Naturalization In Sontag's 'Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies'

1. Naturalization can be defined as the process of making something seem natural. In the book “Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies”, Holmes states many examples of the naturalization of social inequality. One example is the language used to describe migrant workers. In the book, the Triqui were described as dirty and wild. They were described as dangerous people that didn’t belong here in the United States. The Triqui people were being disrespected but they didn’t do anything about it because they think it’s normal. Denaturalization can be defined as something that appears natural, and showing that it has social, cultural, political, and/or historical dimensions. Examples in the book are how healthcare professionals assume something is wrong with their …show more content…
She believed that “the most truthful way of regarding illness —and the healthiest way of being ill—is one most purified of, most resistant to, metaphoric thinking” (Sontag, pg.1). Sontag argues that the use of metaphors surrounding certain illness, like cancer, are judging the patients, making them suffer from negative stereotypes associated with these kinds of diseases. For these reason, “ Race for the Run” does contribute undesirable metaphors around breast cancer. When someone finds out they have cancer, the first thing they think about is death. Cancer is seen as a death sentence since there is no cure for it. It is because of this that metaphors as “Race for the Cure” and “The fight against cancer” were created. However, these metaphors don’t really help out cancer patients. For example, when a patient hears the metaphor “The fight against Cancer”, he might think of his body as a war zone. The patients might see himself as a soldier that needs to fight cancer for the rest of his life. “ Race for the Cure” does this as well. Are patients going to find a cure for cancer if they participate in racing? The answer to this is no. Participants that participate in these walks fundraise money that goes to finding a cure for cancer. Participants are hoping that by walking and buying supplies with the breast cancer logo on it, it might help find the cure to cancer. Once cancer is well understood and treatment for it is discovered, the use of metaphors for cancer will not be needed. However, until that discovery, the use of metaphors around breast cancer should stop. It is tough not using metaphors because some individuals find strength and solace in them, yet others do not. Throughout the years, the view of cancer has not changed much. Several individuals like the way campaigns or club come up with metaphors that make cancer seem not so