User blog:Bittermedicine/Tone & Voice

Bitter Medicine contains a main tone which is Academic & Informative yet his voice is friendly and intimate, this is not to say that there are not multiple tones and voice's which are seen in the memoir. These are listed and explained below.

Throughout the memoir Clem's writing is focused on writing to inform the reader of schizophrenia and inform the readers on the pitfalls of the government with this issue.

"From an experiential, ethical, and social justice perspective, Bitter Medicine's clarion call is that we can and must do a much better job as a society in addressing the needs of those living with Mental Illness". (Martini, pg 7)

This excerpt is taken out of the foreward which also states Chris Summerville who is the CEO of the Schizophrenia Society of Canada, the executive director of the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society, and a board member of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. He gives informed statistics and information with how government has failed those with mental illness.

Clem touches upon the American health system also stating that "Adults with serious mental illness treated in public systems die about 25 years earlier than Americans overall, a gad that's widened since the early '90s when major mental disorders cut life spans by 10 to 15 years...." (Martini, 162).

It is brought to the readers attention through Clem's informative tone stating facts and statistics that many people with mental illness end up on the streets or in prison because they have no other place to go. "Many people with mental illness are on government assistance and live in subsidized housing. A significant number live on the streets. And within the various segments, there is movement, flux and change. Individuals return to homes occasionally, or return to hospitals, or sometimes return to prison.

http://www.camh.ca/en/hospital/about_camh/newsroom/for_reporters/Pages/addictionmentalhealthstatistics.aspx

the link about shows statistics of mental illness in Canada.

As Bitter Medicine is an emotional memoir Clem has a fantastic way or writing in a friendly and intimate voice. He writes so that it hits close to home and affects the reader emotionally. You share the rollercoaster of events that are portrayed in the memoir.

"I have this game I like to play. You can play it too. I call it 'Worst Jobs." (Martini, 97). It seems as though he is in front of you speaking to you as a friend as something who he wants understanding not sympathy.

"Now find the psychiatric ward. Don't be worried if it takes a little time. It'll turn up eventually, secreted in some anonymous, out-of-the-way site" (Martini, 159). Clem expresses the emotions he wants to portray very acurately without being over bias.

I find he seems self contemplative aswell, asking personal questions and expressing his thoughts which seem jumbled at times throughout his narrative.

"I would sometimes drop by the house and sit vigil with Liv, hoping that he'd understand this attendance as an invitation to talk. That got us nowhere. Small talk of any kind was, I discovered, a pointless exercise. I tried asking him outright what he was feeling. This approach failed." (Martini, pg 92) You can sense the confusion Clem feels trying to help his brother who has grown up side by side with but has no idea how to first tackle this issue that they have been presented with. It is constant tension with Liv and Clem see eachother unable to communicate properly as sometimes it seems as though they are in two completely different worlds.

"Justification is one tiny ingredient of a vast cocktail you imbibe when mental illness is introduced to your life. You find yourself justifying everything. You justify what you attend to and what you ignore. Here is how I justified leaving the country" (Martini, 37). He goes on stating how the suicide of Ben left him feeling betrayed and the rejection he felt by him. Clem wants to escape and create a life for himself. It is a very personal excerpt which again makes you feel emotionally charged and connected with the story he is telling.

"If I also make events sound universally grim, I should point out that wasn't always the case. There were good and bad days. Some were a curious mixture of both, with a generous portion of the surreal" (Martini, pg 71).

He ponders what his life was like, recounting all of his experiences with Olivier and how it effected him in multiple different ways.

Frustration is another tone that is presented in the memoir, as mentioned previously the frustration that the failure of the government in regards to mental illness. "The current approach insists that people with mental illness will do better integrated into the community rather than segregated and institutionalized. Which would make perfect sense except for two serious impediments: the government won't fund it and society won't tolerate it" (Martini, pg 157).

These tones are equally represented by Liv's illustrations.

To see explanations of the illustrations roll over each picture with your mouse.

-Anna Garcia Ambler