What Makes a True Friend? A Socratic Dialogue

In our second Humanities class for my Sophomore year, we are learning about Socrates. This class is called Forbidden Books. We started off Unit 1 by learning about censorship. We then transitioned into learning about Socrates. I am not sure why or how this has to do with our learning about censorship of books, but I did enjoy learning about Socrates some more. We took an FE to Women and Children First which is a feminist bookstore in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago. We talked with the co-founder about the history and the censorship of books. We then had an opportunity to look around the bookstore to see what kinds of books they carried. For this Action Project, we had the opportunity to pair up with someone from the class. If we chose to pair up with someone from the class, we had to choose the same topic. I paired up with KRM, and we chose to discuss the theme "What makes a true friend?" We had to write a script with a Socratic Dialogue about out topic. We wrote the script together and rehearsed the dialogue a few times. We then filmed it. We actually got the whole video in one take. I liked this project. I enjoyed working with one of my best friends on a project together. I enjoyed collaborating because it is different from my usual work. Check out KRM's blog here!
A Socratic Dialogue CM & KM from CM on Vimeo.

In class, we read The Apology. This was the transcript of Socrates when he was in court in Athens. Socrates questions Meletus. In our Socratic dialogue, We will take the roles of Socrates and Meletus.


What do You Think a True Friend Does?

What makes a true friend?

Character #1 Socrates - CM

Character #2 Meletus - KRM

CM: Hello Khaliya, how are you today?

KM: Hey, Claire! I’m good, how are you? OMG, let me tell you how much of a good person my best friend is!! He did this amazing thing for me today!

CM: What did he do? Why do you believe that you are true friends?

KRM: He gave me a $500 gift card to Akira because he knows how much I love to shop for clothes. And he knows that Akira is my favorite clothing store.

CM: Is that why you love him so much? Because he gave you something? Something that he knows that you like? That just seems like he is trying to please you with material things.

KRM: Because that's what friends do for other friends. Since he knew that I love Akira and love Akira clothing he decided to get me a gift card with money on it so that I don’t have to spend all of my money. I can't believe you don’t think we are true friends.

CM: I don’t doubt that you are true friends. You seem to really enjoy each other's company, I just wonder if this Is this really what you think friends do for each other? Just give each other things so they can think they are true friends?

KRM: Of course this is what I think friends do for each other. Friends make each other happy. It doesn't matter how they do it, as long as you are happy with each other, you are true friends. What do you know about friends anyway?

CM: I know little about being a true friend. This is just what I think. A true friend doesn't just give. What does he do besides give you gifts and money? Do you and your friend spend a lot of time together?

KRM: Well, you know my best friend and I do spend time together, but not that much. I would like it if we were able to spend more time together. We are together whenever we can be, so, therefore, we are there for each other.

CM: So, you think that if you spend time together, you are there for each other? Why do you think that spending lots of time together means you are there for each other? I would like to think that being there for each means more than a physical presence. Being there for each other is being there when the other is in need.

KRM: Well, we never talk about that kind of stuff. We always hang out when we are happy, we never want to talk about our true feelings. In fact, I can think of a few times when I needed to talk to somebody and he seemed uncomfortable. Maybe because we never talk about our true feelings.

CM: This is what I mean. You may really enjoy each other’s company, and you might give each other material things, but if you don't talk about your feelings, he will never be there for you. It’s not his fault. You both don’t talk to each other about real issues, so neither of you know when each other are in need. Does that sound like true friendship to you?

KRM: Man, I guess you’re right. I have never thought of our relationship in this way before. We never talk about the things that matter. I now think a true friend is someone who cares and someone you can talk to when you need someone. Maybe we are true friends!

In the end, I really enjoyed this project. I liked collaborating with my friend. I don't usually work with other people, but I enjoy it because it gives a different feel from my usual work. I think the most challenging part of this project was writing up the script. We had to fit enough questions in and make sure everything flowed and made sense. I am proud of how the video came out because we got it in one take. I think the script turned out well and our dialogue answered the question. I am looking forward to the next projects for this class.

