NY Times OP-ED

"Hypochondria: An Inside Look" is an OP-ED written by actor, filmmaker and author Woody Allen, who has gained a bit of a reputation for being a hypochondriac, but in the column Allen disputes the claims saying his ailment is much different. For much of the column, Allen tells of different instances in which he was sure he had come down with some kind of disease or infection. As he continues to describe these instances, he makes the claims of him being a hypochondriac look like the truth.

However, Allen points out that he is an alarmist, which he claims is different from the "crackpot" hypochondriacs because he does not imagine his ailments, they are real. He does indeed have plenty of ailments, but they are nowhere near as bad as what he initially believes, and multiple times he is left embarrassed and in disbelief on a hospital bed. 

The piece is very well written and meets the guidelines laid out by the NY Time, but the one aspect of this piece that makes it very unique is the humor Allen uses to connect with the readers. 

"I Was Wounded; My Honor Wasn't" is a moving OP-ED piece by Sohaila Abdulali, an Indian novelist who was raped at the age of 17. In the Indian culture, like many others, victims of raped are often misunderstood and misconceived. While many victims are ashamed and feel that have lost their honor, or dishonored their family, Abdulali is not the normal rape victim.

While she said she is not proud of the fact that she is a victim, she is also not ashamed. She lashed out against the misconceptions towards victims, and the silence many of them keep. She has become a symbol for how to overcome such a traumatic experience. She says rape is without a doubt horrible, but it is not necessarily horrible for the reasons many people believe it is.

"It is not horrible because you lose your 'virtue'. It is not horrible because your father and brother are dishonored. I reject the notion that my virtue is located in my vagina."

This piece is very moving and well written. It speaks to women of all ages, in a all societies. Women around the world got through the same things she went through, but feel there is no way out, but by having this column placed in one of the most well known newspapers in the world, Abdulali speaks to those women.