The play Wit by Margaret Edson addresses one of the most difficult subjects with which humanity is forced to grapple: death. However, for Vivian Bearing, death has always been more of a subject to study than a subject to confront. In Vivian's experience, death is a teaching tool, an inevitable end of life not to be feared and, as she will discover through her own experience, a force that will completely change the way social status is perceived . Edson approaches Vivian's journey using intertextual references in order to align Vivian's experience with her studies of poetry and to give her piece an additional dimension for the audience to explore. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Vivian Bearing's illness begins to take its toll when she signs the informed consent form, because at that moment, she is forced to recognize that her fate is no longer hers. Like Donne's "Holy Sonnet 6," Vivian has been forced to understand that her life is quickly fleeting following the diagnosis of terminal cancer. This first step in Vivian's treatment represents a consideration of her future. Accepting the fact that “This is [his] last scene, here the heavens stare / [His] pilgrimages of the last mile, and [his] course / Lazily, but quickly…” (Donne, Holy Sonnet 6). Donne's numerous references to time and the repetition of the word "last" in the sonnet help to construct the idea that life moves faster and faster and will only move forward when one's destiny is accepted. Although Vivian understands that her death is approaching, she maintains her confidence and social status at first with the help of Dr. Kelekian, who calls her "Dr." Bearing", and creates a level playing field so to speak. by referring to the common points between the two teachers. Here, Edson constructs a relationship of equality between them. Jennifer Givhan also notes this relationship, writing that "like the medical researchers who dissected her body, Vivian in turn learned to dissect poetry through her own skillful use of language" (79). Through Kelekian and Bearing's mutual respect, audiences can take comfort in the fact that even though Vivian's medical procedures are invasive, her unique new relationships support her. Before Vivian's arrival at the Ground Rounds, her position of power within the university was all-consuming. Jason describes Donne as "the most difficult poetry in the English department" and Vivian's role in the class made its consumption obligatory (Edson, 31). As a result, she was unable to establish supportive relationships to help her navigate the challenges she didn't know she would face. This power over language concerned Vivian during early treatments (as she questioned her relationship as a subject of study to a poem in her own practice), but her vast knowledge of language also had a negative effect on her . According to Givhan, Vivian's upbringing caused her "...to erect walls of distance between herself and others...at the top of which she [was] dominant..." and, as a result, she became increasingly alone ( 78). This may well have contributed to Vivian's initial confidence digression into suffering, and forces the audience to consider their own social status and the relationships that fluctuate due to that status. Vivian's second stop at the hospital begins with her inspections by the doctor. fellows, but is solidified upon entering the isolation unit. This second stage marks a change in the relationship between Vivian and the hospital staff and is illustrated by the way in whichJason treats her. A clear example is Jason explaining his ailments to the other classmates and Dr. Kelekian: “He takes a sheet and carefully covers his legs and groin, then pulls up his robe to reveal his entire abdomen. He is barely audible, but his gestures are clear” (Edson, 36). Jason's abrupt and degrading actions show an obvious change in Vivian's social status from how she is treated by Kelekian, beginning her entry into a much less confident period. According to Jennifer Givhan, "Jason uses Vivian's body - indicated by the stage directions that he 'puts his finger on her abdomen' and 'runs his hand all over her body' (36) - as a demonstration of his own superior intellect, as he lists his symptoms, seemingly unconcerned with his presence as a thoughtful, subjective person in the room with him. (78). Regardless of how the reader perceives the specifics of Jason's actions towards Vivian, he undeniably finds himself as the dominant person in the relationship, illustrating the rapidly changing power dynamic discussed previously and showing the audience the perceived effect of social status on how people are treated. After being socially degraded, Vivian's physical suffering arises. Continually growing from the moment she takes ice cream as a child, explaining that "the epithelial cells in [her] gastrointestinal tract were killed by the chemo [and] cold ice cream feels good..." Vivian becomes more and more painful. This stage is characterized by the following Holy Sonnet in the sequence “if toxic minerals”. Donne writes: “To God, in his severe anger, why does he threaten him? / But who am I to dare to argue with you? / O God, oh! …” (Donne, Saint Sonnet 9). Throughout this sonnet, the speaker approaching death asks God why he must suffer while animals and objects that have sinned can pass peacefully. Vivian also finds herself in this situation. “There's a cancer eating away at my damn bones, and I didn't know there could be such pain on this earth. (She falls back on the bed and screams audibly at them.) Oh, my God” (Edson, 71). Vivian will not move past this pain until she dies, and by then, her linguistic choices become increasingly similar to those demonstrated in "Holy Sonnet 9". Vivian's previous social status and references to poetry are replaced by basic groans and questions directed at higher powers, once again illustrating to the reader that even after a respected career in the study of death, the only conclusion is often about facing it, and in Vivian's case, all the pain that accompanied it. On page 84 through the end of Wit, Edson creates a situation characterized by a final power struggle and contrasted by the peace of Vivian's death in order to further connect his text to the poems of John Donne and form the final stage of Vivian's stay in the hospital illustrated through the diction choices and chaotic characterization throughout this final passage. As Vivian begins to go into cardiac arrest and Jason calls the code, the hierarchy of the medical world becomes instantly apparent. The code team, shouting “Get out of the way!” and “Move it!” is in charge. Susie's flimsy attempts to stop them are a clear failure, putting the Code Team in a position of power and Vivian in the lowest position of all. As part of "Holy Sonnet 10", Susie attempts to allow Vivian to die and plays the role of death. Here however, Vivian's choice must be made at the mercy of the code team. Their role is destiny, illustrated by the inevitability of their.