Comments on Essay

Minor diseases have no effect on him. He endured the pain of a pilonidal cyst for a long time without seeking medical care, until the pain became intolerable. He also keeps to himself. Except for his father, he never spoke about his position until it became necessary to do so. Even his relatives were told lies by him about the illness. If he seeks medical care for minor illnesses like the flu, that would be interesting to know. What is your sense of the interviewer (i.e., the writer of the paper)? Would you suggest any changes in the point of view, persona, or tone? If so, describe them here.

The interviewer must be an interrogative person. To gather all these details about the illness of a person in such an awkward part of the body requires an inquisitive mind. The interviewer must be somebody who knows how to create a good rapport with the interviewee to develop a trustworthy relationship for success conversation. Yes, I would suggest a change in the tone. There must be tone variations during the interview to allow someone open up on such sensitive details. A friendly tone with an assurance of confidentiality and a sense of humor is necessary.

What is your sense of disease, illness, condition, or injury being discussed? What else would you like to know, either about the illness or the person’s response to it?

The illness, in this case, tend to be inferior at the begging but can turn out to be fatal in the long run. It began with a painless small outgrowth that slowly increased in size and became more painful as it enlarged. The patient was almost immobilized as he could not walk when the pain became severe. I would like to know if this condition can be prevented with the use of a vaccine.

What does the interviewee seem to understand the truth of the experience (meaning, argument) to be?

It was an awkward experience for him. The part of the body where the pilonidal cyst grew caused him a lot of inconveniences for him to seek medical advice or tell anyone about it in the begging. The nature of the condition also started as something that could not bother him so much as it began as a painless bump like a mosquito bite which he assumed could not grow to a level of concern.

What does the writer/interviewer seem to understand the truth of the experience to be?

The condition was not a unique or a strange illness but one which doctors are very much aware of and even have the treatment procedure for it. Although the interviewer may understand the feeling of the interview about the illness, he/she is likely to find it as a common illness.

If the answers to question 4 and 5 are different, is this a problem? Does it require further explication in the paper? Discuss.

It is not a problem at all. It is only because of the different perspectives of the interviewer and the interviewee on the same subject. However, there is a need for further explications. The writer has reported the experience of the interviewee very well, but he/she has not explicitly described his/her feelings about the illness.

Do you have any concerns about the ethics of the writer’s representation of the interviewee’s experience?

No, I don’t have any concerns about the ethics of the writer. The representation is very ethical in how it conceals the true identity of the interview which I believe is necessary for the sake of confidentiality. Furthermore, the writing is done without mentioning the genitalia parts of the body despite the fact that the pilonidal cyst developed around these parts.

What additional suggestions do you have for revision? Please be specific.

I would suggest the writer to include some direct quotes particularly those of the interviewee so that readers can understand his feelings from his exact words rather than depending on the interviewer’s report. Sometimes it is easier to detect the tone and emotions from the actual words of the speaker than to read a reported speech.