Madonna Kemp

University: Middle Tennessee State University

Description of Work:

My name is Madonna Fajardo Kemp, and I desire to specialize in the Rhetoric of Health and Medicine because of my personal hope that the rhetorical environment of breast cancer patients may be improved. After years of experience with the rhetorical environment of breast cancer patients I have realized the concerns that exist with philanthropy rhetoric; the gathering of narratives; the verbal interactions between patients and navigators/nurses/physicians; the metaphors used to refer to patients and their experiences. I have heard from women who are angry about wearing pink and being considered warriors, as well as that no-one seems to care that they can no longer fulfill their previous self-actualized roles. And I have recognized the issues with a sense of stolen agency and lingering unaddressed social and emotional pains.

My foray into breast cancer rhetorical concerns began in 2016 when I presented an idea of how narrative might be used to better the experience of breast cancer patients at the 2016 Pain Colloquium organized by The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga—where I teach Rhetoric and Composition. And continued when I revised my initial ideas and presented “Narrative as Advocate and Treatment for the Breast Cancer Patient Dealing with Invisible Wounds” at the 2016 NCTE Annual Convention. In order to focus on my research concerns and further my educational and professional goals I returned to school by entering the PhD program at Middle Tennessee State University, where I will be taking an RHM preliminary exam in October 2020.

Through my studies at MTSU I have begun an initial Qualtrics survey entitled “Breast Cancer Philanthropy Titles/Slogans Survey.” This survey is meant to determine if there is quantitative evidence for the claim, made by many authors, that certain philanthropy rhetoric encourages sexualization, objectification, and trivialization, as well as to serve as an avenue for the identification of possible narrative study candidates.

Socials:

Facebook: Madonna Fajardo Kemp