Personal Connection
Bushra: The reason I chose to read On The Fear of Death by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross is
because the title caught my attention. Death is an action we all fear, young or old no
one is ready to face death. We usually avoid talking about death; we fight the
symptoms that may lead us to other death because it’s a dreaded action, something
no one wants to experience. Kubler elaborates on the subject of death, she speaks
about her personal experience witnessing the death of others and the reactions of
those around them. This topic is so sensitive because it’s an unexpected actin, and
we as humans prefer to plan our lives, to know each step we’re taking. I find myself
cutting my train of thoughts whenever I think of death, therefore I decided to read
Kubler’s article as I can connect to it.
Authors Background
Elizabeth Kubler Ross is the Swiss American Psychiatrist. She was born July 8, 1926,
She wanted to be doctor but her father is prohibited her wants but that did not stop her,
when she was 16; she left home to become volunteer in hospital in World War II after
that she went to the University of Zurich, there she studied terminal illness, and
publishing her most recognizable book On Death and Dying. During her time in Medical
school she met Kubler-Ross was the first movement to change the people perspective
toward death. The Reason I choose one of her article On the face of death because it is
the topic that relate to elderly being ignored, and that means people seem to view death as
mysterious thing and some might ignore the reality where getting old mean getting closer
to death every minute.
The Political, Social and Economic Conditions:
Born in 1926, Elisabeth wanted to be a doctor but her father forbade it. She left home at
16, was a hospital volunteer in WWIJ and finally entered medical school in 1951. She
studied terminal illness, publishing her groundbreaking book On Death and Dying in
1969. The book outlines the five stages that dying patients experience; denial, anger,
bargaining, depression and acceptance. Kubler-Ross works in variety profession, which
relate to medical field since her teenage year as she volunteer as nurse in World War II
and volunteered t help in numerous war torn community. She also teach in University of
Colorado both her husband and her has internship in Community Hospital in Glen Cove,
Long Island. She is also specializing in psychiatry. She wrote more than 20 books on
death and related topic
Writing Style
On the face of death The article is written as doctor report and comment, it has include
many first person narrate, description, her thought of topic such as she states death as
“Mysterious” to mankind. She also provide real life example from the funeral around the
world and people of that certain culture view toward the death. She discuss the spread of
better medication where it push the old age to another step, where people get old slowly
due to the cure of many diseases which take life’s before the age of death. She also
question the society about how people react to the death and how people teach the
children about it. She also begins her writing with poem from Tagore the man who is first
movement of Independent India. Where relate to the topic of trying to overcome the fear
of death. Kubler writes On The Fear of Death using her own perspective. She talks about
real situations she had witnessed and analyzes them. She does not associate herself with
the situations, however she elaborates and explains each situation in detail. She uses real
life situations that the reader can easily relate to, she also uses a storyteller technique
where each situation she explains and elaborates is a story. This style of writing helps the
readers get engaged and relate to the topic. Kubler uses first person technique through out
the article. She gives her opinion on a certain topic and then expands by giving reasons,
for example: Dying becomes lonely and impersonal”(105). Is her opinion, she then
moved to her reason by stating “because the patient is often taken out of his
environment”(105). This style of writing is one that persuades the reader to believe and
agree with her point of view, as supporting evidence are given.
Purpose or Message
This book opened up a field that had been tightly closed due to cultural restrictions and
medical implications. We all avoid the discussion about death, Kubler’s purpose was to
break this barrier. She talked the reader through her own experience, went deeper in the
matter of death, and sent a message of what to expect when the time comes. She did not
send direct messages to the reader such a commands, however indirect messages were
sent through the stories and situations she mentioned, she also supported her messages
that she purposely wanted the reader to get by using evidence and support, and of course
no one will have a powerful say in the matter of death as the those whom witness it.
Quotations
Quote: “He may cry for rest, peace, and dignity, but he will get infusions, transfusions, a
heart machine, or tracheotomy if necessary.”
Meaning: this quote shows how weak a human being actually is, the quote has a bigger
meaning than what we ask for and what we get. It symbolizes the weakness of humans. It
represents the cycle we go through, the development cycle, and once it comes to an end,
no action nor tears will be able to give an individual his necessities.
Quote: “It is clear that whatever the answer may be, the patient suffering more – not
physically, perhaps, but emotionally. And his needs have not changed over the centuries,
only our ability to gratify them.”
Meaning: this quote supports the idea that as humans grow older, we still hold the same
needs with us, the only thing that changes is our ability to actually satisfy these needs.
We may not be suffering physically but the elder are surely suffering emotionally. The
emotional suffering comes as the process of accepting death begins, this is a huge step
forward for any human who blind folded himself from death his entire life, and is now
expected to accept it without a say.
Personal Observation
After reading Kubler’s article, I have observed that it’s human nature to distinct
themselves from any death matter; whether it’s talking about death or experiencing the
death of another acknowledged individual, we as humans tend to avoid this topic as much
as possible. Therefore when death hits someone, the surrounding is not yet developed or
ready to accept this tragedy, as its one that they avoided to think about their entire life. As
we grow older we start to think about death more, death is mostly associated with elderly
people, although statistics show that there is a high percentage of kids dying. This is
because humans avoid death matters till the last development stage, when the cycle starts
to come to an end, they start facing it, and although they accept in at some point –not all
do- but their surrounding and their loved ones are not yet mentally developed to accept
the dreaded action, death.