Unit 5 Dealing with AIDS

1. Topics for discussion 1) What kind of disease do you know AIDS is? 2) What’s the most important way of protecting ourselves from being infected by AIDS?

Structural analysis of the text This text, a piece of factual narration, tells us about a true and unforgettable story the writer experienced. The writer records the actual events in a chronological sequence. It is to be noted that the first person narration is employed, and that the narration of the events is coupled with the writer’s psychological activities. Also, it is worth mentioning that the beginning and the end echo each other.

 Part One: (Paragraphs 1)  the beginning part of the text. The first sentence asserts the beneficial result from dealing with AIDS, which may be considered the enlightening message of the text. This paragraph also makes clear the exact date when the word AIDS came into the writer’s life. Besides, the writer tells us that he had been the most carefree boy in the world until AIDS became known to him.

Part Two: (Paragraphs 2-4): These paragraphs form the second part of the text. Paragraph 2 tells us how the writer had tried to get in touch with David, his best friend, and how the writer finally got to know that his friend was suffering from AIDS. Paragraph 3 describes how the writer felt about his friends fatal diseases, and how his friend caught the disease. It also points out that even his parents could not do anything about his friend’s illness and that he had to deal with it all on his own. Paragraph 4 describes how others responded to David’s disease, what attitude the writer adopted towards it and why others stay away from both David and the author.

Part Three: (Paragraph 5-7) this part tells us that the writer kept an active and positive attitude for the sake of his friend David and showed great concern for him. To be more specific, the writer contained his emotions in front of his friend; he went to doctor after doctor with him, brought him stuff from the ocean, his favorite place; he spend every hour he could accompanying his friend in the hospital where his friend wad being treated until David’s last breath.

Part Four: (Paragraph 8) The concluding part point out the specific date that marked the end of David’s life, describes the writer’s emotions towards David’s death, and informs us how the writer keeps his friends memory alive.

2.4 Language points Para. 1 1) Dealing with AIDS: Take actions against AIDS 2) Strengthen: Become or make strong or increase the strength of E.g. Steel prices strengthen as demand continues moving up. [Note] "EN" is a useful affix to form verbs. E.g. encourage, enlarge, widen, deepen

3) Bond: (1) a uniting force or tie; sth. that unites two or more people or groups E.g. the trade agreement strengthened the bonds between the two countries. (2) a written agreement or promise that has legal force E.g. We entered into a solemn bond with them. 4) Mature: (1) fully grown or developed mentally or physically E.g. In China, a person over 18 years old is considered mature. He is not mature enough to be given too much responsibility. (2) (of thought, intentions, etc.) careful and thorough E.g. After mature consideration I entered the competition.

5) Carefree: Free from anxiety; having no worries or problems E.g. After finishing our exams we all felt happy and carefree. 6) I was just living life up I was enjoying life to my heart’s content.

Para. 2-4  Q1: Why didn’t the author and David hang out much when they were at high school according to the author?  Q2: What attitude did the writer adopt towards David?

7) …so we didn’t hang out as much So we did not spend a lot of time together as we had done before we got into high school. 8) Bother: (1) disturb or anger, especially by minor irritations; annoy E.g. Don’t bother me while I’m writing my composition. (2) take the trouble; concern oneself E.g. When she was ill, her husband even didn’t bother to see her.

9) So I called him and he hung up on me.  So I phoned him, but he refused to talk to me on the phone by replacing the receiver./ So I rang him up, but he put back the receiver because he did not want to have a telephone conversation with me. 10) Hang up (on sb.) end a telephone conversation by replacing the receiver.  E.g. Last night I called him, but as soon as he heard my voice, he hung up on me.

11) So once again I blew it off.  So I failed to get him once more/ So I once again gave up my effort to talk to him.  The word "it" in “blew it off” has no exact meaning. It is used after the verb to help form the idiom “blow it off”.

12) I confronted him as to why we were not friends any more.  I faced him bravely (came face to face with him), challenging him why we were not friends any more.  Confront:  (1) come face to face with, especially with defiance or hostility  E.g. I wish to confront my accuser in a court of law.  (2) Come up against; encounter  E.g. Walking in such a jungle, you will confront danger at every turn.

13) Then I felt so bad that we had grown so far apart  Then I felt extremely sorry that we had become so widely separated./ Then I felt very unwell that we had failed to understand each other as a result of a complete lack of exchange of feelings, thoughts, etc./ Then I felt very sorry that we had quite different opinions about AIDS/that we had taken entirely different attitudes towards AIDS.

14) … and our friends from school wanted nothing to do with him. …… and our friends from school didn’t want to have any connection with him. 15) All of a sudden: Suddenly, unexpectedly AAll of a sudden, the front tyre burst, and the driver had to stop and get it replaced. TThe two boys came to blows all of a sudden, and each exerted all his strength and beat the other black and blue in the end.

16) Once again I realized that our friendship meant everything to me. Once more I fully understood that our friendship was most invaluable to me./ once again I became aware that our friendship was of the great importance to me. 17) I stuck it out. Despite the fact that I might catch the disease and lose most of my friends, I showed a strong will, maintained close contact with David, and lent him help whenever necessary.

Para ) …he had full blown AIDS  …he suffered terribly from AIDS, which had spread all over his body and which tormented him very severely./ …he came down with AIDS, which had grown fatal and which was torturing him terribly. 19) I must keep a positive attitude for his sake.  For his benefit I must maintain an active and cheerful attitude, showing a firm belief that he would be able to conquer his disease./ in order to improve his health, I must continue to display confidence that he would be able to overcome AIDS in the end.

20) So, in times of stress I was the one that had to keep things together. I pushed all my emotions aside and was strong for him.  So when under pressure, I was the only one who had to confront and deal with it. I hided my true feelings and was tough for his sake. 21) I felt for the time that we had lost and how I wasn’t even going to fight for our friendship.  I felt so sorry for the time that we had not had together, and how I was even going to stop striving for our friendship.

Para. 8 22) All the emotions that I had held in came rushing out…  I was unable to control my bursting emotions any more…/All the inner feelings that I had inhabited broke out all of a sudden… 23) It hasn’t been a year yet, but I have done so much since then that I am no longer that carefree teenager.  Though it hasn’t been year since I’ve realized the existence of AIDS in my life, since then, I have done so much work to fight against it, and after that I’ve grown up and get matured, no longer being a carefree young man.

24) I now educate people about AIDS, which to me is keeping David’s memory alive. II now teach people knowledge about AIDS, which to me means keeping my thoughts of David alive. / Now I impart knowledge about AIDS to people, which is a way of my remembering him or keeping up his memory in my mind.

2.5 Discussion The text tells us a true story of the writer and his friend David. The writer did everything he can to help his friend David overcome the AIDS, although they failed at last, their efforts are quite moving. Can you say something about the real friendship in your mind after having read the story?