Welcome to my FIQWS digital Portfolio– a collection of my writings and research that I have conducted in my first semester of narrative medicine! This website includes the Outsider Narrative, the Metaphor Essay, Critical Lens Essay, and my research paper on Munchausen’s syndrome. To help you learn more about me, read the interview below, between me and (hypothetically) Professor Moran!
Arfath: Good morning Professor Moran! Thank you for meeting me!
Professor Moran: Good morning Arfath! Thank you for joining me today for an interview of your experience and accomplishments in the Narrative Medicine course! Let’s get started with our first question: What is your favorite piece of work that we have read this semester?
Arfath: It’s so hard to pick, I have so many! One I did enjoy was From the Medical Gaze to Sublime Mutations: “The Ethics of (Re)Viewing Non-normative Body Images” by Benjamin Singer. I’ll be honest, when I first read this, I was very unsure of it’s ideas and concepts, and was questioning myself on what it meant! However, the challenge of understanding it with peers, and asking questions to you, Professor Moran, made it enjoyable to discuss! I loved it’s understanding of photography in medicine and it was like solving pieces of puzzle! To this day, I admit there is still more to understand about the text, but it builds the suspense! I also liked a film we watched in fiqws Creative Expression, Audible, which highlighted the world of deaf high school students, family dynamics which I don’t see represented enough in movies. I also liked the magazine article “Devil’s Bait” by Jamison, because of how much it made me rethink my own reality, how it exposed silenced pain of others, and the authors use of honesty was hilarious at many points! For example, when Jamison heard a boy playing music and she said it seemed as though “he’s only doing this as a favor to his wife’s step aunt.” The author has definitely won me over!
Professor Moran: Interesting choices! There were so many good reads this semester for sure! Is there any parts in the class where you struggled most?
Arfath: That’s a good question. If I’m completely honest, I think I struggled most with the outsider narrative. Personal writing can definitely fun, but also scary! I’m not used to personal writing and when drafting it, I wasn’t sure of what aspect of my life to focus on. I was afraid of writing it because it was the first narrative we were going to share with everyone in the class. Usually I expect my first encounters with people to be more lighthearted, but since this was our first assignment for everyone to review, it meant having my first encounter with people to be on such a tough experience that I don’t usually share. I was also afraid of the outside narrative because it meant labeling the other people in my life as antagonists, when in reality they are great people who I love.
Professor Moran: I see what you mean, personal writing is not often used in formal literature classes so it really makes students write in a new light. On the flip side, I know you were passionate about many of the writings this semester, so tell me, what are you most proud of in this class?
Arfath: I am proud of my critical lens and metaphor essay the most because both of those assignments felt very free, we were able to connect the texts we read in class to things that we see in our personal lives and it made the assignment feel so engaging! Additionally, it was interesting to see what everyone put in their critical lens, some people choose their favorite book or shows and movies they liked. Having so much freedom in it, I chose to use Olivia Rodrigo’s new album Guts, (an album I’ve listened to plenty before 😀) and was able to use metaphors in song lyrics to compare to metaphors from Susan Sontag’s Illness as Metaphor! Later, in the metaphor essay, I used one of my favorite movies by my favorite band, Daft Punk’s Interstellar 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem and analyzed it through the lens of Singer’s Mutations! Using my favorite music and film pieces in my life made the assignments so engaging and I felt so passionate about them!
Professor Moran: I’m so glad to hear that! Considering how your paper went over the word count, I can tell you enjoyed it! From these experiences, what felt most significant to you this semester?
Arfath: I loved writing an essay on Daft Punk and film felt very significant to me. It felt really important because it allowed me to analyze mediums of art: medical textbook body photography that isolates patients and brainwashed corporate pop aliens that isolates populations and individuality. Writing this piece reminded me that I should welcome creativity into my writing, and that academic writing doesn’t have to follow a specific standard, but instead it can be unconventional or outside the box. It reminds me to try and consider new perspectives and think differently to analyzing texts (while also appreciating my strengths: my love of sci-fi film)! Additionally, the discussion we had on Singer’s Mutations was very memorable because I remember having so many questions on that text and the discussion got really interesting!
Professor Moran: Oh yes! I remember Mutations! Especially for moments like those, what advice would you give to yourself and others at the beginning of the semester?
Arfath: #1. Don’t be afraid to welcome new ideas into your writing and to be creative! New ideas are necessary to examine texts and to be able to understand different views! #2 Most importantly, not everything has an answer and that it’s okay to not know everything! I feel like when I read some dense fiqws material it can become difficult to try and understand all the heavy concepts, but this is part of the learning process! It’s fine to not completely understand it, having questions promotes discussion!
Professor Moran: Valuable wisdom Arfath! Thank you for sharing all this with us!
Arfath: Anytime! Have a good day Professor Moran!
