Awakenings Personal Essay
Personal Essay
June 6th 2014
Topic Question: How is the human spirit more powerful than any drug?
Awakenings
The movie Awakenings portrays the true story of a doctor named Dr. Malcolm Sayer, and the events of the summer of 1969 at a psychiatric hospital in Brooklyn New York. Dr. Sayer is a research physician he’s never worked with people before; Sayer’s carrier has been dealing with plants and some insects. Dr. Sayer is confronted with a large number of patients once he accepts the job to work at the hospital, one could say that Sayer is now trapped in hospital with no freedom like the patients that he’ll be working with. The patients Dr. Sayer is to work with have a devastating disease called Encephalitis Lethargica. This illness left the patients as living statues; unable to move, speechless and helpless they’re only way of living is to be fed by the staff at the ward, such as the plants Dr. Sayer worked with before. Once Dr. Sayer was introduced to the patients he realized the overwhelming task that he had taken on, he also realized that there was no way to awaken them from their permanent “sleep”, at this point Dr. Sayer rushed to the window and opened it as quick as he could and looked down at the kids playing outside, Dr. Sayer felt as if in there he had no freedom and the window was he escape from the hospital. Later on in the movie Dr. Sayer meets Leonard one of his patients and his mother, after this point Dr. Sayer learns of a new drug called L-Dopa, used to treat Parkinson’s patients. This drug could help the patients awaken however he needs written consent from one of the patients family members to go ahead and use the experimental drug on them to see the effects it has, Dr. Sayer heads to Leonard’s house where his mother currently lives alone, Sayer asks if he could try the drug on Leonard she agrees but doesn’t feel that Leonard has anything to wake up to, Sayer reminds her that Leonard has her to wake up to. After this Sayer gives Leonard
June 6th 2014
Topic Question: How is the human spirit more powerful than any drug?
Awakenings
The movie Awakenings portrays the true story of a doctor named Dr. Malcolm Sayer, and the events of the summer of 1969 at a psychiatric hospital in Brooklyn New York. Dr. Sayer is a research physician he’s never worked with people before; Sayer’s carrier has been dealing with plants and some insects. Dr. Sayer is confronted with a large number of patients once he accepts the job to work at the hospital, one could say that Sayer is now trapped in hospital with no freedom like the patients that he’ll be working with. The patients Dr. Sayer is to work with have a devastating disease called Encephalitis Lethargica. This illness left the patients as living statues; unable to move, speechless and helpless they’re only way of living is to be fed by the staff at the ward, such as the plants Dr. Sayer worked with before. Once Dr. Sayer was introduced to the patients he realized the overwhelming task that he had taken on, he also realized that there was no way to awaken them from their permanent “sleep”, at this point Dr. Sayer rushed to the window and opened it as quick as he could and looked down at the kids playing outside, Dr. Sayer felt as if in there he had no freedom and the window was he escape from the hospital. Later on in the movie Dr. Sayer meets Leonard one of his patients and his mother, after this point Dr. Sayer learns of a new drug called L-Dopa, used to treat Parkinson’s patients. This drug could help the patients awaken however he needs written consent from one of the patients family members to go ahead and use the experimental drug on them to see the effects it has, Dr. Sayer heads to Leonard’s house where his mother currently lives alone, Sayer asks if he could try the drug on Leonard she agrees but doesn’t feel that Leonard has anything to wake up to, Sayer reminds her that Leonard has her to wake up to. After this Sayer gives Leonard