The Topic of Cancer

A) Comment on Hitchens' attitude about his diagnosis and quote him directly.

Christopher Hitchens' attitude towards his diagnosis is a very accepting one. He understands that his lifestyle of smoking and partying has undoubtedly led to this outcome, but would do it all again if given the option. This is made clear when he says, "it's impossible for me to imagine having my life without going to those parties, without having those late nights." He makes light of the grim situation by saying things such as, "if I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken much better care of myself." but at the same time he knows that the end of his life could be far too soon. There is a genuine sense of honesty when Hitchens speaks of his cancer, which gives the audience an insight into his personal life. It takes a lot of courage to avoid the constant feeling of self pity like Hitchens' has achieved in this interview and that shows the true collectiveness in his personality.

B) Comment on the emotional appeal of both pieces. How does Hitchens connect to the audience?

Cancer connects to one of the broadest audiences in the world. However, when a well-known and controversial journalist comments on how his life has led him to this point, it becomes significantly more engaging and emotional. The first thing that comes to mind when listening to this interview is the truth behind Hitchens' words. He allows the audience into his personal life and does nothing to cover it up. Charlie Rose is genuinely interested in who Hitchens is as a person and Hitchens responds by saying, "Well, with that understanding, I don't mind." The audience is given the opportunity to connect with Hitchens on a personal level and I'm sure there are many people out there in the same unfortunate situation he has found himself in. It is interviews like these that give people not only hope but a feeling of strength and an optimistic outlook whether they're life is threatened or not.

C) Copy a short excerpt from "Topic of Cancer" that is especially good writing and explain why you think so

"The whole cave of my chest and thorax seemed to have been hollowed out and then refilled with slow-drying cement."

This sentence is truly remarkable in the sense that it allows the reader to comprehend the pain that Hitchens woke up with one morning in June. One can only imagine slow-drying cement within their chest and this is exactly what makes this sentence so graphic. In fact, after reading this sentence I had to stop and imagine the pain he was enduring at the moment and that clearly shows why it is an example of exceptional writing.