The New Survivors By Pamela Weintraub From Psychology Today 2009

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1 Miss Rynard s Reimagining Time Snow Packet Day 2 Directions. Read the following article and poem about the theme of hope. Then, reread the article and poem and complete annotations to show evidence of your close reading (highlight main ideas, summarize important points, note author s purpose or literary devices, write in your own thoughts and questions about subject material, etc.) When you have finished reading and annotating the texts, answer the questions that follow. The New Survivors By Pamela Weintraub From Psychology Today 2009 In her article The New Survivors, Pamela Weintraub examines the attitudes and mindsets of cancer survivors. As you read, take notes on the author's central ideas and how cancer patients have been impacted by their experiences. Jasan Zimmerman was 6 months old when he was diagnosed with neuroblastoma of the left neck in First the cancer was surgically removed, then he was treated with radiation. Perhaps it was exposure to all that radiation that caused the thyroid cancer when he was 15. More surgery, more radiation. But this time, old enough to grasp the situation, he was terrified. "I didn't want to die," recalls Zimmerman, who grit his teeth through the grueling treatment. Almost as difficult was the aftermath: Traumatized by the experience, he spent his teen years sullen and depressed, without quite knowing why. He tried to put it all out of his mind until cancer appeared for a third time in He was 21 and had just graduated from college. Again Zimmerman was successfully treated. He pursued life goals, including a master's degree in microbiology, but his inner turmoil remained. For 11 more years, he went for checkups, always fearing a return of the dread disease. "I'd get road rage on the way to the doctor. Even the smell of clinical antiseptic would make me angry," he reports. Despite some scares, the cancer never came back, but living with his history itself became a burden. How soon into a new relationship would he need to confess his medical past? Would he ever be free of the threat? By 2003, he was so angry that he punched a wall and broke his hand. Today, Zimmerman is able to turn his back on the ordeal. He's done it only by embracing his role as a survivor and speaking out to many of the 1.4 million Americans diagnosed with the disease each year. His message is about the ability to overcome, and he openly describes his own experience. "Each time I share my story people feel hopeful," he says. And he does, too. "I was living under a thundercloud. It's taken me decades to grow from the experience, but the ability to inspire people has turned a negative into a positive and opened me up." In the past, the very word cancer summoned images of hopelessness, pain, and death; little thought was given to life after cancer because it was considered brief. The cancer "victim" was seen as the passive recipient of ill fate and terrible luck. No more. Survivorship is increasingly common; some 11.4 million Americans are alive today after treatment and are ever more vocal about their experiences. Emboldened by effective diagnosis and treatment strategies, celebrities such as Melissa Etheridge and Fran Drescher have made public disclosure of the disease increasingly routine and the fight definitely important and profound. Tour de France champion Lance

2 Armstrong, determined to train for the world-class athletic event on the heels of treatment for advanced testicular cancer, turned his achievement into advocacy through his LiveStrong movement. Many cancer survivors are travelers to a highly intense edge world where they battle death and return transformed. They leave as ordinary and burdened mortals and come back empowered and invigorated. In coming closer to fear, risk, and death than most of us, they wind up marshaling qualities not even they knew they had. As more patients have lived longer, a body of research on their experiences has developed. It demonstrates that many cancer patients muster enormous grit for highly aggressive treatments and endure considerable pain to accrue small gains in the fight for survival. Despite therapies that weaken them physically, they can be especially psychologically hardy, harnessing and growing from their stress. Even the most narrow-minded or inflexible people may come to love art, beauty, and philosophical truth as a way of getting through the ordeal. Those who survive often come out of the experience with bravery, curiosity, fairness, forgiveness, gratitude, humor, kindness, and an enhanced sense of meaning. Is there something about cancer itself that is transformative and growth-inspiring? Do we literally need to face death to go beyond the often petty limits of our workaday lives? William Breitbart, chief of the psychiatry service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and an international leader in psycho-oncology, says we just might. "It is in our nature to transcend our limitations, but too often we get distracted by everyday life. If life is always smooth, we're never challenged," he says. "Suffering is probably necessary to make us grow." The ultimate tool may be a brush with death. "The need to find meaning is a primary force," adds Breitbart, himself a cancer survivor, "but we may need to be confronted with our own mortality for that to occur." In the school of hard knocks, cancer amounts to earning a Ph.D. Learning to Hope Carol Farran, an eldercare expert from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, sought to understand why some nursing home residents thrived despite adversity and isolation while others just withered away. The difference between the two groups, she found, was hope not the blind or rigid optimism that usually passes for hope, but an open sense of possibility, acceptance of risk, and a willingness to work things out. Hopeful people face reality in a clear-eyed fashion, doing the best they can. One woman too sick to go outdoors, for instance, maintained an upbeat attitude by remembering the emotional riches of her past. "The hopeful person looked at reality and then arrived at solutions. If a hoped-for outcome became impossible, the hopeful person would find something else to hope for," Farran found. The role of hope in cancer has also come under scrutiny. Psychologists at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London and Sutton studied women with early-stage breast cancer and found that risk of recurrence or death increased significantly among those who lacked hope. There was nothing mysterious or mystical about it: Hopeful patients managed their illness themselves instead of letting outsiders pull the strings. They often chose the most aggressive treatments. And envisioning the light at the end of the tunnel helped provide the strength they needed to get through each difficult day. Yet hope was not a given for them; it was an attitude they wrested from despair. Despite being an expert on hope, Farran could not muster any when she herself was diagnosed with breast cancer. She met the news with anger,grief, and fear of death.panicpropelled her through treatment, in a total daze. Only when she went in for breast reconstruction was a wisenurse able to penetrate her panic: "A year from now you'll be where you want to be, but there is no way to get there except by going through this experience, now."

