A) Comment on Hitchens' attitude about his diagnosis and quote him directly.

B) Comment on the emotional appeal of both pieces. How does Hitchens connect to the audience?
Hitchens guilefully slinks through both his interview and his latest report on his health. He is rather clearly, like most cancer/chemo patients, in a state of extreme discomfort but he is able to put a kind of charm behind his condition and it's threat to his life. He connects with the audience by not only sharing his experiences and making them comfortable to read. He avoids the route of most well known people who get cancer, the well used "Thanks everyone. I'm really suffering but I love you all. I'm going to die soon...". Instead he addresses the ways in which his ailment has affected his life for the better. What he's learned about himself and the things he has done in his life are more important than telling everyone about his fast approaching demise.

C) Copy a short excerpt from "Topic of Cancer" that is especially good writing and explain why you think so.

"The bargaining stage, though. Maybe there’s a loophole here. The oncology bargain is that, in return for at least the chance of a few more useful years, you agree to submit to chemotherapy and then, if you are lucky with that, to radiation or even surgery. So here’s the wager: you stick around for a bit, but in return we are going to need some things from you. These things may include your taste buds, your ability to concentrate, your ability to digest, and the hair on your head. This certainly appears to be a reasonable trade."

I like this excerpt a lot because of how Hitchens puts the reader in his shoes for a moment. It immediately changes from speaking about peoples struggle to understand why they have cancer to a commentary on what people are willing to give up for a few more years of life. He connects directly with the reader for the first time in the piece as well.