I would have never thought about what my body could be used for after my death. In Stiff, written by Mary Roach, we learn about all the ways cadavers are used in Science. With this information, Roach persuades us to have an open mind about donating our bodies by informing us in an entertaining way.
Throughout the book, Roach picks interesting stories in the history of cadavers to share with her readers. These stories are so unusual to us, they make us laugh. One story was about a woman who willingly wanted to be nailed to a cross. Who would purposely do that? The thought is so preposterous it makes readers chuckle. Another preposterous thought was eating human body parts. Roach told her audience people still do cannibalism. This was a concept
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The details Roach puts in about countries killing kids for their skeletons makes feel terrible for the deaths of innocent children. She even tells us about people digging up graves for bodies or even worse, killing people for their cadavers. In Chapter 2, Roach tells her audience about how a man named William Hare sold a dead body because the person who was dead owed him money. Then, Hare continued to murder bodies once he realized how much they sold for. These sordid tales she informs readers with are so absurd they keep us fascinated with the book. Who wouldn’t want to keep reading after hearing about two headed …show more content…
This adds to every chapter by luring readers to read more. Without each chapter luring readers to read on, would we still read the book? Most people don’t like reading science text books. Roach captivates readers from the start with imagery. In chapter one, she tells us exactly what the room looked like with heads lined up in rows looking strange because they were cut off right below the chin.
Roach entertains us all throughout the book. Did it work to persuade us to have an open mind and donate your body? Roach makes readers think about what could happen if people didn’t donate their bodies using research. Not only does she talk about what if we did not, but what the cadavers could be used for. They could be used to assist cars, planes, and the army to save hundreds of people. How prodigious would that be? Even if you didn’t want to be cut open, you could be made into sculpture. She makes it sound fascinating, readers start to think what they would want to look like.
Overall, Roach doesn’t force you to donate. She leaves it up to facts. Roach justs puts a touch on the information to make you want to read about cadavers. Roach was so interested in learning, her enthusiasm makes readers have a passion to donating our
After her conviction and imprisonment for robbery and dangerous driving, Roach gained newfound purpose when Prisoners were stripped of their voting rights. Citing her past as one of the main reasons she pursued the case in court, Vickie stated that 'after years of feeling useless, I could finally do some good for others like me.' It was Vickie Lee Roach that went to lawyers in order to determine if there was potential to launch a test case. It is important to note that Vickie not be restoring her own voting rights in her attempt to restore Victoria's voting practices to the status quo, as she was serving 6 years. This was a case of principle for Vickie, rather than one for personal gain.
Henrietta Lacks was a thirty-one year old African American who had five kids and married her cousin David Lacks. Henrietta was diagnosed with cervical cancer, the doctors never informed Mrs. Lacks that her cells were to be tested on. The Lacks family was certainly not advised that Henrietta 's cells were growing at an incredible rate. Because of this, the cancer cells were shipped and bought across the world. The last 8 months of Henrietta’s death became a piece of history nobody would ever want to forget.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is at once a biography, a work of science journalism, and a book about the interconnected topics of ethics, justice, and racism. Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman who died from cervical cancer in 1951, was the source of the so-called HeLa cell line, which is “omnipresent” (Skloot, 2010, p. 24) in modern science. The HeLa cell line was derived from Henrietta Lacks’ cancerous tumor, which, against the wishes of Henrietta’s family was taken from her corpse and has been used for prolific and lucrative medical research for over seven decades (Skloot, 2010). Skloot (2010) described The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks as “a biography of both the cells and the woman they came from—someone’s daughter, wife, and mother” (pp. 25-26). While the HeLa cells are ubiquitous in research, the woman from whom they came is, at best, a footnote in biological or medical textbooks.
Many bodies are donated to science but they are not all treated well. David Wagoner Professor of anatomy at Indiana University wanted the bodies to be treated fairly. The meaning of the David Wagoner poem Their Bodies is that the students of Indiana University should be gentle with the bodies. In the first stanza of the poem it describes how his parents were good people and then the second stanza says that the students should treat them just how they would have treated them. The second stanza says, “You should treat them One last time as they would have treated you” (Wagoner 2.2-3).
