Unit 7 Section 1Exercise 1 Raymond Carver
Raymond Carver was known for his short stories and poems. He was diagnosed with lung cancer and died in 1988. For more information about his life, follow the links on this page: http://www.todayinliterature.com/biography/raymond.carver.asp#links
Read the following poem and answer the study questions.
What the doctor said
He said it doesn’t look good
he said it looks bad in fact real bad
he said I counted thirty-two of them on one lung before
I quit counting them
I said I’m glad I wouldn’t want to know
about any more being there than that
he said are you a religious man do you kneel down
in forest groves and let yourself ask for help
when you come to a waterfall
mist blowing against your face and arms
do you stop and ask for understanding at those moment
I said not yet but I intend to start today
he said I’m real sorry he said
I wish I had some other kind of news to give you
I said Amen and he said something else
I didn’t catch and not knowing what else to do
and wanting him to have to repeat it
and me to have to fully digest it
I just looked at him
for a minute and he looked backed it was then
I jumped up and shook hands with this man who’d just given me
something no one else on earth had ever given me
I may even have thanked him habit being so strong
Study Questions
1. What is the progression in these lines:
He said it doesn’t look good
he said it looks bad in fact real bad
he said I counted thirty-two of them on one lung before
I quit counting them
What is the psychology of this progression?
2. Think of what you would say to inform a patient that he has metastatic lung cancer. Identify all the statements coming from the doctor. How do they compare with your imagined scenario? How good a job does the doctor do in communicating bad news? Read the following 2 comments by students reacting to this poem. Who do you think is right?
Student Comments
3. What similarities and differences are there in the doctor’s approach in this poem and in the Alec Anders video? Answer in the light of the following student comment: I think breaking bad news is one of the ultimate tests as a physician. There is no real way to study for it or any "cheat sheet" made about it. It is all about one's ability to connect on a personal level. I think physicians can get lost in the jargon and technicalities of illness when what the patient really needs is human compassion and touch. In having personal experience is receiving bad news, I challenge myself everyday to never forget what it felt like and what I needed most at that time...empathy and a sense of connectedness.
4. What is the patient’s reaction to the doctor’s comments? How does the poem convey this? Consider the punctuation, line structure and other formal elements in your answer.
5. I jumped up and shook hands with this man who’d just given me
something no one else on earth had ever given me
I may even have thanked him habit being so strong
What does the patient mean that ‘this man’ had given him something no one else on earth had ever given me? Why does he call this act of ‘breaking bad news’ a ‘gift?’
Link Medical error Unit 8 |
