Alejandro Zepeda

Mr. Lasley
Critical Thinking and Writing
28 November 2016
Lens Essay
To reach a certain depth of understanding, interpreting things through a different
viewpoint or lens can serve as a beneficial tool to fully grasp the meaning of a piece of
text. It allows for a widening of the understanding of what we already thought we
understood. For this instance, we will be using Amy E. Robillards essay, Its Time for
Class: Toward a More Complex Pedagogy of Narrative to elaborate on and further
comprehend Tracy Kidders, Mountains Beyond Mountains. Robillard describes the
discrepancies between social classes in education and introduces the narrative, how
social classes interpret the abstract and the concrete, and their perception of time.
These elements of Robillard's essay will allow us to further interpret the story of Paul
Farmer. Paul Farmer seeks to sacrifice every piece of himself to make sure that the life
of another can be saved. The narrative is an account of someones life. The narrative is
Farmers story through which the reader can better come to know Dr. Paul Farmer. the
reader is exposed to the events and circumstances that establish his identity. He is
willing to commit to his work in ways that very few would even dare to imagine. Farmers
narrative allows for the reader to trace the direct development of Farmer and the t of his
core values. Next, Robillard goes on to explain the concept of the abstract and the
concrete. Social class places a lens on the way the world is ultimately viewed. A
privileged lifestyle does not come with any immediate pressures or situations on a daily

basis. This kind of lifestyle distracts from the concrete issues that are occurring all over
the world. On the other hand, the working class lives everyday under constant pressure
to survive very concrete and real and situations. The way in which time is perceived is
another theme that is carried out throughout Robillards essay. For the impoverished
Haitian people, Time is a constant of day to day illness and suffering. Dr Paul Farmer,
however, sees time as his most vital yet limited resource in hopes of ending this routine
of suffering for the Haitians. Through Robillards essay, we can better come to
understand why Farmer is the way he is and how the way he views the world correlates
to the views of Robillard.
In Amy E. Robillards essay It's Time for Class: Toward a More Complex
Pedagogy of Narrative, Robillard explains the discrepancies between the working and
middle class and how their social origins affect their ability to perform at the university
level. Robillard first goes on to describe the narrative and the value it has in
composition, The narrative is a tool through which students can analyze and reflect on
their past. The narrative is the story of who they are and of where they come from. For
working class students, this is a piece of their identity that they cannot afford to lose. In
her essay, Robillard also brings up the topic of the concrete and the abstract. Middle
class individuals can focus on what he or she desires. They have no other immediate
worries as opposed to those of the working class: therefore, they can focus on future
goals or on anything else they chose. For the working class, the situation is not the
same. They are very much focused on the things that are immediately presented. They
learn to work around the issues that many middle class individuals do not need to face.
A working class mother must determine whether if she is capable of paying the next

phone bill. She must decide whether if the food for the day will be enough for her
children. As for the perception of time, Both social classes will view time differently. The
working class lives day by day. Working class individuals are focused on the present
because the present carries too many things to be concerned about. The working class
individual cannot afford the time to dawn in the abstract. Robillard mentions in her
essay, Time is money. No news there. Except, for so many of us in academia, time is
not money in the way it is for our working-class students(86). Every moment a working
class student is not in the classroom, it is an opportunity for him or her to work and
support their family financially. For those in academia, as Robillard states, these
individuals are not as concerned with time as their working class students are. Time is
not valued the same. It is through Robillards essay that we come to analyze Tracy
Kidders novel.
Tracy Kidders novel Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul
Farmer, A Man Who Would Cure the World tales the life of Dr. Paul Farmer. His goal in
life is to save every life he can while sacrificing everything else that may be near and
dear to him. He found his passion for helping others in medical school and now has
made it his life mission by curing infectious diseases. Paul Farmer has been trained in
the worlds most renown institutions. Although Paul Farmer has been able to enter a life
of privilege as a highly respected doctor in his field, he also understands that everyone
is not as fortunate as he is. Every case he receives at his hospital is treated individually
and humanely. As opposed to other physicians, Farmer believes that developing a
relationship with his patients ultimately provides as catalyst for them to heal. Farmer
meets several individuals who join him in his effort to cure the people of impoverished

nations such as Peru and Haiti. However, they fail to commit as much as Farmer does
to the cause. Farmer follows the Haitian proverb which titles Kidders novel, mountains
beyond mountains. That is, with every problem that is solved another one comes to rise
behind it; therefore, the analogy is mountains beyond mountains. Farmer states
explicitly that the work that he does is his passion and his love. The love he has for
possibly healing or curing another individual will surpass anything else.
Robillard brings to light the narrative and how it is a tool for indulging and
establishing someones identity. By understanding and learning Paul Farmers narrative
we better understand why he became the intelligent and selfless doctor that he is. His
upbringing in a migrating family gradually developed his sense of responsibility and he
understood what is was like to live in difficult situations. He compared his own life
experiences to those of the Haitian people.The wretched conditions they lived in made
the circumstances of his own childhood seem idyllic(62). He found his life to be no
struggle at all compared to those of the Haitians. The narrative further develops
Farmers character by describing the events and people that influenced him to become
the selfless person that he is. His encounters with people such as Julianna Dewolf
drove his passion to serve others. she was a fearless article. I just remember
thinking she was much more radical and committed than anyone Id met, arrogant and
humble at the same time. The Haitian farmworkers thought the world of her(62).
Through these kinds of encounters does Paul Farmers narrative begin to flourish and
diversify in the aspect that he becomes more and more aware of what is actually
important to him. Julianna Dewolf inspired Farmer with her commitment to the Haitian
farmworkers. Farmer, later, comes to embody that same commitment to the people of

