The Aspects of Trauma and Recovery in The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Tolstoy (Essay Sample)

Instructions:

Draw on two or more narrative sources in considering your topic expressing contrasting or comparative experiences or contexts. Supporting sources outside of course readings welcome.
Feel free to use a source from a future week. For example, on refugee or war-related trauma, Week 6. For end of life care, Week 7. On Mind, perception, and self, Week 8.
You may relate a personally known context or experience. No one is required to do so, (Note: there will be a brief summarizing presentation of your paper in the final week that other students will see.)
One option is to produce a creative writing, such as a dialogue or conversation between two or three figures from the readings. For documentation and references you would use footnotes to cite sources (to not impede the flow).
Such could include comparative experience, social context, moral or ethical dimensions, consideration of the whole person in the context of trauma, vulnerability, resilience, healing or dying, …
Examples: a conversation between Ivan Illyich (Week 2) and Professor Bearing (Week 7) / Joseph Merrick (the ‘Elephant Man’), circus handler, and examination theater physician (Week 3) / Paul Kalanithi (Weeks 4 & 5) and Professor Bearing (Week 7) / John Musgrave (soldier) and refugee or aid station nurse (Week 6) / pre and post traumatic person.
TOPICS OF EACH WEEK SO CHOOSE ANY FOR THE PAPER
Stories of Illness, Tolstoy I
Tolstoy II: The Death of Ivan Ilyich
Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man
Paul Kalinithi, When Breath Becomes Air, Part I
Paul Kalinithi, When Breath Becomes Air, Part II
War and Back?
At W;t’s end
Borderlands of Mind and Body
Required Texts (new or used)
Other literary texts, articles, etymologies, and YouTube (play, documentaries, etc.), are linked through Brightspace.
Three Deaths & The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy (Weeks 1 & 2)Digireads edition of The Death of Ivan Ilyich and Other Stories or online (multiple other editions).
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. (Weeks 4 & 5) (hardback even if used - well wrought)
Notes to the Man Who Shot Me by John Musgrave (Week 6) (possible author zoom conversation also) - find on Amazon. (John’s biography will be published by Knopf on November 2, 2021. An optional live Zoom intro and Q&A session with John is planned as part of the course.)
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks (Week 7)

source..

Content:

The aspects of trauma and recovery in The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Tolstoy
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1 Introduction
Human beings experience life with the attempt to annihilate themselves and life brings a fortune of success as well as problems. When human beings through a lot of struggles their lives are endowed with good energy and health. For instance, when human beings are young they struggle to achieve one’s goals in life, struggles to satisfy one’s financial needs among others. Ironically, most people tend to achieve their life targets when they are old. For example, a lot of people are rich when they are old and during this moment, most people tend to experience ailments from various diseases and they are barely able to enjoy what they worked for during their youthful stage. Consequently, this is when human beings become afraid of the impending death waiting for them. But, what is it in death that human beings fear so much more than the pain they went through during their early life? In the Book, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Tolstoy (Tolstoy 2018) examines the life of Ivan which entails trauma, recovery, resilience, and social aspects of life. As narrated by Tolstoy, Ivan Ilyich feared death when none of his family members failed to take care of him when he is sick or ill.
2 Comparison and contrast of actual life and artificial life.
From the beginning of the book, Tolstoy illustrates two types of life, the actual life (reality) illustrated through Gerasim and artificial life (fake reality) enjoyed by Ivan IIyich’s associates (Agostini 2021). Artificial life is made up of issues like shallow relationships, egocentrism, and materialism. Artificial life does not answer vital life questions hence unfulfilling to people. Artificial life is more or less a deception of the human mind or brain because it camouflages the true meaning of life to humans hence leaving the bereaved people or rather humans traumatized or terrified to die.
In contrary, to human beings, actual life (reality) is about compassion and pity. Actual life perceives death as not a method to end life but simply a stage in life in which human beings transform from one form of existence to another. By absorbing actual life, human beings live with reality which breaks down human relationships hence resulting in isolation which eventually fosters valid interpersonal contact (Leder 2018). Even though actual life leaves human beings empty and isolated in their minds and the actual life experience inculcates virtues of comfort ushered by feelings of empathy, solidarity, and strength. Kastenbaum & Moreman (2018), actual life experiences nurture a bond with reality and hence prepare human beings to comfortably accept their death. The actual life versus the artificial life can also be understood beyond the context of Ivan Ilyich’s death. Semko (2022), there are situations when human beings are expected to make bold decisions but due to pressure from society, they cannot accept bold decisions. In such a case, human beings want to please their outer self at the

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The Aspects of Trauma and Recovery in The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Tolstoy (Essay Sample)

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