Multiple Sclerosis: A Personal Perspective

In the second STEAM class of my sophomore year, we are learning about the body. This class is called Disease, the first unit is called Body. In this unit, we learned mostly science. We learned about cancer and how that affects the body. We also learned about each organ system and the organs included in them and what they do. I am a total surgical junkie, so I already knew all of the material in this unit, I did break off a little bit and did some extra research for myself. We also learned a math concept called completing the square. This is another way to solve quadratic equations. I have done a lot of work in quadratics in the past, but I have never learned this technique. It was actually really easy to learn and same a lot of sense. We did not take any FEs this unit, but I hope for some cool ones in the following units. For this action project, we were asked to conduct an interview. It had to be anonymous but we had to find someone with a disease and interview them about it. We then had to write up their profile and classify their disease in accordance with what we learned in class. We also had to draw a picture of each of the body systems that the disease affects. I made the outline of a human body and then used transparencies to draw the affected organ systems. I interviewed a woman in her late 40s with Multiple Sclerosis. I really liked this project, I was able to talk about the things I love to learn about. I really didn't have any issues with this project and I look forward to the rest of this class and the next class.

For this action project, I thought about who I could interview. I have some family members and some friends who have or have had diseases. I decided to interview someone with Multiple Sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis or MS is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system or CNS. The CNS is the body’s control system. An autoimmune disease is when the body’s immune system attacks a healthy system or organ in the body. In the case of MS, the body’s immune system is attacking the myelin, which is the protective sheath on the nerve fibers, brain, and spinal cord. The myelin is damaged and interrupts the signals from the brain and the nerves, eventually leaving the nerves damaged. MS patients may have a wide variety of signs and symptoms depending on which nerves and how many nerves are affected. It could be a very small localized area or large areas. MS can have drastic effects on life. The loss of motor function or blindness are some extreme symptoms of MS. Some less severe cases can be managed with medication with little or no symptoms in day-to-day life. The most common type of MS disease course is a relapsing-remitting course. This means that symptoms of the disease come and go. Symptoms will appear over time and then get better. These periods of quiet time can last weeks to years. According to the Mayo Clinic, 60-70% or relapsing-remitting MS have steady progression and no relief time: this is called secondary progressive MS. There is also a course where people have a gradual onset and steady symptoms, this is called primary-progressive MS.

Symptoms

Symptoms of MS can vary from person to person. The most common type of symptoms a patient will experience are:

• Numbness and weakness in limbs
• Partial or total vision loss and pain when moving eyes
• Double vision
• Headaches
• Tingling in extremities
• Tremors
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Slurred speech.
• Problems with bladder and bowel function.

Classification

This disease is a genetic disease. MS is a non-transmittable disease. The cause of this disease is still unknown. The only way the disease is linked to other people is genetically. If you have a sibling or parent who had had MS, you are at higher risk of contracting the disease. MS is not transmitted through the air or bodily fluids. Some risk factors for contracting MS include:

• Family history - people with an immediate family member that has or had MS you are more at risk.
• Viruses - certain kinds of viruses have been connected with MS like the Epstein Barr virus that causes infectious mononucleosis. 
• Autoimmune diseases - diseases such as Type 1 diabetes, Thyroid disease, or Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Smoking also causes a higher risk of contracting MS. 
• Age - people between the ages of 15 and 60 are the most at risk for MS
• Gender - women are twice as likely of getting MS than men.

MS is most common in areas with temperate climates such as the northern US, Canada, south-eastern Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. The most common racial group to contract MS is people of Northern European descent. People who are of African, Asian, or Native-American descent have the lowest risk of contracting MS. There is no geo-economical link to MS at this point.

Nobody really knows why people contract MS but there are some risk factors like I stated before. The person I decided to interview is a 48-year-old female named Lynn. She has 2 teenage daughters and a husband. Lynn was diagnosed with MS 8 years ago in 2010. Lynn is a woman which means she was already at a higher risk. She also is of Northern European descent which it the most at risk racial group. She also lives and is from the northern United States which is one of the most at risk geographical locations. Lynn’s grandmother always had an undiagnosed neurological condition that could have been MS. Lynn also had Mononucleosis when she was in high school. This disease is caused by a bacteria that might be related to MS.

Lynn

It was the summer of 2010 and Lynn was living her life normally. She one day started to notice something funny with her vision. “It was weird,” she said. “Because for a couple days, I had been like feeling like something was weird with my vision. It was just, I couldn’t quite put my finger on what was going on, but it was like when I would turn my head quickly, my eyes weren't tracking right. We went to a dance recital and I really realized I was seeing double.” These are both very common symptoms of MS. Lynn also had a strange tingling feeling on her thigh. “It was like I had had a Novocaine shot.” she described. “ I did mention it to my doctor, and she said (“Well, I’m sure you don’t have MS.”)” It turns out the doctor was wrong. Lynn also experienced numbness and tingling on her extremities, another very common symptom. She was finally diagnosed later in the summer.