Cange, Haiti, where he establishes his health clinic to cure the people of that area.
Farmer carries out what he had seen in Dewolf as a student because he realized it was
his passion and it was the right thing to do. Farmer does not only value life but he
values the life of every single individual.
Robillard explains how students come to learn more about themselves by
reflecting on the narratives. Farmer takes time to reflect on his own narrative and
comes to understand how he found himself to be invested in such a cause as he is,
The way I tell myself the story is a little too neat. Id like to be able to say that when I
was young I lived in a trailer park, picked fruit with Haitians, got interested in migrant
farm workers, and went to Latin America. All true, but not the truth. Were asked to have
tidy biographies that are coherent. Everyone does that. But the fact is a perfectly
discrepant version has the same ending(54). Although Farmer recognizes that his
childhood was not perfect, he does see how that his childhood has ultimately made him
into the selfless doctor that he is. Farmer prefers to view his upbringing more positively
as negatively. His past is what developed his character. For this reason, Robillard
places so much emphasis on the narrative. It engages individuals to recognize who they
are by reflecting on their past. That's when I feel most alive, he told me once on an
airplane, when I'm helping people(294). Through his narrative, Farmer has truly found
what brings him joy and satisfaction in life. When you look back at your narrative and
your past experiences, you see the person you have actually become.
In Robillards essay, the middle class has the leisure of dwelling on the abstract
and on the things that may appear not immediate to them. In the United States for
example, issues such as; hunger, widespread homelessness, rampant disease, and

poverty, that are prevalent in other parts of the word but not necessarily in the United
States can be easily disregarded and ignored by everyday Americans. Since these
issues are not as prevalent in the US, they are not worth the attention or the time of
American people. These kinds of problems do not affect many Americans directly and;
therefore, are not thought about. Kidder mentions that in the following quotation. The
world is full of miserable places. One way of living comfortably is not to think about them
or, when you do, to send money(4) Americans can continue to dwell in their fantasies
as long as these issues ultimately do not affect them. The privileged American will never
come to face the challenges that are presented in Haiti and; therefore, must never have
to think about them. It is this isolation that allows for them to live in an abstract mentality
where they can easily ignore the concrete problems in other parts of the world. This way
of thinking is what separates the advantaged from the disadvantaged as Robillard
states in her essay. Farmer, however, is no ordinary ignorant American as Kidder comes
to state in the following quotation, And I can imagine Farmer saying he doesn't care if
no one else is willing to follow their example. He's still going to make these hikes, he'd
insist, because if you say that seven hours is too long to walk for two families of
patients, you're saying that their lives matter less than some others', and the idea that
some lives matter less is the root of all that's wrong with the world(294). Farmer is
completely aware that the majority of people dont care about this small island nation
the way that he does. Farmer will continue to make the effort to save every ill Haitian
that he meets. No challenge is too big or too small for Paul Farmer. To Farmer, no one
life is worth more than another, therefore no one should be allowed to go abandoned.
Farmer has broken away from the American isolation and does what he believes is

correct. His exposure to third-world issues has made Farmer into one of the few people
who is willing to face the concrete problems of the world.
Haitians view time as a constant present where their place in the world is set and
nothing is to change for them unless a stroke of luck, such as Paul Farmer, comes their
way. Dr. Paul Farmer, however, sees time as his most limited resource and desires to
use every second he has to help others. The Haitians live their lives as if there is no
possible solution in sight for their suffering. Therefore, time for them is seemingly
irrelevant because they do not live everyday on the possibility that something will
change in the course of their lives because nothing has ever. The Haitians do not look
towards the future but rather live in constant day to day struggle since that is ultimately
their reality. As for Farmer and the people of Partners in Health, Farmers health relief
effort in Haiti, time is of the essence. They need to cure as many people in the shortest
time possible. Every second they are not collecting funds or conducting research for
cures for Tuberculosis, the life of someone the couldve been saved. Robillard describes
that a persons perception of time is directly linked to how privileged he or she is. The
Haitians go on living their days attempting to figure out how to survive for the day. It is in
the present where they must live because their future is only full of uncertainty. Farmers
view of time is quite different , however. His perception of time is that there is not
enough of it to save all the people he wishes to. Farmer lives under constant stress and
time constraints. Farmer stresses this point in the following quotation, I can't sleep.
There's always somebody not getting treatment (24). His passion for what he does
prevents him from sleeping. He understands that every second that continues to slip by
there is someone ill that could have been saved by him.Farmer must learn to carefully

allocate his time by performing actions that will ultimately result in producing greatest
amount of good for those in need. His actions may include: conducting more research,
saving another life, holding a speech at a conference, and meeting with donors. It is
also through this perception of time that Farmer recognizes how valuable it actually is
as he states in the following quotation, The problem is, if I don't work this hard,
someone will die who doesn't have to. That sounds megalomaniacal. I wouldn't have
said that to you before I'd take you to Haiti and you had seen that it was manifestly true
(191). It is through valuing time that he understands how important the work that he
does really is.
In conclusion, Tracy Kidders Mountains Beyond Mountains portrays the life and
work of Paul Farmer. By using Robillards principals the reader is able to comprehend
the lives of Paul Farmer and of the people he works with and for. He found his passion
for helping others through reflecting on the experiences that brought him to understand
how valuable every human life is. His narrative made him into the selfless man he is.
Privileged individuals can live everyday comfortably ignoring the issues that do not
necessarily have anything to do with them. These individuals can live in a world of
abstract thoughts and deny concrete reality because it is not present in their lives. The
Haitians live everyday facing very concrete struggles such as combating illness and
hunger. The people of the third world also perceive time as unending hopelessness.
They do not expect to be helped or saved and therefore live every day in the present
because their futures carry much too little to look forward to. For Farmer; however, he
sees time as being much to restricted and seems not to have enough of it to save every
life that he can.