Rhetoric of Concer

When we think cancer, we automatically see it as a negative thing and that's only natural since it IS a disease and has claimed numerous lives after all. And the way people usually handle conversations regarding the disease, as Andrew Graystone has stated in the podcast, is by using military metaphors and treating it as an enemy to be fought by the patients. People always say, "Oh you can do this.", "Be brave.", "Stay strong and you'll get through this.", "You can fight this." We always view the situation of having cancer as being in some sort of war against the disease and when people do succumb to it, the general conclusion is that they have "lost the battle".

I think how cancer has been handled by our culture all these years is the reason why we see it as an enemy or some sort of invading force that's meant to be fought. But as Andrew Graystone says, the cancer cells are a part of him, like the cells are just another part of his body. He doesn't necessarily have to like these cells but he believes that he has to learn to live with them since he doesn't want his body to be a battleground for some sort of civil war between him and his body. I understand his views on how we should see cancer, to be at peace with the reality of having it. But I for one have no problem seeing it as something that SHOULD be fought. From all the cancer stories I've heard so far, there is clearly a struggle, an effort to "beat" the disease not only by the patient but by their friends and family as well. I firmly believe that for any situation, if you have a fighting chance, you never give up. You keep going. If being at peace with your current predicament help you, then by all means, heed Graystone’s advice.

All the time in the world

All the time in the world

The story is about a bookworm Henry Bemis. He had a passion for reading and was often scolded for it. His wife sabotaged his books and was on the verge of losing his job, he still continued to do what he loved. His hobby of reading lead him going to the basement, while he was reading he came across an article which said that there was a bomb capable of total annihilation. when the bomb set off he went around to discover that he was the only one left.

 He walked around and saw a library filled with books, he got everything and sorted everything out. He then thought since he had all the time in the world, he could do everything he wants without being told off. Then his needs started popping up, like where to get food and other stuff. When he accidentally tripped and broke his glasses, he started crying and then he realized that having all the time in the world isn’t enough when you’re the only one left.

I think the moral of the story tells us that not everything can be done alone. He wanted to kept doing what he wanted. It tells us that we should learn to manage our time, it shouldn’t always be about fun, we have to set time for our priorities. Even if science has made our life easier, it could also make life a lot harder. There are different countries with weapons of mass destruction, it shouldn’t come to a point that if everything is gone that’s when we’ll make up for what we lost. We should always limit ourselves to what we have to do and what not.

Rhetoric Of Cancer: Rxn Paper

Cancer has been a big problem in the medical world, a disease that can only be treated but further research for the cure for cancer is still in progress. There are 200 different known cancer that affect humans. Medical researchers have discovered a way to prevent cancer, such having the right diet and basically living healthy.

In a podcast made by a victim of cancer “Rhetoric of Cancer”,he was looking for further knowledge and information to further treat his disease. He looked for other people such as doctors, medical researchers and other cancer patients that could help him.

Other victims feel that once you have cancer, it’s all over. But he did not stop there and inspired the other victims that battled cancer. He shared the same experiences with them and accumulated certain information about cancer. They need to have a strong personality and keep on with their life. Things could still be done with or without cancer.

Since there is no known cure for cancer, victims have been panicking. The loss of motivation is common since some victims think that their time is short. There are some studies that were made to inspire their morality and accept what they have. They were taught how to deal with the current situation and undergo a process that would treat their disease by means of proper nutrition.

Although cancer is a frightening disease, it has inspired some people to help and use their lives productively. It taught people how to value what they have and to be contented. It teaches us to overcome our differences and make good. There are better things to life than just sitting down waiting for your time, more things can be done. We should just help out cancer victims and raise awareness for the prevention of cancer

Nightfall - A Reaction Paper

In a nutshell, Nightfall tells the tale of a distant universe, in a planet with 6 suns, about to experience darkness for the first time.

On a planet called Lagash, a group of scientists warn the public of an impeding doom. A darkness that would swallow a world that has never experienced darkness before (6 suns, so, yeah.). In this world, "night" does not exist.

The darkness is going to be caused by an eclipse, as discovered by the astronomers. They discovered this while investigating an anomaly in the orbit of the planet Lagash. They have just recently discovered the Law of Universal Gravitation, and realized that the anomaly is caused by a moon, hidden due to the fact that it is always bright due to the 6 suns. The eclipse will occur when the sun Beta is at max distance from Lagash, and the moon at minimum distance. This occurrence only happens every 2049 years, and the eclipse will plunge the world into total darkness.

This actually coincides with the belief of a religious group, known as the Cult. The scientists considered the Cultist's beliefs, that at the end of the cycle, the world will be thrown to darkness, and entities known as "stars" will appear, and take the souls of men to bind them to the Immortal, leaving behind empty shells of beastly creatures. The scientists managed to prove the existence of the darkness with the eclipse. The going mad part, is attributed to the psychological effect of darkness. It is theorized that, because the population is not used to darkness, it will drive people mad. The psychological effects of the eclipse would destroy their civilizations. However, this caused conflict between the Cult and the scientists, with Cult, feeling that explaining the emergence of "Stars" as a natural phenomena would take away its sanctity. They considered this blasphemy, and during the eclipse, rounded a mob to attack the scientists. The story ends with the world plunged into the darkness, the scientists trying to record the emergence of stars, while the mob slowly tears away at their observatory.