3 As despair loosened its hold on Farran, she tried to embrace the flexibility she had studied in others. "I told myself to get a grip," she says. Finally she thought of her love of playing piano and decided to buy a metronome, a symbol of what she called "slow time." It was a palpable reminder to calm down, confront her fear of death, and think things through. "You can start in despair but arrive at hope," says Farran, 18 years later. Hope can be learned. "The New Survivors" from Psychology Today, 2009, Pamela Weintraub. Reprinted with permission, all rights reserved. Text-Dependent Questions Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences. 1. How does Jasan Zimmerman s story contribute to the central ideas of the article? A. Jasan Zimmerman s story serves as an example of how adversity as a cancer survivor can actually improve one s outlook on life. B. Jasan Zimmerman was repeatedly diagnosed with cancer, contributing to the central idea that tragedy is random and indifferent to human suffering. C. Jasan Zimmerman s survived many bouts of cancer and his story now serves as an inspiration to others diagnosed with cancer. D. Jasan Zimmerman was repeatedly diagnosed with cancer, and this story contributes to the central idea that hope is difficult to achieve when faced with death. 2. PART A: How has the public perception of cancer and those diagnosed with it changed over the years? A. The public is now more aware of cancer and considers those diagnosed as victims. B. There is a greater public discourse now about cancer, so what was once considered rare is now thought of as common and less harmful. C. Because survival is increasing, the public perception of those diagnosed with cancer has changed from victim to survivor. D. Studies are learning more every day about cancer and the experiences of cancer survivors; this information is slowly being spread to the public. 3. PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A? A. "Despite some scares, the cancer never came back, but living with his history itself became a burden." (Paragraph 4) B. In the past, the very word cancer summoned images of hopelessness, pain, and death; little thought was given to life after cancer because it was considered brief. The cancer "victim" was seen as the passive recipient of ill fate and terrible luck. No more. (Paragraph 6) C. Emboldened by effective diagnosis and treatment strategies, celebrities such as Melissa Etheridge and Fran Drescher have made public disclosure of the disease increasingly routine and the fight definitely important and profound. (Paragraph 7) D. As more patients have lived longer, a body of research on their experiences has developed. (Paragraph 9)

4 4. Which of the following best summarizes the author s conclusion regarding suffering (Paragraph 11)? A. Suffering is actually a positive thing that people should be grateful for. B. Suffering is unavoidable; for there to be good, there must also be evil. C. Suffering presents a sort of necessary challenge that allows people to grow. D. Suffering through cancer is not as daunting as surviving and waiting for cancer to return. 5. How does the author depict the concept of hope and its part in people s lives (such as nursing home residents and in those diagnosed with cancer)? Cite evidence in your answer. Discussion Questions Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion. 1. What are some ways in which you would maintain hope in this kind of situation? 2. What are your thoughts on suffering and individual growth? Do you think some amount of suffering in a person's life is necessary and/or inevitable? 3. In the context of this article, how does a person overcome adversity? Cite evidence from this article, your own experience, and other literature or art in your answer.

5 'Hope' is the thing with feathers - (319) By Emily Dickinson 1891 Emily Dickinson ( ) was an American poet who lived a mostly introverted, secluded life. She wrote over 1,800 poems many of which deal with themes of death and immortality in her seclusion. The following poem was first published in 1891 and discusses the nature of hope. As you read, take notes on Dickinson's symbol of hope and the figurative language used to describe it. Hope is the thing with feathers- That perches in the soul- And sings the tune without the words- And never stops - at all And sweetest - in the Gale 1 - is heard- And sore 2 must be the storm- That could abash 3 the little Bird That kept so many warm I ve heard it in the chillest land- And on the strangest Sea- Yet - never - in Extremity, 4 It asked a crumb - of me. 'Hope' is the thing with feathers - (319) by Emily Dickinson is in the public domain 1 Gale(noun): strong wind 2 In this case, sore refers to the severity or terribleness of this hypothetical storm. 3 Abash(verb):to destroy the self-confidence of; to bewilder or embarrass 4 Extremity(noun): the furthest limit; or the extreme degree or nature of something

6 Text-Dependent Questions Directions: For the following questions, choose the best answer or respond in complete sentences. 1. PART A: Which of the following best describes a central theme of the poem? A. Love and family help people get through tough times. B. Nature is the natural opponent of people. C. Overcoming obstacles requires great hope, strength, and resilience. D. One can always rely on hope to help overcome obstacles. 2. PART B: Which of the of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A? A. 'Hope' is the thing with feathers" (Line 1) B. That perches in the soul - /... And never stops - at all (Lines 2-4) C. sore must be the storm - / That could abash (Lines 6-7) D. I ve heard it in the chillest land - / And on the strangest Sea - (Lines 9-10) 3. PART A: What does the storm most likely represent? A. Hardship B. Death C. Sadness D. Danger 4. PART B: Which of the following quotes best supports the answer to Part A? A. "'Hope' is the thing with feathers" (Line 1) B. "sings the tune without the words" (Line 3) C. "abash the little Bird" (Line 7) D. "the strangest Sea" (Line 10) 5. What does the last stanza suggest about the speakerâ s point of view regarding hope? A. The speaker has experienced some troubled times but is now in a much better place. B. The speaker thinks of hope as the only source of comfort in his/her life, even more than food (i.e. the "crumb"). C. The speaker thinks hope is helpful, but only to a certain point. D. The speaker, having experienced adversity, regards hope in a positive light, as it never asked anything of him/her.

7 Discussion Questions Directions: Brainstorm your answers to the following questions in the space provided. Be prepared to share your original ideas in a class discussion. 1. In the context of this poem, how do people overcome adversity? Use evidence from this poem, your own experience, and other literature or art in your answer.