I enjoyed the essay Dissection. "Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh." I liked how Mrs. Ringler added sound effects. "Signing the form, I wondered whether the statistical probabilities were against me." I also liked how she said what she was thinking, and that her thinking explored all sorts of scenarios that could happen. "The test had risks—bleeding, paralysis, death." These scenario give some sort of suspense. The things in her essay that relate to her life is that "She graduated from Duke University's School of Nursing in 1979 and worked as a medical/surgical and cardiac nurse at the George Washington University Hospital." (bibliography) I thought that some of her phrasing was weird. "My moment has come, I thought. Funny how difficult it is to imagine a medical emergency before it happens. I always thought mine would involve crushing chest pain or a hard lump in the breast. " I didn't understand why anyone would think of a medical emergency of yourself. The fact she thought out what can happen might have meant she had some other experience with medical things. "You are touching exactly where the pain comes from." This essay is more powerful because I know that she has had experience in the medical field, and she knows many things that can happen. I knew Mrs. Ringler was going to be okay because in her bibliography it didn't say she died, and she's coming to class tomorrow. So that ruined the suspense if she was going to be okay or not.
I thought Letting Go was a really sad essay. I liked how it showed how she gradually made friends with Gloria. "Feeling sickened and momentarily wanting to flee, I told myself I had handled things like this before and must do so again." From the start Mrs. Ringler had to be strong just to look at her. "That day in 1981, I not only lost a patient, but also, a beloved friend." This last line almost made me tear up, because of the friendship developed where it was, and the situation Gloria was in. "She graduated from Duke University's School of Nursing in 1979 and worked as a medical/surgical and cardiac nurse at the George Washington University Hospital." (bibliography) In this essay, like in Dissection, it relates to her work in the medical field. "Two weeks passed. During the evening shift, Gloria and I became accustomed to each other." She had written the story of a friendship and how it changed her. "The empathetic nurse reassured me that terminally ill people tend to die during those rare moments when loved ones leave the room. The patient hangs on in the presence of family and friends, but, when alone, can finally let go. Knowing this, relief surged over me." This friendship between a nurse and a patient was really powerful.
In the essay, Hanging with Horses, I found it to be hysterical. I actually laughed while reading it, which is something I never do. My favorite line of the story is: "I could understand Lily’s embarrassment. At twelve, the sight of my mother hanging from a horse by her bra would have embarrassed me too." I enjoyed how it made me laugh. This story must have been from the time when she "spent over 10 years as a stay at home mom, Girl Scout leader, political activist, and writer." (bibliography) I believe this essay is more powerful because you know from the bibliography that Mrs. Ringler is quite smart because she's been a nurse and a defense attorney which is something not everyone will be. When I picture someone as a nurse and a defense attorney you think of someone who doesn't really have fun, or doesn't have any funny moments. But Mrs. Ringler wrote a hilarious story and that for me is powerful.
1/12 Speaker = 4 Stars (****)
Works Cited:
Dissection by Robyn Ringler
Letting Go by Robyn Ringler
Hanging with Horses by Robyn Ringler
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