Herded onto slave ships, forced into labor, and treated lower than animals, 12.5 million Africans were brought to the New World between 1525 and 1866 and became the foundation of the United States, a country now based on liberty and justice for all. Just because America is a beacon of hope and a symbol of equality in the 21st century, its roots in slavery are not morally justified by its current state. Similarly, Henrietta Lacks’ violation of autonomy at Johns Hopkins may have been accepted back then, but it does not make violating her autonomy any more morally correct. Despite the monumental advances in science that stemmed from Henrietta Lacks’ cancer cells, the violation of Henrietta’s autonomy and the hardships she and her family faced
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a scientific biography written by Rebecca Skloot. I usually do not find myself reading this specific type of genre, but I found myself to really enjoy this book. When I first looked at the cover, I was not expecting to learn about a woman that has changed medical research forever. The famous picture of Henrietta with her hands on her hips made her look like an average woman that may have lived to be an old age. The first chapter confirmed that my assumption was incorrect and that this book consisted of the journey of an important woman that has allowed the medical field to achieve its accomplishments.
Henrietta Lack was an African American woman born in 1920 who helped science define some of the world’s medical discoveries. Many woman were dying every year from cervical cancer. Little did she know what the future held for her and millions of other people. This situation saddens me as a medical professional because a human was treated as a specimen rather than a person. Even though this was many decades ago, I feel as though there still should have been standard practices in place that prevented this kind of behavior from those who are supposed to be trusted most, health care professionals.
Part two of, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, once again submerges the reader in to the world of HeLa cells. This section emphasizes what occurred with Henrietta’s immortal cells after her death. Along with the many medical discoveries made from these miracle cells, part two delves into the physical and emotional abuse that Henrietta’s children were forced to live with after her passing all while struggling financially while their mother’s cells are being sold for millions of dollars. Skloot continues her phenomenal synopsis of the life of Henrietta Lacks and the stories her cells continue to tell. One of the utmost riveting and critical scenes of this section occurs in the first few pages.
Beginning with the first chapter it stresses how the author
In the early 1900’s, the conditions in the slaughterhouses were ghastly. First of all, the basic surroundings of the workers were horrid. The floors of the killing floors were layered in blood. It smelled bad and was unsanitary. Also, there were blood-curdling screeches of dying animals constantly ringing throughout Union Stockyards ("Slaughterhouse to the World" 5).
By capturing the emotions, Goodman is able to draw the reader into the context of the book and find a deeper understanding of the issues that arise by relating to the emotions that are associated with it. Goodman’s use of descriptive text, character relations and emotions creates a compelling argument that fiction is able to add value to explore issues raised in the world of science. By allowing the audience of Intuition to understand issues raised in science, Goodman can effectively communicate complicated science
Bushra Pirzada Professor Swann Engh-302 October 4th 2015 Rhetorical Analysis: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks written by Rebecca Skloot tells the story of a woman named Henrietta Lacks who has her cervical cancer. It further goes to tell the audience how Henrietta altered medicine unknowingly. Henrietta Lacks was initially diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951; however, the doctors at John Hopkins took sample tissues from her cervix without her permission. The sample tissues taken from Henrietta’s cervix were used to conduct scientific research as well as to develop vaccines in the suture.
Saba Mirfatahi Professor Bourget English 1130 October 6th 2015 Mitford: Analysis of “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain” Jessica Mitford’s, “Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain,” is an assertive account of the true realisms involving embalming. Jessica Mitford takes a bold stand against the funeral industry and states that people are “blissfully ignorant” (Mitford 310) on preserving people. Ultimately, Jessica Mitford’s argumentative essay is successful due to her very somber but informative and organized tone, her style using dark vivid imagery and quotations make her claims credible. One of the way’s in which Mitford’s argument is effective is through the use of her sarcastic tone. There are many words to describe Mitford’s tone; cocky, blunt,
Lastly, we should appreciate all of the wondrous things our bodies do for us, and enable us to do. We take for granted our abilities to talk, think, and move but these can be gone in an instance of bad luck. The premise of the book is unbelievable but it does make the reader think about life and its value, both to an individual as well as to a society. No matter who it is their life
An essential part of modern society relied on trust, especially the trust of doctors and scientists. People had the right to make an informed decision about their bodies and body parts. People had a right to their body parts, both attached and cell samples collected by doctors. The actions that the medical professions made will continue to affect future generations in both positive and negative ways. In the contemporary biographical novel, the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot used logical opinions to argue about the importance of consent to reveal the lack of morality from those in the medical field which continues to persist today.