It is interesting how Asimov wrote the discoveries in this story. The scientists postulated that the law of gravity would've been discovered and understood faster had there been only one sun that the planet revolves around in. (Pretty much a description of the world we live in now.) There is also that mysticism that surrounds the discovery of stars by the people who have never experienced darkness before. I find it funny that the vision of a starry sky would drive the people of Lagash mad, while we regard it with such an adoration for its beauty.

Darkness is such a normal phenomenon for us, since we spend half of our lives in it. Asimov imagined a world so close, yet radically different, and gave us an account of what will happen, and how people will function in such a scenario.

It is also interesting to note how these natural phenomenon shaped the religious beliefs of the people of Lagash, and how religion conflicts with technology and scientific discovery.

Asimov is one hell of a science fiction writer.

Imelda Marcos

Imelda Marcos

A woman of controversy and known for her thousand shoes, she is the first lady of our former president Ferdinand P. Marcos, she had an idea of beautifying the Philippines to her vision.

Some works she had done was to control the birthrate of the Philippines by the means of promoting the use of “rubber”. She also dwelled in to bringing up the confidence of other women by publicizing her way of beauty and elegance.

She helped campaign her husband with his election and served as his Public Relations Officer, On the victory of the presidency of Marcos. Imelda began holding positions in the national government that allowed her to travel the world and gather art work and real estates to her demise.

Before she became the first lady of Marcos, she started joining pageants and had the title “The Rose of Tacloban” she then went to manila and lived with her aunt that took care of her. She was courted by a lot of men. In 1950 she worked in a music store as a singer to attract customers. then Imelda later on joined a beauty pageant known as “Miss Manila” where she placed second, unsatisfied by the results she then went up to one of the judges and requested a recount. After contesting the results she was just named as the “Muse of Manila”. This led her to become local supermodel with her pictures appearing in local magazines and newspapers

Time Enough at Last?

“The best laid plans of mice and men...and Henry Bemis...the small man in the glasses who wanted nothing but time. Henry Bemis, now just a part of a smashed landscape, just a piece of the rubble, just a fragment of what man has deeded to himself."

Henry Bemis, a book-loving bank teller, is always reading at work. This causes him to shortcharge and annoy some of his customers. His boss wasn't too pleased, and he was told off. He reasoned that he reads at work, because it is the only time that he gets to read, considering that his wife forbids him to read.

His passion for books and reading is mocked by both his boss and his wife, considering reading as a waste of time, reserved for children. His wife even went as far as to play a cruel joke on him, asking him to read from a poetry book, only to find that all the pages have been blotted out with ink.


Desperate for a time and place to pursue his hobby, Henry spends his lunch break reading at work, making sure that he is out of his boss' sight. He goes down to the bank's vault, thinking his reading will not be disturbed.

Once inside the vault, huge explosion shook up the entire bank, causing debris to fell and knock him unconscious. He wakes up to find rubble everywhere: He is the last person alive on earth. He was the sole survivor of an H-bomb attack.

Being alone, his will was shattered. He managed to find resources to keep him alive. But with no one to share life with, what is his reason to live? Loneliness and despair consumes our protagonist, almost to the point of suicide when he stumbled upon a revolver.

He found his reason to live, when he found the public library somewhat intact, and the books still readable. The library was full of books he could read, with no one to tell him off, or interrupt him. Finally, he has the time and the place to pursue his hobby.

In an ironic twist, as he bends down to pick up his first book, he slips and accidentally breaks his glasses. He is virtually blind without them. The film ends with our protagonist weeping, surrounded by books he will never be able to read, even now that he has time enough at last.

This episode of the Twilight Zone tackles the dangerous side of science: When science and technology is used for weapons development. The H-bomb was a real scare back in the day, and rightly so. It is a weapon capable of much destruction and misery.

Imelda and Herself: A Reaction Paper

by CALIMLIM, Noli R.

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The lady of the controversial thousands pair of shoes. The “First Lady” of former President Ferdinand Marcos (and its dictatorship). But how do we actually know the “Iron Butterfly” except from these overrated traits and idioms?

Directed by Ramona S. Diaz and was released first in 2003, the documentary film Imelda was attempted not to be publicized by the protagonist herself  for she thought it will not make her image pleasant. This kind scenario just shows off not her kindness but vanity, the real Imelda Marcos.

The film showed three points of views about Imelda, namely – from herself, from the people close to her, and from the people who got affiliated with her politics.

For her, she was no other than the kind one, convincing herself that she actually does everything for the good of the people and for the betterment of the country. She tries to relive her own created world full of narcissistic idea for she believed she acquires such level of beauty. The view of people close to her was kind of directed into two sides, either doubting the things she can potentially do or continued to defend and support her about different issues thrown to her. However, the people who got involved in her life because of politics strongly disagree from what she actually thinks of herself.

The film also showed off most of the notable works of Imelda, the establishment of impressive buildings around the city. People tend to insult her having edifice complex especially for hospitals leaving the idea that these buildings was truly useful for us up to present. As one of the leading hospitals, it has served patients continually with the best physician available in the country. A center like the Cultural Center of the Philippines was also put together by her a still functional for holding events and ceremonies up to now.

It may be unnoticeable at first glance, I do believe that the Marcos regime has did a great part in making our country a great one, but then, this noble might be easily neglected upon making such ruthless acts.