who changed the course of humanity, such as Malala.

Tinge

Definition: a trace, smattering (like a pinch of salt)

The sky had a faint tinge of pink as the sun began to set behind the clouds.

Badger

Definition: to pester, nag, annoy persistently

The determined journalist wouldn't stop until she managed to badger the politician for an exclusive interview.

Implore

Definition: to plead urgently for aid or mercy

She decided to implore her boss for a few more days to complete the project, hoping to alleviate some of the tight deadlines.

Drudgery

Definition: unpleasant, dull or hard work

After years of drudgery in the same monotonous job, he decided it was time for a career change and pursued his passion for interior design and fine arts.

Interminable

Definition: unending

The line at the amusement park seemed interminable, stretching on for what felt like hours.

Perceive

Definition: to understand, know, become aware of

Her way of perceiving the defendant's side of the story was amusingly canny.

Compounded

Definition: to increase or add to

His gloom was now compounded by the failing mark on his geometry test.

Loathe

Definition: to hate

She couldn't help but loathe the bitter taste of the medicine, making it a daily struggle to take.

Reprimand

Definition: to show sharp disapproval

After making a series of mistakes at work, Sarah received a stern reprimand from her supervisor for her lack of attention to detail.

Lackluster

Definition: dull

Despite the high expectations, the movie's lackluster plot and uninspiring performances left the audience disappointed.

Caustic

Definition: sarcastic, biting

The caustic remarks from the angry employee created a tense atmosphere in the office meeting.

Wrest

Definition: take by force

He had to wrestle with his conscience before making the difficult decision.

What is narrative medicine?

Clinical practice fortified (strengthend) by the knowledge of what to do with stories to understand and recognize and diagnose and prescribe

What are the five skills to achieve narrative writing?

1. Reading

2. Writing

3. Listening

4. Receiving

5. Story telling

What are the two types of stories?

1. Patients tell

2. Doctors tell

What are the two types of writing experiences?

1. Reflective: how it changed you

2. Interpretive: what would you do differently

What are 3 things that reading medically helps the students do?

1. Increases their empathetic understanding

2. Develop interpretation skills

3. Develop an appreciation to the art of medicine

What are the two approaches in literature and medicine in reflective writing?

1. Aesthetic: focuses on types of content (what type of content? book? article? play?)

2. Ethical: depends on or relates to decision-making andd/or moral quandary

What are the three types of reflective writing?

1. Content reflection: an event or experience

2. Process reflection: how to respond to event or experience

3. Premise reflection: theories about events/opinions

What are the five elements of reflective writing?

1. Description

2. Feelings

3. Evaluation

4. Analysis

5. Conclusion

6. Personal actions & plans

What is the 'glare of death'?

Understanding and supporting the patient when they're going through the dying process.

What are the two ways stories are told?

1. Verbal

2. Non-verbal

What is the general timeline of medicine?

1960's - rights movements (anti-war; which was based on the vietnam war, patient rights, civil rights, women's rights) produced the connection between literature & medicine

↓

1980's - literature & medicine; literature consists of two types:

1. ancient

2. modern

; it produced narrative medicine

↓

1990's - narrative medicine

What are the 5 sentences of an introduction?

S1 - General statement (hook)

S2 - Follow up sentence

S3 - Examples

S4 - Thesis statement (main idea)

S5 - Road map (breakdown of the main idea)

What does Dr. Rita Charon mean by 'reading closely helps you listen closely' ?

Instead of asking a million questions, let the patient talk. Pay close attention to their narratives, which go beyond words and include non-verbals i.e. moments of silence, facial expressions, and body language.

What are the 'war stories' Danielle Ofri talked about?

Stories that the doctors say about their experiences.

What are the questions you ask when writing reflectively?

1. Why am I talking about this problem?

2. How many options do I have? Which one is the best?

3. Any additional information?

4. How does this help me solve future problems?

How do people communicate their narrative?

Through storytelling

How does storytelling help Dr. Rita Charon in her medical practice?

Connect with patients and support them.

What are the features of narrative essays?

- A narrative is a story.

- A narrative essay is a story that has a specific point .

- A narrative essay teaches a lesson.

- A narrative essay is not a diary entry - the story is linked to the purpose of the essay.

How do we write a narrative essay?

- Often written in 1st person using "I" or "We" because it is based on a personal story.

- Can also be written in 3rd person.

- Can never be written in 2nd person.

- Has specific sensory details to get the reader hooked on the story.

- Is developed in chronological order.

- Has verbs that help paint a picture and draw in the reader.

What are the main inclusions of a narrative essay?

- A Setting: The setting is the location where the action in a story takes place.

- A Theme: The theme is the basic idea of the story. Very often the theme will deal with a topic

that is common in life or human nature, such as independence, envy, courage, failure, and success.

- A Mood: The mood is the feeling or atmosphere that the writer creates for the story. It

could be happy, hopeful, suspenseful, or scary. Both the setting and descriptive vocabulary create the mood in a narrative.

- Characters: The characters are the people in the story. They are affected by the mood of the

story, and they react to the events in which they are involved.

- A Plot: The plot is what happens in the story, that is, the sequence of events. The plot often includes a climax or turning point at which the characters or events change.

- A Thesis: sets up the action in the introduction

- Transition Sentences: that connect events and help the reader follow the story

- Uses dialogue

- Has a conclusion: that ends the story action and provides a moral, prediction, or revelation

- "HOOK": usually the first few sentences that grabs readers' attention. Hooks are especially important in narrative essays because they help set the stage for the story. The hook makes readers start guessing about what will happen next.

