The Breath of Life and Death

摘要: occasion, some situations feel as if the ground beneath us has shat­ tered, leaving feeling ambushed, speechless, and astonished. We begin to speak of situation only Wnd that there are no words say what we want, even though see, think, is real us. Witnessing death my mentor, Louise, felt feet had broken—as through her dying, something about living suddenly became undone. In reXecting on Louise’s death, I found myself thinking life in particular, more generally. life, think­ ing when, why, where, how she died, it might be like when turn die. could not think apart from or death. grieving, was puzzled by inability separate because ought able two, but also sensed some­ thing claiming interpretation at same time beginning make sense it. To quote Judith Butler’s response Derrida’s “I did seize upon it; seize[d] me” (2005b, 34). view others Louise longer shortly after died. They seemed believe that, vacated premises body. Religious philo­ sophical discourses contributed this interpretation, among which recognized inXuence Plato, Aristotle, Augustine. expected such surface, thus surprised inter­ pretation dead Yet was, continue be, fact each remember cannot do so without re­ imagining have reimagine body who while still alive. dying body, especially confronted with The BreaTh Life deaTh