Saturday, July 20, 2019
Cancer Ward The Old Doctor Essay -- essays research papers
Cancer Ward: â€Å"The Old Doctor†               In this chapter Ludmila goes to visit her former mentor Dr. Oreshchenkov. He lives in a nice home and it is filled with things of the past and who he is. Ludmila has realized that she has cancer. However, she is not willing to except her own intuition and goes to Oreshchenkov to be sure and even to be told that â€Å"it’s nothing serious†. While she is there she has a small sense of release and calm. Later the two of them get in to a discussion over the need for the â€Å"family- doctor†. These scenes have deeper meaning than just the literal sense. This chapter can be interpreted by using Dante’s â€Å"Four Levels of Interpretation†. The first level of interpretation is the literal. This level focuses on what literally happened in the story. The second level of interpretation is the allegorical. This level is concerned with the meaning hidden beneath the words in the literal sense. It tells of the nature of man and what we do in certain situations. The third level is the moral level. It is the message behind the story. This level teaches us a lesson that we should use in our lives. The fourth and final level is the anagogical level. This is the level that is the sense beyond. It is not only literally true but shows a truth of greater glory and truth of the spirit. Dante used the example:           â€Å"...in the departure of the people of Israel from Egypt,           Judea was made holy and free. [7] For even though           the literal truth of this passage is clear, what it means      spiritually is no less true, that in the departure of the           soul from sin, it is made holy and free.†[8] The doctor lives in a better-than-average home in a nice neighborhood. It is full of things from his past and is well maintained. He has an old Grand piano and there are many books on the shelves. Some of these books were recently acquired by Oreshchenkov from a fellow doctor. This doctor had just retired and became a bee-keeper. He did not enjoy being a doctor and now he was free of it. He could now do what he really wanted and was... ...hich occupied them, which they believe was central to their lives, and by which they were known to others. The meaning of existence was to preserve unspoiled, undisturbed and undistorted the image of eternity with which each person is born.†                              (P 432) The doctor sees the people of his past, not as their accomplishments, but who they really are. He sees that they are so preoccupied with the things they are doing that they think that that is all they are and that is how other people saw them. They become objects of their work and activity and loose who they are. The doctor sees that the purpose of life is to remain true to yourself. Don’t allow yourself to distort what you really are. See yourself as a person. If you do that you will continually keep your soul pure. If you live your life a human being your soul will remain unspoiled and will last for eternity. To live a human being you must be and treat everyone as a beloved creation of God for your entire life. That is â€Å"the truest of all tests†for a man.
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