two diseases

            
             In the story "Two Diseases" written by Susan Sontag, Sontag talks about the relationship and differences between two diseases: TB and cancer. Sontag talks about how both TB and cancer are defines as mysterious. TB used to be a disease that did not have a cure, but after many decades of research, a cure was found. Cancer is the TB or the new millennium. Like TB used to be, anyone that has cancer has a death sentence waiting for them.
             I think that Sontag's main point about the relation between TB and cancer is that they will eventually cause death. People have formed many ideas about these diseases that TB is a disease that is preferred rather than cancer because cancer is a very painful type of disease.TB is said to speed up life, highlight it, and spiritualize it. TB is thought to be fairly painless. Whereas cancer is thought to be some type of excruciating pain. I do now know how either feels pain, however, I think that I fall under one of those categories that would think that cancer is some type of excruciating pain.
             I think that Sontag's example of a fetus growing in cancer patients is like cancer is a great example. It gave me a mental picture so I can understand it quite a bit more. Sontag's essay helped me realize that cancer is not one of those diseases where there will be excruciating pain. I would recommend this essay to any of those people that assume things about the disease cancer.
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