Killing My Body To Save My Mind is about a person, a woman; a mom who wants to live a happy, depression free life. Zyprexa, the most extreme anti depression drug works wonders. But of course every drug has side effects, zyprexa leading to weight gain. In Killing My Body To Save My Mind, the woman (narrator) is in a battle with her mind and her body. After deciding to take the drug zyprexa, her whole life has changed. She's happy now, but in the meantime, her weight gain has turned into a life threatening problem. Almost diabetic and shortening her life span, she still decides to take zyprexa. After all, she'd rather be "a happy elephant than a miserable hominid."(257) The depression was extreme, creating a darkness over her mind. She heard cries from children she could not find, and her beautiful garden would turn into an ugly, depressed sight. She was so desperate to seek happiness again that zyprexa seemed to her just as a cure, not a drug that could bring her into the dangers of obesity. She had tried several other drugs prescribed by her doctor, none doing the trick. Zyprexa seemed to be the only answer left. Once on the drug, although constantly wanting food, she was happy. She felt as though a burden was lifted from her soul. 50 pounds later she realized the damage she was doing to her body while trying to save her mind. Dieting and exercising could not even help the weight gain. She felt as though it was worth it...she could enjoy her families company, laugh at the little things, and just see life differently.
Lauren Slater is both an author and a psychologist. She's an author of seven books and this article coming from the magazine Elle. Lauren Slater's purpose in writing Killing My Body to Save My Mind is to describe the affects of zyprexa but to also show readers that for people in depression, gaining weight means nothing compared to being happy again. Even if the body is being destroyed, the mind is being saved. I believe, as a reader, that Lauren Slater did achieve her purpose in writing this essay. Although I may not understand the narrators choices exactly, I think to others in depression and suffering from the same experiences may have a better comprehension of why the narrator chose the path she chose. Targeted towards the certain audience of others who have gone through derpession, I think Lauren Slater reached her goal of saving the mind and that you are in control of your life. You have the ability to make the choices to either help yourself, hurt yourself, or even both in this case.
Antanagoge is a rhetoric device used in "Killing My Body to Save My Mind". Lauren Slater/the the narrator of the book, sees zyprexa as both a positive and negative thing. Although zyprexa causes you to gain weight, it also causes you to see life as a happy beautiful thing. Or although zyprexa relieves your depression, it can change your life into a large health problem. It goes along with even though she is destroying her body, she is saving her mind. Hence "Killing My Body to Save My Mind".
Struggling through the ups and downs of depression.
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