What is the format of a narrative essay?

Introduction:

- Sets the environment for the story.

- Tells when and where something happened.

- Give background information.

- Notes the incident that started the event.

- Uses quotes to define the main character.

Body:

- Moves action forward with a turning point.

- Establishes conflict.

- Details events and uses time sequences.

Conclusion:

- Gives a sense of completion.

- Events come to an end.

- Includes reflective summary of events.

- Notes your reactions, offer a surprise twist, or discusses aftermath.

What are the general rules of gerunds?

1. Verb + gerund

eg: they discussed HAVING a party this weekend

2. Subject = gerund

eg: gardening is my favourite hobby

3. Preposition + gerund

eg: I thought about TAKING piano lessons.

What are the general rules of infinitives?

1. Verb + infinitive

eg: they offered TO HELP her move.

2. Adjective + infinitive

eg: I was sad TO SEE my test score

3. Noun/pronoun + infinitive

eg: the librarian told the students TO BE quiet

eg2: we asked them TO GO to the beach with us.

What is the difference between a colon and a semi-colon?

Both colons and semicolons can be used to link independent clauses. The difference is that the colon is used when it's very closely related (basically, adding more detail) while a semicolon links two related sentences that you wish were one, but aren't.

For example,

- Relationships are bound to cause heartbreak: love is messy.

- I hate going to my Econ class; it's hard to understand my lecturer.

A colon is also used to introduce a list of things or announce/speak about a certain quote etc. It is NOT used after a verb.

What are the two models of health?

1. The biomedical model

2. The biopsychosocial model

What is the biomedical model?

Suggests that the physical body is responsible for any illnesses or diseases you experience.

What is the biopsychosocial model?

Says that illnesses & diseases can be understood by looking at their biological, psychological and social aspects. All of these factors affect a person's mental health. To add on, any mental health issues can be expressed physically i.e. a panic attack can cause excessive sweating, tensed muscles, a dry mouth, & nausea.

What is the biopsychosocial model of illness and why is it important? Explain. (4 pts)

The biopsychosocial model of illness underscores that understanding illnesses and diseases requires considering their biological, psychological, and social aspects.

This means that all three elements are important as they interact and can impact a person's mental health, which, in turn, can have physical manifestations.

For example, in Dr. Ofri's 'What Doctors Feel', she stated that "beyond the biological components of their illnesses, these patients are often saddled with complex overlays of depression, childhood mistreatment, sexual abuse, socioeconomic ills, and personality disorders."

She discusses the different factors that play a role in a patient's, specifically an addict's, life, with depression and personality disorders being biological and psychological causes, and childhood mistreatment and sexual abuse as social causes.

According to Rita Charon, "reading closely, where every word counts, helps you listen closely." What does she mean? Explain. (5 pts)

In her TED talk, Rita Charon says, "reading closely, where every word counts, helps you listen closely." Instead of bombarding the patient with many questions, it's important to let them speak and hear them out.

This involves closely observing both their words and non-verbal cues like silence and body language, which hold important insights.

In Dr. Ofri's article 'What Doctors Feel', she posed a question to her patient, John Carello, about the moment he realized he was addicted. The body language of Mr. Carello and her student doctors indicated that her unique question captured their attention.

Her ability to interpret Mr. Carello's body language allowed her to ask an uncommon question that dived deep into the insights of his addiction.

This question differed from the typical medical inquiries, focusing instead on his lifestyle and psychological state. That was why she was able to make him give a proper answer rather than "one-word answers or grunts."

In narrative medicine, there are two types of stories. What are they, and how do they help us understand what narrative medicine is. (4 pts)

Rita Charon, in her TED talk, defines narrative medicine as 'clinical practice fortified by the knowledge of what to do with stories.' In this field, there are two types of stories: patients narrating their experiences to healthcare providers, and doctors sharing stories about their patients.

For example, in Danielle Ofri's 'For Whom Do We Write,' she refers to 'war stories,' which represent her years of dedicated work in the hospital with patients.

These stories help us strengthen our understanding of narrative medicine because it is a practice that combines clinical knowledge with the analysis of stories to provide better healthcare.

An illustration of patient narratives is found in Rita Charon's 'Narrative medicine,' while stories from doctors can be seen in Danielle Ofri's 'For Whom Do We Write.'

In "What Doctors Feel," Dr. Ofri explains that doctors have contempt for certain kinds of patients. What kinds of patients is she talking about and why? Explain. (4 pts)

In her article, Dr. Ofri addresses the topic of various patients such as drug addicts, morbidly obese individuals, and alcoholics. She mentions the concept of contempt, a strong dislike for someone or something. Dr. Ofri suggests that some doctors may have contempt for these patients, perceiving them as "parasitic moochers." This judgment is often tied to the belief that their conditions result from "sloth, self-indulgence, greed, malingering, and apathy."

She links behaviors like "multi-city tours of rehab" and these patients being "skilled manipulators for oxycodone and Valium" as contributing factors to this perception.

For instance, Mr. John Carello's case, who had been admitted fifty-seven times either for overdose or withdrawal from opiates like heroin or oxycodone, illustrates the challenging nature of such cases.

These types of patients develop nihilist attitudes that often lead to doctors developing a sense of resentment and disgust when they typically approach life with a "pull-yourself-up-by-your-own-bootstraps' attitude."