Alienation and Reification of Hunter
There are endless crossroads in the human life, and the ability to distinguish these crossroads relies on ones ability to relinquish any preconceptions of the meaning of life. These crossroads embody what sociological critics for centuries have referred to as alienation and reification. They deem the twin theories are the essence of our individual universes. They interpret the abyss human's deem from their legitimate sense of self. Every human at one divergence in their life has loss the path they were intended to take, thus becoming alienated. This is because society unduly influences humanity into assuming materialism, is the preeminent necessity to strive for, thus experiencing reification. Sociological critics find alienation and reification as important concepts in understanding literature and films. An excellent way to illustrate how important these theories are is to apply them to the story of one man who faced and overcame them. The man I refer to is Hunter Adams, and the movie based on his life is Patch Adam. In the beginning of the film, Hunter interprets his feelings of alienation when he states, " the storm was in my mind, or as the poet Dante put it
The dean told Patch he was dangerous, and that he made everyone around him nervous. The dean also stated that this type of behavior was not what it takes to be a doctor. Patch realized it was not that he was dangerous to others only the dean, because he represented change. While addressing the medical board, Patch argued the true meaning of what a doctor is. He asked the medical board "since when did a doctor become more than just a trusted and learned friend who visited the sick"(Patch)? uld ever threaten the wholeness he is feeling but he was wrong. While assisting a patient they had treated in the past, Corrine was killed. This devastation caused Patch to uncover the feelings he was repressing. Freud had once stated "there is always a return of the repression" (Barry, pg100). Freud believed that repression hides on the level of the unconscious and similar feeling triggers it. Patch felt he had taught her the medicine that killed her, and he was not going to be responsible for anyone else. As Ashley Montagu says, " for no man can ever be other than involved in mankind. Human beings by their very nature are involved with and dependent upon other human beings all the days of our lives" (78). Patch realized that he can not let this destroy his life, but he could use it as a learning experience. He went back school to fulfill his destiny only to face the State Medical Board and the accusations of Dean Wilcox. Patch used what German philosopher Hegel calls the "dialectic to his advantage whereby using the opposing forces or ideas (existing medical ideologies) to bring about new situations or ideas (his ideologies)" (Barry, pg. 157). Patch begins to test his theories by visiting the patients before his junior year. Patch's wild experiments included appareling in costumes, granting the unusual aspirations of the patients, and showing compassion for them. He wanted to prove that if "doctors treated the patient as well as the disease, then the quality of life for all could be improved" (Patch). Patch was met with great opposition by the dean, and was warned not to go to the hospital to see patients again. Once Patch saw the difference he was able to make with the patients, he ignored the dean and the advice of his friends, and continued to interact with the patients. It was within this interaction that Patch visualized doctors and patients working together without any barriers. Do not let
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1633
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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