Lynn was diagnosed by the results of a series of tests. She underwent several MRIs which stands for Magnetic Resonance Imaging. These scanned her brain to look for lesions. She also underwent a Lumbar Puncture or Spinal Tap. This is a minor surgical procedure in which a large spinal needle is inserted between 2 lumbar vertebrae into the spinal canal to collect a sample of cerebrospinal fluid, this is the fluid that is on the outside of the spinal cord. The fluid is tested to rule out other neurological diseases such as meningitis.

Lynn’s treatment consisted mostly of medication and follow up imaging. MS is an incurable disease. Symptoms can be managed and pain can be relieved, but the disease is always going to be in the body. She was prescribed Copaxone which is a medication that blocks the immune system from attacking the brain or an Immunosuppressant. This medication must be taken daily and is administered by an injection beneath the skin. Lynn could give herself these injections at home. She would take this injection every night, she would rotate between her thigh, buttock, stomach, and arm.She recalled, “It was scary the first time I had to do it because I didn't know how it was going to feel. I was relieved that it was not as bad as I thought. I found that I had injection site reactions. Early on I had pancake sized welts that were red and itchy.” The side effects of this medication are bruising and skin irritation at the injection site.

When she was first diagnosed, Lynn was admitted to the hospital for a little over a week in the summer of 2010. This was because the intravenous steroids they were giving her called Solu Medrol needs constant blood testing and can damage the liver. “It was mostly annoying because I actually felt fine and didn’t feel like there was a reason I needed to be in the hospital. I was mostly worried about my kids because they were only 8 and 5.”

Today, Lynn lives life much like anyone else would. She has to take her Gilenya pill every night. She now takes this pill instead of the injection. Lynn’s symptoms are managed by the medication and she has no side effects in her day-to-day life. Lynn still has to go to frequent doctor’s appointments for MRI’s neuro exams and blood testing. These are all precautions to make sure she is prepared and aware if she has a relapse.

CM "Nervous System" (2018)

MS affects a few systems of the body. The main one is the Nervous system. The nervous system is bodies control system. The brain makes all of our decisions and our nerves make us move and feel pain. Our sensory organs pick up on external senses and turn that into information to our brain. The lymphatic system attacks the coating on the nerves and causes damage and can eventually destroy them. The coating on the nerves Myelin also coats the brain and spinal cord. This is the coating that deteriorates and leaves the nerves damaged.

CM. "Lymphatic System." (2018)

The Lymphatic System is the body’s defense system. It protects us from diseases. The Lymph nodes produce the chemical lymph that fight diseases. Sometimes the immune system attacks healthy parts of our bodies. This is called an Autoimmune disease. In a person with MS, the immune system attacks the healthy coating on the nerve fibers causing them to become damaged.

CM. "Digestive System." (2018)

The Digestive System is the body’s processing system. Food goes in and is processed and the waste comes out. The intestines absorb nutrients from the food and add water. They then empty the waste out the anus. In patients with MS, one symptom might be problems with bowel control. This means patents might have a hard time controlling when they defecate..

CM. "Renal System." (2018)

The Renal or Urinary System is the body’s liquid waste system. The kidneys filter the blood and absorb the nutrients. The waste from the filtered blood then goes down the Ureters into the Bladder, which is a holding place for the liquid waste. When the body has to urinate, the liquid is released into the urethra where it exits the body. Some patients with MS might have trouble with bladder function. This means patients may have a hard time controlling when they can urinate.

In conclusion, I really liked this project and didn't really have any trouble with it. The only problem was that I included too much information. I was over 400 words over the limit. I had to take out a lot of information that I thought was valuable, so I didn't like that much. Other than that, everything went smoothly and I am proud of how it came out.

Works Cited:

“Diagnosis.” (2017) Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Web. 15, Feb, 2018.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350274

Moody, C. (2018, February 11) Personal Interview.

“Multiple Sclerosis.” (2017) Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Web. 9, Feb, 2018.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/multiple-sclerosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20350269

“What Causes MS?” (2018) National MS Society.org. National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Web. 9, Feb, 2018.
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/What-Causes-MS