AIDS/HIV :: essays research papers

Different people define success in umteen different ways. What is considered success by one(a) person may be viewed as failure by another person. Randy Shilts, a man newspaper reporter / author, attempts to soak up ancestryamental changes in Americas opinion on assist. In Randy Shiltss taste, "Talking AIDS to Death," he speaks of his experiences as an "AIDS celebrity." At the core of Shiltss essay is the statement, "Never before have I succeeded so well neer before have I failed so miserably"(221). Shilts can memorise his accomplishments from two crests of view- as a success and as a failure. notwithstanding instant fame, Shilts is not satisfied with the effects his writings has on the widely distributed public. Shiltss "success" and reasons for failure can both be considered when one decides whether or not his efforts were performed in vain.     From a superficial stand point Randy Shilts, without a doubt, has become a great success with the unload of his book And the Band Played On. Almost over night, Shilts is emerged in either the luxuries of stardom. "I quickly acquired all the trappings of bestsellerdom 60 Minutes coverage of my "startling" revelations, a Book-of-the-Month Club contract, a miniseries deal with NBC, translation into cardinal languages, book tours on three continents, featured roles in movie-star-studded AIDS fund raisers, regular appearances on net pee-pee news shows, and hefty fees on the college rally circuit" (220). These benefits, along with numerous others, mark that of a "successful" person.                                                    Hopes 2However, a deeper look into the expectations Shilts has for his book can offer an explanation to wherefore Shilts was not a complete success.      Randy Shilts set out to shed monumental changes in the worlds perspective of AIDS. He plotted to enlighten, motivate, and educate the population on this tragic disease that has already claimed so many lives. He believed that virtually all the misconceptions about AIDS would be corrected and the public would insist that more be done to hitch the epidemic. "I had hoped to effect some fundamental changes. I really believed I could alter the performance of the institutions that had allowed AIDS to sweep through America undisciplined" (220). Shiltss immense expectations positioned him for his inevitable sense of failure. He did not unadulterated all that he had planned. AIDS was excuse spreading and people were still dying. "The bitter irony is, my role as an AIDS celebrity retributory gives me a more elevated promontory from which to watch the world make the same mistakes in the handling of the AIDS epidemic that I hoped my work would help to change"(220).