The Metaphors of Death

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The Metaphors of Death

• As Seen in The Movie Patch Adams
• By Cryselle Rodgers

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Brief Summary of Patch Adams

• A movie based on a true story of Dr. Hunter
  Patch Adams who finds meaning in his life, by
  transforming the doctor-patient relationship into
  that of friendship and thus improving the
  patients quality of life through laughter.
• directed by Tom Shadyac (1998) and starring Robin
  Williams and Monica Potter
• Patch Adams (Robin Williams) is the narrator of
  the movie.

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Metaphor of Death in Patch Adams

• At the beginning of the movie, Patch says
• All of life is a coming home. Salesmen,
  secretaries, coal miners, beekeepers, sword
  swallowers, all of us. All the restless hearts of
  the world, all trying to find a way home.
• Home Death or Life after Death
• Home. The dictionary defines it as both a place
  of origin and a goal or destination.
• And the storm? The storm was all in my mind. Or
  as the poet Dante put it In the middle of the
  journey of my life, I found myself in a dark
  wood, for I had lost the right path. Eventually I
  would find the right path, but in the most
  unlikely place.
• This is how the movie starts

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Thesis

• Death is a taboo.
• Like many other taboo topics, death has numerous
  metaphors and euphemisms that conceal the
  dreadful perceptions surrounding death.
• However, death is inevitably a part of life and
  people need to come to terms with it.
• The movie Patch Adams challenges the usage of
  death metaphors esp. by doctors as it prevents
  the patient from facing reality.

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Definitions

• Metaphors A word or phrase applied to something
  to which it is not literally applicable or a
  thing symbolic of something else.
• Ex All the worlds a stage (Shakespear)
• Euphemism A mild or less direct word substituted
  for one that is harsh or blunt when referring to
  something unpleasant or embarrassing.
• Ex Home Death (Final destination)

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Metaphors and Euphemisms of Death in Patch Adams

• To die.
• To expire. (food)
• To pass on.
• To perish. (food)
• To peg out.
• To push up daisies.
• To push up posies.
• To become extinct.
• Curtains, deceased, Demised, departed (met) And
  defunct.
• Dead as a doornail.
• Dead as a herring.
• Dead as a mutton.
• Dead as nits.
• The last breath
• Paying a debt to nature. (met)

• The big sleep. (met)
• God's way of saying, "Slow down."
• To check out. (met) (hotel)
• To shuffle off this mortal coil.
• To head for the happy hunting ground. (met)
• To blink for an exceptionally long period of
  time. (met)
• To find oneself without breath. met
• To be the incredible decaying man.
• Worm buffet.
• Kick the bucket.
• Buy the farm.
• Take the cab. (met)
• Cash in your chips (met)

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Drawbacks of Death Metaphors

• People and doctors believe that using death
  metaphors helps others better cope with the topic
  of death.
• However, it is this very idea that feeds and
  sustains our existing taboo of death.
• Death (taboo unmentionable/unthinkable )-gt
  Euphemisms -gt Mean Death (but still
  unmentionable)
• Doctors sometimes fail to mention death because
  they feel the patient does not want to hear about
  it.
• Or because the topic makes them (doctor)
  uncomfortable.

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Drawbacks of Death Metaphors

• Death metaphors can be confusing and deceptive.
• Hence it forms a communication barrier in a
  doctor-patient relationship.
• Trust is lost!
• It also downplays the seriousness of the topic
  and prevents the patient from adjusting to the
  prospect of death.

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Kubler-Rosss Five-Stage Theory

• Kubler-Ross suggested that people pass through 5
  predictable stages when coming to terms with
  death.
• A. Denial
• Death metaphors help the patient fixate/dwell on
  this stage rather than move to the next.
  Therefore, slowing down the process to
  acceptance.
• B. Anger
• C. Bargaining
• D. Depression
• E. Acceptance

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Conclusion

• Dr. Patch when confronting the board of doctors
  in regards to death in the medical profession
  said
• What's wrong with death sir? What are we so
  mortally afraid of? Why can't we treat death with
  a certain amount of humanity and dignity, and
  decency, and God forbid, maybe even humor. Death
  is not the enemy gentlemen. If we're going to
  fight a disease, let's fight one of the most
  terrible diseases of all, indifference.

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Works Cited

• Oxford Dictionary of Current English. United
  States Oxford University Press, 1993.
• Patch Adams. Dir. Tom Shadyac. Perf. Robin
  Williams and Monica Potter. 1998. Dvd. Universal
  Pictures.
• Taylor, E. Shelly. Health Psychology. New
  York McGraw-Hill Companies, 1986.

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Discussion

• This is my thesis Like many other taboo topics,
  death has numerous metaphors and euphemisms that
  conceal the dreadful perceptions surrounding
  death. However, it is these very metaphors that
  prevent people from accepting the inevitability
  of death.
• Are you for it? Or are you against it?

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The Real Dr. Patch Adams
The Gesundheit Institute in West Virginia
www.patchadams.org