This semester in Narrative Medicine FIQWS was a fascinating and intellectually stimulating one. Through the class discussions and my own analysis of various texts, I have gained valuable insights into my own writing and writing process, which has helped me to improve my skills as a communicator of rhetorical language. While it has not been an easy journey, my perseverance and determination, along with the support of others, have helped me to make significant progress in my writing development. On a personal level, I am proud of the progress I have made in my writing. While there were certainly challenges along the way, I believe that overcoming these struggles is an inherent part of the growth process for any writer.

The Outsider Narrative essay was the first opportunity presented to use language and diction to convey a unique story from my perspective. We had the freedom to choose the speaker of the piece and I chose my point of view. I felt that this would be more meaningful and heartfelt, as I could speak to my own experience and enrich it with how I felt at the time. For this narrative, it was originally difficult to come up with what to write about. It is often easy to say you are an “outsider” or align yourself with the title, but it often isn’t simple to write about your experience as one, especially in a story or narrative-like manner. With that being said, I had to do a lot of deep thinking. I decided to speak about a particular time with my biological dad, in which I literally was “culture shocked.” Delving into my memory and extracting this particular story took some time, as I wanted to be as accurate as possible in telling the story of what happened, up to the very discourse with my dad. In addition to wanting to tell the story as true as possible, I wanted to incorporate extensive amounts of imagery, in order to put the reader in my shoes and let them relive the experience in which I did. One particular example of my beneficial use of imagery in the outsider narrative essay can be found when I write, “It was the middle of summer, and the usual seasonal festivities were in full swing. The morning was bright and filled with an unequivocal sense of joy. Outside the passenger seat window, I could see the customary sights of summer: children running and playing, an open fire hydrant gushing water, and the not-so-unfamiliar Mister Softee truck with its blaring song. “How are you, beta?” my father asked again. Only then did my mind reconnect and I remembered my current reality.” Using this figurative strategy allowed me to connect to the audience on a deeper level and appeal to the senses by creating vivid mental images. Additionally, imagery helped me engage the audience and make my message more memorable. Overall, I feel that I did a good job at using diction and tone in my favor, and the purpose of the piece was very clear and visible throughout. As this was the first big assignment we’ve had this semester, this was one of the ones I loved the most, as it was the writing piece that allowed me to bring in my own narrative to the greatest extent. 

The Metaphorical Analysis essay had to be one of the most challenging writing assignments this semester. The most difficult part about it was identifying the metaphor being used, and essentially interpreting its meaning and significance. For Susan Sontag’s, “Illness as Metaphor,” it wasn’t as hard to find metaphors throughout, because the reading was laden with them. Therefore, making connections to cancer as a “demonic pregnancy,” and explaining it after was not as hard. For instance, when calling cancer “demonic” you are giving it another facet that barbarizes the patient by signifying that “the disease is evil and somewhat giving an ultimatum; that there is no coming back from the illness.” Finding another concrete example of a metaphor that relates to the way we contort our perception of pain, disease, or suffering was a little more difficult. It took me a while to land on my “racism is a pandemic” metaphor. I think I pushed through and ended up analytically articulating the metaphor to a great extent. By collating racism to a pandemic, the author showcases that racism is involved in something more than just the socio-political spectrum, and the comparison to a pandemic can speak more to the plight and suffering associated with racism and its effects. 

Throughout the semester, the peer review process was an especially enriching part of the writing-improvement process. In my personal opinion, the best piece of advice I could give is to heed feedback with an open mind and willingness to learn. With this in mind, it is important to remember that the feedback is not meant to criticize you but to help you improve your writing.  Getting feedback on my writing was a vital part of the writing procedure because it allowed me to see my work from a different perspective and to identify areas of improvement that I may not have noticed on my own. 

Throughout this semester in Narrative Medicine, I have encountered numerous texts, feedback, and challenges that have helped me improve my writing skills. Despite experiencing some difficulties along the way, I have persevered and achieved success in my writing goals through determination and the support and guidance of others. I am pleased to have finished my FIQWS freshman semester with a bang!